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InnerLight (original poster member #19946) posted at 4:50 AM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
The last couple of days I heard a bird high in the tree tops sing three notes, like a whistle, Ta-daaaaaaa-ta, Ta-daaaaaa-Ta...over and over.
I followed the sound, to a pine, and used binoculars to see a grayish bird on a dead snag at the top, a white patch on the front, pale green, grey sides, a bit darker on top of its head, slight head tuft.
Looked it up in sibley's, maybe an olive sided flycatcher..??..listened to the bird call recording on allaboutbirds.org and
BINGO!
That's my bird!
An olive sided flycatcher.
Mystery solved.
Bird detective success.
Very satisfying.
And the bird books all describe the call as 'quick THREE beers'!
BS, 64 yearsD-day 6-2-08D after 20 years together
The journey from Armageddon to Amazing Life happens one step at a time. Don't ever give up!
purplejacket4 ( member #34262) posted at 4:52 AM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
I love listening to birds too. Except the mockingbirds here are a bit show offy.
Me: BS 50
Her: FWS 53 (both family med MDs; together 23 years)
OW: who cares (PhD)
Dday: 10/11: 11/11 TT for months; NC 8/12
Limboconsiliationish
"band aids don't fix bullet holes" Taylor Swift
I NEVER mind medical ???
Lionne ( member #25560) posted at 5:01 AM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Ahhh! Another bird geek! Love it!
I have great ears, bad eyes. And the apps for bird song are just, meh!
The trickiest song we've had recently is a Carolina Wren. Hard to spot. And the song variation is so extreme, or maybe our bird just has a strange regional accent
!
But it is so satisfying to finally figure it out...
Me-BS-71 in May HIM-SAFWH-74 I just wanted a normal life.Normal trauma would have been appreciated.
Sad in AZ ( member #24239) posted at 5:04 AM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Very long-time birder here
I've been birding since I was 8. I love birding by sound. It's even more important here on the east coast because of the thickness of the brush.
I use the iBird app on my phone for birding by ear, but my Sibley's are very well used and worn.
Don't diss the Southern Mockingbird, pj
They have my second favorite song (first is the Western Meadowlark
)
You are important and you matter. Your feelings matter. Your voice matters. Your story matters. Your life matters. Always.
Me: FBS (no longer betrayed nor a spouse)-63
D-day: 2007 (two years before finding SI)
S: 6/2010; D: 3/2011
Lionne ( member #25560) posted at 5:25 AM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
I have ibird and the Audubon. And adore the Mockers
But my favorite is the Catbird.
This thread needs pictures!
Me-BS-71 in May HIM-SAFWH-74 I just wanted a normal life.Normal trauma would have been appreciated.
heartbroken_kk ( member #22722) posted at 5:55 AM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
I have the Sibley Birds app on my Android phone and think it's the most expensive app Ive ever paid for but it is worth every penny.
I love bird songs and I'm a pretty good mimic. Birds are awesome.
FBW then 46, XWHNPDPAFTG the destroyer of my entire life. D-Day 1 '99, D-Day 2,3,4,5,6... '09-'11, D '15. I fell apart. I put myself back together. Forgiveness isn't required. I'm happy and healthy now, and MY new life is good.
heartbroken_kk ( member #22722) posted at 5:57 AM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Also.... what WHEEEE Who?
FBW then 46, XWHNPDPAFTG the destroyer of my entire life. D-Day 1 '99, D-Day 2,3,4,5,6... '09-'11, D '15. I fell apart. I put myself back together. Forgiveness isn't required. I'm happy and healthy now, and MY new life is good.
Lucky2HaveMe ( member #13333) posted at 2:22 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Love the birds too... 'cept not at 5 a.m. Why can't they be quiet until about 6 or so
Love isn't what you say, it's what you do.
TrulyReconciled ( member #3031) posted at 2:36 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Looked it up in sibley's, maybe an olive sided flycatcher..??..listened to the bird call recording on allaboutbirds.org
"In a time of deceit, telling the Truth is a revolutionary act."
tushnurse ( member #21101) posted at 3:23 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Cool I like to do this as well.
We have bees, and couple summers ago I noticed a bird I had never really seen around before, and it would sit on our deck rail, or the branches for the trees further out, and would snatch the honeybees right out of the air, and had a pretty cool song.
It took a bit of research, but found these are Summer Tanningers, and they love Honeybees. They now nest near our house every summer.
Me: FBSHim: FWSKids: 23 & 27 Married for 32 years now, was 16 at the time.D-Day Sept 26 2008R'd in about 2 years. Old Vet now.
TrulyReconciled ( member #3031) posted at 6:00 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Summer Tanager (piranga rubra)
"In a time of deceit, telling the Truth is a revolutionary act."
InnerLight (original poster member #19946) posted at 7:15 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
Cool pix, thanks TR.
Birding by sound sure helps, because there is a lot of thick brush, and there are an awful lot of little brown birds, or grey birds.
Last week I id'd a grey gnatcatcher. It looked a little like a bewick's wren or a wrentit or a bushtit, but not really like any of them.
I have the audubon app, and the peterson's app (I use that one less) Most pro bird people I know use iBird. I find allaboutbirds.org really helpful. These days the online recordings really help.
I love the feeling of being outside and feeling like I know who is where, and who my bird neighbors are. I am more a native then, feeling like I belong. Otherwise, I am a tourist in an alien land.
Lately I've been using bird language and interpretation of their alarm calls to locate the grey fox in my yard. I have tripled the amount of times I see him or her. Birds watch for everything and comment on the animals moving through the brush. Great allies.
[This message edited by InnerLight at 1:17 PM, June 5th (Thursday)]
BS, 64 yearsD-day 6-2-08D after 20 years together
The journey from Armageddon to Amazing Life happens one step at a time. Don't ever give up!
TrulyReconciled ( member #3031) posted at 7:38 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
I refuse to Google Image "bushtit" ...
"In a time of deceit, telling the Truth is a revolutionary act."
Sad in AZ ( member #24239) posted at 7:41 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
I refuse to Google Image "bushtit"
is right...
I didn't think you'd have to...
You should have seen the shit I got from jPapa for posting a picture of my beer in a tufted titmouse glass...
You are important and you matter. Your feelings matter. Your voice matters. Your story matters. Your life matters. Always.
Me: FBS (no longer betrayed nor a spouse)-63
D-day: 2007 (two years before finding SI)
S: 6/2010; D: 3/2011
tushnurse ( member #21101) posted at 8:55 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
I refuse to Google Image "bushtit
And yes TR that's the guy.
They think Honey bees are yummy. I have to bite my tongue when I see them, because H wants to "get rid" of them since they are eating his bees.
I said leave em be, we have 10 hives with at least 60,000 bees each I don't they can eat enough to make an impact.
Me: FBSHim: FWSKids: 23 & 27 Married for 32 years now, was 16 at the time.D-Day Sept 26 2008R'd in about 2 years. Old Vet now.
Rebreather ( member #30817) posted at 11:13 PM on Thursday, June 5th, 2014
I have a pair of Mountain Chickadees in one of my courtyard bird houses, and House Wrens in the other. The Chickadees are so adorable and very, very busy! They are called "cheeseburger birds" in these parts because their song sounds like CHEESE! Bur! Ger!
Me BS
Him WH
2 ddays in '07
Rec'd.
"The cure for the pain, is the pain." -Rumi
jjct ( member #17484) posted at 12:46 AM on Friday, June 6th, 2014
I've been using bird language and interpretation of their alarm calls to locate the grey fox in my yard.
I kept hearing the Jays' alarm message (didn't know what it was) until it bugged me enough to walk out and look up. I saw the Jays, but then, a large hawk took off - so I figured it out.
Years ago while in Kentucky, a guy said; "You wanna see a hawk?" Then he made 'some call sound', we kept talking, sure enough, about a minute later he pointed up and said; "There he is!"
I recognize indigo bunting - so dang purty!
Bluebird lovers despise sparrows,
and
red winged blackbirds bring me back to my childhood.
Yep. I'm a bird nerd.
(just not as nerdy as some of you app peoples)
jjct ( member #17484) posted at 1:04 AM on Friday, June 6th, 2014
In fact, this cutie patootie was under the parking structure earlier this week!
.
.
.
cmego ( member #30346) posted at 1:24 AM on Friday, June 6th, 2014
We keep a birding book on the dining room table, and mark/identify the ones that come to the feeder. My 10 year old dd loves to bird watch. Even my 8 year old ds can name a few of them now.
My latest favorite is a Eastern Towhee. Never seen one dance around the bottom of the feeder until this year.
me...BS, 46 years old.
Divorced
InnerLight (original poster member #19946) posted at 3:03 AM on Friday, June 6th, 2014
Towhees are a ground feeder so they are super aware of their environment to stay alive. That makes them a good bird language bird. We have Spotted towhees here and they shriek when they're alarmed. They follow my cat around yelling at her. I listen for their alarms and if it's not about my cat it's often about the fox.
Jjct, jays make a 'sneak, sneak' call for hawks, I've heard this too.
One time I heard jays and other birds all yelling at once. I walked down the road, following the sound and saw a great horned owl, all the birds were mobbing it. It was so cool, like a cat with wings.
This is a good resource for bird language.
birdlanguage.com
Jon young is a great teacher and I've really enjoyed his classes, and his book, What the Robin Knows
BS, 64 yearsD-day 6-2-08D after 20 years together
The journey from Armageddon to Amazing Life happens one step at a time. Don't ever give up!
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