I put out some seed for the finches and sparrows near my apricot tree.

From my backyard this morning ...

Red-shouldered Hawk at the top of the neighbors pine tree again


Red-bellied Woodpecker, female



The lighting was horrible when I took these and at first I thought they were Hairy Woodpecker's but once I got them downloaded and tried to lighten them up and saw the holes being drilled, I'm thinking Yellow-bellied Sapsucker?

Yellow bellied Sapsucker.
It has red on top of the base of the beak and below. Good indications of a Sapsucker.
Plus that white stripe on the edge of the wing, is very tell tale. The stripe is actually on the folded primaries. As the bird sits in that tree, the white stripe is vertical. Dead giveaway for a Sapsucker.

Not in North America..... https://www.projectnoah.org/sp...

Okay, some people are getting confused. The mallard is not a crested anything. It's a tufted. That is not a tumor; it's a tuft of feathers. Do you guys not recall the whole convo not long ago about tufted ducks?
Rob even labeled the photo as a tufted mallard. See?


Suddenly you've got tumors growing out of it's head. C'mon guys!

Here's the convo about tufted ducks from the 20th & 21st of Dec.

https://garden.org/thread/view...

https://garden.org/thread/view...

BigBill said:There is no such bird in North America. Crests would be on the top of the head or they would look like ear tufts as in Double crested Cormorant.

These photos of Crested Mallards were apparently taken in North America:

California: https://www.projectnoah.org/sp...
Arizona: https://scienceblogs.com/grrls...
Ontario, Canada: https://www.thestar.com/news/g...

RobGlen said:Not in North America..... https://www.projectnoah.org/sp...

We cross posted. And yes, it does say crested there. Oh boy!

At least we can confirm it's not a tumor growing out of the ducks head.

Same genus and species as the Mallard and the "tufted tumor" is caused by a genetic mutation!

Call me old fashioned, call me rigid and refusing to change but to create a new common name, Crested Mallard, based on a genetic mutation, is dubious at best.
If this is taking hold, why doesn't it have a new species name? Anas ciliata or something else rather then keeping it as Anas platyrhynchos.

According to All About Birds "The Mallard is the ancestor of nearly all domestic duck breeds (everything except the Muscovy Duck). Domestic ducks can be common in city ponds and can be confusing to identify—they may lack the white neck ring, show white on the chest, be all dark, or show oddly shaped crests on the head."

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/...

I just read the section you referenced and I am totally confused! Ancestor of all domestic duck breeds except the Muscovy.
Then it goes on to talk about Domestic Ducks living in city parks and ponds. "Ancestor of all domestic ducks", I wonder if they are talking about Mallard hybrids? Interesting! I know that there are a lot of strange looking ducks out there.
If they are then it really clears some things up.

dirtdorphins said:
Couple Ravens enjoying a fish...


We didn't know Ravens were such accomplished ice fishers...they're not, but they are accomplished thieves. We missed that drama, but caught this one:

The seagull decided it wanted breakfast, but was initially rebuffed.


The ravens got a little distracted and the seagull made its play.


It took the fish and then inexplicably dropped it into the water.


Then told the raven all about it. We don't speak bird, but it seemed to be a rather animated telling.


The seagull had second thoughts about the plan, dove, and retrieved the fish.


And then let it fall to the bottom again. We don't think bird, either.
And the ravens, frustrated, wandered off. As did the seagull some time later.
Birdbrain.

Quite the story, dirt!

I laughed pretty hard.

Larry, Moe, and...

Larry, Moe and Iggy!!!

Vulture fly-by:


Male Northern Cardinals, one on the fence was being very vocal; the other was up in a Sabal Palm, eating the fruit:

Drove out to Avondale today:

This funny duck...




Double-crested Cormorant...juvenile

Rob, that funny (Crested/Tufted) duck is pretty! Love the Cormorant, haven't seen one of those in awhile.

Lin, you want to see cormorants, come visit me! Thousands of them on the lake. They're pests around here. Thankfully they are only here for the winter.

gardenfish said:Lin, you want to see cormorants, come visit me! Thousands of them on the lake. They're pests around here. Thankfully they are only here for the winter.

@gardenfish Lynda, the Double-crested Cormorant is a year-round resident here in Florida. They are found along the beaches, along the intracoastal waterways and around lakes and ponds. Before retirement, we lived on a lake and I'd see Cormorants (and tons of other shore/water birds) every day! For the year 2020 and currently, I'm pretty much a home body except for a quick trip to the grocery store now and again and I've had a couple of dental appointments ... and the only birds I've seen for a long while are the regular little songbirds and the Hawks that visit my yard. Occasionally, we have Sandhill Cranes and Egrets walking around the neighborhood but they've been scarce for awhile.

It always amazes that Cormorants can swallow such big fish. These photos are from 2016, taken from the back porch at our old house. Apologies to those who've seen them before because I'm sure I shared them five years ago.

Double-crested Cormorant

Wow, pretty good sized fish there! Is that a bream it's eating?Looks like one, and if it is it's a big bream!

LOL, I have no idea what type of fish that was; every four to five years or so, the HOA would stock the waterways with fish but I don't know what kind.