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Post by peasapie on Jul 20, 2024 12:19:55 GMT
What birds show up most often in your area? In the mid Atlantic area, I have robins, eastern bluebirds, goldfinches and cardinals. We also have some egrets and blue ibises, but they are more unusual here.
Yes, I’m in love with birds.
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 20, 2024 12:30:07 GMT
Northern Virginia:
Northern Cardinal
American Robin
Mourning Dove
Carolina Wren
House Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Blue Jay
American Crow
Northern Mockingbird
Song Sparrow
Those are almost always outside when I turn on the microphone. The crows come and go depending on whether or not our resident hawk is up in the tree (the crows hate the hawk, lol), but they're out there.
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Post by peasapie on Jul 20, 2024 15:09:54 GMT
Northern Virginia: Northern Cardinal American Robin Mourning Dove Carolina Wren House Sparrow Gray Catbird Blue Jay American Crow Northern Mockingbird Song Sparrow Those are almost always outside when I turn on the microphone. The crows come and go depending on whether or not our resident hawk is up in the tree (the crows hate the hawk, lol), but they're out there. Oh you have hawks? I’ve only seen turkey vultures here. And no owls! |
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caangel
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,734 
Location: So Cal
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Post by caangel on Jul 20, 2024 15:28:39 GMT
I don't use the app but we have a lot of birds/wildlife in our urban area of So Cal.
We have a pair of neighborhood owls. We also have wild parrots, hawks, vultures, crows, jays, and the normal mourning doves, finches, sparrows, etc.
Our neighborhood borders a creek/hiking trail that leads to the mountains. Coyotes, skunks, wild rabbits, ground squirrels, turtles, frogs, and rarely mountain lions and bobcats are all nearby. Plus 4 Targets within 5 miles 😁.
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milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,618
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
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Post by milocat on Jul 20, 2024 15:43:08 GMT
My mom loves this app. I like using it at home and when traveling. Interesting to learn new birds when you're in Hawaii or Mexico or even just different parts of Canada.
These are the common ones in my most frequent history, in NW Alberta
House wren
American Robin
Black capped chickadee
Dark eyed junco
Blue jay
American crow
Warbling viero
Purple finch
House sparrow
Clay coloured sparrow
White throated sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
In the fall the cedar waxwings will flock in. In the winter if wer're lucky the pine grosbeaks will come and I havent's seen evening grosbeaks in a long time.
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 20, 2024 17:05:36 GMT
Northern Virginia: Northern Cardinal American Robin Mourning Dove Carolina Wren House Sparrow Gray Catbird Blue Jay American Crow Northern Mockingbird Song Sparrow Those are almost always outside when I turn on the microphone. The crows come and go depending on whether or not our resident hawk is up in the tree (the crows hate the hawk, lol), but they're out there. Oh you have hawks? I’ve only seen turkey vultures here. And no owls! We have one hawk who hangs out in my neighborhood. I'm assuming there are a lot more along the river. Not sure why this one likes us, although we are overrun with chipmunks so hawk meals are probably easy to come by.  Not sure why the crows hate him so much. He sits on a branch and they fly around making noise, flying close to him, then flying away, etc. The hawk never moves except occasionally he turns his head a little bit. lol. Great entertainment for the neighborhood.  |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jul 20, 2024 17:14:04 GMT
No app. Few birds.. cardinals, robins, blue jays, a few crows, some little brown birds(no clue what they are) and two hawks. The hawks are just fascinating to watch as they fly... Actually while they ride the air currents..
Several years ago I had a too close encounter with a turkey vulture.
An eagle has been sitting near a creek near my friend's house. I do have a distant picture of it.
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milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,618
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
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Post by milocat on Jul 20, 2024 17:34:07 GMT
No app. some little brown birds(no clue what they are) That's why you need the app! |
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Post by Sorrel on Jul 20, 2024 17:38:29 GMT
In Colorado:
Up at our property in the mountains:
Hermit thrush
Warbling vireo
Tree swallow
Ruby crowned kinglet
House wren
Northern flicker
Broad tailed hummingbird
Townsend's Solitaire
At my house in Denver:
American robin
Black billed magpie
House finch
Mourning dove
American crow
Blue jay
Eurasian collared dove
Spotted towhee
I have had SO much fun with the app!
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,331
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Post by gina on Jul 20, 2024 17:46:27 GMT
LI, NY
Northern Cardinal
American Robin
Mourning Dove
House Wren
House Finch
House Sparrow
Song Sparrow
European Starling
Blue Jay
Fish Crow
Northern Mockingbird
Common Grackle
Tufted Titmouse
...and my favorite: Monk Parakeet AKA Quaker Parrots! There was a whole thing about how they escaped from a plane in the 60s over here and they've been living in the area ever since. We see them here and there (just heard them in the trees while we were playing tennis last weekend!)
Up in Albany I have a Red-Winged Blackbird on my list. Down in Fort Lauderdale I heard Eurasian Collared-Doves a few times.
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lesley
Drama Llama
My best friend Turriff, desperately missed.
Posts: 7,342
Location: Scotland, Scotland, Scotland
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Post by lesley on Jul 20, 2024 18:34:28 GMT
I haven’t heard of that app but I will check it out. The most common birds I see around me (central Scotland) are
magpies - so many magpies!
crows
robins
blue tits
great tits
woodpeckers
wood pigeons
blackbirds
pied wagtails
chaffinches
goldfinches
I also see an occasional kestrel.
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Post by monklady123 on Jul 20, 2024 19:04:08 GMT
No app. Few birds.. cardinals, robins, blue jays, a few crows, some little brown birds(no clue what they are) and two hawks. The hawks are just fascinating to watch as they fly... Actually while they ride the air currents.. Several years ago I had a too close encounter with a turkey vulture. An eagle has been sitting near a creek near my friend's house. I do have a distant picture of it. The app is free and it's so much fun. My dd said it was "like Pokemon Go but in real life". haha I love opening it while I'm out walking somewhere different from just sitting in my front yard, to see if there are other birds there that I don't have yet. It's been awhile since I've found a new one though. |
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Post by peasapie on Jul 20, 2024 23:47:58 GMT
I don't use the app but we have a lot of birds/wildlife in our urban area of So Cal. We have a pair of neighborhood owls. We also have wild parrots, hawks, vultures, crows, jays, and the normal mourning doves, finches, sparrows, etc. Our neighborhood borders a creek/hiking trail that leads to the mountains. Coyotes, skunks, wild rabbits, ground squirrels, turtles, frogs, and rarely mountain lions and bobcats are all nearby. Plus 4 Targets within 5 miles 😁. WOW! we used to live in a rural area with many of those animals (minus mountain lions and bobcats) and had to drive 25 mins to the Target. I didn’t know owls pair up. |
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Post by peasapie on Jul 20, 2024 23:51:37 GMT
My mom loves this app. I like using it at home and when traveling. Interesting to learn new birds when you're in Hawaii or Mexico or even just different parts of Canada. These are the common ones in my most frequent history, in NW Alberta House wren American Robin Black capped chickadee Dark eyed junco Blue jay American crow Warbling viero Purple finch House sparrow Clay coloured sparrow White throated sparrow Chipping Sparrow In the fall the cedar waxwings will flock in. In the winter if wer're lucky the pine grosbeaks will come and I havent's seen evening grosbeaks in a long time. Its interesting to see that most of your birds are completely unfamiliar to me except the house wren and robin. I looked them up — the warbling viero is so cute and has such a beautiful song. |
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Post by peasapie on Jul 20, 2024 23:55:12 GMT
No app. Few birds.. cardinals, robins, blue jays, a few crows, some little brown birds(no clue what they are) and two hawks. The hawks are just fascinating to watch as they fly... Actually while they ride the air currents.. Several years ago I had a too close encounter with a turkey vulture. An eagle has been sitting near a creek near my friend's house. I do have a distant picture of it. The app is free and it's so much fun. My dd said it was "like Pokemon Go but in real life". haha I love opening it while I'm out walking somewhere different from just sitting in my front yard, to see if there are other birds there that I don't have yet. It's been awhile since I've found a new one though. Exactly! And the “free” part makes it extra fun! I never knew so many different birds were in my area except for the most common among them. |
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GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,510
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Jul 21, 2024 0:08:47 GMT
No app. Few birds.. cardinals, robins, blue jays, a few crows, some little brown birds(no clue what they are) and two hawks. The hawks are just fascinating to watch as they fly... Actually while they ride the air currents.. Several years ago I had a too close encounter with a turkey vulture. An eagle has been sitting near a creek near my friend's house. I do have a distant picture of it. Little brown birds are called LBG's (Little Brown Guys) and Big brown birds are called BBG's (Big Brown Guys). |
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GiantsFan
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,510
Site Supporter
Jun 27, 2014 14:44:56 GMT
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Post by GiantsFan on Jul 21, 2024 0:17:22 GMT
I don't have an app. I use a bird guide specifically for our area. We live rural, so a lot of critters are around. I had to stop with the bird feeders because of the neighborhood cats feasting on the birds.
Hooded Oriole pair
House finches
Purple finches
Goldfinches
Plain Titmouses
Anna and Allen's Hummingbirds
House sparrows
White-breasted nuthatch
Blue Jays
Stellar's Jay (not sure of their new name)
Crows or Ravens (possibly both)
Red Shouldered Hawk
Coopers Hawk
Great Horned Owl
And once I saw a Golden Eagle.
And of course the aforementioned BBG's and LBG's.
ETA: I forgot to add Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures and California Quail. The Wild Turkeys nested in our field this year.
Oh, and once I saw a Northern Flicker.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Jul 21, 2024 0:41:34 GMT
No app. Few birds.. cardinals, robins, blue jays, a few crows, some little brown birds(no clue what they are) and two hawks. The hawks are just fascinating to watch as they fly... Actually while they ride the air currents.. Several years ago I had a too close encounter with a turkey vulture. An eagle has been sitting near a creek near my friend's house. I do have a distant picture of it. Little brown birds are called LBG's (Little Brown Guys) and Big brown birds are called BBG's (Big Brown Guys). They do the mating 'dance' so I figure they are 'guys and gals'. 😊 |
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Post by Zee on Jul 21, 2024 0:56:35 GMT
I don't but my husband does. It's pretty cool.
I won't go into all the routine birds we have but there was one recently that stumped even Merlin, I had to go by what I thought it sounded like and then go to you tube. It's a Chuck-will's-widow, a night bird in Georgia that is similar to a whippoorwill.
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moodyblue
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,277
Location: Western Illinois
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Jul 21, 2024 1:26:03 GMT
I love the Merlin app.
These are the ones identified by sound recently..
American Robin
House Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
House Wren
Mourning Dove
Gray Catbird
American Goldfinch
Black-capped Chickadee
Cedar Waxwing
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Downy Wodpecker
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Wild Turkey
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dawnnikol
Prolific Pea
'A life without books is a life not lived.' Jay Kristoff
Posts: 8,563
Sept 21, 2015 18:39:25 GMT
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Post by dawnnikol on Jul 21, 2024 11:08:05 GMT
I've never heard of this app, but now DH has it. He says he's "not that into bird watching", but anytime we see a bird he gets excited like a little kid. Maybe now he'll actually learn their names which should make it more fun.
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Post by peasapie on Jul 21, 2024 11:37:38 GMT
I don't but my husband does. It's pretty cool. I won't go into all the routine birds we have but there was one recently that stumped even Merlin, I had to go by what I thought it sounded like and then go to you tube. It's a Chuck-will's-widow, a night bird in Georgia that is similar to a whippoorwill. WOW! Its fun to find a rare one. |
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Post by peasapie on Jul 21, 2024 11:39:22 GMT
I've never heard of this app, but now DH has it. He says he's "not that into bird watching", but anytime we see a bird he gets excited like a little kid. Maybe now he'll actually learn their names which should make it more fun. I was never able to put the bird with the sound until now. Makes it much more interesting. |
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Post by peasapie on Jul 21, 2024 11:45:19 GMT
I don't have an app. I use a bird guide specifically for our area. We live rural, so a lot of critters are around. I had to stop with the bird feeders because of the neighborhood cats feasting on the birds. Hooded Oriole pair House finches Purple finches Goldfinches Plain Titmouses Anna and Allen's Hummingbirds House sparrows White-breasted nuthatch Blue Jays Stellar's Jay (not sure of their new name) Crows or Ravens (possibly both) Red Shouldered Hawk Coopers Hawk Great Horned Owl And once I saw a Golden Eagle. And of course the aforementioned BBG's and LBG's. ETA: I forgot to add Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures and California Quail. The Wild Turkeys nested in our field this year. Oh, and once I saw a Northern Flicker. I’ve been buying seed (deshelled) at tractor supply that is sprayed with hot pepper. Mammals don’t want it and birds don’t taste it. That put an end to squirrels vying for the bird food. |
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ModChick
Drama Llama
True North Strong and Free
Posts: 5,093
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Post by ModChick on Jul 21, 2024 15:33:24 GMT
I’m a bird lover too. My most favorite past time one the weekend is getting up early and sitting on my deck in the morning with my Merlin app and seeing (and hearing) all the birds in my backyard. It’s what I’m doing right now 😊
Typical morning backyard list in the Okanagan:
House Sparrow
House Finch
Song Sparrow
American Crow
American Robin
California Quail
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Spotted Towhee
Say’s Phoebe
Osprey
Black-Billed Magpie
American Goldfinch
Red-Winged Blackbird
Pine Siskin
Cedar Waxwing
Lazuli Bunting
These are most common.
There’s many others like European Starling (which are prolific in my neighbor’s yard a few houses down but for whatever reason they rarely visit my backyard) We also see Canadian Geese, Ducks, Blue Herons, Bald Eagles, Hawks and Kestrels flying over to the nearly pond. We have Owls nearby but not right in my backyard.
Of course others seasonly like Dark eyed Junco and Chickadee etc. in winter/early spring.
Only one I haven’t see with my own eyes is the male Lazuli Bunting. The darn thing teases me in the early evening singing from the top of my neighbor’s trees.
I’m sure there’s many more, especially down at Okanagan Lake and though I’ve always loved birds and bird watching I’ve just gotten into actually identifying since getting the Merlin app about 6 months ago. I never realized how many different birds actually visit my yard. Love it.
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ModChick
Drama Llama
True North Strong and Free
Posts: 5,093
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Post by ModChick on Jul 21, 2024 16:02:02 GMT
For those just staring out with the app if can definitely get the birds wrong. I had a Starling mimicking other birds in my yard awhile back. Also my neighbor sneezed yesterday and Merlin thought it was a Great Blue Heron. 🤪
I have an interesting recording from yesterday too, was listening to the birds with Merlin running and BOOM what sounded like a gunshot but since I don’t see any shootings being reported I’m pretty sure it was the orchards nearby bird cannon. 😱😬🤞🏼 Kept the recording just in case. lol.
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Not sure why the crows hate him so much. He sits on a branch and they fly around making noise, flying close to him, then flying away, etc. The hawk never moves except occasionally he turns his head a little bit. lol. Great entertainment for the neighborhood. 
