Ronnie, I can't see the coloration very well but the shape and size sure reminds me of the Brown-headed Cowbirds ... although there are probably many, many birds with that same shape and size.

Brown-headed Cowbird: http://www.bing.com/images/sea...

Could they be Rusty Blackbirds? https://www.audubon.org/field-...

Too small for a Rusty blackbird for sure.
My first thought was a cowbird but neither had a brown head and they seemed a bit smaller than what I've had here. I wish I had gotten a better shot. The feeder is in a bad spot and no matter what I do the pictures come out too dark.
Maybe they will come back

Is this shot anymore helpful?

For all you fabulous photo takers - While looking on that Audubon site, noticed that there is a photo contest (with cash prizes up to $5,000) until Feb 19th: http://www.audubon.org/photoaw...

I looked at the contest information and rules and you have to pay $15 per image that you submit until Feb. 12th. After that date you have to pay $20 per each image you submit until the deadline of Feb 19th. It could get expensive ... I'd rather save my $$ for my plant budget.

Some pictures from this afternoon; all taken through the window except the Cardinal pictures I took when I was outside.

Northern Cardinal


Brown-headed Cowbirds, male and female


Mourning Dove ........................................ House Finch


Boat-tailed Grackle ................................. Sparrow


Palm Warbler

Well forget that! If you have to pay.

money for plant budget or bird seed!

Lin, really like that cardinal nestled in the leaves - something about that one just grabbed my attention. It would look great framed!

I am enjoying all the bird images,..Lin i envy you having such a vast variety of birds we have had Storm Imogen here with winds up to 100mph added with sleet rain and thunder,..nothing in the immediate area damaged,..though the birds are lying low.

Looking through my Kitchen window i spotted a Magpie aloft a tree,..zoomed in as high as possible,..the results below



Who needs rain?,..outside my back door

Oh my goodness Philip!!!! Be careful not to drown. Sheesh! And those winds sound horrific!

I never knew Magpies had such exceedingly long tails.

I had a new visitor to the suet feeder this morning, but I don't know what he/she is. Anyone recognize this one? It was around the size of a blue-jay.

Wow, Philip ... I hope that you and your family are safe, that is one mean storm! I can't complain about our 40 mph winds of the past few days!! If anyone is interested, google Storm Imogen and take a look at some of the photos of that storm ... wow, mother nature sure is amazing.

Philip, love the Magpie ... gorgeous bird and it indeed does have a long tail!

Ibis, Congratulations on the spotting of a Gray Catbird! Lovely birds and if you listen closely, their sound does indeed sound like a kitty! We only see those here in Florida in the winter months when they head south to warmer weather. You can listen to their calls here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/...

IbisFla said:I had a new visitor to the suet feeder this morning, but I don't know what he/she is. Anyone recognize this one? It was around the size of a blue-jay.

Ibis it's a catbird. And I'm all screwed up today. First I thought Lin had posted it & wondered how she didn't know it was a catbird as I know she knows what they look like. Then realized I had goofed big time AND that Lin has already answered. I think I must be having a senior day.

Ann, Join the crowd regarding those senior days. I seem to have senior, blonde moments all the time anymore!

I'm not sure what the name would be for the type of day I've been having today. I went outside to uncover plants this morning and most every one of the blankets are covered in bird poop ~ Yuck! ~ they will have to be washed before storing them away. I went to Walmart this afternoon and geesh, it was a madhouse in there! I kept running my cart into shelves and knocking stuff off (3 times!!) but luckily it was nothing breakable ... scotch tape, some plastic thing or other on an end cap shelf and then a box of something on another shelf. Oh .... and I was reaching to a top shelf for bubble wrap and a bunch of rolls came rolling down on me ... so glad it wasn't canned goods. Then on another isle I think I ran into a lady with my cart! I apologized and she said it was her fault that she wasn't looking where she was going and walked into my shopping cart ... but I really think with the day I was having, it must have been me that ran into her. Thank goodness I drove home without incident and I decided to stay home the rest of the day.

I finally got my pictures downloaded to my laptop from today so thought I'd share ...

Orchard Oriole or Pine Warbler. I'm still not sure about this one. It eats berries from the seed feeder but it also eats peanut suet.


Boat-tailed Grackle


Great Egret ............................................................................................................ Pied-billed Grebe


Female Brown-headed Cowbird .......... Male Red-winged Blackbird ............ Mourning Dove


House Finch

All beautiful Lin! Love the Warbler!

Ibis,..nice shot,..its always nice to see something new appear in the garden

Lin,..great images,..very attractive Orchard Oriole or Pine Warbler,..also the House Finch,..seeing your Egret and the Grebe makes me want to go boating,..however i will wait for dryer and warmer weather.

Lin. Good idea to stay home the rest of the day.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has a special Valentine's edition of Folklore Friday today. It involves both bugs and birds, so I'm going to post this on both threads so no one misses it!

Folklore Friday: Love is in the air at Corkscrew. While there are many stories regarding the origins of Valentine’s day, tales rooted in nature seemed most appropriate. The story of Valentine’s Day begins with a few medieval birdwatchers, who observed that birds begin mating in mid-February, precisely the 14th. So February 14th has been considered the official mating day for centuries. The kind of bird a girl watches on Valentine’s Day predicts her future husband:

Sparrow: a poor man. Owl: remain a spinster. Bluebird: a happy man. Blackbird: a priest or clergyman. Crossbill: an argumentative man. If you see a goldfinch on Valentine’s Day, you will marry a millionaire. If you see a robin, you will marry a crime fighter (Batman perhaps?). If you see a flock of doves on Valentine’s Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage.

Lady bugs represent love in its purest form. If you see a lady bug on your windowsill, a lover is dreaming of you. If you find a lady bug on your door, a lover will be knocking soon. Bees are symbolic of sexuality, chastity, fertility and love. Love bugs are also known as the honeymoon fly, kissingbug, or double-headed bug. During and after mating, pairs can remain coupled, even in flight, for several days. Urban legend holds that love bugs are synthetic—the result of a University of Florida genetics experiment gone wrong.

Tale: "Love Bugs are actually man-made. Scientists were genetically engineering females of a species of insect that would mate with the male mosquito, but be sterile and produce no offspring. Unfortunately, they accidentally also created a male Love Bug, and a pair somehow escaped into the wild."

Truth: Love bugs are not the result of a genetic cloning experiment gone wrong, and Love bugs do not eat mosquitos. But they will eat the paint off your car. Ironic that there's not much love for the love bug. All of us at Corkscrew wish you much love on Valentine's Day and everyday. Stroll the boardwalk with someone special, you may find your bluebird. ‪#‎CorkscrewSwamp‬ ‪#‎FolkloreFriday‬