Any birdwatchers out there?
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Fubart Solman
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« on: January 21, 2021, 01:16:28 AM »

I’ve been birdwatching more frequently since about July or so. Any other birders here on Atlas Forum?
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Torrain
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« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2021, 06:39:01 AM »

Tangentially?

One of my sisters is a huge birder (to the point that she's looking at a career in academic ornithology), so I've been out on a good number of walks with her, where we picked locations specifically looking for rare birds.

I don't have as much patience as her, but thanks to her persistence I've wracked up some interesting finds.

We once watched a pair of golden eagles doing a courting dance in the Scottish Highlands, found a rare group of crested tits (I know, I know), which are basically tiny birds with mohawks - they're adorable, in the moorlands to the north of Perth,

We live pretty close to the coast, so we've had the chance to watch a lot of seabirds out on the water, from puffins and gannets, to cormorants and shags on a local island.
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Battista Minola 1616
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« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2021, 08:48:54 AM »

Not at all an actual birdwatcher but I love birds and I especially absolutely love corvids. Crows are among the most beautiful creatures on Earth, although going on holiday in the United States I discovered that grackles give them a run for their money.

Of course my urban, industrial and seaside setting is dominated by pigeons, seagulls, and secundarily sparrows. But sometimes hooded crows appear too, and more rarely also magpies and jackdaws, and it always makes me happy. Other birds I've seen in my city include robins, blackbirds, what was probably a buzzard, geese, domestic chicken, and my pet budgerigars.
Actually once I did something that may be called "" birdwatching"" right here, I went with a friend on a bridge passing a small stream in a residential area since I was told by him that there was a peacock nearby. We did see it, but it was difficult. It is shy, and it seems it belongs to someone who has a backyard on the stream and decided that raising only chicken was too normie. There were also two very curious grey geese, which are probably wild.
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If my soul was made of stone
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« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2021, 12:05:23 PM »

Actually once I did something that may be called "" birdwatching"" right here, I went with a friend on a bridge passing a small stream in a residential area since I was told by him that there was a peacock nearby. We did see it, but it was difficult. It is shy, and it seems it belongs to someone who has a backyard on the stream and decided that raising only chicken was too normie.

When I was visiting family in southern Oregon in the spring of 2018, I saw a large bunch of turkeys in someone's front yard. I couldn't tell whether they were kept by the occupants of the house or just passing through, but it stuck with me, although I'd forgotten all about it until being reminded by your anecdote. That's about all the interesting bird stories that I have, unfortunately.
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Fubart Solman
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« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2021, 12:07:08 PM »

Tangentially?

One of my sisters is a huge birder (to the point that she's looking at a career in academic ornithology), so I've been out on a good number of walks with her, where we picked locations specifically looking for rare birds.

I don't have as much patience as her, but thanks to her persistence I've wracked up some interesting finds.

We once watched a pair of golden eagles doing a courting dance in the Scottish Highlands, found a rare group of crested tits (I know, I know), which are basically tiny birds with mohawks - they're adorable, in the moorlands to the north of Perth,

We live pretty close to the coast, so we've had the chance to watch a lot of seabirds out on the water, from puffins and gannets, to cormorants and shags on a local island.

In California, on a good day I can see both Titmice and Bushtits. Funny that you said both Cormorants and Shags. I figured they were all shags (also a lol-worthy name) in Europe. I’ve been meaning to go over to the coast at some point to see some more seabirds. I have done on my list from a trip I did for university, but I haven’t been in a while.

I dragged a friend of mine on an 80 mile trip on Monday so I could go to a rural cemetery because a single rare migrant (a male Vermilion Flycatcher) goes to that same spot every winter. I went on something of a scouting hike yesterday (didn’t have boots and started too late) because I had heard that there were California Thrashers in the area. Didn’t see any of them, but I did see a Hairy Woodpecker, which was a new one for me.

Not at all an actual birdwatcher but I love birds and I especially absolutely love corvids. Crows are among the most beautiful creatures on Earth, although going on holiday in the United States I discovered that grackles give them a run for their money.

Of course my urban, industrial and seaside setting is dominated by pigeons, seagulls, and secundarily sparrows. But sometimes hooded crows appear too, and more rarely also magpies and jackdaws, and it always makes me happy. Other birds I've seen in my city include robins, blackbirds, what was probably a buzzard, geese, domestic chicken, and my pet budgerigars.
Actually once I did something that may be called "" birdwatching"" right here, I went with a friend on a bridge passing a small stream in a residential area since I was told by him that there was a peacock nearby. We did see it, but it was difficult. It is shy, and it seems it belongs to someone who has a backyard on the stream and decided that raising only chicken was too normie. There were also two very curious grey geese, which are probably wild.

I study corvids! Mostly how well they do in human influenced areas and their resulting effects on other birdlife. I think my favorite are Clark’s Nutcrackers. They’re not the ones I study though. My home area, the CA Central Valley actually has its own species of magpie, the Yellow-billed Magpie. I was quite excited for the first time I saw a Black-billed Magpie; for a lot of birders, it’s the other way around.

Also, I love your new user name lol.
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Fubart Solman
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« Reply #5 on: January 21, 2021, 12:08:54 PM »

Actually once I did something that may be called "" birdwatching"" right here, I went with a friend on a bridge passing a small stream in a residential area since I was told by him that there was a peacock nearby. We did see it, but it was difficult. It is shy, and it seems it belongs to someone who has a backyard on the stream and decided that raising only chicken was too normie.

When I was visiting family in southern Oregon in the spring of 2018, I saw a large bunch of turkeys in someone's front yard. I couldn't tell whether they were kept by the occupants of the house or just passing through, but it stuck with me, although I'd forgotten all about it until being reminded by your anecdote. That's about all the interesting bird stories that I have, unfortunately.

Turkeys do that sometimes. They have about a single collective brain between them (most fowl, eg quail, turkeys, pheasants aren’t that smart). But they do like to hang out in smallish groups and I see them on people’s lawns from time to time.
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Torrain
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« Reply #6 on: January 21, 2021, 01:16:48 PM »


In California, on a good day I can see both Titmice and Bushtits. Funny that you said both Cormorants and Shags. I figured they were all shags (also a lol-worthy name) in Europe. I’ve been meaning to go over to the coast at some point to see some more seabirds. I have done on my list from a trip I did for university, but I haven’t been in a while.

Apparently there are small but perceptible differences, apparently! I'd definitely recommend the coast when you get the opportunity, it's always interesting to see what you can find.

I dragged a friend of mine on an 80 mile trip on Monday so I could go to a rural cemetery because a single rare migrant (a male Vermilion Flycatcher) goes to that same spot every winter. I went on something of a scouting hike yesterday (didn’t have boots and started too late) because I had heard that there were California Thrashers in the area. Didn’t see any of them, but I did see a Hairy Woodpecker, which was a new one for me.

Haha, that sounds familiar! Every year, my sister would target a new rare bird to go searching for. We once spent two entire afternoons trekking around a remote Hebridean island looking for a chough - which to me looked like a slightly skinny crow, but was apparently of immense excitement!

As I say, these trips can can be a bit prolonged at times, but she puts up with my discussion of US elections, so we're definitely even!
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Fubart Solman
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« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2021, 04:31:39 PM »


In California, on a good day I can see both Titmice and Bushtits. Funny that you said both Cormorants and Shags. I figured they were all shags (also a lol-worthy name) in Europe. I’ve been meaning to go over to the coast at some point to see some more seabirds. I have done on my list from a trip I did for university, but I haven’t been in a while.

Apparently there are small but perceptible differences, apparently! I'd definitely recommend the coast when you get the opportunity, it's always interesting to see what you can find.

I dragged a friend of mine on an 80 mile trip on Monday so I could go to a rural cemetery because a single rare migrant (a male Vermilion Flycatcher) goes to that same spot every winter. I went on something of a scouting hike yesterday (didn’t have boots and started too late) because I had heard that there were California Thrashers in the area. Didn’t see any of them, but I did see a Hairy Woodpecker, which was a new one for me.

Haha, that sounds familiar! Every year, my sister would target a new rare bird to go searching for. We once spent two entire afternoons trekking around a remote Hebridean island looking for a chough - which to me looked like a slightly skinny crow, but was apparently of immense excitement!

As I say, these trips can can be a bit prolonged at times, but she puts up with my discussion of US elections, so we're definitely even!


I guess you could say she was... chuffed. Their bills look a lot more delicate than a crow’s.

I wouldn’t mind going on a hike in the Hebrides. All of the Scottish islands seem like cool places to go. Same with Iceland and the Faroes. Some day.

I have this week off and got to add another species (Hairy Woodpecker) yesterday, so that was nice. My life list isn’t as impressive as some of my coworkers, but I look at it as an opportunity to catch up on what’s actually going on around me. When lockdown was more strict back in April and I was working from home, I saw a new species right outside my office window!
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Alcibiades
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« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2021, 04:40:09 PM »
« Edited: January 21, 2021, 04:43:40 PM by Alcibiades »

I’m also not actually a birdwatcher, but I like to keep an eye out for avian life. There are a surprising number of birds of prey around in my suburban London setting - mostly red kites, buzzards and sparrowhawks, I believe, maybe the occasional peregrine falcon. When I see them, they’re usually circling a way overhead, but recently I had a rather surreal experience with one sitting perfectly calmly on a telephone line only a few metres above me as I walked along a quiet street. I also one saw one catch a pigeon on another quiet residential street. A frequent, beautiful visitor to my garden are jays, as well as a pair of blackbirds which I think are building a nest. I also see the odd heron at local ponds.
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Battista Minola 1616
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« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2021, 05:09:49 PM »

Not at all an actual birdwatcher but I love birds and I especially absolutely love corvids. Crows are among the most beautiful creatures on Earth, although going on holiday in the United States I discovered that grackles give them a run for their money.

Of course my urban, industrial and seaside setting is dominated by pigeons, seagulls, and secundarily sparrows. But sometimes hooded crows appear too, and more rarely also magpies and jackdaws, and it always makes me happy. Other birds I've seen in my city include robins, blackbirds, what was probably a buzzard, geese, domestic chicken, and my pet budgerigars.
Actually once I did something that may be called "" birdwatching"" right here, I went with a friend on a bridge passing a small stream in a residential area since I was told by him that there was a peacock nearby. We did see it, but it was difficult. It is shy, and it seems it belongs to someone who has a backyard on the stream and decided that raising only chicken was too normie. There were also two very curious grey geese, which are probably wild.

I study corvids! Mostly how well they do in human influenced areas and their resulting effects on other birdlife. I think my favorite are Clark’s Nutcrackers. They’re not the ones I study though. My home area, the CA Central Valley actually has its own species of magpie, the Yellow-billed Magpie. I was quite excited for the first time I saw a Black-billed Magpie; for a lot of birders, it’s the other way around.

Also, I love your new user name lol.

Lovable work! Corvids are also very intelligent animals, which adds to their beauty.

Thanks for the display name! Its meaning is, well, quite obvious, but the idea was actually taken from modifying the name of an incredibly obscure 1980's German pop group called Picnic At The Whitehouse (sic). They are so obscure they don't even have a Wikipedia page in English, but many years ago I saw on a music TV channel the video of their only hit, a song called We Need Protection, and their bizarre name always remained stuck in my head.
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Torrain
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« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2021, 05:24:17 PM »

In California, on a good day I can see both Titmice and Bushtits. Funny that you said both Cormorants and Shags. I figured they were all shags (also a lol-worthy name) in Europe. I’ve been meaning to go over to the coast at some point to see some more seabirds. I have done on my list from a trip I did for university, but I haven’t been in a while.

Apparently there are small but perceptible differences, apparently! I'd definitely recommend the coast when you get the opportunity, it's always interesting to see what you can find.

I dragged a friend of mine on an 80 mile trip on Monday so I could go to a rural cemetery because a single rare migrant (a male Vermilion Flycatcher) goes to that same spot every winter. I went on something of a scouting hike yesterday (didn’t have boots and started too late) because I had heard that there were California Thrashers in the area. Didn’t see any of them, but I did see a Hairy Woodpecker, which was a new one for me.

Haha, that sounds familiar! Every year, my sister would target a new rare bird to go searching for. We once spent two entire afternoons trekking around a remote Hebridean island looking for a chough - which to me looked like a slightly skinny crow, but was apparently of immense excitement!

As I say, these trips can can be a bit prolonged at times, but she puts up with my discussion of US elections, so we're definitely even!


I guess you could say she was... chuffed. Their bills look a lot more delicate than a crow’s.

I wouldn’t mind going on a hike in the Hebrides. All of the Scottish islands seem like cool places to go. Same with Iceland and the Faroes. Some day.

I have this week off and got to add another species (Hairy Woodpecker) yesterday, so that was nice. My life list isn’t as impressive as some of my coworkers, but I look at it as an opportunity to catch up on what’s actually going on around me. When lockdown was more strict back in April and I was working from home, I saw a new species right outside my office window!

Aye, there's nowhere quite like the Hebrides. When intercontinental travel becomes an option in the next few years, I could pass on a few recommendations if you'd like.
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Fubart Solman
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« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2021, 01:44:40 AM »

In California, on a good day I can see both Titmice and Bushtits. Funny that you said both Cormorants and Shags. I figured they were all shags (also a lol-worthy name) in Europe. I’ve been meaning to go over to the coast at some point to see some more seabirds. I have done on my list from a trip I did for university, but I haven’t been in a while.

Apparently there are small but perceptible differences, apparently! I'd definitely recommend the coast when you get the opportunity, it's always interesting to see what you can find.

I dragged a friend of mine on an 80 mile trip on Monday so I could go to a rural cemetery because a single rare migrant (a male Vermilion Flycatcher) goes to that same spot every winter. I went on something of a scouting hike yesterday (didn’t have boots and started too late) because I had heard that there were California Thrashers in the area. Didn’t see any of them, but I did see a Hairy Woodpecker, which was a new one for me.

Haha, that sounds familiar! Every year, my sister would target a new rare bird to go searching for. We once spent two entire afternoons trekking around a remote Hebridean island looking for a chough - which to me looked like a slightly skinny crow, but was apparently of immense excitement!

As I say, these trips can can be a bit prolonged at times, but she puts up with my discussion of US elections, so we're definitely even!


I guess you could say she was... chuffed. Their bills look a lot more delicate than a crow’s.

I wouldn’t mind going on a hike in the Hebrides. All of the Scottish islands seem like cool places to go. Same with Iceland and the Faroes. Some day.

I have this week off and got to add another species (Hairy Woodpecker) yesterday, so that was nice. My life list isn’t as impressive as some of my coworkers, but I look at it as an opportunity to catch up on what’s actually going on around me. When lockdown was more strict back in April and I was working from home, I saw a new species right outside my office window!

Aye, there's nowhere quite like the Hebrides. When intercontinental travel becomes an option in the next few years, I could pass on a few recommendations if you'd like.

There’s a lot of places on my list, but the UK in generalist fairly high up. London is the obvious place, as is Yorkshire, where my patrilineal line is from, but Scotland would definitely be cool to see as well. Not sure if I’d be able to make it to the Hebrides unless it was a dedicated Scotland trip. The impression of them in my head is that they’re basically what Scotland was a few hundred years ago.
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Mr. Smith
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« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2021, 06:34:20 PM »

Used to be...but I don't have the time nor familiarity beyond the Grackles, Scossor-tails, and Blue Jays [which don't sound nearly so elegant as the Steller's or Scrub ones further west] to really get into here.
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Fubart Solman
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« Reply #13 on: January 27, 2021, 03:38:54 PM »

Used to be...but I don't have the time nor familiarity beyond the Grackles, Scossor-tails, and Blue Jays [which don't sound nearly so elegant as the Steller's or Scrub ones further west] to really get into here.

I’d love to see an actual Blue Jay myself. I’m thinking of going to Boston for a vacation after Covid is done with. Stellar’s are really cool. I think that the Scrub Jays are a bit too pedestrian for me since I see them so much. I’ve heard that Austin is notorious for grackles. My area didn’t start getting grackles until like 10-15 years ago.
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Squirrel Jesus
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« Reply #14 on: January 31, 2021, 05:01:39 AM »

I love birds and watching them. My family has 7 cockatiels, 1 monk parakeet, 1 pigeon, and 1 budgie. I mainly watch my own birds, but whenever I see any others, I take as many pictures as I can.
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