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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. S

    Today at the feeder

    I had to stop feeding, today; my landlord has declared this entire building a no-feeding zone. Those little birds were a real bright spot, in my day. I'm missing them already. All afternoon, they were lined up, waiting for a meal that never came. Eventually, I had to shut the windows and...
  2. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    The gulls on the roof across from mine have two little ones, now. This is, for them, quite a victory: every other nest they've built, for the last two years (at least) has been cleared away by maintenance, kicked to bits by kids, or raided by crows, before anything could hatch. But this time...
  3. S

    Today at the feeder

    Seeing these pictures of bald birds, it reminds me of a bird that comes to visit my feeder, and has been coming since last year. It's a little female house sparrow, with the back of its neck picked completely bare of feathers. It always seems perfectly healthy, apart from that patch of...
  4. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    They're only sparrows, but I'll never get tired of watching the mothers and fathers feeding the young. (Though, I do get a bit tired of HEARING them...ha, ha!)
  5. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    To my great irritation, a peregrine falcon ate the one and only starling visiting my feeder, grabbing it right off my balcony. I HAD wanted a closer look at the falcon, but, seriously, my starling? Why couldn't it help itself to a pigeon? Got loads of those.... I haven't seen the falcon...
  6. S

    Young crow with interesting condition

    I have heard that there's a rather nasty bird anthrax virus making the rounds among certain crow populations, at the moment--could it be having an effect on birds' feather growth, even if they survive the illness? I know that in human beings, anthrax has unpleasant skin effects, but I have no...
  7. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    I've been getting a starling on my feeder, for the last few days--I know starlings are generally considered nuisance birds, and a bit pants, but I've been hoping to get a closer look at one for quite a while, now. There's also been a little crow saga going on, in my garden: about two weeks...
  8. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    They're, ehh...playing leapfrog. o:D (There has been rather a lot of this sort of thing going on, lately, often directly outside my window. Awkward.)
  9. S

    what's wrong with people?

    I watched in anger, the other night, as two rotten teenagers appeared on the roof across from my balcony, and stamped on a nest full of gull eggs, while one of the gulls shrieked, overhead. This pair of gulls has been trying to nest there for at least two years, now, with no success. Last...
  10. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    I was just sitting out on my balcony, a few minutes ago, and I saw something weird flash by. It looked and sounded like a red-winged blackbird. But I haven't ever seen one of those, around here. I hope it comes back, so I can get a better look, maybe even a photo.
  11. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    Ha, ha, ha...somehow, these twigs just pop up! In fact, I think another bird left it there earlier. I tried to get a shot of the finch WITHOUT the twig, but as soon as it moved away, it turned its back on me!
  12. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    Been getting a lot more house finch traffic, this year -- males, females, and wee ones. I think it's because the house sparrows are afraid of the crows that have begun to turn up, so they are being less aggressive towards other birds, on the whole. They did drive off my poor song sparrow, but...
  13. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    Almost positive it's the same bird. It would be really strange if two different birds had the same patches of wear on their feathers. I am not disappointed that it's a peregrine, though: that's still a new one, for my list, although not as rare as a gyrfalcon sighting would've been. Thanks...
  14. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    It came back! Once again, it didn't come anywhere near me, and the clarity of the picture is not good. But I did get a shot from a better angle, I think. (I am pretty sure this is the same bird; it has the same tattered bits on its wings and tail, which I noticed before.) Does this help?
  15. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    The gull is a Western/glaucous winged hybrid, yes...it's easier to see that it's a hybrid when it is standing right next to you (which it frequently is; that bird is not shy). Most gulls around this area are hybrids of that sort. You can't tell from the photo, but having seen the gull and...
  16. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    Thanks for all the help...I find the discussion very interesting. I think, perhaps, the photo is too poor for a certain identification. I will have to find this bird again, if I want to add it to my life list. About the comparative sizes, the particular gull in that picture is, in fact...
  17. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    To be fair, that IS a very big gull. But it's a normal-sized flicker. So it is most likely a peregrine?
  18. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    I don't mind, at all. :-). You know, it's funny; the first guess I made, on my blog, was a gyrfalcon, but I didn't think that would be possible, in this area. I am not a huge expert on birds in Canada...I need a local field guide, or list.
  19. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    Sorry, no. The bird flew away very fast, and I only had time to take one. I hope I see this bird again, so I can try for a better shot.
  20. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    Thank you very much! :-) I couldn't tell, at all, from this photo. I tend to fail pretty badly at identifying any bird I can't see with complete clarity.
  21. S

    Northern goshawk (???) Vancouver, Canada

    Sorry about the bad photo. I took a picture of this bird as it flew off with a northern flicker in its talons (and a hungry gull in hot pursuit). It was already flying away when I noticed it, and by the time I got the camera, it was nearly out of range. Anyway, I was hoping someone would be...
  22. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    Could be...I thought I noticed facial markings that would match up with that, but I only saw its face clearly for a moment. (I am horrible at identifying birds from any angle other than directly side-on, especially from a distance.) That would be nice, if it was...it would be a new addition to...
  23. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    A THING flew into my garden, snatched up a northern flicker, and flew off with it. (A gull also seemed interested in eating the unfortunate flicker, and chased after the THING; both vanished behind the trees, and I didn't see which one got to enjoy the snack. Nor did I get a particularly good...
  24. S

    Your Birding Style

    I always bird alone, so I voted for that, but it's not that I WANT to bird alone. I'd much prefer to bird with a friend. But I don't know anyone.
  25. S

    Very busy at the bird feeder today!

    A juvenile house sparrow entered my bedroom, first thing this morning. I opened my eyes just as it flew in and landed on my elliptical machine. Time to close that window, I think! The adult birds mostly stay out, but the young ones get confused about the boundary between "indoors" and...
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