Elaine,.. your cat could have bagged that Squirrel but just couldn't be bothered to jump,..great picture

Melanie,..lovely images they are a lovely looking bird.

Wood Pigeon/Wood Quest.......................................................................Female Bullfinch.


Male Blackbird..............................................................................Female Blackbird.


Flock Of Crows.


The Bird Watchers,..Dennis and Clara

I'm not much of a bird person yet, but I'm pretty sure a group of crows is called a "murder". Makes then sound way more sinister. FYI, a group of caterpillars is called an army, but I think that's because they eat like one!

Even pigeons look better on the other side of the pond.

Cute cats, Philip, I'm surprised you get any birds in your garden! But if they like to watch but not hunt...
Melanie, you're right - a group of crows is indeed a 'murder'. But I believe that Philip's birds are in fact jackdaws (same family, but smaller than crows, and the only ones in the group with pale eyes). A group of jackdaws is a 'clattering'!

But what do you call a group of egrets (I think!) on the backs of hippos?

Wow! I just learned some new terms for groups of certain birds. Photos are amazing and such beautiful birds.

Love that picture of birds on hippos!!

Huge bird fan here! I know my dh thinks I'm crazy (for so many reasons) when we're outside and I ask him to look at how cute a bird is.

I didn't know the term "murder of crows" or a "clattering" of jackdaws.

Glengarry, Your bird watchers, Dennis and Clara sure are cute! Remind me of my cat, King Konky who is retired now, but he still likes to watch the birds.

A small flock of Grackles were hanging out in the trees yesterday. Or is there another name for them?

We don't have grackles here, Christine, and I haven't a clue if there is a name for a group of them! Be nice to learn, though, if anyone does know if there is one?
I think 'murder' is a good collective noun for crows, because as Melanie suggests, they are a bit sinister; and a 'clattering' is appropriate for jackdaws because that is exactly the noise they make! The one I like best is a 'parliament' of owls (I guess from the days when we thought politicians were wise! )

'King Konky' is a wonderful name for a cat - do you have a photo?
And talking of wonderful names - Philip, is Glengarry the name of the place where you live? It's hugely evocative of green hills and stunning mountain views...

Well Mika, I sure do happen to have a picture of King Konky.

From yesterday...

Egrets on the backs of hippos? How about "daring" ? or maybe "dinner" ? I hear hippos are pretty dangerous. The murder of crows is such a wonderful name, and I'm with you on "parliament" of owls, Mika (I'm Canadian so we have parliament, too). Although I have to wonder if there really ever are groups of owls, since they are solitary night hunters?

Philip, your kitties are really gorgeous, and mine is also a bird-watcher not a hunter any more. She's 15 so can't blame her.

I looked out at the same view above, to see her calmly sitting and watching a pair of brown thrashers on the ground about 4ft. away. I haven't caught a picture of them yet but they're pretty, reddish brown with speckled white tummies. I also now have a pair of catbirds regularly visiting the feeders. Also chasing each other around the yard, which seems promising . ..

Does anyone else have all the birds visiting at once, then disappearing? Mine seem to travel in a mixed flock, Blue jays, wrens, titmice, cardinals and mourning doves all visit at once, then they're all gone. Right now there's not a single bird in sight.

Christine, King Konky is as gorgeous as his name, but doesn't look old enough to be retired... He does look as though he might be a cousin of Philip's cats!

Good point on owls being solitary, Elaine - the only times I've ever seen a group of owls have been at a local owl sanctuary (they rescue injured ones). I might have a look to see if I can discover whether there are some sorts of owl that live in groups. We often hear owls here at night, but rarely see them.

We have a lot of different kinds of birds in the morning - I guess they want their breakfast. Then they seem to hang around, but in smaller numbers - the problem here is that I can fill up all the feeders and within half an hour they're empty, and only the fat balls last for more than one day.

Hey everyone, I've been MIA for awhile. I've finally recovered fully from the flu but I still have a cough that's hanging on.

I've been busy the past two months packing for the move to our new home in @ 6 weeks and I'm so happy to have most of it done! One of the bedrooms has boxes stacked from floor to ceiling with only a tiny space to squeeze through! I can't wait for moving day to get here ... it will be wonderful living right down the road from my sister and her husband! We drove down there over the weekend and came back yesterday evening but my husband will be going back tomorrow or Thursday. He ordered the fencing material for the side yard for our dog and wants to get it installed before we move in. The trucking company delivered all the fencing yesterday and he'd hoped to start the installation today and finish up tomorrow but the building permit wasn't ready yet so he can't install the fence until they call telling him the permit is ready to be picked up. Our tenants won't be moving out until April 28th or 29th but they let him put the 15 bags of cement and his wheelbarrow and stuff in the garage until he can get back down there to do the fencing.

I'm loving all the pretty bird photos ... and also the squirrel and kitties and hippo's too! How fortunate some of you are to be able to see hummingbirds already! It's been warm here the past week (mid to upper 80's F some days!) but no sign of hummers yet.

Mika,..fantastic picture of the Egrets on the Hippo's
The name Glengarry23 is from the Army,..we wore a Glengarry Beret ( Green ) with a black ribbon band around it and two black ribbons hanging from the back,..23 was the Regulation Number,..it was a nickname given to me after i refused to wear a plain Black Beret so i would appear the same as everyone else on an Other Regiments Parade,..i refused and quoted my Unit was Cavalry and my dress code Beret was Glengarry23,..they had to allow me wear my own Beret

Christine,..big gathering of Grackles there,..don't know what a group of them are called either
Nice pictures of King Conky,..who could pass for some of mine

Very interesting information re the names for groups of birds,..something we forget to use,..well done
There was a lecture on the difference between Graffiti in City areas compared to Rural Areas,.. of course City Areas had just about everything written on walls where as when you entered the rural Area the change was very noticeable with things only related to the area like,.." Ban Slurry Spreading Near Schools",.. " Crows are Bastards " ,..the latter i thought would be appreciated in this thread

Lin, glad to hear that you've recovered from the flu and that you're so far along in your move! Six weeks will fly by before you know it. It's always so exciting to embark on a new chapter in our lives!

Robin

Robins are so pretty!

I finally figured out what bird I've been hearing that sounds like it's whistling for the dogs

It's the Tufted Titmouse. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/...

Yes, robins are great - nice photo, jmorth Hi, Plato!

Christine, yes your tufted titmouse does really sound like it's calling its dog! Looking at your micro badges, do you really get bears?

It's lovely to hear from you, Lin - I too hope that you are fully recovered now and that your move goes smoothly. If the birds in your garden have any sense, they will fly alongside your car as you travel to your new home!

Thanks for the explanation about 'Glengarry23', Philip - and I'm not surprised to hear that you insisted on wearing the proper green beret! Good for you

We're off to France this evening, so I'll catch up once we're there

Mika, no we don't get bears here (once upon a time there were) but I think back when I got the badge it was the only option for "Lover of wildlife". I see there's now another option of the raccoon. Good idea to change.

I'm laughing as I imagine the birds following Lin to their new home.

p.s. Have a safe trip to France.

Words I would love to say "Off to France this evening!"

Mika, I have a bear badge, we get lots of them around here, including in our backyard!

I can't believe I fell behind in this thread (& all others as well) for SEVEN whole days!
Matter of fact just popping in to say hey, loving all the photos & chatter AND late yesterday the first hummie of the year showed up at my house. Male Ruby Throated. He hovered & flashed his gorget at me through the bay window in the kitchen where I was standing at the sink. He seemed to be saying (think Jerry Lewis), "Hey Lay-Deeee, where's the feeder????!!!! I'm here & you aren't ready for me!"
I have been meaning to get the feeders out for at least a week! Got them out 9pm last night.
I've been furniture shopping in person & online for the spare BR among other things like getting a root canal. Now I'm trying to play catch up with everything else I've let slide during this time.

Lin! Glad to hear you're recovering!!!!

For your first hummer!

We have very few juncos still here. They should all be gone very soon and the chipping sparrows should start arriving. First hummers usually show up any time after April 15 here.