D_Mac 8,623 #201 Posted August 12, 2022 I'm not going post any pictures or links cause I'm not sure of the rules but one of my very good friends is a very talented artist. He specializes in drawing birds and ducks. If you Google his name Ray Easton or Raymond Easton you can see some of his work and read about some of his awards and accomplishments. He is as good as a friend as he is as an artist. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
formariz 11,987 #202 Posted August 14, 2022 On 8/12/2022 at 8:58 AM, D_Mac said: I'm not going post any pictures or links cause I'm not sure of the rules but one of my very good friends is a very talented artist. He specializes in drawing birds and ducks. If you Google his name Ray Easton or Raymond Easton you can see some of his work and read about some of his awards and accomplishments. He is as good as a friend as he is as an artist. Great talent. Awesome stuff. Thank you for mentioning him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D_Mac 8,623 #203 Posted August 14, 2022 1 hour ago, formariz said: Great talent. Awesome stuff. Thank you for mentioning him. His paintings are like photographs. He will be entering the federal duck stamp contest again. Interesting completion, there is even a movie about it called " million dollar duck " Ray has won NYS duck stamp but never federal one. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John2189 454 #204 Posted August 16, 2022 Here is one of the red headed wood pecker 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,628 #205 Posted August 21, 2022 A few years now the BBT and I have gone North for a few days in August. Most times we see a bird or two we aren't familiar with. This past week I learned that Dark-eyed juncos have regional color variants. There was a small flock dancing around the trees at the camp site that didn't quite look like the standard winter junco we see down in southern New England. The ones I'm used to are predominantly a dark grey bird with a white belly that's a stark contrast almost as if they've been dipped in white paint. The little flock I was observing had streaks and some even had grey bellies. Turns out they were likely a color variant from a different region of the country that were up north for the summer season. Tried for pics but they were too fast and jumping around from tree to tree. We also heard/saw a good variety of other ornithological out-standers. Red tailed hawk. Bald eagle. Ravens. Several types of water birds. Warblers as well. Chickadees with calls just different from our own to be noticable. Blue jays. There are occasional Gray jays up there though we've only seen them once. Gray jays are unusual among birds because they'll come right to your hand with no prior training to get food crackers etc... Extremely brazen animal. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,308 #206 Posted August 21, 2022 We have been repairing the deck for the past couple of weeks and just finished yesterday. There are a pair of Carolina wrens that built a nest at the corner of the deck in a large flower pot that is on a stand. We carefully moved the pot as needed and gave the birds frequent breaks so they could feed the babies, this variety pairs for life and shares the parenting duties. This morning the wife gives me bad news saying that the babies were at the other end of the deck and were dead. She swept them off the deck but I had to investigate and found two tiny hatchlings, not our wrens. I suppose that some black bird or other bad actor kicked them out of a nest high in a tree. I looked in the flower pot and found the babies safe but the hole was kind of smashed shut. Either something was bothering them or the parents deliberately close the door when they are away. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,628 #207 Posted March 17, 2023 For some reason or another one of my favorite birds has always been the little bluebird. Growing up in north central Massachusetts they were not common in the areas I frequented. Maine, as a whole, is the most heavily forested state in the contiguous 48. Because bluebirds prefer open country, they're not as common here as they are in other places. We have friends across the street and up the mountain that own a lot of old open Farm country. Bluebirds have frequented their property for decades. Because of the clearing that Trina and I have been doing over the last few years to open up our property for the barn, garden, making the paths for logging. We've been getting different kinds of birds and better visibility of them when they are around. This morning, she spotted bluebirds in our yard as they were checking out a possible residency that sits on our backyard dog fence. This is very preliminary and I hope they stick around but here they are... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,202 #208 Posted March 18, 2023 8 hours ago, ebinmaine said: the little bluebird Better keep those appetizers away from my friend Mr. Hawk! It's gonna rain little bluebird, here, I'll keep you dry! Hmmmm... that was a nice little snack, time for a nap... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,628 #209 Posted March 18, 2023 10 hours ago, Jeff-C175 said: Hawk Cooper's? We have a fair amount of them here. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,628 #210 Posted March 27, 2023 Yesterday morning we had a barred owl watching the open area around the garden. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,202 #211 Posted March 27, 2023 On 3/18/2023 at 7:37 AM, ebinmaine said: Cooper's? We have a fair amount of them here. I thought it might be a red tail, not sure... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,628 #212 Posted March 27, 2023 33 minutes ago, Jeff-C175 said: I thought it might be a red tail, not sure... The body and Wing banding on that and the upper side color of the tail would be more indicative of a Cooper's hawk. I don't suppose you remember the rough size of it? In comparison to something like a crow? Raven? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,202 #213 Posted March 27, 2023 (edited) 22 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: The body and Wing banding on that and the upper side color of the tail would be more indicative of a Cooper's hawk. I don't suppose you remember the rough size of it? In comparison to something like a crow? Raven? About the size of a crow or raven I think, maybe even a bit smaller. Just looking at some pics and it's definitely not a red tail. Coopers are not that prevalent down here, they are around though. Sharp Shinned are quite prevalent though. I think it's a Sharp Shinned... very similar! "Who'll take that hawk with the skinny legs" ... this one is an immature Sharp Shinned. Edited March 27, 2023 by Jeff-C175 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,628 #214 Posted March 27, 2023 Just now, Jeff-C175 said: About the size of a crow or raven I think, maybe even a bit smaller. Just looking at some pics and it's definitely not a red tail. Coopers are not that prevalent down here, but Sharp Shinned are. I think it's a Sharp Shinned... very similar! "Who'll take that hawk with the skinny legs" ... this one is an immature Sharp Shinned. Being smaller than a crow that would make a lot of sense. The only real difference between a coopers and a sharpie is the size. We're the other way around up here. Much more coopers. Sharpies are rare. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
