Surprise visitor

[Dollythehun]

Oh! I'll bet you get to hear tree frogs, crickets and spring peepers! How cool!

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Originally Posted by Paphluvr

I keep a feeder on my deck about 5' outside of my great room window to feed the goldfinches. The other day a larger bird caught my eye and I was able to catch this image. He stuck around for almost 15 min. and didn't want to share with the finches. It's visited once again since.

---------- Post added at 04:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:54 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Dollythehun

Mealworms are always a hit. Paphluvr, why don't you try branching out? Black, or hulled sunflower(if you don't like the mess of black, although they cost more) will attract a lot of nice birds.

We have red bellied, sapsucker, downy, and limited. Seldom a red head. Hugh the most fun to watch are the Red Breasted Nut Hatches. We have a pair every year and have named them Boris and Natasha.

PICTURES!!! I WANT PICTURES!!!

[Paphluvr]

Here's another pic.

[Dollythehun]

Pretty girl! DOM, no pictures of Boris. I'll have take some of him in the cling a wing. He gets in the holes and does a walk about, eating as he goes. For our amusement, he eats while hanging by one toe. But here's a piliated, you'll have to zoom in. The maple tree is about 50' away. I'll include some other visitors too. Apparently I'll be doing that later the OB won't let me upload.
First two sideways are a piliated woodpecker, second orioles and a pair of bluebirds.

[Mountaineer370]

Yes, Paphluvr, she is a pretty girl! And Dolly, thanks for sharing the photos of all your beautiful visitors!

[WaterWitchin]

Dolly, I need at least one pair of pileated woodpeckers again. Please trap a pair and send. I will pick up the shipping.

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Dolly, I need at least one pair of pileated woodpeckers again. Please trap a pair and send. I will pick up the shipping.

Assuming I should FedEx them instead of letting them die in oak Park Illinois?

[Paphluvr]

Stopped by my local garden & feed store today and picked up a cage and peanut butter suet cake. We'll see if we can attract it in more often.

[Tindomul]

Nice birds everyone. I am an avid birder but with this Corona Virus I felt unsafe in NYC parks, too many people. I haven't seen blue birds in forevever and I was lucky enough to see one oriole in my neighborhood this spring. They used to breed on my block. The Red-bellied WP is a nice visitor to have, very pretty, but we don't get Pileated WP's on Long Island, especially not the city.

The most common WP's in Queens NY are Downy, Red-bellied and least common are the Hairy WP. But thats in the winter. Northern Flickers are very common in the right season, and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are very common March-May and again late August to November. You can go to certain parks to find one in the winter.
The rarest is the Red-headed Woodpecker, but if you try you can chase reports or get lucky and you should be able to see at least one per year in NYC.

Here are some of my observations of the last one.

Red-headed Woodpecker from Kew Gardens, Queens, NY, USA on January 07, 2020 at 02:11 PM by Cesar Andres Castillo
* iNaturalist

Red-headed Woodpecker from Queens, NY, USA on March 10, 2020 at 09:22 AM by Cesar Andres Castillo
* iNaturalist

Red-headed Woodpecker from Queens, NY, USA on April 11, 2017 at 07:53 AM by Cesar Andres Castillo
* iNaturalist

[Dollythehun]

Red heads are plentiful a few miles from here, at the Indiana Lakeshore. Some of my best birding was done there during migration. I'd love to see another Ruby Crowned Kinglet!

We have a flock of wild turkeys, hawks nesting, and many "common" birds, as well as the confusing warbler type migrating through. We're treated to Sand Hill cranes and often visit their congregation at Jasper Pulaski, south of here.

We feed a fruit and nut mix, suet, mealworms, and a small feeder of hulled sunflower. I think we have a nice variety of birds. It's our "vacation." And, we are roadbirders, always on the look out.

Tondo, what are you holding in that inaturalist picture?!