Mystery Bird Contest

GARY-19 · Post by **GARY-19** » Tue May 26, 2020 10:09 am

This person makes a high-pitched tsit tsit tsee tsit tsee sound that often ends with a distinctly accented phrase.

This person is a small, active warbler that feeds mostly on insects, foraging in trees by hopping from branch to branch and fanning their tail feathers to rustle up bugs.

The male of this person is glossy black with bright orange patches on sides of tail and breast and pale white underparts. The female of this person has a light gray head, gray to green back, and pale yellow patches on tail, wings and sides.

?

RCH · Post by **RCH** » Tue May 26, 2020 10:52 am

Who is the American Redstart?

GARY-19 · Post by **GARY-19** » Tue May 26, 2020 2:49 pm

RCH wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 10:52 am Who is the American Redstart?

THAT IS A CORRECT GUESS!!!!

Thanks,

-G

alex · Post by **alex** » Tue May 26, 2020 3:08 pm

[mention]GARY-19[/mention] why/how do you know so much about birds?

RCH · Post by **RCH** » Tue May 26, 2020 3:55 pm

God bless you, Gary! I know everyone is on the edge of their seat waiting for the next one.

I'll share my method: I noted the keyword warbler, and in my mind I roughly imagined an oriole or red-winged blackbird (closely-related passerine songbird species in the U.S.). From there on out it was straight cheating, using goggles to review "also-vieweds" for a species that matched Gary's description. The bit about beating their tails on bug-brushes seemed important, and indeed the American Redstart fit the........ "Bill."

Peace and love, birds rock!

GARY-19 · Post by **GARY-19** » Tue May 26, 2020 3:58 pm

THAT IS CORRECT [mention]RCH[/mention] !

Now it's your turn.

-G

RCH · Post by **RCH** » Tue May 26, 2020 3:59 pm

Here's how I see it: birds and humans have a deep historical connection. Environmental situations that are good for birdy are usually good for our man kind. Plus don't you think that maybe our early ancestors got the idea of speech from birds?

GARY-19 · Post by **GARY-19** » Tue May 26, 2020 4:03 pm

RCH wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 3:59 pm Here's how I see it: birds and humans have a deep historical connection. Environmental situations that are good for birdy are usually good for our man kind. Plus don't you think that maybe our early ancestors got the idea of speech from birds?

Yes but describe a Mystery Bird for the contest please.

Thanks,

-G

RCH · Post by **RCH** » Tue May 26, 2020 4:08 pm

"Ack! Ack ...ack!"

I am a dark and glossy bird, but my eye is bold and gold.

You may notice me when I gather socially in family groups—but we are not a crow. We can be found just about all across the God-forsaken US. We like to gather at meals.

The females of us look like pretty petite brown cats from cap to breast to long, straight tail. The male of us are blue-black and we strut about the ground, like dignified Brylcreem men.

Special clue: sometimes we like to raise our babies in your parking lots. To you, they will sound like the proverbial babbling brook.

Signed,
Who am I?

GARY-19 · Post by **GARY-19** » Tue May 26, 2020 4:15 pm

A couple of ground rules:

- The person who described the previous person is ineligible to guess the latest clue.

- Goggling is okay and is not considered "cheating."

- Learning about birds is fun for all the reasons [mention]RCH[/mention] has previously mentioned.

- G

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Tue May 26, 2020 4:41 pm

is it a grackle?

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Tue May 26, 2020 4:52 pm

I think grackle is a great guess. I also really really enjoyed both of these descriptions.

I also agree strongly RCH, in fact lately I’ve been reading a lot of books about birdsong published very recently by ppl in my field! Arguing some things quite similar to your comment. It is very exciting to see such notions bandied about. Challenging humanism in so many surprising ways, which I am “here for”

RCH · Post by **RCH** » Tue May 26, 2020 5:02 pm

Yes Sarah!!! I love it.

Tag

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Tue May 26, 2020 5:09 pm

Omg!!! As soon as I heard glossy and ground I just saw a shimmery grackle hopping around.

Here's my mystery bird:
It only lives in one place in the world, an island, and it's the smallest of its kind. It is, indeed, very small. Breeding males have a very pretty pink head.

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Tue May 26, 2020 5:12 pm

also, let's have pictures of the guessed birds!

American Redstart:

Grackle:

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Tue May 26, 2020 6:43 pm

Grackle is such a crazy bird!!! Look at that good golden eye just as RCH described

I don’t know any birds but this is my new favorite thread

RCH · Post by **RCH** » Tue May 26, 2020 7:25 pm

Humanism, so pathetic!

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Wed May 27, 2020 3:35 am

SO PATHETIC

GARY-19 · Post by **GARY-19** » Wed May 27, 2020 4:38 am

I think this person lives in Cuba.

RCH · Post by **RCH** » Wed May 27, 2020 7:29 am

I wonder if it's a hummer, Sally knows a lot of those people

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Wed May 27, 2020 7:33 am

If I owned a grackle tail feather I would be rich and powerful.

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Wed May 27, 2020 7:34 am

I know who this person is but I googled. I know that it is allowed but I still feel like I cheated.

GARY-19 · Post by **GARY-19** » Wed May 27, 2020 8:09 am

m o l l y wrote: ↑Wed May 27, 2020 7:34 am I know who this person is but I googled. I know that it is allowed but I still feel like I cheated.

It's allowed you have to say it

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Wed May 27, 2020 8:30 am

BEE HUMMINGBIRD of Cuba and the Isle of Youth! ~'~

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Wed May 27, 2020 9:19 am

CORRECT!

stupid little nest

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Wed May 27, 2020 10:38 am

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Wed May 27, 2020 11:17 am

sweetest lil jelly bean bros.

OK! This person is mostly grey with a back face and runs around on the ground wearing a little rusty hat with a jaunty topknot. The female of this person has no rust hat. If you are in luck, these people have a bunch of little babes that also run around on the ground, sometimes all in a row. When you startle them they sound like tiny turkeys and try their best to flap their way up. They love bird baths and sometimes these people are eaten.

Hint: When these people are not startled (maybe horney?), they make a luxurious "kaw" that sounds like home.

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Wed May 27, 2020 11:49 am

Is it a Gambels Quail?

willowowow · Post by **willowowow** » Wed May 27, 2020 1:09 pm

I also guess "quail" but that is as far as my knowledge base takes me. I will do some googlin'.

m o l l y · Post by **m o l l y** » Wed May 27, 2020 1:30 pm

Gambel's quail, it is! So glad you specified.

Here's a handsome lad

And here's the whole fam

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Wed May 27, 2020 4:45 pm

oh my god

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Thu May 28, 2020 3:40 am

I knew "quail" but had to google for the rest! Now that's a fine bird!

Ok here's mine:

I am a very pleasingly plump little person with no neck to speak of and a long thin black beak. My favorite thing to do is walk backwards up a tree trunk, looking for bugs, but I can also walk forwards, or even sideways. I look like a scoop of ice cream. I am white on the bottom and have nice lines of grays and blacks up top, and my tail is short (I am not what you would call an "elegant" bird but I am charming in other ways). My coloring holds a surprise! When I turn my back to you it might look like I have "had an accident," but I haven't--it's just how God made me. When I find another one of my kind who I like, we stick together and enjoy monogamous partnership--in fact, the male of my species is very progressive, and helps feed our children the whole time they are living in our nest (our nest is a hole in a tree usually, and unlike most birds we clean the bathroom every day (we are a prim bird)). When I talk to my friends I mostly speak in a single note, repeated quickly 8 or 10 times.

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Thu May 28, 2020 7:23 am

I am told I should clarify: by "backwards" I guess I really mean "upside-down"

willowowow · Post by **willowowow** » Thu May 28, 2020 8:56 am

Is it a yellow rumped warbler?

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Thu May 28, 2020 9:17 am

No! Good guess though! A great bird

DUCKULA · Post by **DUCKULA** » Thu May 28, 2020 11:06 am

This one really took my brain in all sorts of directions.... Could it possibly be a white-breasted nuthatch? Haha, the accident.

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Thu May 28, 2020 11:07 am

I'm actually so bad at knowing names of birds... I appreciate them with my eyes and heart and struggle to remember more than a handful

Stupid, because I <3 them

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Thu May 28, 2020 11:11 am

Duckula you win!!!!!!

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Thu May 28, 2020 11:13 am

I loved learning that nuthatches clean out their poop every day. My esteem shot through the roof for this fine creature

DUCKULA · Post by **DUCKULA** » Thu May 28, 2020 11:52 am

OKAY...

You will find me in calmer waters, where I like to swim and dive. My body changes to a cinnamon hue in the spring.... there is another, more noticeable, part of me that changes in the spring and the females love it. The bird I desire will experience an elaborate dance: I show off my stiff tail and flashes of bright blue, as I beat my bill against my chest. I must impress the female with my courtship display, she will build our basket-like nest on the water.

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Thu May 28, 2020 12:15 pm

sounds like a real dreamboat

Gomez420 · Post by **Gomez420** » Thu May 28, 2020 1:12 pm

Ruddy duck

DUCKULA · Post by **DUCKULA** » Thu May 28, 2020 1:50 pm

YOU GOT IT!!!

**"Lovefool" by the Cardigans plays**

meadows · Post by **meadows** » Thu May 28, 2020 1:52 pm

now THAT is a duck!

https://youtu.be/NI6aOFI7hms

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Thu May 28, 2020 2:32 pm

That’s some duck!!!!

Gomez420 · Post by **Gomez420** » Thu May 28, 2020 2:37 pm

Yay! Here is mine:
You will hear them before you see them, rummaging through dried leaves for insects, snails, seeds, fruit and occasionally small amphibians. Sounds like they are saying to “drink your tea”. Where males are black females are brown but share rust and white. The eyes are usually red but sometimes white. They tend to be very solitary and will claim more land than needed. Sometimes they even seem to try to scare away potential mates. In the late 90s they had a name change and their taxonomy is still a debate.

ritchey · Post by **ritchey** » Thu May 28, 2020 3:01 pm

Ohh I love the final twist! Who could it be??

Post by **joni** » Thu May 28, 2020 8:45 pm

Welcome [mention]Gomez420[/mention]!

I heard from a little person (bird) that it's your birthday tomorrow? HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

matthew · Post by **matthew** » Thu May 28, 2020 10:09 pm

[mention]GARY-19[/mention] I bought artisanal window suction-y birb feeder and I am curious if you have hot tips for keepin’ rats and roaches and squirrels off of it! Also if you have hot tips on the best birb seed to entice all my handsome birb friend to visit.

GARY-19 · Post by **GARY-19** » Fri May 29, 2020 4:40 am

pizza wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 10:09 pm @GARY-19 I bought artisanal window suction-y birb feeder and I am curious if you have hot tips for keepin’ rats and roaches and squirrels off of it! Also if you have hot tips on the best birb seed to entice all my handsome birb friend to visit.

Three years on since purchasing a window feeder myself, I have still not found a way to keep squirrels out of it! I finally gave up. If you share more about your home-yard setup I might be able to recommend an alternative feeder arrangement.

Where do you live? Are there specific birds you want to attract there where you live? I can tell you the bird food I put out but it may or may not be relevant to you.