Trail Camera

[Dragon Hill]

Well, that's just cool!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Blue jays are uncommon at our place. I was happy they stopped off for a drink and dip.

 

[HersheyMint]

Blue jays are uncommon at our place. I was happy they stopped off for a drink and dip.View attachment 44763

Beautiful!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Interesting visitors lately. Besides the ring tail cats, who come frequently now, we've had some nice birds. Here is a little flock all having a bathing party. They come pretty often, but seeing so many at once was fun.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

A type of wood pecker, maybe a flicker? I need to look them up. A fun visitor.View attachment 45124

 

[Marsha Cassada]

And this smallish bird has been around for a few weeks, but I'm not sure what he is. Usually they come in pairs or little groups.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

 

[Marsha Cassada]

 

[Cayuse]

That looks just about like the Flickers that I have here. I love watching them. We always have just one. I dunno if it's really more than one and we only see one at a time, but I have never seen two together. We have LOADS of blue jays, lol. Mobs of the little stinkers. They clean out my feeders in short order!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

That looks just about like the Flickers that I have here. I love watching them. We always have just one. I dunno if it's really more than one and we only see one at a time, but I have never seen two together. We have LOADS of blue jays, lol. Mobs of the little stinkers. They clean out my feeders in short order!

I don't do feeders as my chickens and horses always find them. I just try to keep the natural landscape so the birds can find plenty of bugs and seeds. We've never had jays before, but our oak trees are beginning to bear acorns so maybe that is why they have come. I think the flickers are migratory.

 

[candycar]

I think the little bird(before the flickers) is a Dark Eyed Junco. We had one at our suet feeder last winter and had to look it up because I've never seen one before.

 

[MBENES]

And this smallish bird has been around for a few weeks, but I'm not sure what he is. Usually they come in pairs or little groups.

where are you located? It looks like a junco. They breed near the arctic and come "south" for the winter.

View attachment 45129

It is a male yellow shafted flicker on the left. Female on the right.

 

[MerMaeve]

Yup, the little birds are Dark-eyed Juncos, winter visitor from the far north. (A Chipping Sparrow in with the group on the far right too.)
Yes, those are flickers.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

We thought it was a yellow shafted flicker from looking at pictures.
I thought of ordering a heated bird bath, but I do have a small in-ground pond with water that pumps all year. The birds can set on the antique pump spigot to drink. It does freeze if we have sustained freezing temps, but generally it runs all winter.
Thank you so much for identifying our feathered visitors!

 

[Abby P]

I agree on the junco - they come here in the winter, I've always heard them called slate-colored juncos but maybe it's a different subspecies? We're quite a ways apart longitudinally! I like them, they're cute, they hang around in little groups on our back patio. The flickers are beautiful!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Went out this morning to fill the birdbath and those disgusting raccoons had defecated big time in the bird bath. Why in the world would they contaminate their water? May be time for the trap again...

 

[MerMaeve]

I agree on the junco - they come here in the winter, I've always heard them called slate-colored juncos but maybe it's a different subspecies? We're quite a ways apart longitudinally! I like them, they're cute, they hang around in little groups on our back patio. The flickers are beautiful

The Dark-eyed Junco is one species with multiple subspecies: slate-colored, Oregon, Pink-sided, Red-backed to name a few. They will probably be split into different species within the next 10 years, or they were different species but they did DNA testing and found to be too closely related to be different species. Sorry to go nerd on you!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

The Dark-eyed Junco is one species with multiple subspecies: slate-colored, Oregon, Pink-sided, Red-backed to name a few. They will probably be split into different species within the next 10 years, or they were different species but they did DNA testing and found to be too closely related to be different species. Sorry to go nerd on you!

Very interesting!

 

[Abby P]

Sorry to go nerd on you!

Ha ha, no apology needed! I appreciate the knowledge. I like birds and always wish I was better at identifying them. But I waste too much time being nerdy about other things to do too good of a job learning about birds.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Meadow larks are here. I was hoping one or two would visit the bird bath. Notice the cardinal in the air above--looks fake, as though I photoshopped him there! Meadow larks are one of my favorite birds.