Learning to identify birds!

 It's not easy to identify the birds we see! There are so many things to take into consideration when you see a bird that is not readily recognized. We see a lot of birds here in Florida and take a lot of photos.

I think it's great fun to come home and get the photos on the computer and start zooming in on them to see if we can figure out what we've seen. There are definitely some 'fly bys' that we are never sure of.

The Sibley Guide to Birds is the best book in my opinion.

We have a lot of books specifically for Florida but so many of the birds we see are migratory and not year round regulars.

So here are a few that we identified this week on a trip to Halpata Tastanaki Preserve, hiking from the Pruitt Trailhead.

I think this is the most beautiful bobwhite I've ever seen. The plumage was so colorful. 

Florida Bobwhite

And here's the ID page in Sibley's....

Another beautiful bird perched in a tree!

A close up of the Florida bobwhite....

Sometimes birds are quite a distance away or high in a tree.

Common Ground Dove

The ID page in Sibley's....

And this one was a little trickier. We have seen the Blue Grosbeak in this area all summer but this one wasn't blue! 

Blue Grosbeak (1st Winter)

The page in Sibleys....

It's always fun to get out in nature and learn more about the birds you see. 

Do you enjoy ID books too and learning something new?

And other books you would recommend?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

Birds and a Feather

 

I don't take good photos of the birds at our feeders because of shooting through the glass (that isn't always clean)! 

(Ground Dove and House Finch)

If I go out into the courtyard, I scare them away!

But we do see some neat birds there, especially in the winter months. Lots of Goldfinches now!

We even saw a Baltimore Oriole one day last week but didn't get a photo of it. I hope it will visit again soon.

The pitiful bird I saw was probably a sick bird so I've deleted some of the photos. Thanks to my hubby and to David G. for letting me know. My husband told me first but as he will be the first to let you know....I never listen! lol

We are not seeing quite as many birds out on the trails but that should change in the next few weeks.

Lots of Warblers at the feeders!

Always something neat to see in nature.

And they are always hungry!

This Hawk was in the tree behind the house.

I'm not sure what bird this white feather came from but it was pretty on the trail.

We're still hiking just about every other day and enjoying the beautiful weather.

I hope you are all safe and snug during this winter storm that has hit the US! Take care and enjoy your weekend!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

The Mystery Bird is a Mourning Dove

 Well, I know it's a Dove....

but what kind of Dove is it? It's a Mourning Dove! 

Thanks to all the experts for the help! 

We couldn't get a different view of him...he sat very still!

We see the Mourning Dove frequently here in Florida.

And sometimes we have this cute little Ground Dove visit our feeders.

But when we were at the Pruitt Trailhead the other day we spotted this pretty soft brown dove on the fence rail. I have a couple of ideas but I'll leave it open for your suggestions and hopefully be able to come back and put an ID on it later.
The weather is perfect for hiking right now and it's something I can do even with a headache! Thanks for the sweet comments on my owl post and for your concern over my headaches. I'll keep you posted! I know you can't wait to hear if I have a headache today. I'll ask my hubby! hahahaha! (and they can't be ALL that bad if I'm laughing and hiking)

Big flocks of Sandhill Cranes are still flying overhead and we put out an extra feeder in our courtyard this week. The little Chipping Sparrows, Bluebirds, Warblers and finches are in abundance.

I was standing very close to this Black and White Warbler.

Have you had a good 'critter' week too?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

Small birds FLIT!

That's what we always say when we try to photograph small birds at the feeders or out on a hike.

They flit away!

So they are extremely hard to capture.

Of course when I saw these on our bird feeders in the courtyard, I took them through the glass window. After I took them, I got some paper towels and gave the windows a good cleaning. heehee!

A Pair of Baltimore Orioles came by more than once!

Another 'view'! lol

One of our regulars, a Yellow-throated Warbler

He loves the dish of water we keep under the feeders.

He REALLY flits away when I look out the window!

House Finches

The prettiest little Ground Dove

They are so dainty when they eat!

Black and White Warbler seen on the trail at Blue Run.

Do you have any special guests at your feeders this week?

Do yours flit by in the blink of an eye or hide behind a tree?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

Something so CUTE!

But guess what? For some reason my post is not coming up properly. So would you please look at the post below this one to comment? I'll close the comments on this post to give you a chance to jump down the page to visit!

Thank you! Happy Saturday!

The Common Ground-Dove

Well, it was new to us! We looked out into our courtyard and saw a little dove. 

At first we thought is was a baby dove...an orphan!

We have Mourning Doves come into our courtyard and usually eat under the feeders.

 (Mourning Dove seen on a hike for comparison)

But this dove didn't eat in OR under the feeders. He just 'hung' out for awhile.

Later we saw 3 of these doves under the Camellia bush. Time to get the ID book out!

They are Common Ground-Doves. According to All about Birds HERE, it is a tiny dove with a small head and short tail, often with a pink or red color at the base of the bill. YAY! Something new for us!

April has brought so many birds into our area. Florida is a birders paradise. I drove over to the big store that starts with a W yesterday and saw a sea gull, boat tailed grackle, 2 little blue herons, an ibis, 3 crows chasing a hawk...along with all the usual birds. No pics of these. I was on a mission to SHOP! lol

But here are some of the photos of a large flock of Cedar Waxwings that flew into the tree next door this month!

Anything unusual at your bird feeders this week?

Hey wait! At least let me comb my hair before you put me on the internet!!!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE 

 

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.