Weather

[bower]

Hi Vladimir.. Nan is right, no doubt. We just call them "Robin" here. Robins are the most common garden bird... they love worms and slugs, and strawberries of course. They work really hard to keep the slugs off the berries... and then they eat the berries.

Here's another one, we call the "Flicker". It's a type of woodpecker, so really a forest bird, that eats insects in the trees. But this fellow was very busy in the grass. I've never seen a bird with so many different patterns in its plumage. They also have a few yellow feathers in the tail. They like to drum on a metal chimney pot early in the morning to call to others far away.. the sound inside the house is really loud.

[GrowingCoastal]

I was totally weirded out one day while watching a flicker sitting on a fence. Its tongue was out and I thought it must have hold of a huge worm but no, it was its tongue. They go on the grass in the right season to listen for grubs moving underground. When they locate one they can stick the beak, then tongue, in the hole and reach the grub. I have seen them with a grub in the beak on the lawn. Probably useful for probing tree holes for grubs too.


Top row middle pic has the best image though the one I saw had an even longer tongue. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...B8980F7DBF8B0B

[bower]

Wow Coastal... that is amazing. I've never seen it nor had any idea. I would definitely have mistaken for a worm.

[MrBig46]

I sometimes see in the garden Turdus pilaris, but it is not so pretty.
Vladimír

[bigpinks]

Underside of wings are orange or yellow ....beautiful when they fly. Very diff from other woodpeckers in that they are mostly a ground feeder(I think).

[Nan_PA_6b]

Originally Posted by MrBig46

I sometimes see in the garden Turdus pilaris, but it is not so pretty.
Vladimír

It is related to the American robin. Baby robins have spots on the belly like that pilaris.

Nan

[SteveP]

I love sitting outside early in the morning having my coffee this time of year. So much activity going on to watch and enjoy. Two robins have built nests by my back patio sitting on their clutch of blue eggs. 2 males Cardinals competing for the attention of the lone female. A group of 7 crows flying back and forth signaling each other about whatever it is crows talk about. There are half a dozen raptors several hundred feet high that I believe are Peregrine falcons. Once in a while I see one dive towards earth zeroing in on an unsuspecting target.

So much is happening that I would never see if I sat indoors. In the meantime I get up and dig smallish tree stumps out of a neglected rose bed. Slowly it is getting done.

[bower]

Originally Posted by Nan_PA_6b

It is related to the American robin. Baby robins have spots on the belly like that pilaris.

Nan

I find all the feather patterns to be really beautiful. Even a mostly brown bird is amazing to me. The way it works as camo is incredible too.

[JRinPA]

Peregrines are pretty rare around here. The only falcons I ever see are little kestrels, which we call sparrow hawks. About 50% bigger than a mourning dove. A lot of people post pics of their backyard "peregrines" on blogs and facebook, but to me these always seem to look like regular old cooper's hawks or sharp shins.

Robins are about the most annoying bird around. They are very territorial and put their nests way too close to our house. Plus, they eat worms! I want those worms left alone.

Flickers in bright sunlight are exquisite. I've always called them groundpeckers. Sure, they eat worms too, but there are probably 200 robins for every flicker. I love that beautiful cream breast with black dots. Male Sparrow hawks also have a breast like that. Also drake green wing teal.

Cardinals are probably my favorite songbird. They are polite and cheerful and love the lilac in the corner of the yard.

[JRinPA]

It is late here and there is a nightingale out in the arbor vitae just going all out for the last couple hours. I can hear another far off but with a much different song. That (far off) one sounds like it's telling this one to shut up and go to sleep.

Very nice song, seems to do 4 lines at once, without a pattern I can discern. Probably it is just happy for a night without steady rain. If so, I wholeheartedly agree.

[Nan_PA_6b]

I feed the robin chopped raisins. It cuts down the number of worms and keeps him alive feb-april. We're buddies. I'll turn over a rock or two for him.

[JRinPA]

No singing last night, that is for sure. Steady rain. Looks like this pattern might be done on Monday. Today is comm. garden cleanup day. Will be very wet.

[Gardeneer]

The weather has been rainy ,cloudy and cooler for the last 3 days. Forecast calls for the same for a couple of more days.

[nyrfan]

It was cold & rainy in central NJ yesterday (Sat. 5/19): low-mid 50's, another 1/2"+ of precipitation on top of the 2 inches or so we had in previous 7 days.


My saturated seedlings have withstood this soggy stretch rather well, greening-up & growing, but now the woollies are starting to lean due to the amount of water on their leaves.


Another 0.2" are expected today but it'll be warmer, around 80.


Pic is from Mon. 5/14.

[imp]

Storm is here and we are getting some fast and furious rain right now. Supposed to have evening/night thunderstorms possible this week, some with nasty hail possible.