New visitors

[linrose]

I really enjoy watching the birds in the field and the yard feeding on seeds from the garden and at the feeder. I like to sit for awhile and watch them, their amazing routines, pecking orders, adults feeding juveniles (kids it's time to leave home, not that I'm relating to my own kids, ahem.)

Lately I've seen some birds I've never seen before. I'm not an avid birder, just a casual observer, but I'm really curious as to what birds they are. One that I've seen over the past two weeks in an olive colored bird, olive all over, no wing bars or any other markings. It's stocky like a robin and likes to perch on top of the arbor. It's very shy and I haven't been able to capture a photo of it yet.

Another that I just saw today is a tiny gray bird with a white breast and a white eye ring and a tail just like a mockingbird's, dark gray with white on the side edges. It is smaller than a chickadee. Perhaps a warbler?

Are there any ornithologists among us, or amateurs with expertise in bird ID? I went through my books but my photographic memory lacks an SD card, in other words, it's like a sieve!

Either way I really enjoy watching them. Since the butterfly count is dismal here, at least I can enjoy the birds!

[recurve]

The second bird you described I'm almost positive that it's a blue-grey gnatcatcher very cool little birds to watch. The first one I'm puzzled by I hope you get a picture of it happy birding

[sprucetree]

Cedar Wax Wings could be described as olive colored. They generally eat berries[and insects while raising young] normally shy but will group in trees with berries.

One thing that's nice is now you can visit Cornell's web-site and see if we are right.

[linrose]

Oh my gosh recurve, you are right on the money! Thank you, that's my bird! I've never seen a blue-grey gnatcatcher before. Very cool!

I'm sure my other bird is not a cedar waxwing. There's no crest, no black mask. I should have better described the color as yellowish gray/brown. That's a poor description too! I really need to get a photo of it. It's about the size of a robin, maybe a bit smaller.

[dapjwy]

Congratulations on your new visitors, linrose.

I think I need to learn from you to sit and observe more...and enjoy more.

[sprucetree]

I sure enjoy the cedar-wax wings that visit me; They sit and pass berries to each other which I find very enjoyable. I'm waiting for the Robins to eat the Mountain Ash berries so I can cut out some dead wood.

[linrose]

I really enjoy the cedar waxwings too, they swoop in and devour any fruit left on the dogwoods in the spring.

[turttle]

Could your other bird be a pine warbler? They are kind of yellowish-green, smaller than a robin, not too distinctively colored at least in the winter when I see them the most? I suspect it is too small to be your bird but I thought I'd throw in the suggestion.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by sprucetree

I sure enjoy the cedar-wax wings that visit me; They sit and pass berries to each other which I find very enjoyable.

Now that I'd like to see.

I did spot three in the yard earlier this year (only being able to identify them because of a zoom lens and digital photo). Once more of my berry-producing trees and shrubs start producing, I hope to be able to witness the waxwings up close...and exhibiting the behavior you described.

[linrose]

Nope, not a pine warbler either turttle. It's larger and has no markings at all, no white belly. I've only seen it twice here, I hope to get another glimpse of it and better yet, a photo. I might just have to sit outside all day in the lounge chair today (82 degrees and clear, woohoo!) and watch for it. Ah the sacrifices I make for science!