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Tell me about your birds 🐦🐦🐦


What are the 1-2 MAIN kinds of birds in your backyard?

In our backyard the 2 main kinds are cardinals and chickadees. The cardinals are there because they were told that they are North Carolina's state bird. The chickadees are there because we put out good birdseed and despite their small stature they're total pigs.

Special request: If you live in the central US or south central Canada, please comment on the presence or absence of the Dickcissel. You're supposed to have them in your backyard.

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There are mostly magpies, woodpeckers and pigeons.

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We have woodpeckers in our backyard, too. The other day I heard a noise and wasn't sure what it was until I figured out it was one of my friendly neighborhood woodpeckers.

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A nice bird, there is one of them (or at least we think we can recognise it) which is green with an orange/reddish beak (right word?) and always eats in the same spot of the garden.

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Mostly pigeons and a few magpies.

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We have pigeons in the city where I live but not magpies. This will show my age but there was a cartoon that was on when I was a little girl called Heckle and Jeckle about a couple of magpies. I loved that cartoon.

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We have California Scrub Jays and Mourning Doves. I've also identified Anne's Hummingbirds, House Sparrows, and House Finches in our backyard. At night I sometimes hear owls in the east side of our yard (we have some big trees here), but I can't confirm what kind they are.

Outside of our yard, I've seen some kind of hawk that sometimes hunts rodents to the southeast of our area, and there's a flock of wild turkeys that roams our neighborhood.

The Scrub Jays have beautiful feathers, but terrible voices. The Mourning Doves have a sweet cooing sound, as well as the signature mating call. All the rest of the birds are quieter.

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Same with the Steller's Jay. Pretty bird with a screeching call. Maybe all Jays are like that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vWtN5JG8RA

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Very possible. The California Scrub Jay appears to be a relative of Bluejays, Crows, and Magpies. And it appears they all have harsh bird calls. You should hear what they sound like when fighting over territory, or when the males try courting the females. It's really weird and screechy.

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We have at least one owl out back, too. Sometimes at night it sounds very close but I've never actually laid eyes on it.

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I've wanted to go out into the backyard with a flashlight to see if I could find it, but I know how birds are, even owls, and I knew a light or my footsteps would scare it away. Plus, it's very mean to shine a bright light into the eyes of a nocturnal creature like an owl. So I've taken to consulting online sources on bird calls. You would be amazed at how much we actually hear owls that don't hoot, because when I was playing the sounds certain owls made, I was like, "Wait a minute, I've heard that before! That's an owl making that noise?!"

The first owl I heard last year made a very low noise, and more than one of that kind has shown up in our backyard at night. It sounds like a low, "Hoot, hoot, hoot." The closest noise reference I could find in that one online database was the Great Horned Owl, but I'm not entirely convinced such a giant lives in my area. More research is needed.

In the past few months, I've heard another owl that starts hooting right as the sun is setting, and it sounds like the traditional owl sound you hear in the movies, so I'm gonna take a look at that one in the database. We sure could use more owls around here, considering the rat and mouse population has gone up, no thanks to the new neighborhood being built just to the south of us.

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Red Tailed hawks
Missippi Kites
Cardinals
Blue Jays
Wood peckers
Mocking birds
Owls
Sparrows
Some really small chirpy colorful ones that I don’t know know the name of

I have a coop that had 4 chickens and 12 pigeons but a predator got in a couple of weeks ago. Now I have 3 pigeons and one rooster. I’m pretty sure the culprit was a fox.

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It sounds like we have a lot of the same birds in our yards. I'm sorry about what happened to your chickens and pigeons. As I told another poster, I had considered getting chickens but did not because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to devote the time to it back then. And I'm sure I would be heartbroken if something got in and killed them.

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In my backyard I can spawn a seagull within 20 seconds by throwing food out there

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I'm assuming that means you live very near a beach. I'm envious!

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Thank you all for participating in my bird thread! I enjoy watching the birds in my backyard and think they are some of the prettiest and most hopeful parts of nature between their appearance and their songs.

Next time you see a bird think of me. πŸ’™πŸ¦

Well, as long as it's a cute one. If it's a turkey buzzard think of someone else.

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My parents were birdwatchers. When I was a kid I didn't understand it at all. Now of course, I do. They are lovely creatures (yes, even the lowly pigeon) and interesting to watch. I don't go out with binoculars, it's not a hobby, but I love birds. My favorites on Instagram are Einstein https://www.instagram.com/einsteinparrot and Vandal https://www.instagram.com/vandal_macaw

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Los Angeles suburb, crows and sparrows in the yard. Pigeons on the street. Seagulls fly over. And there will be an occasional hawk.

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