Birds!

[daiv]

Ha! I have to laugh as I can relate. At certain times of the year here, we get Blue Jays out the window and man can they make a racket! Not in the middle of the night, but way earlier than I care to wake up.

[Tony]

Those Mockingbirds are so common around here I dont even hear them anymore.
I had one paticular one living in my backyard when I was growing up. A large part of his seemingly endless call sounded just like a car alarm going off in the middle of the night. It was the kind that was popular back in the late 80's early 90's that changed tones every 15 seconds or so. It was funny and madening all at the same time.

[Harriet]

I like to sit outside and just listen to the birds. Right now we have what seems to be an abundance of Carolina Wren families flitting around the yard teaching babies to fend for themselves, and "talking" the whole time. Then there's warbler and Brown Thrasher, Crow, Mocking Bird and enough other songs that if I couldn't hear noises from the street I could close my eyes and imagine I'm in the middle of the forest.

[Peterthecactusguy]

nothing is worse than Gila Woodpeckers. They love to peck on things other than wood. Imagine being down on your luck and sleeping in someone's garage for a few days. BABABABABABABBABABABABABABa..... I was like what the hell!.... a Gila Woodpecker was nailing the metal garage door and apparently enjoyed it. Every morning around 5:30am he did that....
The first time I thought someone unloaded a machine gun at me.. afterwords I was just like.. GO AWAY!

[daiv]

Here is a new one for you - Eastern Kingbird:

024_eastern_kingbird.jpg (349.95 KiB) Viewed 232 times

[Harriet]

Nice shot!

[GermanStar]

Almost quail!

[daiv]

Neat find. Those little guys will really need to be on the lookout for all the snakes in your yard.

[GermanStar]

It's actually a great spot, just a few feet from my front door, next to the hose and behind/under that thick Rosemary patch. So instant protection from a lot of natural enemies that would hesitate to venture that close to the house, including Bobcats, Coyotes, and their #1 predator of eggs and young, Road Runners. But, no protection from snakes, that's true. Chicks develop astonishingly fast, they can run like hell and actually fly while not much bigger than a chicken egg.

[daiv]

I never would have thought about Road Runners!

I saw a bunch of baby wild turkeys in the field the other day and they were probably the size of a quail. I was surprised that they were already able to fly too. Maybe for these type of birds, early flight is compensation for never being good flyers overall. ha!

[GermanStar]

Actually, quail are surprisingly adept flyers. They can cover substantial distances and demonstrate excellent control, very similar to doves in overall ability. They just prefer terrestrial life, for whatever reason...

[cactushobbyman]

The last couple of days I have notice a covey of California quail in the back of my property and cotton tails, and those mockingbirds.

[bananaman]

At my place, we have a large nest of the red-shouldered hawk.
I love birds of prey, so this is pretty awesome.

[GermanStar]

That is awesome! I recall a big deal being made of the fact that a pair of Ospreys had nested high in a tree at the edge of a man-made lake in Prescott, AZ. The goings-on in the nest were plainly visible with binoculars from an adjacent part of the lake. The pair returned the next year, and local officials closed that immediate part of the lake so as not to disturb the pair. That was the last of the Ospreys though, because a pair of Bald Eagles moved in on the nest the very next Spring!

[Harriet]

Years ago, when the DDT thing was going on, Ospreys (at least the ones in Florida) went into a huge decline, just like the Brown Pelicans. Now you can see them everywhere! I love to see them snatch fish out of the water.