Technically, I don’t think this Eastern Phoebe was foraging. I think it was gathering material for its nest.
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Thank you! Imagine yelling so hard your nictitating membrane came out? Oh wait…
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bird of the week
- Parrots
- Doves and Pigeons
- Flycatchers
0
voters
Poll closes Monday 10 PM EST.
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Yesterday I was birding and saw a flock of over twenty American Goldfinch. I also saw a Purple finch. Plus the American Goldfinch several other times. BOTW completed!
I have also been seeing Chipping sparrows foraging on the ground.
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Just because I don’t have any wild parrots around 
Sincerely, Romania 
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Yeah, I was thinking for those in places that do have parrots native or introduced.
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I once found some escaped cockatiel feathers but… nothing else.
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Bird behavior poll of the week!
- Courtship behavior
- Synchronized flight
- Food theft
0
voters
Poll closes Tuesday night at 10 PM.
Flycatchers win! Try and find a flycatcher.
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Spotted flycatcher found! Too quick to photograph with my phone though…
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I’m going to take a bit of liberty here in posting a flycatcher photo I captured on April 21, only because it’s interesting behavior. At times grasshoppers may comprise more than 50 percent of a Scissor-tails diet. Flycatchers are unable to digest the wings, legs and other hard body parts of their insect prey and periodically regurgitate these items as a small pellet. That’s what this bird is doing.
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That is such a cool moment to have caught!
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Yeah, I got very lucky, obviously!
The bird behavior that wins is courtship behavior.
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I AM BACK FROM THE WOODS, covered in water, mud, and a Malabar pied Hornbill. No photos, but it was one heck of a lifer :D
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That is such a cool bird!
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I will share my sad story here. A couple of days ago I was birding in West Creek Reservation in Northeast Ohio. It has enough woods for scarlet tanagers and other woodland species to nest in. In fact, I saw and heard two scarlet tanagers in one spot. I was in another area in the far south end of the park later and heard a tanager singing. It was up in the tree tops. I managed to get a few good views of the head and shoulders. I thought it was an immature scarlet tanager with red, yellow and some orange in its feathers. I reported in a message to a birding group that I am a part of in case anyone wanted to try for photos. I couldn’t get a good view of it. I walked back to my car about half an hour away. I checked the messages in the birding group. One naturalist suggested that I could have had a summer tanager. What makes this worse is that, a few years ago, I saw such a multi-colored summer tanager at Magee Marsh. So, I should have been aware of what I had seen. I should have stuck around, been patient and tried for some kind of photo. Just a missed opportunity. I returned the next day but, I didn’t see or hear the bird. I’m guessing it moved on. 
Now, I will add that I had a really good morning the first day, and saw a lot of birds both days. While there are a few migrants still passing through NE Ohio, the nesting birds are singing. Some are already feeding young. So, both days weren’t bad. But, that tanager…
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I might have to stop by… I’d love to find a tanager
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There have been two singing by the Crile Connector Bridge recently. There were about 20 cedar waxwings bathing in the creek, too.
Walk farther south, go across Mink Crossing, turn around and look at the tops of the trees on the other side of the bridge. There has been a hummingbird perched up there in the mornings. That’s about where the “H” is on the map.
If you walk a little bit farther to the orange circle, that’s where I had that possible summer tanager.
If you like dragonflies/damselflies, be sure to walk around the wetlands by the Watershed Stewardship Center. There were at least 20 recently emerged spreadwing damselflies there yesterday.
Be sure to report anything you see to the Watershed Stewardship Center. They like to hear what is out in their park.
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