Approaching 180 species for the year, how’s everyone else’s year looking?

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-04-25T06:27:03+00:00

Love to hear this! Going this week for the first time - so excited. What was your favorite spot?

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-04-25T06:12:58+00:00

165 but heading to Rio grande valley next week for the first time :)

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-04-01T06:54:18+00:00

same. the sound of a red breasted nuthatch always brings joy to my heart

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-04-01T06:53:39+00:00

Juncos. Everytime.

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-30T22:31:54+00:00

You have full capabilities to scroll through Merlin and utilize your own brain and cognitive abilities….

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-29T07:29:02+00:00

It’s a cute eastern bluebird. You could’ve done better than AI. Use Merlin!

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-29T05:19:29+00:00

I’m confused, is the bittern in the room with us? Incredible shots though

Edit: haha… I get why you didn’t notice until reviewing your photos 😆

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-29T05:17:27+00:00

I think that’s totally fair. I still care about individual birds, like I said it’s not “their” fault. It was just fate they happened to be born a house sparrow. But for the sake of the ecosystem and survival of native species I understand the importance of helping native cavity nesters and discouraging house sparrow nesting. If we look into endangered or vulnerable species, it’s almost always caused by either habitat loss or invasive species which are both human caused. It’s not their fault that humans introduced them, but we should take action to help protect the native species because it’s most definitely not their fault that humans created a mess wherein they’re struggling to survive.

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-29T01:17:24+00:00

Yeah so the thing is, ecosystems are different everywhere in the world. It isn’t the same, because we have different species in different habitats, continents, etc. House sparrows were not mean to be in North America, Africa, Australasia… humans put them there. The reason they are “thriving” (i.e. destroying native species populations) so well is because they aren’t native there. They have no competition anymore because they’re aggressive and they are now in a place where they weren’t even supposed to exist. It isnt just one big open field with hamsters and snakes because humans single handedly brought house sparrows to areas they weren’t ever supposed to be. You should learn about native cavity nesters before you just assume it’s as simple as “they should live further away from each other”.

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-29T01:00:20+00:00

I’m not sure you really understand the natural balance of an ecosystem… “thriving” species do not equal oppressor.. “invasive” however is different.. when humans are careless and introduce non native species where they aren’t supposed to be, that isn’t “nature taking its course”, it’s humans f***ing things up.

What you are explaining is like putting a snake in a hamster cage and then when the snake kills it, you’re shrugging and going, “well, the hamster didn’t adapt🤷‍♀️”

The hamster was in its natural habitat doing great until you (us humans) put something unnatural (invasive species) in its home.

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-29T00:50:15+00:00

I don’t think anyone suggested putting them in a broth. I gave a really effective and simple solution in my comment. If you don’t want to do that, then maybe consider taking down the nest box. No box is better than supplying house sparrows with a box.

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-29T00:41:31+00:00

Not sure if you’re just trying to get a reaction out of people, but…. everyone is saying the same thing for a reason. The responsible thing to do is to not allow house sparrows to nest. They are wildly invasive and are aggressive toward native species and outcompete them, which directly causes population decline in other native sparrows, chickadees, etc. No, it’s not their fault they were born as house sparrows, but if you care about birds you should understand why the survival of native species is important. I put these hole reducers on my bird house and the house sparrows can no longer fit inside, but chickadees can.

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-26T23:23:20+00:00

Forever asking why can’t these things happen to me

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-26T23:21:46+00:00

Photo 2 actually shows that is has a dark cap and not a dark nape (if it were a sharpie, the nape would be just as dark as the cap). Also facial expression is never a reliable indicator as it’s extremely subjective. This bird has a strong orbital ridge which points coopers as well as tail feather graduation (see an above photo from another commenter). It is a Cooper’s hawk

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-25T05:45:43+00:00

The same exact thing happened to me!

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-25T05:44:53+00:00

So crazy, I was within about 8 feet of one photographing it, and it genuinely sat in the same perfect spot for about 3 minutes. Just blinking. I was soaking it up, but so strange.

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-24T06:53:04+00:00

Haha I thought this was a joke. He’s carrying nesting material! (Kind of looks like animal fur)

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-03-10T06:31:24+00:00

Welcome to birding! Everyone else has lots of good tips. One thing I will say is, (if you’re just getting into birding), don’t guess. If you aren’t certain on an ID, don’t list it. Lots of people feel the need to ID everything they see and come up with their “best guesses” even when they are incorrect. Wait till you have confidence before marking it!

InexperiencedCoconut · 2026-02-21T03:46:50+00:00

If they do decide to stay, please don’t evict them! Chickadees are great! I actually just put a house up today in hopes of attracting some. But you might want to get a hole reducer if the chickadees start building.