Very true, and I admit that I am guilty as charged, although I have been trying to change my ways. Mammals, reptiles and amphibians are always interesting to me. My daughter has a bit of an interest in butterflies, but being a beginner, I don't know what to look for when I see a butterfly. I know the more common ones, and the less common ones sometimes look very similar. With time, I should be better at it, but for now, I look at them and I am satisfied in the knowledge that I just saw a butterfly.

__________________
Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

Real birder? Nah...not yet anyway. In an effort to correctly identify what I have, I've just picked up some of the terminology. I've shared my list elsewhere with non-US folks, so the binomials come in handy when common names aren't definitive.

My list is limited to those birds I've actually identified with certainty. Of course, I've seen many more birds about but I haven't actually pegged them: various gulls, assorted passeriformes, ducks, and such. I do need to get out and watch more but my real interest is in photographing them. The penny jar just isn't full enough for the lens I want for serious work, though.

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Brett
Peters Creek, Alaska
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I've got a moth as big as my hand in my house. We've tried to make him leave but I guess I've got a new pet for a while.

Love my hummingbirds. They provide hours in entertainment. I also have geckos on my kitchen window again. They are fun to watch at night.

__________________
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

Since everyone else is posting yard lists, I tried compiling mine from memory.

Common (nesting, wintering, or year-round):

• House Sparrows and starlings (but no pigeons)
• Northern Cardinal
• American Robin
• House Finch
• Blue Jay
• Common Grackle
• Mourning Dove
• Brown Thrasher
• Carolina Wren
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Harris's Sparrow

Infrequent (there's usually a few in the neighborhood, just not always in the yard):

• Cooper's Hawk
• Eurasian Collared-Dove
• Great Horned and Eastern Screech-Owls
• Northern Flicker; Downy, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird
• chickadees (indeterminate species) and Tufted Titmouse
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Gray Catbird
• White-throated Sparrow
• Baltimore Oriole
• Red-winged Blackbird
• House Wren
• American Goldfinch

If above the yard counts, then add the Chimney Swift, Common Nighthawk, and Mississippi Kite.

Uncommon (I've seen these in the yard only a few times, or only during migration):

• Sharp-shinned hawk
• Empidonax flycatchers and Eastern Wood-Pewee
• Blue-headed Vireo
• Brown Creeper
• Purple Finch
• Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets
• American Redstart; Orange-crowned, Tennessee, Yellow, Nashville, and Wilson's Warblers
• Eastern and Spotted Towhees; Chipping, Clay-colored, Lincoln's, Song, and White-crowned Sparrows
• Barred Owl

__________________
“There’s nothing that spells progress in large, friendly letters like trying to combine two totally incompatible technologies.” – David Szondy, Tales of Future Past.

Based on this list, I'm trying to deduce where you live. My guess is somewhere in the midwest, perhaps Kansas or Missouri.

__________________
Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

Good work! I'm in Kansas. I figured the Harris's Sparrow would be the oddball that reveals my location (that, and the Chickadee range boundary).

__________________
“There’s nothing that spells progress in large, friendly letters like trying to combine two totally incompatible technologies.” – David Szondy, Tales of Future Past.

The geckos come into the garage and I have to round them up. They squeak so pitifully when I pick them up and put them outside (after chasing them around of course). The Desert Toads are also out at night. They are very large--the size of a large bullfrog--and they scare the crap out of me when they come hopping across the driveway in the dark. And I've caught and moved two Diamondback Rattlesnakes this year so far--but not large ones.

You really are a birder. Good job.

I have a cute but slightly off-color joke (very slightly) about a birder. If anyone is interested PM me and I will send it to you.

Living on the Texas Gulf Coast I see all kinds of interesting birds, especially water birds. I'll come up with a list soon.

Here's a partial list. I left off the usual birds, like robinsm sparrows, etc

Mallard Duck
Mexican Duck (variant of Mallard)
Mottled Duck
American Wigeon
Tufted Duck
Canadian Goose
Black Swan (someone in my city bought two and put them in our lake)
American Coot
Common Loon
Double-Crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Brown Pelican
Seagull – Probably the Ring-Billed
Black Tern
White Ibis
Great Blue Heron
Sandhill Crane
Whooping Crane
Great Egret
Cattle Egret
Black Crowned Night Heron
Yellow Crowned Night Heron
Marquez Goose (aka Turkey Duck)

Other Birds
Scissor Tail Fly Catcher
Texas Green Parrot
Wild Turkey
Screech Owl (On my front porch)
Bald Eagle
Roadrunner
Turkey Vulture
Red Tailed Hawk
Red Headed Woodpecker
Emu - Some escaped from a breeder and were terrorizing East Texas.
Grackle - A Texas favorite



Trumpeter Swan (in Upper Michigan)

Of course, that is exactly how I did it. I did learn something though. I didn't realize that the Eurasian Collared Dove had such a wide range (yet), and I didn't know that the Spotted Towhee came this far east. I've never seen either in your neck of the woods, although it has been a few years since I was in your area.

__________________
Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

Thanks for the thread!

First let me say I live in rural western KY with woods and a couple farm fields surrounding my property. I've a 1/2 acre pond some 60ft from my house ...

Regulars in my yard:

American Robins
Carolina Chickadees
Northern Cardinals
Song sparrows
American Crows
Bluejays
Woodpeckers - red bellied, downy, northern flicker(yellow shafted), red headed.
Red winged blackbirds
Mourning Doves
Ruby Throated Hummingbirds
Belted Kingfishers
Great Blue Herons
Canada Geese - I think the same two have been visiting for 4yrs now!
Indigo Buntings
Northern Bob Whites - I hear'em but rarely spot'em.
Wild Turkey -yes, these buggers come up in the yard (they're lucky I don't hunt!)

Indiana or Evening Bats - certainly not birds but nightly flyers.

Seen nearby or overhead:
Red tailed Hawks
Turkey Vultures
Barred Owls
Great Horned Owls - actually only saw flying silhouettes and assume so; certainly heard.
Screech Owls - heard only

Also, I've been doing the Great Backyard Bird Count a few years and encourage participation.

__________________
"Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins. Which of the two has the greater view?" - Hugo

"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." - Churchill

Speaking of hummers, you might want to check out what I posted in Science and Technology.

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009
All moderation in purple

Surely you must be able to hear Whip-poor-wils at night. I've heard them on hundreds of different nights but I've never seen one.

(I know, don't call you Shirley. )

Whipporwills are one of only a handful of birds that I have heard but never seen. Not surprisingly, most of the birds on the list are Goatsuckers. Whipporwill, Chuck-Will's Widow, Common Paraque are the goatsuckers that I have heard but not seen. The other ones are the King Rail and Botteri's Sparrow. At one time, Sora and Hooded Warbler were on this list, but I have in recent years seen plenty of both of these birds.

__________________
Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

I can't go quite as far as never seen, but the Common Nighthawk is one that I hear a lot and very rarely see (and even then, usually just a quickly passing shape in the dusk).

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At night the stars put on a show for free (Carole King)

One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009
All moderation in purple

Just a side note...

While we all observe many birds passing overhead, I've had the slightly odd experience of observing one pass nearly beneath me...underwater. I was flyfishing a local lake in my float tube when I looked down in the water to see a shoal of trout fleeing from a sleek, silvery shape. A few seconds later, a Common Loon popped up to the surface, fish in beak. Quite cool. Almost as cool as the time I watched a Bald Eagle catch and eat its breakfast.

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Brett
Peters Creek, Alaska
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There are many Lesser Nighthawks here right at dusk, competing with the bats for bugs. I like to toss a rock up and watch both the bats and the Nighthawks swoop down to check it out.

A while back I had the fortune/misfortune to see a raptor (don't know what species) pick off one of a pair of Gila Woodpeckers. As the raptor flew away the remaining woodpecker's plaintive call was sort of heartbreaking. Nature is a very cruel mistress.

I've had two similar experiences.

I was home one day watching my feeder, and saw a Cooper's Hawk take a starling off our feeder. It was pretty much grab, land on our deck and make sure it had the grip, and take off - as quick as I can type. Wasn't sorry to see a starling go.

At the nature center where I volunteer, we have a viewing area with huge wall-to-ceiling glass windows (basically a glass wall), looking out over an area with feeders, a pond, etc. I didn't see the actual kill, but I watched the aftermath, of a Red-Tailed Hawk killing a Mallard duck, right up against the glass. Over the next hour or so, it ate a large percentage of it, literally right up against the glass, blood and feathers everywhere. I, of course, thought it was fascinating.

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One Earth, One Sky - IYA 2009
All moderation in purple

About the eagle...

Not long after I moved here, I drove a little south of Anchorage to Portage Valley and pitched a tent next to a small pond for an overnighter. I awoke very early to an idyllic morning. The air was cool, crisp, and calm, the sun was just up, and mist rose from the glassy surface of the pond. I decided to enjoy some coffee on the shore.

After I put the water on to boil and settled back into my camp chair, a Bald Eagle flew down the far shore of the pond, turned back, and flew along my side...directly over me. The morning was so still and he was so low, that I could almost feel the "whoof" from each downstroke of his wings as he passed overhead. A few minutes later, as I was enjoying my coffee, he returned from behind me, skimmed the water, and came away with a small fish. I had a companion there for a while, as he perched on a log across the small pond to enjoy his breakfast.

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Brett
Peters Creek, Alaska
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A similar story....

I was hiking with some friends many years ago in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It was right before sunset and as we walked down this trail we spotted a Great Horned Owl sitting up in a tree. We stood there watching it for a few minutes and then continued our hike. A minute or two later, one of my friends looked back and yelled "DUCK!". The owl swooped over our heads - it was so fast I couldn't tell you how close, but it seemed like inches. It landed in a tree a few yards further down the trail.

This time, we walked past it, but keep an eye on it as we went down the trail. A minute or two later, it swooped us again, though this time we watched it and it missed by a few feet. I suspect it decided we were a threat to its territory.

As it passed overhead on both passes, I did not hear a sound (owls are known for their silent flight). I know how a bunny or field mouse feels now.

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<-- Very casual birder.

I don't have a feeder, but I'm familiar enough with the birds in my area that I immediately notice the less common ones.

Unfortunately, central Texas is no place for anyone interested in birds, especially not in city or suburban limits; the diversity seems very low. Perhaps I'd get a better response with a feeder, but no telling yet.

Here are the common ones:
--Mockingbirds (can't stand 'em)
--Grackles (pretty much take the place of pigeons outside of downtown)
--House sparrows (no-brainer, there)
--House finches (a little less common)
--Turkey vultures (like someone already said, a lovely sight while soaring)
--Pigeons (mostly downtown and at bus stops).
--Mourning doves (everywhere)
--Starlings (seem to like flat, grassy areas)

Less common:
--Blue jays (notice them more in the spring and fall)
--Cardinals (my favorite songbird )
--Killdeer (in rocky, open suburban areas)
--Swallows
--Shrikes (also like open areas)
--Hummingbirds (a semi-rare treat)

Uncommon, or limited in range:
--Ducks of any kind.
--Egrets (it's the weirdest thing to see one of these beauties landing in a drainage ditch)

Almost never:
--Woodpeckers
--Owls (perhaps for the obvious reason that they're nocturnal)
--Crows (believe it or not, I've never, ever seen a crow inside city limits)
--Comorants (they've been seen on the river, though I've never seen one personally).

There are a few birds that I've seen but been unable to identify, usually because I haven't gotten a good look at them. One that I've seen near my house has a beautiful, long forked tail, but...I really need to get some birding binocs. Another one the other day was a real beauty; it looked superficially like a mockingbird, but the tail and stance were different.

__________________
"Call me old-fashioned, but I think fire is magic. And it scares me a lot."

--The State

When I first moved to AZ I thought "I've never seen so many Mourning Doves". Other places I've lived I would see one occasionally but here they are literally everywhere. At any one time I'd wager there are 20 on my property and sometimes many more. There are six flimsy nests that I am aware of, most built in the most precarious places (like on the fork of a branch on a small tree that's guaranteed to sway in the wind during the first storm) and made from only a handful of twigs seemingly thrown together. I read that they are some of the most prolific birds--they have to be with the small amount of care given to nest making.

I've heard that about mourning doves; they'll take two sticks and call it a nest. Then lay eggs in it, which end up broken on the ground. I guess what they lack in smarts they make up with prolific breeding. I certainly heard a lot of them last time I was in the Phoenix area.

You saw a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. These birds are not in my area, but common in your neck of the woods.

__________________
Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana.

I am not a birder or a twitcher but a few in my astronomy club are and we co-host one of our public solar observing events at the Stillman Nature Center. This year we will hold it on September 6th. Its really neat to meet up with all of those who chase birds all over the country and different parts of the world. We have had falcons buzzing overhead and they bring out an owl and like to use my big binocs to scan the area while our solar scopes are right on the sun. Best picnic of the year. Click on the events link and you'll us on their schedule.

www.stillmannc.org

I'm sure most of you have seen this series but, if not, it is highly recommended: The Life of Birds (at IMDB). It is a ten-part BBC documentary series made in 1998 and hosted by (Sir) David Attenborough. Also, while not really a documentary (more of a nature adventure story) the 2001 movie Winged Migration (at IMDB) is also a good watch.

Re Jfribrg:
That is totally it. Thanks!

You really are a birder.

__________________
"Call me old-fashioned, but I think fire is magic. And it scares me a lot."

--The State

When I lived in Gardena, California, a dove nested on my balcony. It was neat to watch her raise her little chicks. It was not long before they grew up and left.

http://picasaweb.google.com/otakenji...16190179219010