Mika, Lin and Charlotte. Wish I could swivel my head around like it does!

Mika, Lin and Charlotte. Wish I could swivel my head around like it does!

I'd love to be able to swivel my head like an owl too ... next best thing to having eyes in the back of our heads!

Awesome picture of the Barred Owl. I don't see them out much during the day much except this time of year when they are feeding their young.

This was a first for us today. We think they are Black Bellied Whistling Ducks. About six of them showed up this morning and we've been seeing them throughout the day, wondering if they are thinking about nesting here... I hope so.

Christine, That sure does look like a Black-bellied Whistling Duck! It will be so cool if they nest nearby ... maybe you'll see some of their cute little ducklings!

Now, that's one bird I know! Saw some when Mom and I went on the tour of Orlando Wetlands Park. Very distinctive look. Do they really whistle, though?

Melanie, to me their call doesn't sound like whistling, more like a twittering sound.

Melanie, you can listen to their call here: http://www.ducks.org/hunting/w...

My grandpa used to whistle all the time and he sounded much better. Who is naming these birds?!

Lol! When we first saw the birds flying around through the trees this morning, we thought they were wood ducks but then they starting making those strange sounds. They sound just like the link Lin added above. Very interesting sounding. Then I zoomed in with my camera and we knew they weren't wood ducks... that led us to finding their name, which is pretty funny because they do sound like they are whistling.

I find it funny how creatures are named. Like when I listen to the Phoebe call, it really sounds like it's saying "Phoebe".

I just went out for an after dinner smoke , and here's what I saw on the neighbor's roof. I thought Boy! Are you guys lost.

And then I looked down



A few minutes later they flew off. She gave them a run for it

Love owls so happy to those photos! We have Barred, Great Horned & Screech owls here. But I have never seen a screech owl, at least not yet!

I haven't seen an owl in years. We just don't see them in the suburbs. Would love to have some around here as we live 3 blocks from a creek that runs into the Detroit river and there are a lot of rats in the area. Owls would certainly help with the rat population.

Carol, It looks like those Mallards decided to take a flight break on your neighbors roof ... or else they just needed a flight break from chasing the female that's on the ground.

cliftoncat said:
And a South African land bird, no idea what he is but I think he has a lovely expression!

Mika, this looks VERY much like the Bush Stone Curlew of Australia. @Gleni has posted photos of them at all ages. Those knees go backwards & they often "sit" with their lower legs & feet out in front of it. It's the silliest thing you ever saw!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
http://www.australianwildlife....
http://www.australiangeographi...

Searching, there are some Stone Curlews that occur in South Africa but I can't find much on exactly which ones.
http://10000birds.com/spotted-...
http://www.waderquest.org/2013...


The eyes on the stone curlews just draw one in. They are so expressive.

Great sleuthing, Ann! I think you're right - it's some kind of stone curlew. Here's another pic I took, which shows the leg bending strangely:




I'll see if I can find precisely what its name is. Should be easier now you have narrowed it down.

Spot on, Ann - it's a stone curlew, also known by the charming name of 'spotted thick knee'!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

If you look at the third photo in the row of pics, it's in the Serengeti, which is where I took these photos.

Good job Ann!

Spotted Thick Knee is rather charming. Good work, Ann!

Those whistling ducks just crack me up! And I love the little wading bird with the strange name.
Exciting news here this morning. I noticed a pair of hawks landing in a tree out front more than a couple of times. So I got my binoculars and went to investigate. Sure enough, they have constructed a huge nest. That's the good news. The bad news is that the tree they selected is only about 25 yards from my cluster of bird feeders - so the cardinals, titmice, chickadees, and goldfinches need to be on red alert! I don't have any photos yet and realize it may be a challenge. But I'm going to try.
Meanwhile I'll share this bird picture with you. I call it Floozie in the Jacuzzi.