Was leaving from a restaurant yesterday (in Hoffman Estates) and a bald eagle with a huge fish (still alive and flapping around) flew directly overhead. The eagle flew around in a circle for a minute or two, kinda like the bird didn’t know what to do next.

I can’t believe how many bald eagles I’ve seen this year. Over the past 50 years, their recovery has been one of the relatively few “Yay, you did good, humans!” things that have happened.

While eating lunch at a picnic table with a workmate today, an Eastern Phoebe perched on a branch nearby, maybe three or four feet from our heads. It would swoop around and catch insects, then return to the branch and watch us eat lunch. I began to suspect that it was honing in on mosquitoes that we were attracting. I went to my car and the Phoebe followed me over, staying close but not too close. Any bird that wants to hang around me and eat mosquitoes is alright in my book. Have at it, friend.

I find myself with some free time in Stuttgart this afternoon.

I heard that there is a flock of some 75 to 100 feral parrots... ones that are endangered in their native habitat in Mexico... that live in one of Stuttgart's parks. I'm on a mission to try to find them.

This is what I do in my free time in a European city. Gheez, I'm *so* exciting.

In our neighborhood we have had a pack of 3 Sandhill cranes hanging around. They've been in our yard a few times eating the squirrel corn. Super weird to be walking the dogs and see these giant birds hanging out in people's yards that aren't lawn ornaments. Love it.

The phoebes are fun to watch - they do a short hover thing over open water that has been fun.

jfv wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 9:14 am
I heard that there is a flock of some 75 to 100 feral parrots... ones that are endangered in their native habitat in Mexico... that live in one of Stuttgart's parks. I'm on a mission to try to find them.

When you come home, get thee to Jackson Park and search out the Monk Parakeets. They make enormous community nests of sticks in some of the trees there. I even saw one flying across LSD at about 59th street one day when coming into town that way from Indiana. They're hard to miss as they are a neon electric green.

Garth wrote: In our neighborhood we have had a pack of 3 Sandhill cranes hanging around. They've been in our yard a few times eating the squirrel corn. Super weird to be walking the dogs and see these giant birds hanging out in people's yards that aren't lawn ornaments. Love it.

The phoebes are fun to watch - they do a short hover thing over open water that has been fun.

we see cranes all the time too and have been to the migration stop over in the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife area, where you can see them come in for an evening's roost by the thousands. Literally thousands of them. It's mind blowing. And we had a pair of either Phoebes or Eastern Flycatchers make a nest under our second floor balcony and raise 2 broods of chicks this summer with maybe a month between broods. Once that second set fledged, the adults fucked off and we haven't seen them since...

djimbe wrote: Tue Sep 12, 2023 10:45 am When you come home, get thee to Jackson Park and search out the Monk Parakeets.

Those things are obnoxious! Love them. They are now one of the most common birds in Pinellas County in Florida (I usually go there at least once per year).

Also, sandhill cranes are now almost as common as Canada Geese up in Lake County. Considering I had never seen one seven years ago, I am guessing their local population has exploded.

1. Local organization has a Canada Goose problem in their lake.
2. Local organization obtains several swans and places them in the lake.
3. Canada Geese move to the other side of the lake.
4. Canada Geese creep back over after a few weeks when they realize swans aren't a threat.
5. Canada Geese integrate with the swans, who become their new leaders.

I've seen this happen many times.

Birds are outsmarting humans.

rsmurphy wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2023 9:50 am (clip from Letterkenny)

This is priceless.

Damn right those are Canada's fucking gooses.

jfv wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2023 10:14 am

rsmurphy wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2023 9:50 am (clip from Letterkenny)

This is priceless.

Damn right those are Canada's fucking gooses.

Canada gooses will be making Canada deuces in our local estuaries soon. Always a pleasure to see that giant V in the sky.

I could hear sandhill cranes passing above the other day. That croak is one of my favorite sounds.

There’s a green-tailed towhee hanging around the park. Lots of vireos down in the canyon. Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet around here.