Backyard Bird Watchers

#76
#76
Raven vs crow?

I suppose that I could tell them apart if they would obediently sit side by side, but what do I look for in large flocks?

The birds around here sound very different from crows - sort of a gurgling sound. But when I Google, the sound is identified as crows, although it’s not identical.
 
#77
#77
VolNExile said:
Raven vs crow?

I suppose that I could tell them apart if they would obediently sit side by side, but what do I look for in large flocks?

The birds around here sound very different from crows - sort of a gurgling sound. But when I Google, the sound is identified as crows, although it’s not identical.
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Depends on where you're at. Ravens rarely come below the Mason Dixie. If you think you see a Raven then look at the size of it's beak, does it look like it has a mustache, it's feathers are "shinier" than a crows, and of course the size but like you said if they're not side by side
 
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#78
#78
VolNExile said:
Raven vs crow?

I suppose that I could tell them apart if they would obediently sit side by side, but what do I look for in large flocks?

The birds around here sound very different from crows - sort of a gurgling sound. But when I Google, the sound is identified as crows, although it’s not identical.
Click to expand...
Ravens definitely have more of that deep guttural gurgle. Crows caw, ravens tend to croak or 'gronk'. I can usually spot a raven pretty high up since it is so much bigger and because it's guttural sounds are an easy give-away. That said, there are some BIG crows in this city so sometimes it can be hard to differentiate when they are 100+ft up.
 
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#81
#81
Another large mixed flock was worming my yard yesterday afternoon - robins and red-winged blackbirds this time.
 
#82
#82
Witnessed two mocking birds doing a dance in my front yard. I could not tell if this was some sort of mating ritual between two prospective mates. In the past, the resident males have gone directly after other males. The fights can be spectacular. This was different. Anyone familiar enough with mockingbird behavior to deduce what I was witnessing?
 
#83
#83
Heard the call of a barred owl yesterday evening. Must be coming north to nesting territory. The rhythm of life.
 
#84
#84
This is a pretty cool piece about crows. Never cross a crow - it will remember your face

I use to feed the crows at my last house up in the mountains. I had 4 identifiable murders of crows that came around. I was fond of one old guy, he had to "hop" on one foot, apparently he'd had some problems, plus he had a tuff of feathers on the back of his neck that stood up. So one day, a couple years after I'd moved I came out of a grocery store that was about 5 miles from my old house. This crow went nuts and came down and landed on the ground about 20 feet from me. It was "Hoppy" as I called him. It was definitely him tuff of feathers, hop and all. Sort of cool.
 
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#85
#85
volinbham said:
Any here in the VN? I've done it off and on over the years. Have had a Peterson Field Guide for about 20 years now.

My new place has a nice private back yard bordered with tall shrubs and hardwoods. Lots of activity. Got to add some feeders.

What say you VN?
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I've never noticed this thread. I love AZ so much but one of my biggest gripes surprises me because I took this for granted in the south...the birdlife here is not great. We have hummingbirds and hawks, a lot of different kinds of water fowl, but we don't have pretty "ordinary" birds. I loved in TN how I could look out my window and see a cardinal or a blue jay. I was so spoiled I didn't even care about robins and I would kill to see one right now. We have a bunch of different types of sandy-colored doves and we have pigeons. Hooray!
 
#89
#89
n_huffhines said:
Oh, and the coolest bird I've seen in a while was in October but I had to get 10k feet of elevation to find it. Didn't even know black-crested blue jays existed. Bigger than regular jays. I did not take this pic

View attachment 350616
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That's a Stellar's Jay. I love the blue eyebrows. When my son was small, he called them "rock star jays" because of their "hair".
 
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#92
#92
Alas, the latest nestling at Berry perished overnight and has been partially devoured by its parents. Here's hoping egg #2 produces a new chick which grows to maturity.
 
#93
#93
Tin Man said:
Alas, the latest nestling at Berry perished overnight and has been partially devoured by its parents. Here's hoping egg #2 produces a new chick which grows to maturity.
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My youngest came close to going to Berry. My Lord, what an amazing campus!
 
#100
#100
Does anyone remember when ESPN had some sort of live feed of a deer feeder on their website? It ran 24/7 and the comments section was open and hilarious. It was Twitch before Twitch.
 
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