Birding/Birdwatching Discussion Topic

Nature Talk
1186

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Pacific Golden Plover

1187

Naturepoll #1
The coolest bird family

  • Toucans
  • Birds of Paradise
  • Kiwis
  • Kingfishers
  • Rails
  • Pigeons and Doves
  • Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies
  • Falcons and Caracaras
0 voters
1188

hey @localnaturespotter I have moved your poll here as it fits within the existing discussion.

1189

I vote for kingfishers. I mean,who doesnā€™t love those little guys with their bright colors, brilliant fishing and nests made out of the bones of their prey?

1190

GOOD NEWS! I finally have a camera (an ancient cannon eos 1200d) and I finally figured how to use it! Got a few good photos that I will add here once I figure out how to do so. (I still have no idea how to do most things, like setting an aperture or shutter speed).

EVEN BETTER NEWS! Iā€™m heading off into a jungle for a 2 day stay (for the annual butterfly count). Its a jungle, so Iā€™ll be able to spot some new birds (hopefully).

1191

I got the Long-eared Owl on my walk yesterday!

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1192

Man, I wish I was a birdwatcher 10 years ago. Back then I regularly saw owls outside, but just didnā€™t care. Now Iā€™m desperate to see one of them, but I never do :(
To be fair though, back then my main goal in life was to get a toy indoraptor, so I canā€™t really blame 5yr old me for ignoring everything else.

1194

Epic find!

1195

Long-eared Owls are fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

1196

Awesome! Have fun!

1197

Thanks! Wish you a good day (or a good night, if you live in my time zone) filled with birds!

1198

Thank you, you too!
P.S. It is 11:20 AM for me :slightly_smiling_face:

1199

Lol, here itā€™s 9.25 pm.

1200

Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies is what I picked. With species like the Himalayan Monal, the Northern Bobwhite, the Vulturine Guineafowl, and many others, Galliformes is such a beautiful and diverse order. Also my very favorite.

1201

I was either going to pick kingfishers or birds of paradise. I decided on kingfishers.
Birds of paradise are neat, but kingfishers have to be some of the coolest predators out there.

Cool! Be sure to take lots of pictures! :wink:

1202

I chose rails because I feel that due to their elusive nature, they are understudied, which in turn makes them that much more fascinating. I got to observe an extremely rare wintering Virginia Rail up close a couple years ago.

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1203

POLL CLOSED.

Moving onto FINALS:

Birds of Paradise
Kingfishers

1204

Naturepoll #2
The coolest bird family FINAL ROUND

  • Birds of Paradise
  • Kingfishers
0 voters
1205

Iā€™m not voting for kingfishers but kingfishers of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands look incredible.

1206

Okee-dokee, so Iā€™m wondering about something. I have a safflower seed feeder, which mostly gets Tufted Titmice and Carolina Chickadees. But there is this Carolina Wren which also comes. Now, wrens do not have seed-adapted bills, although some sources online say that they will sometimes eat seeds such as safflower. But this wren doesnā€™t look like it is eating the seeds; it appears to be tossing seeds out of the feeder as if looking for something hidden under them. I donā€™t want all that seed to go to waste; but I also donā€™t want to be shooing the wren away if it really is eating the seeds. Whatā€™s going on here?