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Pat
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Bird ID Help, please.
06/04/06 11:15 AM
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We have several bird books but the best we have are specially made for Oklahoma. The bird we can't ID may be an uncommom visitor but I think I saw an example nesting in the grass on or near the ground. I did NOT investigate as I didn't want to disturb them.
I have seen the bird in question on the ground beneath both of our back yard feeding stations (two feeders per station.) It doesn't seem to be interested in the seed feeders but does eat seed from the ground.
The bird is smaller than an eastern bluebird and larger than an American goldfinch, maybe slightly smaller than a tufted titmouse. It is beautiful blue on its back and bright orangey red on the belly. In flight in the sun the blue back is iridescent and amazingly BLUE. The red-orange breast is far more colorful than a robin or an eastern bluebird but its breast/belly is not the red of a redheaded woodpecker as it has a tinge of orange in the red.
Sorry, no pix. I almost got pix of the painted buntings but my wifes bino-cam has separate focus on the cam part and I didn't so only got colored blurs. (*%&$ 7654*&$(*%
 Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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BlueRidge
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/04/06 07:57 PM
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Can't help directly, Pat, but here are a couple of sites that might help:
http://www.whatbird.com/
http://www.wildbirds.com/Identify.htm
http://www.enature.com/home/
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Michael
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/05/06 08:43 AM
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Is this one a possibility?
You ARE a redneck if... you knew someone whose last words were "Hey y'all, watch this!"
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Michael]
06/06/06 08:04 AM
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Michael, As I mentioned in my post, we have eastern bluebirds, We have them but the bird in question isn't one. The X-Bird is smaller and slimmer than a bluebird and has a much more vivid red-orange belly. I'm not sure but don't think an eastern bluebird woudl nest on the ground when there are so many alternatives. Last spring I had a nest of them in my tractor shed (open to the south.)
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: BlueRidge]
06/06/06 08:58 AM
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Blue, Nice sites! Thanks for posting. I will certainly revisit those. Unfortunatley I tried to find the X-Bird using the facilities at those sites and failed. In all cases my search parameters yielded a bird or birds with which I am familiar BUT that was definitely NOT the X-Bird.
Still, I'm sure I'll get use out of at least two of the three sites. One of them is much less convenient but I used it anyway hoping to find the X-Bird.
Red-orange on the belly/breast and blue on the back fits several birds common to my area but none would be mistaken for the X-Bird due to size, exact distribution of color, or "other." Barn swallow, belted kingfisher, painted and other buntings, and the like are what I found in the searches but none are really very close.
I'd hate to do what Audubon himself would have done to ID the bird for sure.
NOTE to bird lovers: Charley Audubon shot the birds he painted in order to be able to examine them closely. This is a facet of the "GREAT NATURALIST" that is not prominently disclosed.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Edited by Pat (06/06/06 09:05 AM)
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egon
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/06/06 10:41 AM
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Pat, perhaps a trip to area 51 may be in order to locate the x-bird.
Egon 
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Michael
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/06/06 02:07 PM
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 Sorry, I missed that in the post.
You ARE a redneck if... you knew someone whose last words were "Hey y'all, watch this!"
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: egon]
06/06/06 03:42 PM
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Egon, Although "The truth is out there" you can "trust no one", least of all the folks at area 51. Although previously deeply involved with a famous blackbird and various black birds they aren't particularly "into" Blue and red-orange birds.
Though accused of "harboring" some "visitors", in general their welcome mat has ben retired as regards the lay public.
I have been near this and similar environs many times and have an appreciation for just how unlikely the habitat is for the bird in question.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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egon
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/06/06 04:12 PM
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Darned; no area 51 tour!
I beleive you have had some very warm weather and strong winds this past year. Perhaps a book depicting Birds found farther south or even offshore may be in order.
Egon
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egon
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: egon]
06/06/06 04:31 PM
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As an aside; do you think a composite material glider would be able to successfully complete a midnight landing on Groom Lake?
Egon
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JazzDad
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: egon]
06/07/06 08:04 AM
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Egon, I read your response and am thinking: it was a LONG winter up there in your parts this year, wasn't it? 
All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others.-Michael Carr
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: egon]
06/07/06 09:24 PM
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Egon, I am familiar with the concept of birds getting blown to unexpected areas by storms and other such reasons. In using the web sites offered to me here I did not narrow the search parameters to only my geographic area. Still no luck, yet.
I compared mental notes with my wife just to be sure I hadn't been demonstarting some "EYE WITNESS ERROR" phenomenon. She tracked with me regarding her independent sightings.
Slim small bird larger than an American goldfinch or a house finch but smaller than a cardinal or even a tufted titmouse. Brilliant blue on the back (especially with a good sun angle) and a full underside of red-orange. No large areas of the bird are any other colors like the eastern blubird, barn swallow or any of the other "suggestions" so far as was visible in our sightings.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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egon
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: JazzDad]
06/08/06 05:03 AM
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And now it's a long cold spring! Our "Rain Showers" for today are in the form of hoizontal rain pellets and wind howling in the eves.
But we be hardy folk of good yoeman stock and will survive!
Egon
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: egon]
06/08/06 08:09 PM
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Egon, You may even do as well as those of good yeoman stock.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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RobS
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/09/06 02:51 PM
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Could it be an Indigo Bunting Pat? We had one at our feeder the other day but it flew before I could get a picture. Very deep, irridescent blue in color. I don't recall the underside but I thought it was blue as well.
We have bluebirds too. They do have the rusty colored underside but not nearly as vibrant a blue as the bunting.
HTH
Rob
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RobS
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Here's a pic of an Eastern Bluebird that dropped by our feeder this evening. I saw an Indigo Bunting but he wouldn't cooperate for my camera. No rust color on the bunting for sure.
Rob
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: RobS]
06/10/06 09:40 AM
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Rob, I'm 'fraid not. The Indigo Bunting is a beautiful bird but you are right about the blue underneath (male bird, female is brown.) The X-Bird is bright red-orange underneath, not red like a red headed woodpecker but really bright red with some orange cast to it.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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NSbound
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Pat, any chances it might have been a disoriented (read "lost" Western Bluebird???
Ian M.
Transferred to Nova Scotia, making plans to retire as soon as the economy lets me!
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RobS
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I did finally get the Indigo Bunting, attached.
Could the elusive x-bird be a barn swallow? Northern Parula (a warbler), Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting (western version of Indigo), Painted Bunting, or ??? I just went through my bird book and that's all I could come up with
Rob
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jross
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/11/06 12:45 PM
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It could be a mud swallow, bit I am not sure how much they eat seed, ususally getting bugs on the wing. It is bright blue on the back with orange breast here in NJ
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: NSbound]
06/11/06 02:42 PM
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NS, It is possible if it was a mutant or someone had died its belly bright red-orange. Punk bluebird? The western bluebirds I have seen do NOT have bull bright red-orange on the breast. The X-Bird has as much of its breast colored as a robin but the color is much brighter/more saturated.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: RobS]
06/11/06 02:52 PM
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Rob, Sorry, all those and more were suggested by the previously posted web sites but none are close. We have two barn swallow nests at our house now and although they are very pretty birds they arren't close to the coloration of the X-Bird.
The X-Bird is virtually all blue on the back and red-orange on the front, eats seeds but doesn't perch on the feeder, eats seed scattered on the ground under the feeders. Swallows eat bugs.
We also have painted buntings (which I have named SHERBERT BIRDS due to their coloration) but their coloration is not remotely similar to the X-Bird. The X-Bird has no large green patches like the sherbert bird.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Pat
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: jross]
06/11/06 03:06 PM
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Jack, I call them feathered mud daubers. Pretty birds. They have a distinctive deep V'd tail which distinguishes them easily in flight as well as a very easily recognized flight characteristic and they have a wide (better to catch bugs with my dear) based beak.
The X-Bird doesn't have a deep V tail or a wide base beak and eats seeds instead of bugs. I know in bird ID that close doesn't count but if I were awarding points on general appearance the barn swallow would be the closest in size and appearance of what we have aroud here even though it is easily disqualified for several reasons.
Both my wife and I saw the X-Bird several times, independently and when we compared notes there were no points of dissagreement.
I have never seen a barn swallow nest on the ground or spend much time there. The only time I have seen them "at the surface" has been at a pond getting mud or skiming low over a pond "snatching" water from the surface.
The bird ID software on some of the sites even suggested the belted kingfisher which is like confusing a C-5A with a J-3 Cub.
The X-Bird doesn't just have "some" red-orange on the underside/belly/breast IT IS ALL BRIGHT RED-ORANGE over a large portion like the robin but much much brighter.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Edited by Pat (06/11/06 03:13 PM)
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RobS
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/11/06 08:20 PM
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Yeah, I'm thinking mutant as well. The colorations you describe could be a hormonally raged bluebird trying his best to attract a mate but the eating habits are odd. Bluebirds will most definitely perch and ours have never eaten off the ground. Maybe the same hormones have the little guys diet wacked out?
Rob
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JazzDad
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Re: Bird ID Help, please.
[re: Pat]
06/12/06 09:15 AM
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The belly colour is typically not as you described, but how about a scrub jay?
All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others.-Michael Carr
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