Birds

[garyclark]

Are there any birders in The Swamp?

I've been an aspirational birder for some time now, and as I think about ways I can spend more time outside and away from screens, I've been thinking about how to engage in this hobby. We bought a Bird Buddy for Christmas (it's been so damn cold we haven't set it up yet, but hopefully this weekend). And when I watched my favorite show of the year last week (The Residence), the birding aspect ignited the spark of curiosity even further.

Anyone have any recommendations of where to begin? Some of the birding stuff can be overwhelming, and looking for an easy on-ramp.

[sancarlos]

If you do a search on “birding”, you’ll find many posts on the subject - often involving Sabo. But, not a dedicated thread, I don’t think.

[Steve of phpBB]

If you have room on your phone for the Merlin app, put it on. It helps identify birds by their calls or songs, and can tell you what birds would be expected in your particular area when you're there.

[travzilla]

I got really into it while in costa rica and panama, and have been pretty avid the last 7 or 8 years.
Obviously binoculars are a must. Nothing fancy really, anything that zooms in too much ends up being really shaky. I just got a scope for christmas this year, but that will probably be more for sitting on the beach looking at sea birds and stuff.

I assume you have a feeder to put up in the yard? I find black oil sunflower seed the best for a variety of birds without attracting too many pest birds like grackles and pigeons. Nyer seed (and specific feeders for it) are good for goldfiinches.

Get to know the regular birds well enough that when a non-regular comes by it stands out.

Try some specialized foods for certain birds. Orange slices or jelly in the spring for orioles. Suet, or peanuts (in shell) for Blue Jays or woodpeckers.

Apps - Merlin Bird ID is a really nice clean app that lets you input characteristics like size and colour and will give you a list of likely candidates. Also, it has a sound ID feature that works incredibly well. eBird is another app that lets you keep checklists and find good spots nearby to go birding.

Biggest tip - and the thing I like most about it - its so incredibly calming. Its not something you can do while doing anything else, and it takes time just being still. Whether you're in your yard or a park or the woods, you just have to be willing to wait. Rarely do I see anything while my wife and I are on hikes, but if I can go somewhere and just stand still (or ideally sit somewhere), its amazing how fast you start to find things.

Glad you started a thread!

[govmentchedda]

Am I imagining things, or is Sabo a birder?

[Steve of phpBB]

Am I imagining things, or is Sabo a birder?

You may or may not be imagining things.

But yes.

[P.D.X.]

There's fancy apps n stuff but I still like a good book. Sibley's seems to be the go-to, but I stick with my National Geographic field guides (they have regional ones). Merlin app as mentioned is fantastic.

Fantastic books about birds:
The Beak of the Finch
H is for Hawk
The Genius of Birds
Mind of the Raven
What an Owl Knows

I like small sets of binoculars (nikon makes some good pocket-sized ones for like $100), just because they're easier to carry and have on you all the time.

There's also plenty of birding/ID groups on facebook, if that's relevant for you. Regional ones would be good to dip into.

[rass]

My parents have had the same guidebook for as long as I can remember. Pretty little book.

Am I imagining things, or is Sabo a birder?

He was, until The Incident.. Since then he’s taken to a steady diet of bowling alley Mai Tais to hide from the pain. Tragic really, and I can’t believe the two gc’s would rub salt in the would like this.

[A_B]

For fucks sake.

[garyclark]

My parents have had the same guidebook for as long as I can remember. Pretty little book.

Am I imagining things, or is Sabo a birder?

He was, until The Incident.. Since then he’s taken to a steady diet of bowling alley Mai Tais to hide from the pain. Tragic really, and I can’t believe the two gc’s would rub salt in the would like this.

This joke is going over my head. And I can tell it's a good one.

[garyclark]

Thanks all. This is great info.

[mister d]

Is it?

[EdRomero]

My bird watching is stopping when I see something and taking a photo to send to my friend who was an obsessed bird watcher. He's traveled the world searching for specific birds, studied obsessively, you name it. So if you have questions or need more resources I can check with him. He started with them: https://www.brooklinebirdclub.org/

Here's my latest find, spotted hanging out high above a golf course

[The Sybian]

Yep, that’s a bird.

[Jerloma]

That's obviously a Northern Silver-Bellied Babbler Partridge

[P.D.X.]

christ, what kind of amateur makes up a bird's name without breast, bush, tit, or boob in it?

[Jerloma]

FUCK!!!

[Steve of phpBB]

christ, what kind of amateur makes up a bird's name without breast, bush, tit, or boob in it?

Have any of y'all played Wingspan? Lots of fun bird stuff there, including breasts, bushes, tits, and boobs.

[The Sybian]

christ, what kind of amateur makes up a bird's name without breast, bush, tit, or boob in it?

Have any of y'all played Wingspan? Lots of fun bird stuff there, including breasts, bushes, tits, and boobs.

Time for some more masturbation in NJ.

[sancarlos]

[garyclark]

Is it?

I mean, not all of it. But it's enough to get me started.

[EdRomero]

It's a Juvenile Bald Eagle

[P.D.X.]

Nailed it!

[rass]

It's a Juvenile Bald Eagle

Better than a barely legal tit?

[govmentchedda]

https://bsky.app/profile/hollyanderson. ... nkehfgl22n

You're in good company, GC

[garyclark]

https://bsky.app/profile/hollyanderson. ... nkehfgl22n

You're in good company, GC

Bird Buddy going up today.

Bird book ordered.

Researching binoculars now, as the only pair I have are quite chunky and clunky.

[sancarlos]

[Giff]

That place is close to us in Houston terms.

[P.D.X.]

Thought you were talking about NZ at first

[garyclark]

Bird. Bird. Bird.

[bfj]

Bird. Bird. Bird.

That is the word.

[elflaco2]

got a birdfy for last bday
used to have a feeder attached to my office window (i work mostly from home), last fall we had the landscaping redone in the front.. can't haven no birdseeds ruining it... also had three others in different parts of the yard.
birdfy feeder lasted 3 days before squirrells knocked it down. currently sitting waiting for me to find a new spot, where 1) squirrells can't reach it, 2) if squirrels reach it i can scare them off (the feeded has a mic so i can yell at them or an alarm.. which i found my neighbors can hear four houses down) 3) if noise doesn't scare them, location must be wihtin distance of slingshot (jk. no.maybe)
we get lots of cardinals, bluejays, morning doves, a few escaped parakeets, finches, several circling hawks and others i haven't id'd yet.

[P.D.X.]

The cure for any squirrel problems is to switch the feed to hot meat (shelled sunflower seeds covered in cayenne pepper). Birds have no sensitivity to capsaicin, squirrels do.

[Shirley]

got a birdfy for last bday
used to have a feeder attached to my office window (i work mostly from home), last fall we had the landscaping redone in the front.. can't haven no birdseeds ruining it... also had three others in different parts of the yard.
birdfy feeder lasted 3 days before squirrells knocked it down. currently sitting waiting for me to find a new spot, where 1) squirrells can't reach it, 2) if squirrels reach it i can scare them off (the feeded has a mic so i can yell at them or an alarm.. which i found my neighbors can hear four houses down) 3) if noise doesn't scare them, location must be wihtin distance of slingshot (jk. no.maybe)
we get lots of cardinals, bluejays, morning doves, a few escaped parakeets, finches, several circling hawks and others i haven't id'd yet.

Escaped parakeets? That's gotta be pretty cool to see. Are these solos or do you actually have breeding pairs in your area (which I guess would be bad)?

[elflaco2]

The cure for any squirrel problems is to switch the feed to hot meat (shelled sunflower seeds covered in cayenne pepper). Birds have no sensitivity to capsaicin, squirrels do.

funny thing is .. it was after i added the pepper to the feed that they ganged up (there were at least 6 of them feckers) and knocked it down. will be putting it up again this week.

[elflaco2]

got a birdfy for last bday
used to have a feeder attached to my office window (i work mostly from home), last fall we had the landscaping redone in the front.. can't haven no birdseeds ruining it... also had three others in different parts of the yard.
birdfy feeder lasted 3 days before squirrells knocked it down. currently sitting waiting for me to find a new spot, where 1) squirrells can't reach it, 2) if squirrels reach it i can scare them off (the feeded has a mic so i can yell at them or an alarm.. which i found my neighbors can hear four houses down) 3) if noise doesn't scare them, location must be wihtin distance of slingshot (jk. no.maybe)
we get lots of cardinals, bluejays, morning doves, a few escaped parakeets, finches, several circling hawks and others i haven't id'd yet.

Escaped parakeets? That's gotta be pretty cool to see. Are these solos or do you actually have breeding pairs in your area (which I guess would be bad)?

i assume it's escaped - not native to nj havent' seen two, it was always the same one last summer

[bfj]

The cure for any squirrel problems is to switch the feed to hot meat (shelled sunflower seeds covered in cayenne pepper). Birds have no sensitivity to capsaicin, squirrels do.

funny thing is .. it was after i added the pepper to the feed that they ganged up (there were at least 6 of them feckers) and knocked it down. will be putting it up again this week.

That’s Squirrel language for “go fuck yourself”.

[Giff]

Have you ever seen a squirrel do this?