Crimson Red Sports

Yesterday I took pics for Ricky of a Robin in our bird bath.  Then lots of other birds came by too, so I took pics for everybody.

(https://i.imgur.com/xzjfMV4.jpg)
A wet Robin.

(https://i.imgur.com/82PNkeP.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9abceEX.jpg)
Brown-headed Nuthatch (and a Chickadee for comparison).

(https://i.imgur.com/XETLmr1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ykYcry9.jpg)
Black-throated Green Warblers

(https://i.imgur.com/KjjhOm0.jpg)
Wood Thrush

(https://i.imgur.com/O74E6G4.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/TmF52oz.jpg)
Black and White Warbler

Really nice pics Chechem. Thank you so much. RTR!

:clap:

Thursday's Birds:

(https://i.imgur.com/KD9RVpQ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/dWWEnNb.jpg)
American Redstart

(https://i.imgur.com/3CNO6dd.jpg)
Northern Cardinal

(https://i.imgur.com/qvuoaoI.jpg)
This feline ended the birds' fun in the bath.
 :lol2:

We were overrun by a herd of 6 deer yesterday afternoon.  One was a young spike buck with a broken antler.  I'll try for a pic if he comes back today.

Friday's birds:

(https://i.imgur.com/VzF26ZE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/TyopkqT.jpg)
Wood Thrush

(https://i.imgur.com/HzC9jYd.jpg)
House Finch

(https://i.imgur.com/E8FK6p3.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xo3fsQ8.jpg)
Red-eyed Vireo (you can see its red eye in the lower pic)

(https://i.imgur.com/XnywvrU.jpg)
If you don't know, try another thread.

(https://i.imgur.com/wPp5HvJ.jpg)
Downey Woodpecker (not very cooperative today)

Chech, you have quite a large number of bird species in your neck of the woods. Impressive.

Yes sir Chechem. It is impressive. RTR!

Wow the pics are just great, as usual. #+

Thanks much, Jamos.  Hope you have a great day watching Bama beat Ole Miss.  I'll never forget you and 2 squeezing through the crowd at The Grove.   :lol2:

Saturday birds:

(https://i.imgur.com/Ph3gPxm.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/GmbzxIw.jpg)
Mr. Redstart was back this morning.

(https://i.imgur.com/TKZ4yQN.jpg)
Carolina Wren probing the feeder.

(https://i.imgur.com/wkb1wU2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LRJuHFI.jpg)
Female Summer Tanager.  The male is all red.

(https://i.imgur.com/RBz0Ds2.jpg)
Carolina Chickadee with a sunflower seed.

(https://i.imgur.com/4fh2UdC.jpg)
Not a bird, but a nice pic (LF's pride and joy).

VERY NICE, What part of the country do you reside in?

Oxford Mississippi
I am prolly the only Bama fan here today!

We've got your back, Chech. I'm only 8 hours away.  :lol2:

Thanks, buddy.  If I'm attacked by a snail I'll call.   :lol2:

Cool pics Chech.  Not as cool as the trout, bears, wolves, etc. but still cool...  8)

Let me tell you one thing.  If trout, bears, or wolves come through my back yard, I'M YOUR MAN READY WITH THE CAMERA!
 :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

Sunday morning (part 1):

Lots of birds chattering this morning.  They all seem to find the feeders, and the competition is stiff.

(https://i.imgur.com/YGXjW0F.jpg)
White-breasted Nuthatch

(https://i.imgur.com/EYKdvey.jpg)
Brown-headed Nuthatch

(https://i.imgur.com/cpE16GZ.jpg)
Tufted Titmouse

(https://i.imgur.com/Mr2nGCD.jpg)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Great pictures when do your hummingbirds head South

Well done Chechem. RTR!

Yes they do.  By November 1st there are usually none here.

Sunday morning (part 2):

(https://i.imgur.com/4lz9RBI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ur6ow9f.jpg)
A Robin for Ricky

(https://i.imgur.com/KVbnplY.jpg)
Wood Thrushes at the bath.

(https://i.imgur.com/AbJJvcz.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Rj3Hbe0.jpg)
Summer Tanager female

(https://i.imgur.com/HRQSriS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/klWBl8J.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/256qFSB.jpg)
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds - male and female

(https://i.imgur.com/JS71975.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/KlNtSO7.jpg)
Red-bellied Woodpecker (you can see the reddish belly in the top pic)

(https://i.imgur.com/fpYA62l.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/ksPwgzw.jpg)
Carolina Wren

(https://i.imgur.com/d81bNY2.jpg)
Carolina Chickadee

(https://i.imgur.com/kY8RMJn.jpg)
Wood Thrush and Red-bellied Woodpecker

More Sunday afternoon:

(https://i.imgur.com/JWOgnCW.jpg)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

(https://i.imgur.com/J2tpss9.jpg)
Northern Cardinal

(https://i.imgur.com/vt252j8.jpg)
If you know this one you're above novice level: Ruby-crowned Kinglet

I can assure you, I'm not above novice level.  :lol2:

No, no.  Sorry.  I meant novice bird watcher.
 :lol3: :lol3: :lol3:

Monday morning:

LF spotted a praying mantis on the deck, then a Carolina Wren attacked.  The mantis defended itself by spreading out and swaying wildly back and forth.  The wren left.

(https://i.imgur.com/2ljgmS7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/NOtlmkl.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/egDH6YB.jpg)
Wood Thrush

(https://i.imgur.com/BMs5iRP.jpg)
Summer Tanager female

(https://i.imgur.com/UY8tZKF.jpg)
Downey Woodpecker

Monday afternoon lessons:

Squirrels all around this part of the South have bot flies now.  They look like they have mange, but it's actually parasitic flies under their skin.  Gross indeed.

(https://i.imgur.com/hCq3Q9Y.jpg)
He looks cute enough here.

(https://i.imgur.com/SNwtMAi.jpg)
But he's got a bot fly behind his front leg.

(https://i.imgur.com/l2O6ZvX.jpg)
Female Red-bellied Woodpecker

(https://i.imgur.com/mCAO5Nj.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/T1yQ0CF.jpg)
Male Red-bellied Woodpecker.  See, he has red on the top of his head; she doesn't.

Never seen a squirrel with bot flies. Is it eventually fatal for the squirrels, Chech?

Nope.  The fly emerges and flies away.
People get bot flies also.  I've seen it in Central America.  Pretty gross looking.

Dayum!  :-\

We use to call those things wolves in the animals and that is why you didn't hunt them until after the first frost. This would be all sorts of animals as, deer, squirrels, rabbits etc. RTR!

Yes, the "wolf worm" is the same as the "bot fly".

Tuesday birds:

(https://i.imgur.com/TqVKL1h.jpg)
Redstart bathing and Titmouse looking the other way.  :lol2:

(https://i.imgur.com/7Oxd68x.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0fFmcsZ.jpg)
Red-bellied Woodpecker male

(https://i.imgur.com/uppzj0z.jpg)
Female hummer

(https://i.imgur.com/Qg5Reo1.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/LBFKbfr.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mieVeAJ.jpg)
Brown Thrasher

 do you have many problems with Hawks using your backyard feeders as their personal dinner table? They appear to pay me a visit twice a week usually between 7 and 8 in the morning..... so frustrating.

Rarely.  I've had a Sharp-shinned Hawk zoom through, but only about once a month.  It was a problem when I lived in Louisiana.

There is a resident Red-tailed Hawk that nests close to my property, but it doesn't bother birds.  The crows mob it almost daily.

But my property is 5 acres of woods (oaks, hickories, pines).  It hasn't been cut in 50 years.  Not much open area around the feeders, so that helps.  And no owls have visited in a few years.

BTW, a friend who lives 5 miles from here just texted that her Barred Owls were hooting like crazy.  We didn't have any this season.

We use to have a lot of Brown Thrashers here Chechem but they haven't been as much seen of last couple years. RTR!

It was still dark when I left the house this morning.  As I was about to get in the truck I heard what sounded like some weird metallic squeak.  As I stepped around the corner of the garage to investigate I heard something, fox?, coyote?, deer?, raccoon? scamper away and out of sight and the sound stopped for a few seconds.  Then it began again.  It was some type of bird up the mountain a short distance from the house.  Still have no idea what kind of bird it was but I've never heard that particular bird before...

An old screech owl maybe? They make some really weird sounds. RTR!

I'd need more information from NALT before guessing about that one.   :lol2:

(http://Wednesday morning):

(https://i.imgur.com/DgoGBvP.jpg)
Not a great pic, but it's a Scarlet Tanager female.  I was talking with RE at the time, so I only had one hand on the camera.

(https://i.imgur.com/KBrdWy9.jpg)
Beautiful young male Summer Tanager.

(https://i.imgur.com/xBuuE1U.jpg)
Female and male House Finches.

(https://i.imgur.com/jZ7FnsH.jpg)
Male House Finch.

(https://i.imgur.com/biawKGv.jpg)
Red-headed Woodpecker (brief visit)

Yeah, I didn't expect anyone to identify the bird based on what I said.  I just have never heard that before and was a bit curious is all...

These birds are the beauty of the earth. Well done my brother. RTR!

Listen to this, NALT, and see if Preacher called it.  I heard this first call last spring, and I thought someone had locked the neighbor's cat inside a car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogna0Xcqqns

That's what my kids use to sound like also. RTR!

Tuesday also:

(https://i.imgur.com/iaWSb85.jpg)
Female Northern Cardinal
Look at the dead leaves on that dogwood.  DRY!!

(https://i.imgur.com/kBfVAhu.jpg)
An elusive Mourning Dove

I love to sit in a fall evening in the yard and listen to the Doves cooing. RTR!

Thursday morning:

So hot that almost nothing was moving in the woods.  I saw lots of the usual birds (cardinals, titmouse, chickadees, blue jays, house finches), but few of the migrants.  I saw a couple of warblers in the treetops, but couldn't get photos of them way up there.

(https://i.imgur.com/v44RObj.jpg)
Beautiful young tanager was back today.

(https://i.imgur.com/9zMyjdP.jpg)
Another summer Tanager.

(https://i.imgur.com/CNbHxOJ.jpg)
Wood Thrush.

(https://i.imgur.com/mdDD7VH.jpg)
Brown-headed Nuthatch.  These little birds are about as big as a pecan (with feathers).  They are year-round residents of the southeast, but not well known by most bird enthusiasts.  Cute and tiny.

Thursday afternoon:

(https://i.imgur.com/qxLCWfd.png)
Two ears; one antler.  Unicorn??

(https://i.imgur.com/o5nQ0hz.jpg)

 last Friday I had six regular hummingbirds Wednesday I had three, today they're all gone. Check ,do you feed the deer?

I have hummingbirds still.  One perches 5' over my head while I watch birds, then she attacks others who try to feed.  She's been there for the past 3 days.  Here she is:
(https://i.imgur.com/uppzj0z.jpg)

No I don't feed the deer.  But LF does; they eat her day lilies and other flowers in the front yard.  :lol2:  But we don't put out feed for them.
Today the unicorn one was eating black-gum berries that dropped to the ground.  Robins and other thrushes (especially) are swarming the treetops for berries this week, knocking them down constantly.

Beautiful Chechem. It is so dry most of the birds here you don't see anymore. They are gone closer to water I guess. RTR!

North wind is here, so hummingbirds are gone. Not one today.
 :(

 I feel your pain. I got got up this morning before daylight and sat on the back porch and drank a couple of cups of coffee hoping I'd see one didn't see a hummingbird. It was a cool 67 degrees and a beautiful morning

Well bama57, I did manage to see a few migrants this morning.  But most seem to be gone.  No hummers.

(https://i.imgur.com/Lrc10MS.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/B7eGlE1.jpg)
Magnolia Warbler.  This guy was way up in the oak near our deck.  They spend their winters in Central America.  They're really beautiful during spring, but not bad now.  In the bottom pic you can see the caterpillar it was gobbling.

(https://i.imgur.com/AnFolkt.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/xpAldng.jpg)
American Redstart (female).  This one was dancing and flashing its tail so quickly that I was lucky to get even these shots.  It stayed in the oak treetops, quickly jumping from one limb to the next.  Love the way they spread their tail feathers like a Bird of Paradise.

 I don't get the migrant birds that you get. I have two sets of Wrens three sets of doves Blue Jays tufted titmouse chickadees couple of mockingbirdsand numerous cardinals hanging around occasional blue bird and occasional brown thrasher. These birds are here year-round either on the suet or the feeder or inthe yard with the robins.

Maybe you should consider moving to Mississippi.   :lol2:

We have 5 acres of woods.  But we don't get as many migrants as my brother, who lives atop Shades Mountain in B'ham.  Mountaintops, coastal woodlands, and/or creeks are the key to best birding.

More Friday birds:

Not much this morning, but about noon I heard the chattering from treetops and went outside.  Saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, a Black-and-White Warbler, and some vireos.  They all outmaneuvered my camera.  But I caught this guy:

(https://i.imgur.com/273GvuO.jpg)
Tennessee Warbler

So I’m guessing a Nuthatch could eat an ant and be full?  :lol2:

:lol2:  Not likely.  Those little suckers stay busy all day eating sunflower seeds.  I don't know how they keep their girlish figures!

Saturday of bye week:

No hummers this morning.  The cold front blew through yesterday.
But some new birds are here, and a few tanagers and warblers remain.

(https://i.imgur.com/sGDThqf.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nBzHO1R.jpg)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak female.  The males should be here soon.  They come every October.

(https://i.imgur.com/up6y8yD.jpg)
Gray-cheeked Thrush.  It was in a dark area, so not a great pic.

(https://i.imgur.com/N7SLCka.jpg)
Gray-cheeked Thrush so you can see the difference in spots with the Wood Thrush below.

(https://i.imgur.com/9qz3JC4.jpg)
Wood Thrush

(https://i.imgur.com/4DcBugJ.jpg)
Mourning Dove mourning the death of another dogwood.

Pet Peeve:

There's a series of ads on TV by Eliquis.  Apparently their ad people have never been outdoors.  They had one with a guy beach fishing without bait, tackle box, or anything other than a rod.  Now they have one of a guy putting up birdhouses in a salt marsh.  It shows a PhotoShop image of a Baltimore Oriole on a birdhouse.  THEY DON'T NEST IN HOUSES, AND UNLIKELY THEY'D BE IN A SALT MARSH!!
 :facepalm:

(https://i.imgur.com/BsW53tS.jpg)

Sunday morning:

Windy today, but the birds are still here.  A summer tanager was atop the gum tree eating its fruits, but it was 100m away and the limbs were swaying.  I managed to get one decent pic (BEAUTIFUL BIRD DESERVED BETTER PICS):

(https://i.imgur.com/awY4uMu.jpg)
Summer Tanager male with black-gum fruits.

(https://i.imgur.com/78w6Qle.jpg)
Robin for Ricky.

Sunday afternoon:

(https://i.imgur.com/0aNNG9p.png)
Summer Tanager male with a caterpillar.

(https://i.imgur.com/GdqycR6.jpg)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (which we called Rain Crows when I was a kid).

And the rain is approaching.  Lots of bird activity now.  I took a pic of half of a Yellowhammer (Flicker), and saw a hummingbird at the feeder.  Plenty of tanagers, thrushes, robins, etc.

(https://i.imgur.com/0aNNG9p.png)

Beautiful bird.

Monday in the rain:

(https://i.imgur.com/V3z74v7.jpg)
Not a unicorn.

(https://i.imgur.com/IOvLogF.jpg)

It always strikes me odd, how curious does are.

You’d think deer predators were everywhere the way they act. Look at those big ears and eyes, alert. And a good nose. They only have to fear LF and her broom.

Tuesday:
Lots of birds fluttering around the black-gum berries and some at the birdbath.

(https://i.imgur.com/WACq7m7.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/fXixygF.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/cp91Vei.jpg)
Eastern Bluebird

(https://i.imgur.com/o6JvkvO.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/BIOJGtn.jpg)
Summer Tanager female

Tuesday late afternoon:

(https://i.imgur.com/OUM50U7.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0lC3yvP.jpg)
Carolina Wren

(https://i.imgur.com/dtY8yAb.jpg)
The female grosbeak (still awaiting the arrival of males).

(https://i.imgur.com/XFHwbzA.jpg)
Scarlet Tanager female (far atop a tree).

(https://i.imgur.com/TBclZFc.jpg)
The famous Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

(https://i.imgur.com/c4m6y1u.jpg)
Summer Tanager female and LOTS of fruit.

(https://i.imgur.com/dtY8yAb.jpg)

She looks rather impatient.  :lol2:

Yes.  I think the guys are eating fermented berries and smoking cigars.
 :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

Wednesday:

Still no male grosbeaks.  But I saw male Summer Tanagers (beautiful) and lots of warblers.  Most warblers weren't cooperative (hopping quickly about).  Also still have at least one hummer.  I managed to get a few good and new birds.

Look at the flank of this little bird.  That's a hint.
(https://i.imgur.com/Vhs4KG3.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/PrxQTOF.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/bfpDhS6.png)
Bay-breasted Warbler juvenile.  Unusual to see here.

(https://i.imgur.com/IWDyqJc.jpg)
Yellow-throated Vireo (not a great pic, but a good bird to see).

(https://i.imgur.com/uER1TD7.png)
Scarlet Tanager female (right) bathing with a male House Finch.  :facepalm:

(https://i.imgur.com/l3pC4w6.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/3NooSCg.png)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (look at that long tail)

(https://i.imgur.com/uVICjZI.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/MIyy9S9.jpg)
This Cardinal practically climbed inside my camera.  It was 5' away.

Wednesday late:

It's been a CUCKOO kind of day.

(https://i.imgur.com/324g8fH.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/sieAfeh.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/1Hm9m4e.png)

Great pictures, strange but I've never seen a rain crow in the wild, I have heard them plenty of times

Great pics, Chech. Those are beautiful birds.

I guess a flock of them stopped here during migration, because they seemed to be everywhere yesterday.  I think I saw about 5-6 different ones.  Hard to be sure.  I know there were 2 in the same small tree at once, and they were here all day.  But they tend to perch in thick areas of the trees, so it's difficult to get a good pic.

Thursday morning:

The female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are still awaiting the males.  Several more females arrived today:
(https://i.imgur.com/1YuRfNj.jpg)

The bird bath was busy all day with Robins:
(https://i.imgur.com/W1INFG9.jpg)

Pileated Woodpecker.  It's the biggest woodpecker in the South.  Loud calls, but often difficult to photograph:
(https://i.imgur.com/lmvaeKX.jpg)

Still have one hummer here:
(https://i.imgur.com/DcqPHmu.jpg)

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer (aka. Northern Flicker):
(https://i.imgur.com/Et7g2zZ.jpg)

Eastern Wood Peewee.  Small flycatcher that is common in the woods:
(https://i.imgur.com/n03Z5UC.jpg)

Blue-headed Vireo.  Used to be Solitary Vireo:
(https://i.imgur.com/vvJTsRL.jpg)

Black-throated Green Warbler:
(https://i.imgur.com/IhAUTqn.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/GU9KrA8.png)

Thursday continued:

Male Summer Tanager (far away, but pretty):
(https://i.imgur.com/jEDbfmk.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/T5ahTnH.png)

Black-throated Green Warbler awaiting its turn in the bath:
(https://i.imgur.com/UiQ96mk.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/8Zw7r5e.png)

More about Thursday:

An approaching cold front made conditions warm and windy.  But the birds were crazy active.  In addition to those in photos, I saw a Cooper's Hawk and Bald Eagle fly over.  Also saw lots of small warblers and their kin (e.g., kinglets, redstarts).  The cuckoos were still around, and the treetops were full of robins, thrushes, and tanagers eating black-gum berries.

An excellent day for birding.  But it may end with the rain and cold on Friday.  :(

Better start getting used to that.  :lol2:

I sure enjoyed the pictures thank you I've often wondered how do you keep the squirrels at Bay? and what do you do about skunks do you have them in your neighborhood? the last two mornings I have caught 2 skunks and dispatch them there's no way to do anything to get rid of them without them spraying

How do you dispatch of them, 57?

Pellet pistol to the back of the head

 up here there bad about carrying rabies in I can't chance one of them biting one of my grandbabies plus where I water my azaleas because of the drought they're destroying them they dig around the roots for grubs and worms

I hate passing one dead on, or beside the road. The smell stays with you for a good 15 minutes.

Rarely have skunks here. And I shoot dozens of squirrels each season. Raccoons I just tolerate. My feeders are on a pulley system to keep squirrels off them.

Friday morning:

Right before the rain came I managed to get out and watch birds for about an hour.  Saw lots of the same (Blue-headed Vireo, Robins, Wood Thrush, Pileated Woodpecker, the same hummer, 2 species of nuthatches, etc.).  Also got a few good pics:

This one was interesting.  I heard a Pileated Woodpecker calling from the east side of my woods, then this woodpecker flew across and landed (100m away).  I got 3 quick pics before it left.  WTH?  It was a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker (with a brown head!).
(https://i.imgur.com/KrXDTKD.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nGrkCTU.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/EZ4VghU.jpg)

Then 2 warblers flew in close.  It was a pair of Black-throated Green Warblers.  Unlike the others I photographed earlier this week, one of these had its spring plumage of a truly black throat.
(https://i.imgur.com/soR1KvH.jpg)

So beautiful. When I see your birds I think of God's creation how it is always so pretty if man don't mess with it. RTR!

Yesterday sitting on the back porch I noticed One lone straggler Hummer come through I had done taking down my feeders and clean them and stored them for the winter but he hit every Bloom around the house

He was cussing you under his breath, 57.  :lol:

 :lol2: 
In truth, despite you being a good citizen, you should leave your feeders up until at least middle November.  Most of the rare sightings of hummers come after November 1st.

Wants the hummingbird's left the honeybees took over the feeders I would have to refill them every other day

We get that from yellowjackets here.  One stung my son (when he was 6) during the kickoff of an Alabama game in Tuscaloosa years ago.  I swear, 3 women around us immediately dug into their purses and offered Benedryl.
 :lol2:

Several years ago I was cutting a fallen tree so that I could take the cant to a sawmill.  Dad was there helping (watching) me.  As I sawing it angered a nest of yellowjackets nearby.  They went after Dad.  He got stung a time or two but nothing nearly as bad as it could have been.  I found the hole they were coming from and dumped some gas in it.  When we continued working Dad had repositioned and wound up standing in a Fireant mound.  :facepalm:  Sometimes ya just can't take Dad anywhere...  :lol2:

:lol:

http://cheezburger.com/5424443136

CHECH,  with your bird feeders being on a pulley system do you still have doves

Only a few, and they usually go to the platform feeders.

Saturday morning:

It was chilly and windy, so I only went out birding about an hour.
No hummers.  Looks like the one female that'd been here daily finally went south with that cold front.
Lots of robins, blue jays, and woodpeckers in the treetops eating black-gum berries.
My buddy across town sent me a video of a Barred Owl calling at daybreak (not much of a video, but good audio).
There were a few Summer Tanagers in the treetops too, and I saw on Towhee.
And there were a few more female grosbeaks, but no males yet.

(https://i.imgur.com/dtY8yAb.jpg)

Mrs. J and I were just looking at your bird pictures, just beautiful. #+ #+

Glad to see you back on, J. How's the hand?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Sunday:

No pics from yesterday.  I sat out for a few minutes before my phone rang.  A friend asked if I'd come over to help them identify their birds and trees. 

Before I left I saw the grosbeaks were still at the feeders (all females), no hummers, several pileated woodpeckers, several female tanagers, and the usual robins, jays, chickadees, etc.  I didn't see any warblers or vireos.

Those males better not show up with alcohol on their breath.  :lol2:

So I guess the hummingbirds are probably gone for the season?

 :lol2: Yeah, the male grosbeaks are out there somewhere having fun.  Two of the females were in the bird bath together yesterday.  That will end when the guys arrive!

Yep, the hummers are gone.  I doubt I'll see any more, unless they're ones that didn't establish enough reserves for the trip south.  Lots of reports over the years of hummers with pesticides that screwed up their navigation systems (brains).  So seeing them after mid-October isn't always a good thing.

Monday morning:

Pretty good morning.  No hummers and no male grosbeaks.

View from my chair on the deck.  You can see the platform feeders in the foreground (#1 and 2), the bird bath, and the 2 hanging feeders (# 3 and 4), and the Black-gum Tree in the distance.
(https://i.imgur.com/KRoxu4W.jpg)

Magnolia Warbler in fall plumage.  These are really beautiful during spring.
(https://i.imgur.com/FNeXsRR.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/kb8kgJY.png)

A weird "dinosaur bug" (according to LF) that landed on my outdoor breakfast table.  Check out that beak (proboscis) and its stalked eyes.
UPDATE: My bug buddy said it's a WHEEL BUG, a type of assassin bug (among the True Bug family Reduviidae).  Cool.  And he said they'll give a painful bite if handled.  Wow.
(https://i.imgur.com/e8mXK3h.png)

Looks like a stink bug on steroids.

I thought it was a type of stink bug when I saw it.
My buddy said the name WHEEL BUG comes from that wheel-like thing on its back.  I thought it should have been a SPROCKET BUG.
 :dunno:

(https://i.imgur.com/e8mXK3h.png)

 I plan on making me a platform feeder what do you suggest I make it out of what kind of lumber? I've got some extra Cedar and I thought about making it up and Cedar

 :lol2:  Funny.  RE and I just discussed this last week.  He just built one too.

I always use plywood (at least 1/2"), usually about 2.5' X 2.5'.  They sell squares of plywood at Lowe's and Home Depot, so you won't have to buy a whole sheet.

But prolly cedar would work.  And I line the margin with some strips of wood to keep the seeds on when it rains (leave a gap for runoff).  You can paint it with any kind of paint; just slap it on thick to protect the wood.  If it's for the yard, buy a piece of threaded galvanized pipe, and mount it to the plywood with a flange.  It'll last for years.

I've seen one of those wheel bugs before but had no idea the name.

Really a cool bug.  Looks like something from another planet!

Prolly over at the female red-headed woodpeckers house.  :dunno:

Hmmm.  Being named a "female Red-headed Woodpecker" has a different connotation when she's throwing a party!
 :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure: :unsure:

Tuesday:

Overcast all day, and not a lot of bird activity.  I had several appointments, so I didn't watch much, but I saw the female grosbeaks (still waiting).  Also saw redstarts and a kinglet.  The robins and tanagers are still atop the gum tree.  No hummers.

(https://i.imgur.com/nBzHO1R.jpg)

Thursday:

Saw 2 Indigo Buntings, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, several kinglets, a Solitary Vireo, and the lonely female grosbeaks.  Not as much bird activity as last week, though.

Friday:

A flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers arrived today, mixed with a bunch of tiny kinglets.  Both will be here for winter.  Also saw a Wood Thrush and a Black-throated Green Warbler.  Nice, warm day with lots of sunshine.

(https://i.imgur.com/iioRZAc.jpg)
Yellow-rumped Warbler in winter plumage.  He just sat and watched me.

(https://media1.giphy.com/media/tXL4FHPSnVJ0A/giphy.gif)

....and the male grosbeaks?

:lol: :lol:

I could post a photo of them taken during April.  They were here then.
 :dunno:

Tuesday:

Beautiful day, but still no grosbeaks.  Most of the migrants left on the cold front.  I sat out this morning and attracted vultures.
 :(

(https://i.imgur.com/z9JanJv.jpg)
Great Blue Heron

(https://i.imgur.com/BpSW3LV.jpg)
Turkey Vulture

Wednesday:

Beautiful, sunny, and blue skies.  But not many good birds.

(https://i.imgur.com/BzGfkWG.jpg)
Downey Woodpecker

All those male Grosbeaks have chased them off.  :lol2:

I'm afraid the male grosbeaks passed us by.  Or maybe they were here while I was in Jackson. 
They'll be back in the spring, though.  Much prettier then anyhow!
 :clap:

As always beautiful pics Chechem. Thank you for sharing. RTR!