So this morning my dh, out of the corner of his eye sees something really big flying through the front porch. Then a fairly loud noise. He looks & a red shouldered hawk is flying through the porch & one of the bird feeders is swinging like crazy. Yup, it tried to take down one of the Goldfinches I suspect since that feeder is filled with nyjer thistle.

We have a pair of Red-shoulder hawks here. I have seen those birds literally fly into the neighbor's pool screen enclosure and bounce off it when in hot pursuit! They are the worst predators here. Few escape them! They get the squirrels, doves, and bluejays here. I've tried everything to protect the feeder birds, to no avail.

The craziest thing I've seen though ....

I found a "body" in my bird bath. Totally devoid of fur or feathers. At first I didn't know what the creature was. After closer examination ... I realized it was a squirrel body. I thought a hawk had gotten it and started eating it, but there were no attacked areas on it except the lack of a head and legs and any fur at all ... I couldn't figure out how that happened. Turns out that my neighbor said the power had gone out earlier in the day (when I was at work).... so I concluded that the squirrel got electrocuted stepping on the wrong part of the electric pole line and it's cooked body somehow was thrown into my birdbath.

Sometimes you never know what you will find out in the yard .....

Becky, counting territories and vagrants about 855 species. I have seen 685 of them.

Newyorkrita said:I have never seen a live turkey in person. Not even the domestic kind. It must be so wonderful to see those wild turkeys.

Rita,

These are for you! Hubby took these pics in the morning on April 10, 2008 at the edge of our yard. I know we have more pics, but can't find them right now.

We've been putting the birdseed in our yard, instead of the edge and for years in the Spring, we would get one or two female wild turkeys coming to eat the birdseed (every day) I have scattered. Sometimes the one turkey would bring a friend.

I found this sick Pacific Black Duck in the mangroves today. I couldn't find any fishing line strangling it or cutting off blood to the limbs. I took it to a carer on the island. Fingers crossed it recovers. Please send it good vibes.

Good vibes winging their way!

Ann, great hawk picture. Wow, poor goldfinches. I love goldfinches and wouldn't want the hawk to get any.

Becky, that is so weird about the dead squirrel.

Glen, you have the most interesting birds and wildlife.

Marilyn. WOW. Great pictures of the turkey!

My poor birds here are eating seeds in the snow. Snowing so they are having a day where they have to scratch out there to get their seed.

Well, this one missed the songbird this time. Then flew to the 1st pecan tree & sat there --- that's him in the photo. But the hawks have to eat too. I don't want to *see* it but it's a fact & I do love the hawks as well as the songbirds.

Yeh Becky, that's a weird one. I'm sure you're right about it getting fried but too weird it landed in your bird bath. A grizzly sight to find. (shudder) We recently had a power outage. It blew a fuse on a pole between us & the neighbor. When FPL had put in a new fuse, the info. said the outage was caused by a "small animal". I looked at the hubs & said, "Fried Squirrel ".

Thanks Rita!

Lots of Song Sparrows today. Little flocks that seem to hang out with some White Throated Sparrows. Also the usual Morning Doves and some Juncos here too.

Pictures Rita, pictures!

Can't get pictures unless I am outside. And not about to sit outside in the winter like I do in the summer. I can see the birds easily from my kitchen window but its not good for picture taking.

I have FINALLY, as promised, gotten around to scanning some photos of birds where used to live in coastal southeast Florida.
These were taken in June of 2003. Please pardon my appearance as we were coming home from having been at the beach all day. Hot, sweaty, salty, wind blown & tired. These are the Sandhill Crane. This is at a church which is surrounded by Federal Wildlife area; we saw the cranes out there in the churchyard & decided to stop for a photo op. The parking lot is sloped & I'm standing on the uphill side. None of the photos shows the crane with it's neck fully extended although it did do that a couple of times but it was very scary when it did --- a little too close for comfort staring at that sharp bill poised in front of my face. I was doing a lot of clowning around with it. They have a lot of curiosity!

Good work! You look relaxed to me. Nothing wrong with casual.

I was just dead tired & hair was a wreck. I live casual.

I've had this forum bookmarked for a year now, and since winter has set in once again I found time to enjoy some of the great pictures above. We keep feeders and a suet block up all year around. With the onset of really cold weather the past three weeks our winter friends from the northern reaches of the Canadian & Alaskan Arctic have arrived. These are namely the American Tree Sparrow and the Dark Eyed Junco sometimes called 'snow birds'. I got some pictures yesterday from my window at the back of the house that I'd like to share here. Link For American Tree Sparrow: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...

This first set is of the American Tree Sparrow, a very tiny bird migrating from the northern reaches of Alaska & Canada. They love to feed on seeds scattered from the feeders by other birds as do the Juncos.


These are of the Dark Eyed Juncos. The first two were from March of this year when the snow had melted. The 2nd two were from yesterday. Link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/g...

Very nice pictures. I really like the little Sparrows!

Newyorkrita said:Very nice pictures. I really like the little Sparrows!

Thanks Rita,
I've ignored this forum long enough and really enjoy seeing the pictures over here.

Very nice photos Leon. I see the dark eyed junco spends the winter here. I will have to keep my eyes peeled for them. To my knowledge, I have never seen one in person. I see from the Cornell site that they vary greatly in coloration. Will keep an extra sharp eye out.