Birds

[roadrunner]

Common Yellowthroat feeding off insects from under Sunflower leaves; usually these birds are in the thicker foliage, so I can't get such a good look at them, but I got lucky today.

 

[Sheal]

The evidence.....

the damage.....

.....oh no! The woodpeckers have discovered Oswald the Owl!

With a split down his back and the wood rotten he hasn't got long, sadly.

 

[Sheal]

House Martins visiting an old nesting site.

 

[Sheal]

Can anyone identify this nest and eggs please? It's at my son's house near Columbus, Ohio. The eggs are pale blue and about half an inch long.

 

[cpp gardener]

My first impression is American Robin. When I first read this last night I was going to post that, then I looked at YOUR location and thought that couldn't be. Now, being more awake, I'll go with my original thought.

 

[Sheal]

Thank you @cpp gardener . Although there are American Robins around my son's house, his wife says that isn't the bird tending the nest, although I'm inclined to agree with you. You will probably be amazed at where they are nesting.....behind the sunflower!

 

[cpp gardener]

The other option that fits would be House Finch. Sparrow-sized, female is streaky brown, male has bright res head and rump. They frequently nest around houses (!!!) in little nooks and crannies.

 

[Sheal]

I think you could well be right, thank you. I'll get back to my son and see what he thinks.

 

[Sheal]

A falconer puts on a display with his birds at Dunrobin Castle here in the Highlands of Scotland twice a day. This in agreement with the resident Duke of Sutherland, who in exchange allows him to hunt with the birds in the grounds of the estate.

Gyrfalcon

Saker Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

Lanner Falcon

Harris Hawk (1)

Harris Hawk (2)

Bengal Eagle Owl

Barn Owl

 

[Marck]

What a beautiful array of raptors, and in such a spectacularly romantic setting.

 

[Sheal]

Yes it was thank you Marck. It was interesting listening to the falconer explain how each bird performs when hunting and what they are capable of regarding the wildlife they can prey on.

Dunrobin resembles a palace more than a castle and the grounds are mostly formal in layout.

 

[Sheal]

Male Pheasant that creates a fine mess around the base of the feeding station.

 

[cpp gardener]

I've been watching a bird-cam in Germany that has a cock Pheasant and several hens that visit regularly. When he's in breeding form, his wattles swell and he just glows. Amazing colors when you see them really close, like 10-15" from the camera!

 

[Sheal]

This one has only one hen with him at the moment but she's not been around much over the last couple of weeks. Probably sitting on eggs.

 

[UrbanWild]

A few weeks ago we had an odd occurrence of an American woodcock or timberdoodle. It came to my urban lot and was usually 4-6 feet from the sidewalk. I found it while grubbing the beg. The cryptic coloration makes it a lot harder to find that you'd expect from a football-sized bird.