Skip to main content

Do You Know What This Is?

This afternoon, we had a visitor to our yard. He was a handsome fellow and not terribly shy. We first saw him when he landed on our porch railing. He sat looking at us for a while and then flew over to one of the flower beds where he sat motionless for quite some time. I was able to get fairly close to get a picture without scaring him away. We were concerned that he might be sick or injured.


Although it's difficult to tell in this picture (my camera's focus hasn't been working well), his feathers were fluffy leading us to believe he was still a baby. He was much larger than other baby birds we've had in the yard, larger even than some adult birds. We're quite curious to find out what type of bird he is because we've never seen another like him.

He was still in the flower bed when we went in the house for lunch, but he was gone when we came back out. Sadly, we found him dead on our porch some time later. He had found a spot behind our bar and quietly passed away. My guess is that he had lost his mother and was unable to fend for himself.

I would still like to identify him. I've looked at pictures of dozens of birds that are native to Michigan and I can't find any that look quite like him. He resembled a robin, but he was larger than a typical adult robin and he had very long tail feathers, almost hawk-like. Do you know what he is?

Comments

Unknown said…
Aw, that's a sad story. I wish I could help you. You might be on the right track thinking "bird of prey". The belly markings are a tad unusual, don't you think?
Heidi said…
Aw... poor baby. I have no idea what he is. He was pretty though. Hopefully you get a bird watcher on here who knows!
L.B. said…
I did a Google image search and may have found something like this. The name I came up with was "Kirtland's Warbler" which is apparently a rare bird. I didn't find any exact matches to the bird you found but some of the features of those and the pictures I saw seemed similar.
L.B. said…
Hi Willoughby!

Damn right I read your blog about nuder! It just seemed to fit when I used it, so I used it as a shout out to my blog buddy.
Willoughby said…
Thanks, everyone, for your input! I checked out pics of Kirtlands Warblers, they are close, but I'm not sure that's what our visitor was.

L.B. - Thanks for the shout out! Did you see any spanghew in the mud on your run?
it looks like a baby hawk of some kind
ChristineM said…
That's so sad... I've never seen one in real life, so I'm not sure, but google "juvenile merlin" - it does look like one!
Willoughby said…
doggybloggy and Christine - Thanks for the ideas. I took your advice and looked at juvenile hawks and merlins. They do resemble this bird. I wish I had a clearer picture!
abby jenkins said…
Hi Willoughby, I am pretty sure that is a baby robin. We had four families roost above our front door and I would watch them as their mom taught them to fly. Sure looks the same. Poor baby.
I am also quite certain that we were separated at birth.

Popular posts from this blog

It's Time For A Giveaway!

I am excited to announce that Novica has, once again given me a $50 gift card to award to one lucky winner.  If you're not familiar with Novica , they work in association with National Geographic to bring the work of talented artists and artisans around the globe to the rest of the world via the internet. Shopping their website is a unique experience as you can view information about each artist along with the works they create.  It gives each item a very personal feeling.  In the Keepers Of The Arts section, you can watch videos of the artists at work. I love Novica so much that I could go on and on telling you how wonderful their website is, what great customer service they have and, especially, how talented the artisans are, but it would be much more fun for you to see for yourself.  Before you head over there, though, let me give you a sneak peak of some of the wonderful things you'll discover (and maybe help you find some unique Christmas gifts). Wool...

It's Wednesday, Welcome Back To The Cocktail Party!

Welcome to Willoughby's Blog Style Cocktail Party. I hope you will find some new blogs to follow and expand your circle of blog friends. I know you're all anxious to mingle, so I'll get right to it. I'd like to introduce Deidra from Jumping Tandem .  I know you'll enjoy her blog as much as I do. Keeping It Real.... Deidra I'm an East Coast girl living in the midwest because I love my husband (I call him "H" around here) and his work brought us here. We have been blessed with two amazing children (currently in college) and an empty nest that I absolutely love! Don't get me wrong, I love my kids but they're destined to change the world and they can't do that living under my roof (although they're welcome back anytime for love, prayers, support, encouragement, and of course homecooked meals and clean laundry). Did I mention that H is a pastor? So that makes me the pastor's wife - but don't let that blur your vision. H is...

Bugging Out

Spring is such a wonderful time of year.  The birds have returned and greet each morning with their lovely songs.  The tree branches are covered with green buds ready to burst into life.  The grass has shed it's yellow/brown pallor in favor of a lovely emerald.  The air is warm and breezy.  It's all so lovely except for one thing.  The bugs. Because of our nearly uninhabitable climate during the winter months, we don't see many bugs from late October through early April.  I almost forget how much I hate them until they come back.  And they know I hate them so they taunt me.  Ever since the thermometer hit the 60 degree mark, we've had flies congregating around the back porch.  I can't sit out there and enjoy my morning coffee without having them buzz past me. Now, flies I hate, but spiders I absolutely loathe.  Friday morning I walked into the bathroom to dry my hair and spotted what I thought was a bumble ...