Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Weapon of choice

Nikon 10x50
-

-
Sorry guys; the rod and reel take second fiddle. This is what it's all about for us.

Very cool, Bski. I enjoy bird/critter watching as well...good optics make all the difference.

That's 90% of what hunting is all about for me...just watching and learning.

"Captain Spaulding's Expedition to the Okavango: Day 37, still searching for the Filigreed Angolan Foo Bird"



(Those are a nice pair o' bins, Bski)

Hey!!!! That's my wife, buddy!

No one ever implied Captain Spaulding lacked taste or forethought when planning an expedition.

I saw a Bald Eagle yesterday. That makes 2 or 3 this year.

Last October I saw 4 in a group soaring at a 1000 feet or so. That was pretty cool.

No ground breaking species sightings to report, but I got an excellent look at a couple of barn swallows yesterday sitting on this fence. They were the most remarkable iridescent blue color.

Brettski, any luck with the Wood Ducks nesting yet?

nada

I saw an Oregon Form 40N yesterday. We don't get many of those in California. Sure we see a lot of Arizona 140s and of course California 540s are everwhere. But an Oregon Form 40N, what a treat that was.

Be sure and record it in your book.

Brettski, the spot your have your wood duck box in the pic looks great. Hopefully the woodies will find it soon. I love the flooded timber look. Does the water stay that way year round or just during the spring high water?

I set up a game camera on the creek near our cabin hoping to get some different pictures and got this one:



As of yet, they aren't nesting. In years past they've used our boxes.

They are so beautiful it's hard to believe they exist...seriously - I love Wood ducks.

Definitely the most beautiful and striking of any waterfowl IMO.

Bski -

Since I built the ponds last year there are three new species of birds I've identified for the first time in my life:

Bobolink
Baltimore Oriole
Wood Duck

the fourth is some kind of a prairie sparrow I can't get close enough to identify. I'm trying to get a recording of it's call so I can hit the websites and try to determine. I will keep you posted. Have you made any unexpected discoveries at your place?

The crib we cashed out to develop this new project was our biggest leap in bird exposure. I don't know that there is another place as bird-diverse as the Tippecanoe River. LNP has turned out to be a good deal for birding, but it's still developing as the pond matures. This page is general rundown. It helps us keep track.

We saw our first Orioles at the Tippy place. We had a piece of 1 x 4 x 36" pine board with 4 pc of 3" drywall screws poked thru it so the screws stick out one side. The board was screwed to a tree and we would cut oranges in half and impale a 1/2 orange on each of the drywall screws. The orioles would gorge themselves on the oranges. They stand on top of the orange, lean over, and pick out the fruit. Crazy.

Which species of oriole do you have out your way Brettski? In my area the Baltimore species loves to build it's nest right on the edge of a water body. They often take fisherman's discarded fishing line to construct their hanging nests with.

Do you guys get any gold finches, we have plenty and the males are just starting to turn brite gold, it almost hurts your eyes.

I've seen hundreds of pics of Orioles, Wood ducks, Bobolinks - I even recognized some of their calls from recordings, but when you really ID one on your OWN PLACE it's some kind of sublime moment.

AP - I have 10 feeders in my backyard in surburban Lincoln, NE, and get Goldfinches all Fall, Winter and now they are turning bigtime and will be headed to the country to get their thing going. Canary yellow right now - really something!! Last two winters I've been rewarded with Pine Siskins and Red Breasted Nuthatches both of which are pretty notable for Lincoln. Must be a shortage of forage up in the N woods?

Bski

I know I keep sayings this - bou have a breathtaking place, ability for capturing great photos, and a kick*ss website. I love fishing...but like you I'm trying to do more of an Aldo Leopold thing....

BTW - when's the last time you stewards of the environment read Sand County Almanac? Dust it off...really keeps me aligned to what my responsibilities are!

Baltimore, but haven't seen them since departing the riverfront property.

TJ, goldfinches or as my dad calls them salad birds are unusual in that their nesting season is later July into August. It is timed with the peak of their food supply abundance. Almost no other species of bird nests that late in the year. I love their call, such a cheery sound! They sure do love thistle seed....

Sand County Almanac was required reading for my introduction to wildlife and fisheries science class at Penn State. Definitely a great book!

Ditto @ UW Stevens Point for me.

Brettski:

Have you ever tried digiscoping? When I get more time I'd like to get an adapter for my spotting scope and give it a try. I've seen some amazing pics taken that way.

Brettski,

Another great thread. I didn't realize there were so many bird watchers here. I'm only mildly into it, but my wife has developed a real passion for them. She'll sit for hours with her camera, binoculars and bird books trying to get a good picture or identify a new species.

Currently, she has positively identified 67 different species of birds on our land. Some are hear only for certain times of the year and for a very short time, while others are here year round. We know that there are allot of other species here, but have not seen them, or been able to be positive in identifying them. If we are not 100% sure, then we won't add it to our list.

Our weapons of choice are also 10x50 binoculars. Mine are Swarovski, and hers are Pentax. She also carries a Cannon S2 camera with an optical 12x lens. It's still not enough for ever picture, and getting a great picture of the birds is more about the photographer then the camera, it's still a very good camera. She's thinking of upgrading it to one with more power, but it's so hard to keep this one steady, even on a tripod, that we're not sure if it's worth the expense. She also has attachments to increase the magnification 1.6X and filters to improve clarity, or add interest.

I just enjoy going for a walk with her and seeing what's out there. When we first started living here, we didn't have the big pond, and there was only a few trails and open areas. Since building Lake Marabou, clearing our back pasture and creating our roads, we've noticed a tremendous increase in bird activity. I can't say if it's improved habitat, more diverse habitat or if it's just that we can see them better, but our bird count went way up in just a year after most of the work was done.

Here's a list of our 67 Bird Species.

American Coot
American Crow
American Kestrel
American Robin
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black Vulture
Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher
Blue Grosbeak
Blue Jay
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown Headed Cowbird
Brown Headed Nuthatch
Brown Thrasher
Canada Goose
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Cattle Egret
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird x
Eastern Phoebe
Egyptian Goose
Grackle Common
Great Blue Heron
Great Horned Owl
Greater Roadrunner
Gold Finch
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Hairy Woodpecker
Harris Sparrow
House Finch
Inca Dove
Indigo Bunting
Little Blue Heron
Mallard Duck
Morning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northen Flicker
Northern Mockingbird
Painted Bunting
Pileated Woodpecker
Pine Siskin
Pine Warbler
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red Shouldered Hawk
Red Tailed Hawk
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Ruby Humming Bird
Savanah Sparrow
Scissor Tail Flycatcher
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Summer Tanager
Titmouse
Turkey, Rio Grand
Turkey Vulture
White Breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Wood Duck
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow Billed Cuckoo
Yellow-Rumped Warbler


Eddie

Before the photography thing gets too far outta hand, the page I link on our LNP website for wildlife is a collection of "borrowed" pics from the www. No way I could do work that well, let alone get that close either physically or with the proper photo equipment.
-
Our best (and only) photo equipment is a simple Kodak Z812 point-and-shoot with a 12x optical zoom. It's more than this ham-and-egger can possibly hope to operate. Maybe someday that will change...maybe not.

I have the same camera Brettski, works well for me. I love the 12x optical zoom for taking pictures of deer when driving around at work.

I'm going to cram a compliment down your throat one of these days, Bski.

Find that picture of him at the racetrack wearing shorts and mention his legs.

outahere

he said he would cram the compliment down my THROAT

Wearing his deal o the century shades, I'm hopeful.

A beer to anyone who can post this pic...payable at he PBC

That's a very impressive list, Eddie. You are fortunate to have a climate that attracts seasonal visitors but also obviously have a great variety of resident species. Some of my favorites I have yet to witness in person include:

Blue Grobeak
Cedar Waxwing
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Pileated Woodpecker

You are very fortunate - if you have any pics I'd love to see them!

So THAT'S what LEOs do while driving during work. I've always wondered.

I believe there'll be no charge.

Holy Nair commercial...who's got short shorts?

Theo - your favorite bottle is on me.

Good to finally meet you, Bski.

It's a good thing that I usually don't drink while I'm using the laptop or I would have spit all over the keyboard! It's been a while since I've heard that commercial!!!!

Do those shorts have pockets, or are they busting at the seams.

The area of the flooded timber (first pic of this thread) is our latest destination at the pondsite.



It is only easily accessed by either boat or the 1/4 mile trail we cut thru impossible bramble thickets and twisted, downed Black Locust trees. The wandering white line is an approximation of the trail. The white arrow depicts the photo location.

-
We selected this destination for the trail because it terminates at the base of a draw that brings in alot of our drainage water. Having the trail wander thru totally unmanaged and wild timber and brambles is a natural gift. It took a couple years of "on again, off again" sweat & toil with a chainsaw and handheld brush cutter, but we finished it last fall. It happens to be the same pond area where I went thru the ice a couple winters ago. It is probably the best trail we have since you get glimpses of the pond all the way, depending on the leafage. The end of the trail is neat little flat plateau at the base of the draw. It's about 20 feet around, guarded by old downed trees and uprooted stumps. It looks out to the pond, behind the wood duck boxes. This entire nasty, unmanaged timber zone is LOADED with birds; primarily woodies. I hope to someday construct some kind of a cool deck, screen gazebo, or something that would protect us from bugs and still afford the wild exposure. Take a walk with us for the last 50 feet or so as we descend the gradual incline into the draw.

It really did take some guts for Brettski to post that picture way back. What a dork.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.Just kidding Bro!

While I'm working on a serious post, you guys are cuttin' me up. ...... I'm honored !!!
You guys are losin' your touch. Nobody picked up on the gold chain.

"Helluva race back there, Twobit."

"Why thankee, stranger. Glad you could make it out today. Say, them's some purty nifty short-pants you're sportin there."

"Yes, yes they are. They're a gift from Greg Luganis. I especially enjoy the roomy pockets..."

"Yes sir - yer whole hand can fit in there! And say, that gold chain DO throw off a nice shine onto that chest toupe- I bet the babes can't get enough of it?"

"I'll say - and this is my light chain for Summer. You oughta see my Winter chains..."

I pity the foo' that makes funna the gold "B" on my chain.
-
Should I drag out the spandex disco pics?

I hate to break up the Bski fun fest, but can any of you bird experts ID this skinny leg bird. He didn't seem bothered by me in the canoe.

without even grabbing the bird ID book, my first reaction is a green heron. Were the legs orange/yellow in color?

or, maybe not...?
anybody got the book handy?

You are kidding right.

no...but I don't think it's a green heron. I only reacted to what appeared to be yellow legs. Too bad it wasn't in blue short shorts.

OK, you got me.

Here are a few of the bird pics that my wife has taken.

Eddie
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]
[img][/img]

[img][/img]
[img][/img]

[img][/img]

I think the legs are set too far forward for a heron, more like a shorebird, but the beak sure says fish catcher! I'll defer to the experts.

Eddie great photos, but you need to id them for us bird challenged folk, i knew 4 for sure.

The picture I put up is a small bird, I looked it up last year but I can't remember.

It's a species of sandpiper... Probably a Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia. That long beak is not for fishing eating but rather is used to probe soft wet soil for invertebrates which makes up the bulk of it's diet. A very neat bird!

Spotted Sandpiper

Also the only "shore bird" in that family that nests in the United States. Make him or her happy and they may just make some babies on your place!

It looks like you nailed it CJ, the bird was persistent running around on the floating island.

Do you pull this info off the top of your head, or do you have volumes of wildlife books surrounding your computer.
I don't know how you do it.

N Cardinal
Red Bellied Woodpecker or Flicker
Downy or Hairy Woodpecker
Cedar Waxwing [Yeah!]
Scarlet Tanager or Western Tanager?
No idea
Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Goldfinch
Indigo Bunting

How'd I do?

Shooot - SUMMER Tanager!

Good job CJ! Looks like the non-breeding plumage.

Whats the one I missed? Can't think of anything without cheating in my birding book...and I don't want to!

The Tanager is a Summer Tanager. It is the bird that got Steph interested in bird watching and identification. She saw it and realized that it wasn't a cardinal. She saw the gray colored beak and got to wondering about it. Once she got it in her head, there was no stopping her. She bought several books and went from one discovery to dozens of them!!!

The one you can't identify is an immature Blue Grosbeak. It's the only picture of one that she's gotten so far, and we rarely see them. She was pretty sure it was a blue grosbeak, but posted it on a bird forum to be sure.

Eddie

Brettski, nice peaceful video, thanks for sharing.

We have some killer conservation vibes going in this thread! Thoreau, Whittier and Muir and smiling somewhere.

Teehjaeh,

Cedar waxwing are among the most beautiful of birds, but you don't want them to visit your fruit trees. They nip off the blooms, and carry plant disease.

My biggest birding thrill was a pair of night hawks (in the nightjar/whipporwill family). Every day at about dark, the male would climb and dive, making a loud, eerie booming sound with his fluttering wings. That's to impress lady nighthawks and scare off rival males. I found their nest on bare ground, and had to be careful not to run over it with the dozer.

I have a minor in wildlife and fisheries science. I had to take classes, such as:

W F S 406 Ornithology Laboratory (1) Laboratory and field identification of Pennsylvania birds, avian ecology and behavior, field survey techniques. (Had to be able to identify every bird found in Pennsylvania by their common and scientific name by sight and sound)

W F S 407 Ornithology (3) Introduction to the biology, ecology, adaptations, and conservation of birds. I got an A in both classes... It was a lot of memorization. Most of the scientific names I have forgotten do to a lack of use, but I remember most of the other stuff.

Other classes I took:

W F S 209 (GN) Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation (3) Survey of current and historical issues in wildlife and fisheries conservation; emphasis on vertebrate biodiversity, habitat management and protection, and populations.

W F S 310 Wildlife and Fisheries Measurements (3) Introduction to field and laboratory approaches for collecting, analyzing, and communicating data regarding wildlife and fish populations and their habitats.

W F S 408 Mammalogy (3) Identification, systematics, characteristics, adaptations, ecology, behavior, natural history and conservation, and socio-economic aspects of mammals.

W F S 409 Mammalogy Laboratory (1) Laboratory and field identification of mammals, ecology and behavior of mammals, field survey techniques.

W F S 410 General Fishery Science (3) Introduction to the study, management, and uses of fish populations; methods of investigation, culture, and harvest of fishes.

W F S 422 Ecology of Fishes (3) Role of fishes in aquatic communities and general ecosystems. Environmental factors influencing fish as individuals, populations, and communities.

W F S 430 (FOR 430) Conservation Biology (3) The application of biological principles to issues in the conservation of biodiversity.

W F S 450 (E R M 450) Wetland Conservation (3) Wetland types, classification, functions and values; hydrology, soils, and plants; introduction to wetland identification and delineation; wetland regulations.

W F S 452 Ichthyology (2) Study of the structure, taxonomy, systematics, and natural history of freshwater and marine fishes.

W F S 453 Ichthyology Laboratory (2) Identification of fishes, major fish families, use of keys. (Big reason I know so darn much about fish, even the little forage fish)

W F S 463W Fishery Management (3) Management of sport and commercial fisheries, including biological, political, social, and economic factors; regulations and other management techniques.

FOR 203L Field Dendrology (2) Field and laboratory identification of native and introduced trees and shrubs by leaf, fruit, bud, twig, bark.

FOR 308 Forest Ecology (3) Effects of environment, spacing, and age on trees; forest influences; origin and development of forest communities.

I had originally majored in wildlife and fisheries science, but changed my mind 3/4 of the way through. So I ended up taking more credits than I even needed for a minor. When I look back, I probably should have just gotten a duel major, but since I was not going into a field related to wildlife or fisheries science I didn't bother. It kind of seems like a waste now... However, I do have lots of worthless knowledge to share. Any fisheries biologist on here like Mr. Lusk or Bill Cody has taken classes similar to these and probably many more. Dr. Willis I am sure teaches classes like the ones I took! Since Chris is working on his degree, he is probably taking some like this right now!

OK, I guess you don't have volumes of books around your computer, but what made you go into law enforcement.

Alright CJ, for the grand prize an all expenses paid trip to the nearest Dunkin Donuts ID these birds. (NO CHEATING)

Changed my major to criminal justice at the end of my junior year and had to do an extra year of college because of it. Figured job security would be a little better and I could live where I wanted. They need cops everywhere and they are always hiring more cops. I only work on average half the days of the week instead of the normal 5, lots of free time to hunt, fish and play around with ponds. Police work is interesting as well... Sometimes I wish I'd have continued and became a fisheries biologists, but I get to kinda do that on my own, so no complaints.

Bird ID

I want to begin by stating I have never taken a single course in ornithology - I am 100% self taught!

Secondly - is this for CJ or TJ? I don't care, I'm going for it anyhow.

First bird....Barred Owl? I don't know my owls so well....but I do like them a lot.
Second bird - I can't see the face too well, but I'm thinking either Snowbird [dark eyed Junco] or a Chickadee...

AP, how did I do? Even close?

TJ

eastern screech owl or saw whet owl, hard to tell from pic,

chickadee...

My $.02 says screech and grey jay.

TJ, you got the barred owl right.
DIED, you get a 0, back to school.
esshup. you got the grey jay.

We'll see what CJ has to say tonight, maybe were all wrong.

adirondack pond:

How tall is the owl? The breast feathers match a barred, but the head is more like a screech from that angle.

Size will tell!

esshup, the photo isn't great cause I had it on digital magnification but the owl was atleast 18", way too big for a screech.
He just sat there while I shoveled snow off the deck but when I brought the roof rake out he didn't like something being above him so he took off.
We did see a screech owl a couple years ago about 2 miles from the cabin, he was sitting in a tree next to a large swampy field.

Being that big, Barred it is! An ex girlfriend rehabbed raptors. I was amazed to see even screech owls eat an adult mouse whole!

Not a grey jay expert, or any bird expert, but I'm thinking thats not a grey jay. Never saw a bird like the one in the pic.

burgermeister, there are different sub species in north america, plus winter and summer plumage, they can look quite different.

I gotcha. I have only seen them in the Colorado rockies.

Well bird 1 is definitely a Barred Owl, Strix varia. They love wet low wooded areas, so if this was taken near your pond it fits just right.

Bird 2 is I am pretty sure a Gray Jay, Perisoreus canadensis. They are about as tame a bird as you can find. They are rarely found much further south than upstate New York so I have little personal experience with them other than a few trips I have made to NY and Maine.

Both are very cool birds though.

We were snowmobiling in the moose river plains and stopped at an intersection known as the big T, the groomers and snowmobilers bring food for the deer and there are lots of them. The chickadees will eat out of your hand but the jays stay atleast 3 ft away.

My niece feeding chickadee's and deer.

I love chickadees. I believe it was in A Sand County Almanac where Leopold would catch and band chickadees and had several different birds come back for like 8 years in a row... Now that is neat!

Never heard of the Sand County Almanac, I'll have to check with the Library.

It is a great book, definitely a worthy read for any outdoor lover.

AP, if I know you like I think I do, you will love this read. The newest editions [sometime in the 1990's] are replete with photos taken on Leopolds farm. Stunning photography to go along with one of conservationists' holy books.

There's been times when I'm deer hunting (standing) in Northern Wi. that I've had Chickadees land on the gun barrel.

outahere