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SUN CITY HILTON HEAD BIRD CLUB |
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SUN CITY HILTON HEAD, BLUFFTON, SC 29909 |
| Pictures and sightings | ||
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Please send me your pictures (.jpg or .gif) or bird sightings via e-mail and we'll list them here. Include what, when, where and any other interesting facts. |
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| Blue Grosbeak | ||
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From Edith Stanley, 4/16: While looking out my bedroom window this morning I was surprised to see a beautiful dark blue bird at my backyard feeder. Frank and I at first thought it was a bunting of some kind, until we saw his rufous-colored wing bars. We discovered that our visitor was a blue grosbeak. I hope he returns soon so I can get a better shot with a clear view of his wings.
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BIRDING NOTES FROM DAVE ON APRIL 11TH
It's interesting that field trips from many sources are reporting relatively more Sharp-shinned Hawks then Cooper Hawks. In the recent past it has been the other way around. Several Savannah Sparrows have shown up around my feeders: probably in a wave migrating through Sun City. Look for the yellow lores above the eye and a really short tail. At first glance they look like a Song Sparrow without the chest spot. Beaches are being formed on our lagoons due to the drought. I'm seeing small sandpipers (not spotted) on these "beaches" but have not identified as of yet. It may be worthwhile to watch carefully your local lagoon for the consequences of this habitat change. Keep tuned. Dave Bateman |
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| WOOD STORK | ||
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John Edman reports that this is the first time he has had a wood stork visit his back yard!!
Wood Stork and Great Egret |
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Someone called me to tip me off that she saw a pair of chickadees going in and out of a hole in a tree along the nature trail. We went to check, and just past #12, on the right, is a small dead tree with what looks like a former woodpecker hole. Two chickadees were coming and going. One kept going in and pecking out wood (it sounded like a small woodpecker.) It brought out the sawdust, flew to a nearby branch, dropped it and returned. Here a some pictures I took during the excavation.
Paul and Mary Ellen Padula
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| Tagged Turkey Vultures | ||
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Sighting from Bob Gard: "We sighted two tagged turkey vultures on Friday afternoon (2/16) on Tupelo Court in Sun City. Both had white tags attached to the upper side of the right wing. One was marked LPT, the other LMJ. I have reported these sightings to the National Wildlife Research Center through a link from this web page The Turkey Vulture Society." |
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| Pileated Woodpecker | ||
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"This pileated has been making a nesting hole in a tree along the nature trail. I finally had my camera with me today. It's on the left, about 40 feet in, right before rest stop #4 (the first covered rest stop)." Paul Padula
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| Pictures from Martha Spencer's Backyard | ||
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Female Orchard Oriole: "This isn't great, but it shows the oriole next to a pine warbler, for comparison." Female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. "Note the broad white line down the wing."
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| American Bittern | ||
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From John Edman: "Attached is a scanned copy of a photo taken by Dolores Kunowski who lives on Falmouth Way (on the lagoon) and thought this was an unusual bird and her husband brought the pics to my house for identification. Although American Bittern are certainly around here, I do not recall seeing one at SC and there were none seen on this years Christmas bird count."
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| Cooper's Hawk | ||
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From Sue Rea: "I took this picture of a juvenile Cooper's Hawk in Pinckney a couple of weeks ago. It took a while to get a positive ID. Mike Cotterill, Diane Marinaccio-Rand and Chris Marsh were wonderful and pointed out what I should look for to distinguish the Cooper's Hawk from a Sharp-shinned Hawk. One thing that tells us he is a juvenile are the gold eyes, adults have red eyes. Also, the Cooper has a more robust body, thicker legs and is an overall bigger bird although there can be an overlap in size. That is why the two are oftened confused. Diane pointed out the size and shape of the head (smaller and narrower for Sharpie), tail characteristics ( Cooper's have a rounded tail) and how the Cooper's "head protrudes well beyond the leading edge of the wings" in flight...From Chris "The eye color (as Sue pointed out), the lack of a well-defined eye stripe and the narrow stripes on the chest all say it is a Cooper’s." |
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| Red-bellied Woodpecker | ||
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Tom Rea took this picture at the outing to Fish Haul Creek 1/31:
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| Red-shouldered Hawk | ||
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"This bird was at sitting on top of the pole of our feeder today." Joanne Miller, 1/27/07 |
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| Great pictures from Sue and Tom Rea, 1/19/07 | ||
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Here are a couple of pictures Tom Rea took at the Lagoon by the tennis courts a couple of days ago.
EGRET WITH PLUMAGE:
 WOOD STORK SITTING:  |
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These are all Sun City birds from varios locations I have taken at different times. Sue Rea CORMORANT WHITE IBIS FIRST FALL HUMMINGBIRD
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| More Great Pictures from Sue Rea | ||
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Sue writes: "Last summer, in June, Joe & Eleanor Lyons graciously allowed me to take pictures of a Screech Owl chick/fledgling that was in their backyard. Here is one of the pictures." |
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Tom & Sue Rea captured these photos at Pinckney Island on January 20, 2007: We know what the waxwings are, but what is the little warbler?
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| Northern Oriole | ||
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Here's a great visitor to Joanne Miller's feeder!
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| Wood Storks | ||
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I took pictures of this pair of wood storks on the lagoon across from the new pickle ball court on
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| Cardinal | ||
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We seem to be overrun with Cardinals this Winter! Their color also seems more vibrant than usual. They have been hanging around our live oak street trees, talking for hours to each other. The attached photo was taken today in front of my home at 108 Hampton Circle.
Don Sanginario, 1/10/07
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| Red-bellied Woodpecker | ||
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Here's my up-close photo of the subject Woodpecker who thinks he's a hummingbird:
Don Sanginario
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| American Coots from Sue Rea 1/7/07 | ||
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| Winter Visitors | ||
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From Diane Rand: "I've got two hummingbirds in my backyard. The black-chinned has been here since November 11 and the rufous since December 13.
 Black-chinned Hummingbird |
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| Brown-headed Nuthatch | ||
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"A lovely visitor to our feeders." - from Mike Cotterill, 12/11/06
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"Caught this loggerhead shrike on the cypress out back by the lagoon."
Paul Padula, 12/11/06
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| Great pictures from Helen Chatterton (8/3/06) | ||
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PURPLE MARTIN SANCTUARY
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| New Bluebird Pictures | ||
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From Paul Padula: "Our second bluebird family recently fledged. Here's two photos of the last feedings before they left the nest."
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| Bald Eagle | ||
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From John Edman:
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| Black-crowned Night Heron | ||
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From Sue Rea: " My husband and I took a day trip to Charleston. We visited the Magnolia Plantation Gardens. Extraordinary! I took this picture of a Black-crowned Night Heron and thought I would share this with you. . The picture was taken in the Audubon Swamp Garden on the plantation grounds." 3/28/06
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| Great pictures from Don Sanginario | ||
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Cardinal Don titles the picture of this bluebird: "Eat and Run"
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| Great pictures from Mike Cotterill from a recent vacation in Mexico (3/17/06) | ||
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Roseate Spoonbill
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Snowy Egret |
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| Wonderful Pictures of Mandarin Ducks | ||
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From President Martha Spancer: "Olvis and I took these pictures of some beautiful Mandarin Ducks at the Duke Gardens in Durham, NC."
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| Bellingham, WA Outing | ||
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Katy Monnier sends these photos of Harlequin Ducks and Black Turnstones from a birding walk in November, 2005, in Washington:
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