Day 21 – Set Props
Very soon we will have to say goodbye to the Christmas set we have built in our studio. We’ve spent a lot of time here together with you all and we thought that instead of packing all the decorations away in some box we’ll never open again, it would be nice to give some of the props to some of you!
So today, we are looking for a new home for the snow owl and robin pillow
Day 21 – Advent Calendar Set Props (2 Winners)
You can answer today’s question in whatever way you like! 🙂
How to enter:
Comment: How well do you know birds?
Prize:
Advent Calendar Set Prop (2 Winners)
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Mona & Lisa
I do a bit of bird watching and belong to the Audubon Society. I used to raise exotic finches at home.
I love birds since I was a little child. Later on I read books about birds and so I know a lot about them. When I look through the window I can see the redstart (Gartenrot-schwaenzchen), the robin (Rotkehlchen), the titmouse (Meise) and blackbirds (Amseln). Sometimes even a wren (Zaunkönig) one of the tiniest birds. In summer I watch the young sparrows who come to my place to pick up the seeds of the gras an other plants. Every day it´s a wonderful time to watch this little creatures. But it´s a shame that men destroy more and more of their habitat.
I feed enough of them along with the squirrels it might make me an expert. The largest variety in the part of Florida I’m in is the waterfowl which you have to go to the wetlands to enjoy the variety of cranes, storks, Spoonbills, Eagles, Ospreys and a large variety of hawks. The songbird selection is kind of limited to Cardinals, Blue Jays, Doves and our state bird the Mockingbird which can imitate just about any other songbirds in the woods. My favorites arrive in late fall through spring and that’s the painted buntings. They don’t sing but they are a visual treat that’s for sure.
I know Robins, Blackbirds, magpies and a few others so I don’t know birds that well. When I went for a walk with a friend he showed me a peregrine falcon that usually perches on an old water tower near to where he lives which I thought was very cool.
Well, clearly, I don’t know birds that well. I do know that they like our feeders, they come and tap on the windows when they are empty. Humming birds are very special. We had had one in our home while he recovered from a serious injury. Such tiny creatures with such a strong will! I learned a lot during that week.
I also noticed that they don’t mind me taking pictures of them.
I set at the front room window each morning with my cat as she looks for birds she can never get at. These days though all the birds have flown south.
I at one time had three parakeets. They would sing along with me while practicing my guitar and vocals..
I never really had a pet bird, but if I were to get one, I could see myself getting a love bird. A long time ago I went to a pet shop with my girl friend at the time, and she really liked this little yellow and green love bird they had, so I got it for her. Over time we both grew fond of that little love bird as it really had a personality and was interactive, stubborn at times, but showed affection and was really funny the way it played.
I would never have a pet bird, it seems cruel keeping one in a small cage. That is why I’ve only ever had a cat and allowed it to roam free(ish). As I have lived in blocks of flats (apartments) for many years I haven’t had a pet since the mid 80s as it isn’t right having them cooped up whilst you are out.
I can see your point, especially with birds that can fly and wild animals being confined to a cage. If by owning a pet you are able to provide a better life for it than it otherwise could have, like most domesticated animals like cats and dogs in a kennel, it’s good. One thing that bothers me is when covid hit and people were forced to isolate at home for months, there was a huge rush for acquiring pets for companionship like puppies and kittens. Later in the year as people returned to work, I’ve heard of people starting to abandon pets, which is so cruel and selfish. It amazes me sometimes cruelty some people are capable of.
Yes I agree. The reason that I was a pet of my cat (that is the reality of it) is that a cat is the most independent of all pets. Many people like having dogs because they like being in control and dogs are generally subservient, whereas, with a cat it is almost a case of being the other way round! I don’t feel the need to always be in control of things so it is cats for me, plus I like the challenge!
Sadly, there are many people in the world now who just don’t understand their responsibilities, nor do they want to.
Cat’s have pride with a what can you do for me attitude when they look at their owners, and dog’s are more like what can I do for you? Fetch you your slippers? I’ve had both and love them all.
I do like to watch the birds from the living room window in our house.
I did see the byrds play in duluth minnesota in 1965- or 1966. can’t remember which year.
I love nature – and especially listening to the birds whistling. I know about alot of birds. The blackbird is definitely my favorite songbird.
Unfortunately, the birds only sing in the spring and summer time – and maybe a little in the fall.
However, I have found a company consisting of 2 people, who sing like songbirds – and who sing all year round. They are called the “No More Worries Company”, but are better known as The MonaLisa Twins.
I really do not know well about birds, I can distinguish sparrows, goldfinches, cenzontles and some other wild birds.
When we were young at home we had a kestrel, at first we had it tied up and one day I decided to release it to my surprise it did not leave and it lasted at home for more than 5 years. At that time I gave my brother less an orange-fronted parrot and strangely, the kestrel and the parrot became friends. One day some swallows attacked the kestrel and he left home and never returned
Apparently not very well, about 3 years ago I self published a children’s picture book about a robin. It hasn’t done very well. However I do enjoy giving the books away. And I still like birds !
I just heard this morning that it’s “Short Girl Appreciation Day”! While not what I’d call short, Lisa, you are a tad shorter than Mona, so I appreciate you a smidge more than usual today, if that’s possible. Anyway……
I think I know birds fairly well, at least locally. I’ve been feeding and watching birds for years, and picked up the hobby from my Mom, who inherited it from her Dad. Our American robins look nothing like your pillow robin, tho! Like your hawk story, I’m currently having trouble with a falcon, and have witnessed it successfully catching an English sparrow twice recently. I don’t begrudge it acting naturally, but I do wish it’d hunt elsewhere! I usually have a large variety of beautiful birds, but the falcon’s presence has drastically reduced numbers and variety lately.????????
I’m retired now and I really enjoy birds these days. I routinely see a good variety around my yard including hummingbirds, wrens, sparrows, cardinals, woodpeckers and even the occasional red-tailed hawk.
For most of my 43-year career as a professional pilot, I tried to avoid them. Despite my best efforts, I’m afraid more than a few impacted my windscreen and some found their way into the jet engine intakes, which was never good!
I know a Cardinal and a Robin when I see one. That’s about it. When I look at it that doesn’t seem like very much.
I know about the goldfinches and chickadees that we enjoy native to Massachusetts. So I’d say I know birds a little…
A friend gave us two quails. (Her son came home with them and a few days later decided he couldn’t be bothered looking after them!) They live in an enclosure in our backyard and bring us endless hours of joy. I adore them!
Congratulations to the winners ! For the past 3 summers when I mow my lawn there are 3 Robins that sit on the fence and watch me and when I am done they look for food and so i bought a feeder for them and they come by each day around 9am so I feel they are my friends and they hang around for about an hour and come back the next day , so I think that is so cool!!
I’m an Ornithology novice
How well do I know birds?
Well, I know that they can fly, except for those that can’t. And they don’t talk, except for those that do. And they all go south for the winter, except for the ones in the southern hemisphere. So basically I know birds just a little bit better than Arthur Carlson. (Skip to 3:22 for the famous punchline.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGFtV6-ALoQ&t=103s
Seriously, though, a few years ago a pair of eagles built a nest in a tall tree in my parents’ backyard, and now every year my folks get to watch a couple of baby eagles grow up from about fifty meters away. I was fortunate enough to be visiting once when I saw one learning to fly by climbing up onto the edge of the nest, jumping off, and awkwardly flapping over to the opposite edge.
That’s great, David. That show was a favorite at my house when we were kids.
I was a freshman in high school that year.
Remember this one?
https://youtu.be/UPABesa7wcE
I don’t think I saw that one, JP, but I do remember an episode in which a concerned citizens group came to the station to complain about the lyrics of Imagine.
I only watched the show sporadically when it aired, but I loved the opening theme song. I grew up 80 miles south of Cincinnati, and we drove through the area shown in the establishing shots once a year on our way to our favorite amusement park. So there were some great memories baked in.
I don’t know, I probably don’t know birds well.As a child, I was good at imitating the cry of crows and they answered me.
Before my mom passed away from Dementia a few years ago, she told me on several occasions that she could see a hawk outside her window. I never saw the hawk. On the day she passed, I came home to find this beautiful hawk perched in a tree outside my front door. I had never seen one that close. It hung around for several weeks until my birthday when it flew away. Not long after that I moved, and once again there is a hawk that lives in the woods behind my house. It’s just Mom keeping an eye on me. Probably not a bad idea! 😉
Brian thanks for sharing that, it’s heart warming, and my condolences for you mom.
A few years ago I was going through a particularly sad time after my mom passed away, and my dog Max also died shortly afterwards. I was on a cruise in the middle of the ocean on a starry night. I was really missing them both that evening. Looking up at the stars over the ocean, I uttered in my mind “where are you both, I miss you so much”. Immediately I saw 2 bright shooting stars streak across the sky, like an answer, “we’re here Jung”, not far away. I haven’t seen a shooting star like that for years. It felt like my mom was there with me that night.
Thanks, Jung. I’m sorry for your loss as well. It certainly gives me comfort whenever I see my hawk. I was never much of a believer in those sorts of things, but I am now. Be well and happy holidays!
Thanks Brian. Warmest Christmas wishes to you and your family. ????????✨
I know most of the common birds, but there are some I know by name only.
Do you mean the animal or the 60’s usage of the word? For the former, I was a Jayhawk, so positive relationships there, but I’m in a constant war with woodpeckers (cedar sided home). As far as the latter, I’m clueless.
I’m not a bird-ologist but even I can identify the little hummingbird that visited my house and the big hawk that perched on a wire outside my church.
Don, it’s possible to edit your own comments. If you move your cursor to the lower right corner of your comment, a symbol will appear. If you then click on that symbol, it gives you the option to edit.
Merry Christmas David! I was aware of the edit feature but it did not work on my computer. Your reply inspired me to try a different computer, and voila, this time the edit feature worked. So that I don’t drift into Too Much Information, I’ll save you the pain of reading the technical details. Thank you for your thoughtful reply.
Most people in the U.S. think that a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania can predict an early Spring on Feb. 2. Personally, I think that hearing a Cardinal’s mating call on Valentine’s Day in Nebraska is a better indicator. Did you know that Cardinals mate for life, but that the males will sometimes cheat.
I really don’t know birds that well, however, I also find myself whistling at them to see if they respond. We get a lot of Magpies, Doves, Geese, Sparrows, Cardinals, Woodpeckers and others. I bought my first girlfriend a pair of Love Birds when I was 16. When one died, we broke up!!!!!! Go figure!!
Mona, “two servings of baby birds” made me laugh out loud!
The question says to “answer in whatever way you like,” so I’ll answer in several ways: We have feeders and a birdbath in our yard, and get a lot of sparrows, blackbirds (the regular and red-winged varieties), nuthatches, cardinals, mourning doves and occasional bluejays and crows. My wife one saw a hawk swoop in and grab one of the mourning doves. We’re close enough to Long Island Sound to get seagulls sometimes too.
I own every album by The Byrds, and I know those quite well.
And songs. Some favorites: And Your Bird Can Sing, probably my favorite Beatles song (and one I’d love to hear the MonaLisa Twins cover, hint, hint), and I think anyone who plays acoustic guitar at some point learns Blackbird (though Sir Paul says most people play it wrong). Free as a Bird, also The Beatles. Songbird by Fleetwood Mac, and the new one by The MonaLisa Twins. Birds by Neil Young (also beautifully covered by Linda Ronstadt). Little Bird by Casey Chambers. I Was a Bird by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Two songs entitled Bluebird, by Paul McCartney and Buffalo Springfield (Stephen Stills). The Birds of St. Marks by Jackson Browne. Albatross by early Fleetwood Mac, appearing on their album The Pious Bird of Good Omen. Bird on the Wire by Leonard Cohen. Hummingbird by Leon Russell. I Don’t Know Birds That Well, of course. Flocks and flocks of songs.
I get lots of birds around here. Galahs, Kookaburras, Parrots, Finches, Magpies and more. I can recognise some of the birdsong, Kookaburras being the most obvious, so I guess I can say I know birds somewhat. How’s that for vague?!
I love feeding Lorikeets!
I have spent all of my adult life living in flats or rented rooms, but remember loving watching all the birds in our family garden when I was young, it was fascinating to just sit there quietly and watch all the different birds, seemed to be much bigger variety than you see around now.
I’m not a bird aficionado, but I do recognize several that hang out in the yard: Cardinals, Blue-jays, Robins, a couple of doves perch in the tree. And a few years ago a I could hear a whippoorill. It always reminded me of the Hank Williams song “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
Your tea making is getting very magical. What’ next? Peace be.
Oh my either one of those would be so cool in my summerhouse /mancave!! We have 3 bird feeders and 2 bird baths in our small garden and often sit in the conservatory and watch blue tits,finches and robins eat and drink (until the big bad pigeons come along anyway)
I don’t know birds and their behavior very well but I know I love to hear their singing in the Spring. I did rescue an abandoned cockatoo once but that didn’t work out well.
I don’t know to much about birds but when I see a cardinal or a bluebird in my back yard I always get excited to see them they are beautiful birds. I want to thank you girls for the nice Christmas card I got it yesterday. I want to wish you and your family a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
I am sooooooooooo envious of todays winners.
I am thinking of paying your subscription for a year for one of them!
Well ladies …
I have only spent time with one bird.
I had a parakeet when i was a lad.
One day i walked out the door with ‘Dickey’ on my shoulder and he found his freedom.
He went straight south as if it was instinct.
But it was February in the Wash. D.C. area. I doubt if he made it.
I guess i don’t know birds that well.
P.S. Tell Mr. Johnston that it’s Birds, not Byrds.
That guy must be eight miles high or something.
The most I know about birds:
The Byrds were founded in California in the mid 60’s. Original members were Jim McGuinn , Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman and Mike Clarke. People came and went, some of them were Clarence White, Gram Parsons, Gene Parson, Skip Battin. Jim McGuinn changed his name to Roger and basically took over the band. They had a lot of good songs and you can hear their influence in Tom Petty’s music. They copied the 12 string Rickenbacker sound from the Beatles and probably did the most to popularize it. Mona Wagner is the latest of the great 12 string Rickenbacker players and one of the best.
Their story is long and almost like a soap opera, so I gave you the condensed version.
How did I do?
All I can say is that I have come to know birds much better through my encounters with you two songbirds. You have given flight to my love of music and song and beautiful imagery. But, you are a very rare species indeed. Most of the world has yet to find you or even know that you exist, but that is changing. May your passion for music and love for life be the wind beneath your wings, and may your journey spread joy throughout the world.
I have fond memories of building a chicken coop with my grandfather when I was in my early teens. Part of the coop was sectioned off for pigeons. One of the breeds we had, were called tumblers. They do summersaults in the air as they fly. Roller pigeon | american tumbler pigeon stunts | birmingham rollers pigeon in California – YouTube. Bet you just learned something new about birds. 😉
I know they have to be studied through photography, to fully appreciate their miraculous beauty and variety. During the past year I’ve been able to see birds up close through the photography of Tom Hissong, who basically travels all over taking pictures os a hobby. Highly recommended on FB if it’s okay to do so. Anyway, I’ve seen hummingbirds and crows up close. Crows are very smart. Kingfishers look very determined. Peregrine falcons are gorgeous, fly at incredible speeds, and were barely saved from extinction (40 nesting pairs in one protected site). Great Blue Herons are dazzling. IOW, all I know is I like what I see.
I know they’re smart (crows) because I freed one that had gotten a leg caught in barbed wire, and the whole time I was working to free it his family was screaming all around him in concern. They knew I was trying to help and never came close to attacking me. When I told my wife what had happened, she said crows are very smart, and she would know having grown up in rural western Pennsylvania.
I don’t know birds that well but just like you guys they always sing in harmony. Love that Robin pillow – a little robin comes to visit me when I’m in my back garden.
I do know a lot of birds quite well, i love being out in nature and like knowing the names of the birds i see. We have been restoring our nature the last decades, and have gotten a lot of species back, like this one, the Sea Eagle with a wingspan up till 8 feet. A very majestic bird to see.
Yeah, I don’t know birds that well, but I have a bird feeder and they come to visit me every day. They fly away if I get too close, so I still don’t know birds that well. The pillow and the owl are so awesome! Just like you two.
I know them a little bit, lots of birds around my house including hawks and turkey vultures. I also had a grey cheeked parakeet years ago that used to love flying out of it’s cage and land on my shoulder and hide under the back of my hair (I had shoulder length long hair back in the day). Fun little birds but VERY LOUD when they get squawking!
I know the old german song: (Doppelpunkt????) “Alle Vögel sind schon da…Amsel, Drossel, Fink und Star..” But I know the best: “???? And your bird can sing????” by The Beatles.
Everything I know about birds has come from songs. So I know that they always seem to sing about love, I know that your bird can sing, I know that the bird is the word, and somewhere a blackbird is singing in the dead of night. Oh, and if Johnny is a joker, he’s a bird dog. Well, I’m off to be rockin in the treetops all day long. Maybe I’ll learn more while I’m up there.
I’m not much of a bird watcher and can’t remember names of them. I can identify a hummingbird though. Impressive right? HaHaHa We’ve had ducks and turtles and an iguana (it was blind because kids burned his eyes with cigarettes) you’d think he would be afraid of people, but he was so gentle and the amazing thing is they all have personalities.
Back in 2004 I had invited my wife and sister and 2 almost adults to Isla Margarita and there I met an ara – I think it’s called – which was pretty good imitating words. My wife is from Iran and I learned the ara to say hello and goodbye in Persian but apart from that I don’t know very little about birds. I like the two animated Rio film. Here are two pictures of the ara
This guy accompanied me for a while during my childhood.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just sprayed coffee on my screen.
Hi Jurgen, what kind of bird is big bird anyway? He doesn’t look like an ostrich.
Yes it could be an ostrich hybrid, Jung. Maybe one of the parents was a canary? That would at least explain the color.
LOL! That makes sense Jurgen. Have you seen the animated movie “Up”? Recommended. This reminds me of the elusive bird named “Kevin” in Up.
Yes Jung, I have seen the animated movie UP. I liked it very much. That’s right, there was this completely hectic bird. That could be the extremely nervous cousin of the big yellow bird (in the German Sesame Street he was called Bibo).
Ah yes but how well did you know him!
I knew him very well. Once a week we went out for a milkshake together. “Bibo”, this is what he called himself in German, told me everything about birds.
RIP Caroll Spinney, 1933-2019.
It sounds like we share the same back yard. We get a lot of cardinals at our feeder.
I go for a walk most every day down at the park and feed the birds a little treat. It gets me out for exercise. My neighbor used to raise pigeons for racing, it was fun to watch them come home from a race hours away.
I do not know birds that well but my Dad is so I have learned some things from him. Like to watch them.
I cannot claim to know birds very well but I CAN claim to love them dearly! Years ago, I worked near a bog and I used to go there at sunrise, before going to work just to see and hear the amazing variety of birds (and the deer). When I was very young, I lived in an area in which there were bluebirds and these have remained my favourite bird. Several years ago, I made friends with a Baltimore oriole whose song I love – so melodic. Lately, I’ve been able to watch a family of great blue herons on a nearby pond. I think that the part of me that longs to soar freely keeps me in awe of birds. I regularly used to dream of flying like a bird. To be able to fly and sing – what more could one ask?!
To answer the question, I’d say I know birds pretty well. My first pet was a parakeet. He used to look in a mirror I hung in his cage and he’d bob his head up and down and open the wing tips when looking at himself.
In this photograph I’m wearing some clothes that I got for Christmas. Touché.
Nice Hoodie!
JP
Yes, despite my well-known modesty, you can obviously see that I’m the greatest MonaLisa Twins fan who ever lived on planet Earth.
(That’s because the MLT hoodie just put a sock in everyone’s comment that getting clothes for Christmas is what they hated the most…. LOL!) Having fun with Christmas Day around the corner.
You look cool in that warm hoodie Michael. Excuse the oxymoron.
Like one of the gnomes on the cover of George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass…
I don’t know birds that well but I sure know they are not potty trained. When we go camping they seem to like to use our RV as target practice.
Birds are great, but I would have to agree with your song that I really don’t know birds that well.
There is a variety of birds at my new home west of Chicago. Red birds, a bird with yellow breast and gray wings, etc. I can hear them singing early in the morning during the summer. Have also seen a chipmunk just outside the door, and five deer. There were two young deer along the road just hanging out. The traffic didn’t startle them.
William Hauslein
I’ve exhausted the languages of countries that I have been to so have ended that little game. It is just my usual gibberish for the next few days!
I suspect that I know birds better than I realise. Where I grew up (I keep saying that it was Bournemouth but it was actually just in Poole, the neighbouring town on the south coast of England) there was a railway embankment at the bottom of our back garden (which was one of the reasons why my parents bought the house).
This embankment had pine trees and a few deciduous ones (mainly silver birch) and attracted many types of birds. A list of ones that I remember; blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, sparrows, wrens, robins, chaffinches, several types of tit, green woodpeckers, great spotted woodpeckers, collard doves, jays, magpies, pied wagtails and at night during certain seasons we could hear the terwit-terwoo of barn owls. During the summer, due to a local pond, we would often have sinister dragonflies darting about if these count. they were the most scary! My favourites were the green woodpeckers, I loved watching them jump about the pine trunks pecking away trying to trace grubs in the tree.
Tinker, our cat whom I mentioned in my white Christmas answer, was a great hunter and he caught many smaller birds over the years. Robins were the type that often outwitted him. Once he had pounced on them they would play dead instead of struggling. Confused he would take his paws off them to investigate and they would make their escape after which he would look around, embarrassed, in a ‘I wasn’t really after it’ sort of way before stomping off in a huff. Conversely, the day after the film ‘The Birds’ had been shown on television we awoke to observe a big dead collard dove in the middle of a large scattering of feathers. It was as if he was making a statement that we were safe with him around! It was the only time that he caught a dove. Because of him we never had a bird feeder, it was too dangerous for the birds.
My first memory of a bird was when my father was digging out an area of the garden to lay a patio, probably summer 63 and pre Tinker. A robin would often come and sit on his spade, whilst dad had a rest, looking for worms that had been exposed. He became very fond of his ‘pet’ robin (I think that he chatted to it) and sometimes called me outside (I was almost 3) to watch the robin flitting about on the spade handle scanning the newly dug out soil.
Where I live now in north London there are a few birds but nothing like the variety I had when I was growing up. To observe birds now I have to travel to my brother Andrew’s house. He lives in a village in Oxfordshire and there is a large range of birds there. The most impressive are red kites and when sitting in his garden on a summer afternoon you can often see 20 or so drifting around high up over the fields in the distance looking for carrion. It is a truly awesome sight.
I didn’t know Robins knew how to play dead. Fascinating.
Hello Roger. Robins were easily the most intelligent birds that I observed whilst growing up. Perhaps cunning might be a better word.
Speaking of Robins, I remember when I was very little and the world was just full of imaginary things, I thought Robins and Bats hung out together. My favourite TV show was Batman, so that probably had something to do with it.
Other than the woodpecker that wakes me up drilling a low G tone on my metal chimney flue, I really don’t know birds that well.
I don’t know birds that well, but my vehicle seems to. The birds are always leaving it presents.
Birds you want – birds we have! We have way too many bird stories and pics for this log, but here’s a few.
New Mexico lies on a migratory bird path. We have a “big” apple tree in our back yard that attracts lots of birds, and a smaller tree outside the bedroom window that a pair of robins have nested in for the last couple of years. It is really cool to watch the baby birds grow up.
We have a desert park nearby and Gambel’s quail live there. They have a strange habit of nesting in pots in people’s yards. We have had several clutches of eggs/babies and have been able to watch them as they hatch. The tiny baby quail struggle to get up to the edge of the pot, then jump down almost two feet to the hard ground, and then somehow get up and run to mommy. One year one of them was left behind when the brood left, and I got to be a substitute mom until we could get it to a bird rehab/sanctuary. It was soooo hard to let it go.
We also get lots of doves and grackles (a smaller relative of a crow). We used to love doves, but they poop on everything and they are now on our #$%#@ list. Grackles constantly “screech” at you, as if it was their yard and you need to leave. When on a couple of occasions we had a Cooper’s hawk show up in the back yard, with one of them in it’s talons, it didn’t really bother us – a hawk has to eat.
Finally, humming birds visit our trumpet vine every year.
Here are some pics:
SO excited that I won today!!! And I’d love to speak German with you 🙂
I really like birds, but I don’t know them that well. As kids, my brother and I had budgies. If I’m ever in Australia, I would love to see wild ones!
Hello Isabell, I hope that you really enjoy you video chat with M & L, don’t forget to record it.
We actually have flocks of wild budgies here in the UK. They are mostly ones that have escaped from zoos or from being a pet. Some were let go as they were pets that were no longer wanted.
There are also similar flocks of parakeets and macaws. One golf course, that I play sometimes, has a noisy bunch of parakeets. Enjoyable most of the time but annoying when they suddenly start whilst you are in mid shot!
Yes, I do remember seeing parrot-like birds in some London parks once…
I hope the birds don’t distract you too much 😉
And thanks! 🙂
The way that I play golf having a distraction could well improve my shot!
Hi Mona and Lisa!! We have a bird feeder, bird bath, and hummingbird feeder right outside our window, so we have a lot of bird activity to observe. I love watching them, they seem so busy all the time! We commonly see robins, cardinals, sparrows, wrens, red and yellow finches, pigeons, occasionally orioles, blue jays, and others that I can’t identify. We have a bird identity book handy so if a bird shows up that we aren’t sure about we can try to find it in the book and see what it is. I have rarely seen an owl in a tree or perched on the roof of a neighbors house. We seen a lot of hummingbirds in the spring and summer. We also have a hawk that shows up and tries to catch the birds from time to time. That is sad, but I also understand the hawk needs to eat too. Nature at work.
Congrats to today’s draw winners, enjoy ????
Well, I know that I’m not overly keen on birds… but I enjoy eating chicken and turkey (Turkey @Canadian Thanksgiving and Xmas ) and I hate the Alfred Hitchcock movie ” The Birds “and once had a terrifying near getting eyes gouged out by a frikkin crow or whatever the heck the black bird was after leaving a restaurant, it was perched on a car near ours and I just saw it and it decided to come at me and I swore in front of my parents, in sheer terror, they were trying to scare it away from me as it was trying to aim for my face/eyes and finally it did fly up to roof of restaurant watch us get in our car, then took off… ????to that bird and terrifying experience which resulted my fear now in any blackbird/crow and will look at ground and walk past as fast as I can if I see one clise by further also cementing hatred of Hitchcock ‘s “TB” movie. It was not funny to experience that attack … on a chirpy cheerful note, I do enjoy looking at robins, Bluejays, cardinals, etc tgat land on birdfeeders, etc, from a safe distance ????
Wow Jacki, what did you do to upset that bird? As Jung summarized well, they can recognize faces and hold grudges so maybe you did something a year before and he was just waiting for you all that time!
Well, Roger, it was no laughing matter and still not, and did in fact traumatized me and cemented my dislike for big birds such as crows, etc, if I see one, I’ll look down, walk as fast as I can by it, and have no clue why it attacked me unless it thought I was a child, I was a teenager/ early 20s by then, and have always been small for my age… all I can recall saying , was something like, ” Lokk at tgat bird on that car, next thing, I’m being attacked, I don’t swear in front of my parents as a rule, but that time was an exception, and my parents were as fearful/terrorized as I , and then I was never so happy to get in a car and get away as as fast as we could and the damn bird watched up on restaurant roof us getting into car, driving off, I hope it met it’s Karma at some point…. ok on a funny side note, a true story, one time relatives went out for Xmas dinner, only to come home to a disaster, Xmas tree knocked down, gifts ruined, helterskelter, dogs had eaten chocolates I think, chased cat, knocked down bird cage, ate bird because relatives found bird remnants and evidence on cat’s face, something like out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon, I can laugh on that but my bird incident, not, it’s not a laughing matter …never will be …
No, that would be pretty freaky. I wasn’t quite as traumatized but I did have a healthy wariness of geese after one took issue with me when I was a kid and chased me off. Still…I’d be really curious to know what set that bird off so I could be sure not to do it again by accident. It might have been a case of mistaken identity and maybe it thought you were someone else.
Not a big bird person but here in the desert I have a lot of hummingbirds that hang out. I keep multiple feeders filled all year around with their sweet nectar juice. It’s so fascinating to see them fly right up in front of you & hover like a helicopter
The birds that I have a keen interest in, I know pretty well, however, considering the millions of birds on the planet, when you think about it, very few people really know birds that well!! Happy bird watching!
I remember as a boy when we went to visit my aunt’s house I used to like to play a record she had of bird songs — but I don’t think any of that knowledge has stuck with me! I know robins from pigeons and ducks from crows but not much more detail than that.
There are ducks, geese, and swans I see often on my walks along the Erie Canal or Onondaga Lake, and sometimes a blue heron. Occasionally a hawk, and at the south end of the lake is a bald eagle nesting site so they’re seen sometimes too.
I’ve lived nearly my entire life in New York State, where the official state bird is the bluebird, and I don’t think I have ever seen one.
I don’t know birds that well, but I can identify owls and robins quite easily – especially since you have shown us what they look like. ????
Here in the Sierra Foothills, there is a wide variety of birds. Blue jays, Hawks hummingbirds, dove, quail, woodpeckers, occasionally a blue heron, wild turkeys and a bunch that I have no idea of what they are.
I have a bird bath in the garden. Although this is really for the small birds you will find it is very attractive to pregnant pigeons who just sit in it!
The blackbirds sit in the middle of the bowl and splash about just like a small child in a bath whilst the others just drink the water.
I also have a hanging peanut feeder which is loved by the sparrows, blue tits and the robin. However I once found a small mouse hanging onto it whilst eating and scaring the birds away so I try to frighten it away if I see it. I have also seen brown squirrels (see photo – not mine) which are very clever and can climb up the tree, lift the lid and grab the peanuts!
Being on the coast I get a lot of seagulls especially over the summer when they are breeding. They build their nests on roof tops and will fly down and swoop at passersby with their claws scraping your head if you are unlucky. They also make a lot of noise and can steal food right from your hands if you are eating when walking by.
Other birds I get are crows and magpies which live in the large trees nearby.
These are some photos from my garden (except for the peacock and parrot which are from visits to some castles).
Having been born and raised in the Bronx, NY, I knew pigeons all too well but, living in the woods an hour north now, we see beautiful cardinals often this time of year and are treated to blue jays, orioles and robins, wild turkeys et al. My wife would say quail as they were a daily treat during our years in Phoenix during the 1980’s.
I use to have a bunch of Parakeets, a Cockateel and society finches. So I’m pretty sure that I know bird pretty well…lol
I live in the country and see birds all the time. Eagles and herons and owls, crows and magpie and sparrows. Hawks almost every day in the summer, a pair of hawks actually live in our trees and one calls out to me or flies above my head if he sees me in the morning. I’ve recorded him doing it to me! One morning two young hawks perched on the railing of the house for almost an hour.
We recently moved out of the city onto a wooded lot on a lake. I immediately put out bird feeders and have enjoyed seeing all the smaller birds come to the feeders. We get chickadees, nuthatches, 4 different types of woodpeckers, including the pileated woodpecker (see picture), red-winged blackbirds, rose-chested grosbeaks, goldfinches, bluejays, and the occasional cardinal and occasional ruby-throated hummingbird.
On the lake, we’ve seen various types of ducks, loons, Canadian geese, and for the first time, this year we saw (and heard) trumpeter swans! They are very loud when they get in a large group. When they start to fly, they look like those cartoons of a puppy with big ears tripping over its ears, as they sort of run on the water and their wings beat the water. Once they are in the air, they become very elegant.
Other birds we’ve seen, but not at the feeders or on the lake have been bald eagles, various hawks, various owls, and sand hill cranes. Those things are huge! They get to be about 5′ tall, and if you walk around a corner and come upon them, it can be a startling experience.
The biggest thing we’ve fed at the feeders, besides the pileated woodpecker, doesn’t really fit into this list, but it was a 6 foot tall black bear. Needless to say, he destroyed the feeders and we had to take them in for about a month until he left the area. That was the first bear seen in our area in over 40 years.
Hello Mona & Lisa!
I think that I do not know birds well, although there are many of them around me. Аnd they are very beautiful.
Hello Ladies,
How well do I know birds?
Like most, not very well.. My favorite above all others will always remain the American Bald Eagle. Such a Majestic and Proud Bird. The closest I have ever been to one is about 1500 yards. It was at Disney World.
Also I got to see a Pedigree Falcon in action at an American Football game. It soared high above the stadium while its Handler circled a chunk of meat above its head. The Falcon tucked its wings and Dove snatching the meat with its Talons before landing on its perch. AWESOME SIGHT!!
What a fun and very interesting subject today.
Best to all of Team MLT
Rick
Loved the MonaMona Twins show today with extra special guest Lisa
Instead of Krampus, you now get the item below!
Hi Rick. Just north of Vancouver between Squamish and Whistler ski resort, we have some of the largest bald eagle populations. I remember in elementary school going to wildlife camp for a few days and going on bald eagle tours up there. I’ve been meaning to get up there to shoot some eagles with my high zoom camera.
Sorry I’m doing this in pieces as I’m unloading a truck faster than the help can keep up with me…I was probably about 7 years old and our backyard had a grape vine growing along the back fence and it was huge vine..I could walk into it and under it….little did I know their was a birds nest in there and all of a sudden a blue jay was acting like woodpecker on my head…I couldn’t get out of there fast enough…LOL…only I wasn’t LOLing then !!!
So I guess it’s time to date myself age wise and toss in a location giveaway. From Minneapolis — “Surfin Bird” by The Trashmen —- Bird bird bird, the bird bird is the word….
I wonder how long this earworm will last……
I myself don’t know birds that well, but they don’t seem to mind me. Every summer I usually have two or three instances of birds landing on me or next to me. Sometimes they even lean in for me to scratch their neck and back.
Congrats to Matt and Isabell. I am SO jealous. I can’t even wrap my head around how cool it would be to have them all to yourself for a whole half an hour! Best Christmas EVER!
My parents became obsessed with bird-watching after I was older and travel all over the world in hopes of spotting another bird they can check off their list. I myself know birds very well:
Actually I had a bird cage with finches and parakeets ..beautiful birds..but they kept dying…I didn’t realize that the open window next to their cage and no covering on the cage they were apparently being killed by the cooler night temps…I was young and stupid..didn’t know any better.
A big congrats to the two winners today. You’re so lucky! ???? ????
Where I live, we have a lot of crows, and they seem to know us well. Apparently crows are one of the most intelligent birds, and have been known to recognize peoples faces and hold a grudge and single out a person and harass them if you wronged them, or they don’t like something about you. I’ve seen them dive bomb someone in front of the house. When a crow dies, the neighboring crows congregate and give them something similar to a funeral. I’ve also heard crows have regional dialects, can read traffic lights, gang up together to fight off predators, and some even have learned to use tools. In Alaska I’ve seen some Ravens and they are massive and just as intelligent as crows. Have you seen the Alfred Hitchcock thriller movie “Birds”? The crows in our neighbourhood seem to like us, although a couple of naughty ones have been making a mess of our front lawn, and seem to stop picking at the grass when they see us.
Here are some fascinating fun facts about crows and ravens.
That is so interesting! I have a new respect for crows.
This makes me think a crow could make a good pet. I think they could be loyal, and she looks affectionate enough like a black labrador retriever.
Hi Jung, in our garden live quite a few jackdaws (Corvus monedula). When I sit in the living room and look outside into the garden, they come very close to the window and seem to watch me closely. This makes me a little nervous. Maybe they are thinking about giving me a name and feeding me?
Hi Jurgen. When I see some crows perched up on a branch or roof top, I wonder if they are murmuring amongst each other, “there goes those people today a little earlier than usual”. Perhaps they do watch us more closely than we think.
Hello Jung.
Continuing my golfing theme, a local course, Trent Park, that I play has a lot of crows. A while ago I was having my mid round snack (a banana) and perched it on my golf bag whilst I played a shot. A crow swooped down and nicked the banana and flew off.
The next time that I played Trent Park a crow soon appeared and followed me around the course, no doubt the same one waiting for me to be silly enough to do the same with my snack, Thankfully it got bored on the 11th and flew away. It still makes a brief appearance whenever I play there.
Hi Philip. It’s quite fascinating they can remember faces. There is a lot more going on in their little heads when we see them flying overhead than we think for sure. I try to be careful not to mistreat crows nowadays.
When done surf fishing on the beach I always feed the rest of my bait to the seagulls and pending on what type of bate you are using that day sometimes the birds would like it so well they would just come down and take it from your hand.
I remember the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds that came out when I was 5. Lately, we see a lot of birds in our back yard, mostly robins, cardinals, and blue jays.
I always had pet birds when I was younger and always had a ton of them all over the place in the yard. When I got older and started traveling back and forth between the States and Denmark I couldn’t take care of birds anymore so I knitted my own.
I love your bird – so pretty!
Thank you!
Well I’ve heard a song with this same title on somebody’s album and even seen the video where they premiered it on Liverpool Live TV….
I have always been fascinated with birds and still have a bird bath in my back yard. I use to feed them everyday but then it started to attract other wildlife. The wife was ok with the squirrels but once the raccoons started to show up my wife gave me a lifetime ban of feeding the birds so now I just have my bird bath
I can identify a few of the more common ones that visit my garden throughout the year..
Like Robins, pigeons, sparrows, starlings, crows, blackbirds, doves, magpies, blue tits and Red Kites.
Plus a few when out and about like some owls, kingfishers, herons, some ducks, swans, geese and gulls.
Having just listed these I have just realised I can recognise more than I thought I could.
I know birds better than I sue to..
In may of 2019, after we had sort of settled in our new home, I put bird feeders up outside this rooms window, where I spend most of my time.
My wife and I have fun trying to identify all the birds that stop by (for the tricky ones I use the merlin app on my phone)
We have cardinals almost daily, and several kinds of woodpeckers among many others.
I know that a white dove is the symbol of Peace and love, Hoping everyone a peaceful and Happy Christmas and New year!
How well do I know birds? I know the common ones that visit our garden and, living in the country, quite a few of the seasonal visitors, as well as our local birds of prey and owls. Great to see them all.
I had a cockatiel that lived until his early 30’s. His name was Tiko and I never understood a thing he said… but he had a great sense of humor…
All my family call me Dr Doolittle as I am always feeding and talking to the wild birds, getting up as close as possible and getting them to eat out of my hands. I even donate regularly to our local owl sanctuary which are my favourite birds, but the snowy owl is my favourite owl.
There is a little bird that whispers in my ear, but every time I turn my head to see it, it’s gone.
JP