OK, so birds

[thollandpe]

I've watched hawks take a songbird, and remove the big flight feathers before flying off, so their cargo (which is usually still struggling) is more aerodynamic. But it looks like they pull the feathers with their beaks.

These feathers were cut neatly near the root, looks almost like scissors. Hawk or owl? And I also don't recognize the color of these feathers, anybody have a clue? Western Mass, our yard is filled with mockingbirds, robins, flickers, cardinals, grosbeaks, and smaller birds, but these look like they're from something bigger.



PS The honker on a Grosbeak makes a splendid sound.

[echappist]

My guess would be mourning dove. Color seems right, and it's a larger sized song bird as well.

Which species of grosbeak do you have in your backyard? It's rose-breasted here in Wisc.

Also, the robin has returned to the nest. And today, I haven't seen her out of the nest. My guess is that she has laid the first egg and has began incubating. Don't think we have snakes in the yard (well-developed area of Madison away from lakes and forests), but there are others...

[thollandpe]

My guess would be mourning dove. Color seems right, and it's a larger sized song bird as well.

Which species of grosbeak do you have in your backyard? It's rose-breasted here in Wisc.

We do have a ton of mourning doves. They also tend to sit very high in the trees compared to the other birds. I would have thought their feathers would be more gray, and less white.

Our grosbeaks are the rose-breasted too.

[echappist]

Mourning doves have a bit of beige / caramel coloring to them. From a photo I took three years ago (back when I lived in NW NJ)

[echappist]

Well, this is going to be nervy. As mentioned above, not only are there brood parasites (effing cowbirds), there are also predators. The crows don't tend to hand out in the backyard that much, but I'd presume that they are observant enough to spot things, if not now then certainly once the hatchlings start to beg.

Apologies for the hazy photo, as I took it through a window we should have cleaned. The image quality also isn't something to write home about. It may literally be less than a yard away, but the sensor on a superzoom just isn't that good.

[j44ke]

I've watched hawks take a songbird, and remove the big flight feathers before flying off, so their cargo (which is usually still struggling) is more aerodynamic. But it looks like they pull the feathers with their beaks.

These feathers were cut neatly near the root, looks almost like scissors. Hawk or owl? And I also don't recognize the color of these feathers, anybody have a clue? Western Mass, our yard is filled with mockingbirds, robins, flickers, cardinals, grosbeaks, and smaller birds, but these look like they're from something bigger.



PS The honker on a Grosbeak makes a splendid sound.

Those look like primary wing feathers - see short leading edge with longer trailing edge and slight bow to each feather's quill - and secondary wing feathers - the ones that are closer to the body - and coverlets - the feathers on the leading edge of the wing that cover the top half of the primaries and secondaries.

Does someone in your neighborhood have a cockatoo or a pet duck? Looks like someone clipped the wings of their pet bird to keep it from flying away. By clipping the flight feathers of the bird, you can keep the from flying effectively without actually hurting the bird.

[thollandpe]

Those look like primary wing feathers - see short leading edge with longer trailing edge and slight bow to each feather's quill - and secondary wing feathers - the ones that are closer to the body - and coverlets - the feathers on the leading edge of the wing that cover the top half of the primaries and secondaries.

Does someone in your neighborhood have a cockatoo or a pet duck? Looks like someone clipped the wings of their pet bird to keep it from flying away. By clipping the flight feathers of the bird, you can keep the from flying effectively without actually hurting the bird.

It’s about 50 feet from my front door on a little walking path, so definitely animal-on-animal. I’ll have to ask if a neighbor lost a chicken.

And yeah, primary wing feathers, that’s exactly why they’re removed for carrying. Ever notice that the raptor will also orient their catch beak-forward in their talons? Badass aerodynamics.

[j44ke]

If a chicken, even a red-tailed hawk can have problems with a typical backyard chicken. A great-horned owl might be able to get the lift required though.

Or a raccoon. They certainly have sharp enough teeth to cut feathers as if by scissors.

[bbillington]

This morning while doing some chores I heard an unfamiliar birds call.

Every 3-5 seconds, “Darrell?”

It was loud and sounded big. I couldn’t spot it through the woods and undergrowth. Sound familiar to any of you?

[monadnocky]

This morning while doing some chores I heard an unfamiliar birds call.

Every 3-5 seconds, “Darrell?”

It was loud and sounded big. I couldn’t spot it through the woods and undergrowth. Sound familiar to any of you?

I don't know your location, but I'm guessing catbird. They're really good at naming names. "Eric??" is the dialect around here.

[bbillington]

Hahah I hadn’t thought of that! That may also explain the helicopters hovering overhead all night... perhaps there’s a Darrell from my area who is currently missing.

[bbillington]

03339AEF-8C2C-44B3-A042-B11BBE448ED7.jpg
Pileated woodpecker digging carpenter bees out of our deck

[monadnocky]

^^^ Whenever I hear "Birdsongs of the Mesozoic", for some reason I think of the pileated. Just so prehistoric-appearing.

[dashDustin]

One of my dogs thought this guy, who was still learning to fly confidently, was a snack. Retrieved him from certain death and brought him to the garage, where it’s quiet. Fairly certain he was in shock. Sat with him a little bit, played some Harvey Pittell. He eventually perked up enough to waddle around. So I put him into a little box and placed him in the bed of my truck, safe from predators. Not really sure what to do now. I’m hoping we will be come buddies.

07DFB862-78C5-481C-AFE6-A2DBBB675AF1.jpeg

[Mabouya]

Yesterday while in my kitchen I glanced out at the deck and noticed several large shadows moving across the deck surface, then I heard the rustling of feathers, and finally some noises coming from the roof surface itself. I went out and saw at least four turkey vultures perched on the roof and several others swooping around and landing on some of the larger trees. I yelled at them and they all flew away, but it was pretty cool. This isn't the first time they've visited, so I wasn't totally surprised, but it's still a bit strange to see a "flock" of such large birds up close and personal, especially ones with a bit of a nefarious reputation.

It's a good thing they don't go after pets, because my cats enjoy going out there and Nyx, my 20 yr old, is barely over 5 pounds and could potentially be a target.

(picture is not from my encounter)

[Mabouya]

Not really sure what to do now.

Are there any others like him around? If so you could put him on a higher branch near them.

Good luck.

[dashDustin]

Are there any others like him around? If so you could put him on a higher branch near them.

Good luck.

Lots and lots. When I was in the back, there weren’t any seemingly overly aggressive adults like I would have expected, though. Or maybe that’s just a Swallow thing.

[Mabouya]

Lots and lots.

In that case, as long as your dogs aren't an immediate threat, I would try putting him/her on a higher branch that's easy for him to grip, with leaves around so he isn't terribly obvious, and hope that he makes it. The alternative is to try to raise him on your own, but as long as he's healthy, I think his odds are better if he just goes back out to his natural environment.

Caveat: I'm no ornithologist, so this is part guess, part wishful thinking.

[j44ke]

Lots and lots. When I was in the back, there weren’t any seemingly overly aggressive adults like I would have expected, though. Or maybe that’s just a Swallow thing.

That’s a young Carolina Wren. See the yellow lining on the mouth? That’s called a “grin” line. In the low light of a nest, it gives the adult a target outline. Shove the bug between the lines. That one is fledged recently, so learning process in full effect. Probably can fly ok without good directional controls, but if you put it outside where you found or rescued it, the parents may find it and continue to feed it. Birds can’t smell or otherwise sense any evidence of your handling of the fledgling. They won’t abandon it. The only risk is that they might not recognize it. But it is hard for a human to feed baby birds enough or the right foods, so whenever you find a baby bird, it is always best to put in the center of the nearest bush and step away. The parents will take it from there, or the fledgling will make it on its own. Or not.

Your dog was just retrieving a very small grouse. Good dog.

[dashDustin]

Good info. Thanks y’all. At the moment, I believe he’s sleeping. I’ve got him in the bed of my truck and he’s bundled up on a towel, with a freshly dried microfiber towel on top. His chest is expanding and contracting, and his beak is tucked to the side, which is why I believe he’s sleeping. I’ve left a little bit of sugar water and some soggy dog food food out for him, just in case (#google).

Our hood is 3yrs old, and the only mature trees nearby are about half a block away. A lot of the oaks are still pretty bare following Feb’s freeze. If he’s still kickin’ in the morning, I’ll place him in our front flowerbed. We’ll see what happens.