The "Holy %$%# It's Cold Out There" Winter 2017 Thread

[Sir Slash]

Yes they are but at least at my feeder, the Doves are the 300lb Redneck Bubbas that do nothing but fight each other and run-off every other bird that comes around, even woodpeckers. If the feed is out in the open, they'll lay in it and eat until they can barely fly. They do everything disgusting but chew tobacco and spit on the ground. But at least they're quiet. Blue Jays have to let every other bird in a 20 mile radius know that they are there. But my little Hummers are sweet and tiny and sit and look in the window at me while I drink my coffee in the morning or a drink in the evening. They sound like little helicopters when they fly by.

[Emeraldlis]

The hummingbirds sitting looking in your window sounds lovely  :) About the most exotic bird I ever see in the spring/summertime around me are the swallows. In winter, it's green finches that look the most colourful. There is a little finch that's always slamming into the glass of the door trying to get in. Don't know how to stop him from doing that! And I had no idea blue Jay's have such an attitude problem.

[MetalDog]

Blue jays are definitely loud.  And the most hummingbirds I've ever seen together was around 20.  A customer had 6 or 8 feeders lined up along her back patio.  I was doing the service when I heard hummingbirds.  I turned to look at the feeders and was almost floored with how many there were.  They were fighting and feeding and zooming around.  It was pretty neat.

But the coolest thing I saw like that was pelicans.  I live where there aren't any pelicans naturally.  We're just a stop on the migration route.  A couple of Octobers ago, I was again doing service.  This time at the river.  In the middle of the river are sandbars big enough to hold a few rocks or stands of trees or just nothing at all.  And on several of them were scores of pelicans.  I watched them for a minute and went on about my business.

About an hour later, I was doing another service further up the river when I came around the front of the house and saw a sight to behold.  Flying in single line, one right after another were hundreds of pelicans.  And the most fantastic thing was that the line looked like it was undulating.  It was as if you took a pen on paper and started drawing a curved line up, to the apex, and then descending to nadir.  Then back up and down again.  For about fifteen minutes.  Just awe inspiring.

[Staggerwing]

Blue jays are good looking but they are the pompous jerks of the bird world.

Blue Jays are closely related to crows. This may explain all that 'tude they throw around.

[Gusington]

Pelicans are a different level of bird. I'll take a pelican over a blue jay any day.

Then again in the woods around my house we have hawks and even eagles, so there are lots of cool birds to see.

[MetalDog]

There were a hawk and a vulture in the middle of the road duking it out over fresh roadkill while I was out today.

[Staggerwing]

We've had more and more vultures showing up around here in SNE. Hope it's not the RL analog of a cheesy SyFy flick premonition.

[OJsDad]

Had to run an errand today. It was about 6 out. The radio was playing Boys of Summer

[Emeraldlis]

You guys get to see a lot of cool birds in your own individual 'neck of the wood ' .And reading all your bird stories is awesome !!!!

I'd love to see any of those birds in the wild .I've never seen a pelican or a hummingbird in the wild before . I love The iridescent colours on the hummingbird , I'd love to see that up close . I've seen an eagle in a bird show once when I was on my holidays , and the guy had it fly over our heads , it was spectacular !And I've seen kestrels and owls near where I live . I've seen owls in a bird show as well here in Ireland , and it stunned me how silent they are when they fly past you ...no way a mouse is gonna hear that flying towards it !

I really love flamingos , and I've only ever seen them twice in my life .once when I was a little kid at a bird wildfowl sanctuary , in the UK . And once on holiday at a bird park . They just looked stunning all stood there together in a group ...on one leg ,lol .

I definitely know crows have attitude ! There's a few around where I live , they are persistent and clever !

Talking about seeing flocks of birds .The coolest thing I've seen here in Ireland , is when all of the starlings gather together to migrate . Literally hundreds of them land in the trees near me , and it's like they have one mind ...one takes off , and they all take off ! I found out by watching a wildlife show that it's called a murmuration. It sounds like autumn leaves being whipped up into the air , and then swirling around ! And it looks like a giant whale in the sky just moving and turning . Every bird turns the same way , it's really awesome to watch .

I wonder who won the roadkill , the vulture or the hawk !

Beware the vultures .....argh !!!

[Martok]

Temperatures set to drop to - 2 C tonight. It's nothing compared to what some of you snowbound grogs are having to put up with  :o But it's not exactly florida  sunshine either! It's gonna be bloody cold... Brrrr !

http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/irish-weather-forecast-met-eireann-11794920.amp

We've already been battered by one storm, now it looks like there's another one on the way for today and the weekend! We've had flooding, now we're set to have icy frosty Arctic cold blasting down on us from the northern hemisphere. Fun times!

Well I don't envy you the flooding, but I would honestly be ecstatic if the temp here was -2 C right now.  That would be a full 20 degrees warmer than it is currently.   

Had to run an errand today. It was about 6 out. The radio was playing Boys of Summer

That DJ has a sick sense of humor.  That, or they're simply a jackass.   

[MetalDog]

You guys get to see a lot of cool birds in your own individual 'neck of the wood ' .And reading all your bird stories is awesome !!!!

I'd love to see any of those birds in the wild .I've never seen a pelican or a hummingbird in the wild before . I love The iridescent colours on the hummingbird , I'd love to see that up close . I've seen an eagle in a bird show once when I was on my holidays , and the guy had it fly over our heads , it was spectacular !And I've seen kestrels and owls near where I live . I've seen owls in a bird show as well here in Ireland , and it stunned me how silent they are when they fly past you ...no way a mouse is gonna hear that flying towards it !

I really love flamingos , and I've only ever seen them twice in my life .once when I was a little kid at a bird wildfowl sanctuary , in the UK . And once on holiday at a bird park . They just looked stunning all stood there together in a group ...on one leg ,lol .

I definitely know crows have attitude ! There's a few around where I live , they are persistent and clever !

Talking about seeing flocks of birds .The coolest thing I've seen here in Ireland , is when all of the starlings gather together to migrate . Literally hundreds of them land in the trees near me , and it's like they have one mind ...one takes off , and they all take off ! I found out by watching a wildlife show that it's called a murmuration. It sounds like autumn leaves being whipped up into the air , and then swirling around ! And it looks like a giant whale in the sky just moving and turning . Every bird turns the same way , it's really awesome to watch .

I wonder who won the roadkill , the vulture or the hawk !

Beware the vultures .....argh !!!

The car coming toward me in the opposite lane scared them both off, but not before the hawk tried to carry the cat off.  Might have been a skunk.  They may not be starlins, but, there's a bird that flocks and moves like you describe where I live.  They are in my area now, scouring the fields for something to eat.  There are owls that hunt the area I live in.  And you are right, they are super quiet.  Unless they hoot.  Had to chase an egret off the trunk of a Mustang once.  And I have been within 15 feet of an American Bald Eagle in the wild.  Thankfully, I was inside a home, looking out the window at it.

[Gusington]

I forgot about owls...we have one particular type here, I forget what it's called, but it is huge and hoots in a very cliched, stereotypically spooky way. It's usually out and about in the fall.

[GDS_Starfury]

This whole pants wearing this is overrated.

[Staggerwing]

Put them on. Your clapper and bells will thank you.

[Sir Slash]

Here in Fla. the Purple Martins are due. Purple what?  Purple Martins are birds related to Starlings that eat only flying insects. They migrate from Central America every year and arrive here about the middle of January. I have a bird house for them, you've probably seen them around, and they stay here until about the last of May. They come every year, mate for life, raise their chicks and then fly north. They'll be 10 or 12 that will live in the house together and they can do the most amazing acrobatic flying you've ever seen. And they're not really purple, the males are black. Can't wait for them to get here.  :nerd: