We’re off this morning in search of the magnificent frigatebird:
If this morning’s birdwatching goes like last week’s, we’ll see everything but a magnificent frigatebird, including species that have no business being in Florida this time of year.
Open thread!
rikyrah
Good Morning ?, Everyone ?.
Off to swim ? and run errands ?
satby
Good morning x2.
I’ve been having fun watching two pairs of breeding Baltimore orioles feasting on my improvised jelly feeder. They’ve been around before but I had mixed luck attracting them, this year they really prefer my jelly jar jammed into a hummingbird feeder to the more expensive oriole feeder I bought that they ignore.
They are gorgeous!
Wag
I live in the middle of Denver, and while walking to work Thursday morning I took the long way. On my way back towards the office I walked past our local ice rink and along Westerly Creek. In the middle of Denver there’s a beaver pond and the number of both Yellow Headed and Red Wing Blackbirds, Common Grackle’s, Meadowlarks, and other birds was spectacular. I even saw a Cinnamon Teal.
satby
As soon as I drop the girls off for a volunteer gig, I have to go pick up a rental car. Mine is not starting sporadically, and my mother’s memorial as well as my birthday are this week. Lots of family stuff to get done, so I can’t have a car that strands me a state away from it all.
Mustang Bobby
The peacocks in the neighborhood are taking a break, but they’ve been replaced by mockingbirds, whose mating call is much more pleasing. Also, they don’t leaving droppings the size of dog turds.
As I was leaving to go to dinner last night, a beautiful silver racer snake slithered into the garage and under the Mustang. I left the door open a crack so it could get out; I’d hate to trap it inside. It’s the first snake of any substantial size that I’ve seen here, although I’m told there are cottonmouth water moccasins in the canal behind the house. I’d rather not meet up with one of them, thanks.
debbie
@satby:
Early happy birthday!
RobertDSC-iPad Mini
Testing.
Schlemazel Khan
I am with that bird, frigate!
Colder than a well diggers ankle out here on the tundra today. We had planned a bicycle ride but with temps in the 30s it has been put on hold. If it warms up we might get a short ride in but it is not supposed to be that warm. Tomorrow is supposed to be better.
Cat48
The CoastalConservationLeague.org in Charleston, SC has a “Pelicam” that can be watched 24/7 while the Pelicans & other birds are nesting. They have used the tiny island in Charleston Harbor for years for nesting. I like to watch it in the morning before the locals paddle out to the island.
Redshift
I’m getting ready to head to my congressional district Democratic convention. (Otherwise I wouldn’t be up this early on a Saturday morning.) Among other business, we have to choose five Hillary delegates to the national convention from 47(!) candidates.
Jack Canuck
It’s 10.30 Saturday night here, and I’m still trying to get my son to sleep. He was in bed by about 8 … but sleep hasn’t been happening. I hate it when he falls asleep in the car in the late afternoon/early evening. Coming back from his cousin’s birthday, almost an hour and a half asleep in the car. Damn.
Hang on, may have finally (finally!) fallen asleep. Do I dare make a move for the door, or will that wake him up again?
donnah
We have Carolina wrens now, which were not usually found this far north, in Ohio. They’re very perky and pretty, so I’m glad they’re here.
We have had a cool spring and just recently it has been warmer, up into the high seventies. But today it’s barely reaching sixty and tonight the weather folks are saying to cover delicate plants. So I’m collecting my beautiful iris and enjoying them in an indoor vase.
Hope you spot your frigatebird!
Redshift
Also, saw a couple of snakes at the pond in our office park yesterday afternoon. It’s also home to several green herons, and occasional great blue heron, a set of ducklings, several sets of goslings, redwing blackbirds, a multitude of frogs, and a couple of snapping turtles
OzarkHillbilly
@satby: We usually get an oriole or 2 every spring before they head to the bottoms to nest, but not this year. Gave us a big sad. Our grosbeaks have finally moved on to more northern climes so we just have to make do with the summer tanagers, cuckoos, hummingbirds, and the other usual suspects for now.
@Mustang Bobby: Cottonmouths can be aggressive, they are THE bullies of the waterways. Once while swimming with some friends in a creek I sat down on the gravel bar and began picking up rocks looking for fossils. I lifted my head just in time to see a 2 1/2 ft cottonmouth stop between my spraddled legs less than a foot away from my more precious parts. I did not dare move and a buddy said, “That’s a cottonmouth, Tom.” to which I replied thru gritted teeth, “I know I know…” After about a 30 seconds stare down, he backed up, turned, and went on about his cottonmouthy business. And I began to breath again
Elmo
@Jack Canuck: Stay put just in case. Probably until he turns 18.
MattF
Last day of rain! Cold front comes through today with thunderstorms, sunny and cooler tomorrow and next week. Total rainfall for the year is still .4 inches below normal– so we needed the rain…
MomSense
@rikyrah:
Good morning ☀️
Going to try to work in the garden ???? walk the pup? and do laundry ????
But first I need ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
I clearly have an unhealthy attachment to emotionally brutal TV shows, because I’m following up Jessica Jones with Luther.
Denali
@Ozark Hillbilly,
Just wannted to let you know that the Rose Breasted Grosbecks made it okay to upstate New York. They stpped by our feeder yesterday on their way north.
Mustang Bobby
When I lived in Ohio and Michigan, there were robins everywhere. But down here in Florida, I haven’t seen one in the last fifteen years. Cardinals and blue jays, grackles and starlings (out the wazoo with them), but nary a robin in sight, even in winter when you think they’d join up with the other snowbirds, including the ones who wear socks with their sandals and drive Buicks with Ontario plates.
J R in WV
Good morning folks, cool here, but not frosty cold. Expecting a rain around noon or one, but brief front coming through. Mrs J bought some flowers and hardy ferns to plant, the driveway farm road still needs work, and we have Autumn Olive invasive to attack with chain saws and brush killer. this won’t all happen today, or even this weekend, but…
And still household stuff to do too. Going to put a pork roast on to become pulled pork BBQ, might make potato salad, waiting for coffee to happen. Took dogs to the Vet yesterday for shots, they’ll need lyme vaccine boosters the end of the month or early June. Cats go next week for shots, boosters.
Just another day on the farm. May go to town tomorrow to see and hear some music, Mtn Stage has a good crowd of mostly Texas performers this week – so lucky to have so much good music in our small town.
MomSense
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
Blame it on the acting.
ThresherK
@OzarkHillbilly: Enough of these stories and I won’t hike up the hill to the state forest. At least all they have there are bears, which I’m assuming have killed and eaten the lesser predators.
Regarding your episode: I hope somebody afterwards made the obligatory joke, “Doc says yer’ gonna die”.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Cat48: About 15-20 years ago I saw a “V” of pelicans fly across I-295 in DC. Amazing birds – they look all wrong to be able to fly. I only saw them a few days around that time, haven’t seen any since. :-( Bald eagles are seeming to do well around here now, as are the foxes and other hairy predators.
Cheers,
Scott.
germy
Listening to Adia Victoria, a very talented young lady. Songwriter, guitarist, singer.
Mustang Bobby
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: That calls for one of my favorite bits of poetry:
They are magnificent in flight and very dignified when perched. But I hear they can be cranky when approached.
jharp
Yesterday I had a wren emptying out the birdhouse the chickadees were using. I had heard somewhere that they were competitors for nesting spots.
And the baby cardinals next to my house were murdered the other night. I figure by a raccoon.
And my friend who has been putting oranges outside for the past 10 years finally attracted a pair of Northern Orioles.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Mustang Bobby: Nice! Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
HinTN
@OzarkHillbilly: We saw one, ONE, RB Grosbeak this year. Usually, the last five years anyway, we have six or seven males with commensurate number of family at our sunflower smorgasbord. Did see Scarlet Tannangers one day at the creek, though.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@jharp: Last year there was a pair of grackles nesting in one of our holly bushes. A pair of cardinals camped out by the nest, letting the parents know “you’re not wanted here”. The chicks didn’t survive.
Nature is not sentimental.
Cheers,
Scott.
Punchy
@Schlemazel Khan: Im supposed to do a triathlon tomorrow. Air temp projected to be 39. Water temp projected upper 50s or lower 60s. Im seriously worried about hypothermia.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
ObOpenThread: Quadcopters are so yesterday:
Neat.
Cheers,
Scott.
A Ghost To Most
We get Bulloughs Orioles at our hummingbird feeder here outside Golden.
Saw a bald eagle near Frederick yesterday
The Thin Black Duke
@germy: Thank you for the recommendation. From the little I’ve heard of her, it’s “gothic country” slyly flavored with jazz and blues.
germy
@The Thin Black Duke: She says Victoria Spivey was a big influence on her singing.
I love Victoria Spivey, her old recordings as well as her later material.
Randy P
Didn’t know you were a birdwatcher, Betty. Did you by any chance ever see The Big Year? It’s a very underrated comedy from a few years ago with Owen Wilson and Steve Martin, about fanatical bird watchers. I thought it was really funny but I suspect it’s one of those movies that nobody ever actually watched except me.
P.S. I’m not a birdwatcher. I’m kind of a bird-listener in that sometimes I’ll hear an interesting song/screech and get curious what species it is, but nobody has made a catalog (or app) for people like me yet.
laura
About 5 years ago west Nile virus hit the corvids in the valley. The crows have rebounded and the beautiful magpie is increasing in numbers. I drove from Sacramento to Petaluma on Mothers Day and saw scores of elegant snowy egrets, red wing black birds, gulls and hawks.
In the back yard the mockingbird has completed his nest in the orange tree and has been singing sweet songs of romance and courtship. A Jay and squirrel played together involving an orange and was fun to watch while it lasted. Hummingbirds are buzzing the Mexican sage and in addition to the wrens, doves,finches and robins, we have been joined by a northern flicker.
I could stand and look out the back window all day.
A neighbor over watered his yard and the gutter created ideal bathing conditions for two fat robins who wallowed around merrily in the warm afternoon sun interrupting the dog walk much to Chet’s dismay.
Birds, I love em!
Gvg
@Mustang Bobby: I have occasionally seen a large flock of robins in north Florida in spring on their way south. They are attracted to sprinklers for water baths I guess. I had the sprinklers going in areas near shade with lots of brown leaves on the ground and possibly earthworms coming up for the moisture but the robins were flying through the sprinklers excitedly. Rain doesn’t start till summer really gets going so they don’t have that on flight north.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
(Reposting from downstairs – put there by mistake.)
Speaking of grackles, there’s one out front now that is moving a dead sparrow back and forth between our birdbath and the top of J’s car, apparently trying to soften it up to make it an easier meal. I didn’t realize they were carnivorous, but I guess they really will eat anything given the chance… :-/
Cheers,
Scott.
Uncle Cosmo
The frigate bird reminds me of a scene lo these many years ago, when I was working as a logistics engineer on various military projects. A couple of systems engineers who I knew well approached me to be the logE on a project to do support analysis for the electronics on a brace of frigates the Italians were building for sale to Venezuela.
An evil thought crept up on me, born of the known ease of sending up the one sysE. I said, These Italian frigates–are they larger or smaller than the ones built in the States?
Is that important? the easily-sent-up one asked. It’s absolutely crucial, I replied. Why is that? he persisted (as I knew he would).
Because, I said straight-faced, when I write my reports I’ll need to know whether to refer to them as frigatoni or frigatini… :p
(FTR the project never came to fruition & my bon mot vanished forever into the corporate maw…)
Gelfling 545
It was 80 here on Thursday. Now they’re talking about snow on Sunday. I’ll have to pile most of my container plants into the front hall. Fortunately I had not gone all out to n the planting yet, being a life long resident of these parts & recognizing that the best description of our weather is “changeable”.
ruemara
Didn’t know so many of you were bird lovers. I just enjoy walking our local waterways to see the herons, egrets, sandpipers and ducks. It’s the one thing I miss about becoming a gym rat instead of walking all the time.
Heading out to grab breakfast, coins for laundry and water for the house. Nearly done with the donation paper work for the old car and trying to get used to this new shiny beast. Nice thing about nearly new, that awful new car smell is now some sort of air freshener bomb. Hopefully, I come back home and do some serious damage to film planning & writing. And cooking for the week.
Skepticat
When the frigate bird is flying low, then you know it’s sure to blow. Or at least here in the Bahamas (where in Abaco we call them Man o’ War birds, just for local color). We’ve had only about half an inch of rain since the beginning of February, and I’d like to see it blow and rain here, please. My cisterns are low, but I still keep the birdbaths full. Lots of red-winged blackbirds and some robins, grosbeaks, and orioles are on their way through to the north now.
The Lodger
@ruemara: About a week’s worth of fast-food wrappers in the passenger seat should get rid of that annoying new-car smell. I recommend Popeyes.
Rick
There’s a great article in the Post about how daunting Donald Trump’s path is.
Miss Bianca
@Wag: Wow. Most of my birding in the central mountains involves hawks and hummingbirds, with the occasional junco or chickadee or shrike thrown in for good measure. And the crows. Always the crows.
@Redshift: Good luck with that one!
maya
Yeah, well, here in NorCal, a few years back, a rock dove, AKA, pigeon, took up residence in my detached garage down below. (S)he lived down there for over a year before I noticed bands on its legs. Checking out the color scheme I discovered that it was a racing pigeon from FLORIDA. I could not find out who the owner was however.
The most amazing thing about it was that it managed to survive in the heart of Red Tailed hawk country for so long. One day I decided to take more photos of it to see if I could decipher more info (numbers on the bands) and find out who owned it. When I finally got work done and my camera ready, (s)he was not around. A few hours later I saw two pigeons flying around in the air out in front of the deck. They were having a good time chasing each other. Then they roosted on separate branches of a large fir tree near the house. They stayed there for a few hours and then both took off. Never saw the racing pigeon again. Apparently, (s)he connected with a wild cousin which come around here in the early fall and left for a completely different lifestyle.
Two days later a pair of Red Tails came flying over right past the area where the racing pigeon was always foraging for food – head to the ground, all the time. Retroactively I named that pigeon Lucky.
satby
@debbie: Thank you! It’s Wednesday, and my oldest son is taking the girls and me out for sushi. The girls are excited, they’ve never had it.
Aleta
Are there albino birds?
satby
@I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Up here the earliest sign of grubs in your lawn are the grackle flocks landing to feast on them, leaving a lot of pockmarked grass behind when they go.
Wayne
Did you catch anything?
Aleta
How do birds land in an emergency?
A: By sparrowchute
O. Felix Culpa
@ruemara: Congrats on the new car! May it serve you long and well.
PaulWartenberg2016
Next week I will be in Wesley Chapel FL’s Barnes & Noble store as part of their Local Authors Signing event. I am getting new bookmarks shipped from Vistaprint as we speak to help promote the ebooks I have. I’ll be turning off the price of two of the works I have through Smashwords, so they’ll be FREE to download by the time of the event.
wag
@Randy P:
Good movie, but the book is even better. And it’s all true
wag
@Miss Bianca:
Do you live in Leadville?
Betty Cracker
@Randy P: Did not see The Big Year — sounds interesting! Regarding bird listening: the Merlin app by Cornell Labs will let you listen to bird calls to figure out what kind of bird you’re hearing. But you’d have to input some basic info to narrow it down, i.e., approximate size, location, predominant color. Half the time it’s the call that allows us to figure out what we’re seeing/hearing.
Miss Bianca
@wag: long dead thread – no, currently I reside in Custer County, outside Westcliffe.
oldswede
My wife and I were in Key West one Christmas holiday and we took a catamaran ride out to the Dry Tortugas. There was a swarm of Magnificent Frigate Birds over one of the small islands in the group. Apparently it is a major nesting area. What an awkward name to have to use in conversation, though. I was telling someone I had just met while out on a bird observation deck about these birds. I think she thought I had some kind of affectation, until I showed her my bird guide. She said, “Oh, that’s their name.”
On the way back to Key West, the boat was shadowed at times by one or two of these large birds.
Wag
@Miss Bianca:
I know a woman who lives in Leadville who is always talking about the hummer a who visit her home. Was wondering is it was you. You’re not (obviously). Always nice to meet a fellow Coloradan on BJ.
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