I didn't see a new thread yet for December so here we go. Come one, come all ... please share photos of the birds that you see in your backyard, your neighborhood or wherever you may be vacationing or visiting around the world.

A neighbor told me last week that she had hummingbirds back again so I cleaned and refilled my feeders and I've been watching for a few days in hopes of spotting one. Well, a few minutes ago I was at the kitchen window and noticed one at the feeder but it flew off and went to the few blooms remaining on the firespike plants:


Northern Mockingbird checking out palm fruit:

Lin, great pictures! Do you usually see hummingbirds in the winter? I've only seen them here in the Spring, but I haven't really looked lately.

Mockingbirds are tough, aren't they? I've seen them chase a hawk away!

Ibis, I usually only see hummingbirds here from April through @ mid August but last week a neighbor told me that one was visiting her feeder so I put my feeders back out. I guess there are a few stragglers still migrating southward!

I have bird photos! So I was coming home from Target yesterday when I saw some birds on a road that runs parallel to mine. I live on a cul-de-sac but the next road over goes all the way through between two main roads so I drive it often. I don't generally see a lot of birds on this road, but once I saw a Bald Eagle eating roadkill there. That was cool. But what made me pull over this time was two Wood Storks, among other friends.

So on one side of the road, it looks like this. They've actually cleared it out some. I think because they're building a house just to the left of this picture. I stop here a lot and check the Willow trees for Viceroy caterpillars. This time, I found a Great Egret! I tried to get closer but I scared it and it flew away.



The other side of the street looks like this. You can see one of the Wood Storks and a White Ibis. To the left is a landscaping company my brother worked for in college, and on the right there's a house. If I'm going to keep pulling over, I may need to go introduce myself to these people.



Proof there were two Wood Storks!



The one Wood Stork actually let me get pretty close to it.



There were also some White Ibises hanging around. They'd been around all day. Mom saw them in the morning and I saw them when I left for Target. I realized I forgot something at the house, so I turned around and went back, then left again. So I drove by them three times and each time the whole flock would rise up and move over. They shouldn't have been so close to the road, anyway! But when I came back they were safely in someone's yard.



Speaking of Ibises, we had a flock at MOSI when I was volunteering the other day. I watched as they visited the base of each tree, pecking and foraging. I wonder if it's easier to find bugs in the dirt as opposed to grassy areas?





They were coming right for me! Don't worry, I resisted the urge to run headlong into their flock.



Now, this morning I was headed to the Super Target. I've been doing a lot of shopping for the kids at Joshua House where I also volunteer. As I got in the car, there were at least twenty little birds - some on the ground and some in the trees. A lot of them got scared and flew across the road, but one stayed in my tree. I think it (and the others) are Palm Warblers.

Wow, really great shots Melanie! I especially love the one of the Egret perched low on the branch but the Storks, Ibises and Warbler are very nice photos too. I agree, that pretty yellow bird is a Palm Warbler: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/...

I'm getting better at this, aren't I?

You are great at photographing and identifying the birds you are seeing!!

Great photos both of you!
Thanks for the new thread Lin. Woooo hooo for hummies for you!

Ibis - I only have hummingbirds in the Winter. I live in Sebastian, FL near Vero Beach. On rare occasions, I see a Ruby-throated hummingbird during the Summer months. (Always a female .... who might be a breeding female.)

There are breeding Ruby-throated hummingbirds (RTH) that nest in different areas of Florida in Spring & Summer in our state. In the southerly part of Central Florida as well as south Florida, the birds typically show up in Winter. I had 3 adult male RTHs spend the Winter with me last year and the year before. In 2011, I had 2 females and 1 immature male. The years in-between 2011- 2013, I had various males, but was not sure of the count. This year, I have 2 adult males so far and possibly another adult male that goes back and forth between my yard and the neighbor's yard. The birds aren't seen as frequently at the feeders until the weather turns much colder so that the plants are no longer blooming. Then the RTHs typically become "feeder" birds that I see regularly perching on the different feeders I have hanging around my yard.

So, YES! You may very well get hummers in Winter!

Yes, and I expect you guys to take very good care of my hummies over the winter. I don't want to see any of them coming back skinny this spring.

Ibis, where I live, in Lake City, I have hummies spring through late October although this year having been so warm, they stayed well into November.

We visited the local botanical garden yesterday in Springfield to check out their orchid ad poinsettia show held in the conservatory; not a big deal as the conservatory has but a 50' diameter. The conservatory basically had the same plants as it had the last time we were there (Feb) but they did add some birds therein (much to our surprise and delight). I attempted to get pics and actually had success w/ one; the irony of the situation is evident in the result:

They were looking the other way.
I've no idea what kind they are .

Pretty and unusual whatever they were.

The birds are probably tired of the paparazzi.

At MOSI today, I scared a dove out of the bird feeder. I think it's one of the Eurasian Collared Doves. There were two of them together. In this picture, it's giving me the "crazy eye".



Is this a Mockingbird? It was way up in the top of a tree, as you can see.

Yes it is a mockingbird.

Thanks, it was kind of far away. When I first looked at it, the sun was reflecting the color of the leaves onto its belly and it looked like it had a yellow belly. That really confused me.

That is a Eurasian Collared Dove too Melanie so you're batting 100 today.

Well, to be fair those doves are always at MOSI. Although, I did learn the difference between the Eurasian and the Mourning this year, so that's something. They're used to be a big group of them that would follow me around MOSI. It really creeped me out. I think people might have been feeding them. It is nice to see actual birds in the birdfeeder and not just the squirrels.

Doves can get pretty friendly. Actually, a lot of birds can. They learn people - certain people who are "regulars" or who fill feeders & so forth. I've had cardinals and scrub jays who would squawk & pitch a fit while looking in my windows to let me know the food dish was empty.
A mommy rabbit who became so used to us that you could walk right up to her & she would not move away. In fact, there were times she would hop over to us and, I swear, send us mental messages. She raised countless litters in our yard and would "tell" us when she was going off for a time & we should babysit while she was gone. She was with us for at least 9 years. That was an amazing experience.

Goldfinch & male bluebird


Yellow Rumped Warbler & bluebird


Goldfinches


Say Cheese!



No squabbling now fellas



Sparrow, male bluebirds & what is the other one? I'm having a hard time positively IDing it. Baltimore Oriole? Juvenile or female????? I'm going to put a lot of photos of it -- some aren't great but they show different parts of the bird so you can judge.

Note the bright yellow at the shoulder top of the wing in this photo


Bottoms up!

Is that the new camera?