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Post by cherokeescot on Jun 22, 2020 20:53:20 GMT -5
Working from home on the farm in Florida the last three months has been a real eye opener for me. No more daily subways or weekly flights or trains back and forth to New York from Philly twice or three times a week . That has been replaced by long walks on the prairies and swamplands of Florida where I’ve been amazed by both the multitude and variety of bird life here . Thanks to Tom Williams for helping me identify most of them but I now understand why bird watching is such a popular hobby. These lovely creatures are truly fascinating although maybe not at 4am in the morning when the dawn chorus starts.
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Post by quickcall on Jun 22, 2020 22:37:38 GMT -5
Bird watching is truly fascinating. It’s cool learning about them. Being able to identify them either by sight or sound is fun, too. Jackie and I enjoy it and learn something new every day. We get up at the crack of dawn and walk four miles on a back road every week day. Hearing the songs then is the best time of the day to do so. We often refer to Tom for answers to our bird questions. Jackie and I were fishing at 5:00am two weeks ago and saw this... /?vh=e&d=n
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Post by tenfurlongs on Jun 22, 2020 23:49:47 GMT -5
Birds are the most easily accessible wildlife in our lives. They are a familiar presence in our yards all year, singing, raising young and eating insects, and seed, if it is provided. Blue Jays, cardinals, chickadees, sparrows. But there are so many additional species that favor other habitats besides urban/suburban areas. Ask any farmer (Tim?) about birds, they know all of them. Once you head into the forest, swamp, grassland or mountains you can encounter an amazing variety of cool birds. I was fortunate enough to establish career 2.0 working with birds, surveying them in the field, banding them, and spending long hours before dawn and after sunset working on various avian projects. It has been funny to watch the average person's impression of birders. Once it was this:
Then it went into the popular culture for a while:
Now, in 2020, it's getting crowded out there:
Watching the birds in your "patch" becomes very satisfying, and people buy into the conservation and protection of species more easily when it's "their" birds. Take a walk in the woods, you'll feel better on the way out.
TW
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Post by spiderjohn on Jun 24, 2020 8:04:08 GMT -5
We alternate between Florida and Ohio pretty much every month in both. In FL, we have the Gulf out the back door, and a state park across the street out the front door. In OH we have a large wooded area out the back door. Incredible variety of species in both areas. We have even had a group of peacocks camped out on our roof in OH--have any of you ever heard peacocks scream? Scares the heck out of you......
Coyote just nailed my best friend pet is the serious down side.... My guns are loaded for their return(or anything else that threatens...)
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spanky
UpInClass Member
Posts: 1,663
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Post by spanky on Jun 26, 2020 16:53:51 GMT -5
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Post by Badactor on Jun 29, 2020 12:35:20 GMT -5
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Post by UpInClass on Jun 29, 2020 12:51:07 GMT -5
Birds and Horses (and my dog)... these are a few of my favorite things.
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Post by tenfurlongs on Jun 29, 2020 15:03:17 GMT -5
You’re lucky Dell. Here in the East we have exactly one species of hummingbird (Ruby-throated), although occasionally a wayward species can show up in the fall. SE Arizona has 13-14 species recorded most years. It is amazing that a RT Hummingbird migrates from Mexico every March, flies non-stop ACROSS the Gulf of Mexico, follows the blooming flowers up the East coast, and shows up in my yard on May 3rd, give or take a few days. Eagles are wimps.
TW
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ziggy
UpInClass Member
Posts: 892
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Post by ziggy on Jun 29, 2020 18:18:20 GMT -5
I watch more as we feed them. The holly bush feeding depends on the first snow. Three species dominate the feeding, winter robin. bluebird and cedar waxwings. Winter robins depend on berries. They've shown up in a blizzard.
I wish i payed more attention in the scouts. We canoed a lot.
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Post by cherokeescot on Jun 30, 2020 17:16:31 GMT -5
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