[Cedars]

These guys didnt see me at first. There were two of them and one seemed to be protecting a territory as I watched him dive and drive off the first bird. On bird #2s return to the east, he flew directly overhead.

The brown slash at the end of the wing flesh area is one ID factor on the red-tailed hawk (immatures do not have the red tail). The Broadwing hawk also has this, but it has a banded tail rather than a solid color tail. The spattering of brown speckles across the breast of the red-tail is a secondary ID, but you can get dark versions of red-tails. This spattering is full body on the Broadwing.

The red-shouldered hawk is much darker in all the flesh areas of the wing, and the body is darker (though you can sometimes see white mixed in). The primary/secondary feathers are usually more checkered/striped/darker gray/brown than the primaries/secondaries on the red-tail (viewed flying overhead).

I hope to get similar shots of more of these hawks over this summer and fall so I can post side by side comparison shots to help ID efforts. Red shouldered may be difficult, as I dont see many, and even fewer this close.

[tangledup75]

Originally Posted by Cedars

Take any pics of the feathers and the area they were in?

This picture was taken next to my strawberry patch. I took a couple, but his was the best one. Today, there must have been about 5 orioles at my feeders. I have 1 large Oriel feeder, 2 orange or grape feeders, and 4 hummingbird feeders hanging out. My husband noticed the humming birds the day before yesterday. The Orioles and hummers are competing for the feeders now. I have never seen so many Orioles in one day!

[Cedars]

Originally Posted by tangledup75

This picture was taken next to my strawberry patch. I took a couple, but his was the best one. Today, there must have been about 5 orioles at my feeders. I have 1 large Oriel feeder, 2 orange or grape feeders, and 4 hummingbird feeders hanging out. My husband noticed the humming birds the day before yesterday. The Orioles and hummers are competing for the feeders now. I have never seen so many Orioles in one day!

That looks like a female cardinal to me. It could also be a cat kill. A fox would have disapeared with it whole (I think). Whatever it was, it looks like it at least partially ate it there before being disturbed. If it was a cat kill, its likely the whole bird was eaten there. When I found the dove on the roof (coopers) the rib cage was still there stripped of meat and insides. This is the only whole remains of a coopers kill I have found. All the rest of the prey was taken elsewhere to be eaten and did not leave the detached ends of wings at the scene. Just some primary feathers, and with the starling, the beak.

[Cedars]

These guys are starting to adjust to me again. Picture taken from around 4-5 feet away. Sun wasnt shining in right direction to light up this guys throat, but I will get some like that sometime this summer! Pic is 60% of original size.

[Cedars]

These guys were insane to try to get a picture of. They never stop moving, they stay high in the tree tops and they hide behind twigs. Plus they chase bugs thru the air. I have one blurry photo of a male completely upside down in flight.

Today was a HUGE push of warblers. I had Cape May, Nashville, Magnolia, Redstarts, Yellow-rumped, Yellow, and one I cannot ID yet (thinking a female Cape May). At 10 am every tree in my yard had at least one warbler, and most had multiple warblers chasing bugs. I have never seen this many Redstarts in my yard at once.

Pics are of male and female. Both are insane to photograph. Females have yellow where the male is orange, their yellow wingbar is not as sharp as the males orange wingbar, and the female body is gray rather than black. The males seem to never stop fanning their tails.

[Cedars]

This guy was pretty easy going about my presence in the yard. It was him poking around outside of my window that drew my attention to the movement going on today.

Identifying characteristics include the the red-brown around the eye with the black eye line and white wing coverts/patch.

[tangledup75]

On May 21 I spotted an Indigo Bunting, unfortunately, I have not seen any more in my yard. Indigo Bunting
I am very disappointed to hear a nest full of Starlings in the wood duck house. I finally identified the male going in the house.
All About Birds: European Starling
Yesterday I saw a stay cat in one of our out buildings and am trying to bait it. No luck yet…

[DougF]

Good luck on baiting the stray cat, I have a neighbor that brings home a cat every week or two, I'm lucky that the cats run off as they do a number on the local bird population. (I just wish they wouldn't let all of this cats loose into the wild)

[Turtle]

I haven't done much birding lately, but I caught a delightful scene out the kitchen window while washing up. A group of House Finches [Carpodacus mexicanus] feeding on the seed pods of the wild Dovefoot Geranium [Geranium molle] that I potted from the yard. I haven't seen any Finches in quite a while as I don't have any seed they like, and this is pretty neat to see them having at a native food source. (Also in the pots, Trailing Thyme, and Viola Tricolor)

YouTube - Finches Feeding

[freeztar]

Awesome video! Wow!

Finches and Geraniums? We'll need to research this a bit more.