Yes, I do.
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Ok, sounds good!
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Everyone tomorrow we will be starting the bird of the week challenge. The bird of the week challenge is going to be fun. I will announce the Bird of the week every Monday. Hereās the rules: 1: See what the bird of the week is. 2: Try to find that exact bird. 3: Post on this page when you find it.
So get your birding gear ready and have fun!
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I love this idea! It reminds me a bit of Merlinās Bird of the Day, but gives more time to find the bird. Looking forward to tomorrow!
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Sounds fun! Canāt wait to try it!
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Glad you all are excited!
Bird of the week challenge. The bird of the week is the: Dark-eyed Junco. Hereās a picture to help identify the bird:
Picture was from the All about birds website.
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Likewise, on both counts.
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Ha! I can just imagine you taking your old car to your mechanic, and telling them you know something is wrong because it is making a rattle like a Kingfisherā¦
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I saw a Dark-eyed Junco this morning in my backyard
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iām surprised you didnāt say by 6 AM today given how many birders love that sort of misery :D
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Awesome!
Iām not a morning person so birding at the crack of dawn during the warmer months, when you have to get out early to be most successful, violates every fiber of my being. But I do it anyway and am glad I do.
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Nooo! All my juncos have gone down south for the winter. Oh well.
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itās literally a main reason i have no interest in birding.
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Hopefully next weekās Bird of the week will be in your area.
Yay! I saw a Dark-eyed Junco in my Maryland yard just this morning, for the first time this fall, It must be because you askedā¦
I didnāt get a good photo, though. For some reason I can never get a good Junco photo, even if Iām using my good camera.
Those soft gray birds always come out looking like soft gray blobs.
Also the White-throated sparrows have just returned; I saw a bunch of them this morning, but didnāt get a good photo of them, either. They hop around too much and blend in with the dead leaves (thatās my excuse.)
Very interesting: I just read on Cornellās website that Juncos and White-throated sparrows occasionally mate and produce hybrids, even though they are not particularly closely related.
Maybe I should keep my eye on them.
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We have had some pretty spectacular holidays in recent years with trips to Southern Africa, TZ, UK and Tonga. Every time I am surprised at how few birds we see compared to where we live in Northern Australia despite prioritising wildlife photography and birding. Bird nerds in my area are trying to push to make Darwin known as a āCity of Birdsā but government at all levels is under appreciative of our natural assets.
On iNat there are 208 species within our city limits and eBird states there are 319 species. In a city where it takes less than 30 minutes to drive across town.
So should we be considered a city of birds?
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Someone commented on the dominance of US birders in this thread. In that case can the bird of the week be a little more international or maybe pick a bird by genus and see what the local variations are. Or how about a general description (the type a non-birder would give!) and see what birds fit in everyoneās area eg a bird with a red head, a bird with red eyes, a bird with a really eerie call.
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I go in the evening, instead. Secret birding time! All of the other birders have presumably gone to bed, and bird activity has picked back up again. Of course, mosquito activity has picked up again as well, but you win some, you lose some.
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