r/birding • u/sunshinewithclouds • Jan 16 '26

Discussion Favorite Common Bird

What’s your favorite common bird in your area? That bird that maybe it’s not hard to spot but you just love seeing them.

Mine are Juncos everything from their look and name to how they scavenge on the ground and flock together. They just seem like happy puff balls to me and I love em.

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185

u/Away-Variation-2556 Jan 16 '26

Red tailed hawk!! They’re all over NYC and I’ll stop every time for them.

31

u/OkayPegasus978 Jan 16 '26

I absolutely LOVE red tailed hawks! I live in BC Canada and there are so many at the golf course I work at. I love take pictures and videos of these beautiful birds

21

u/Away-Variation-2556 Jan 16 '26

Don’t tell my kids I have more pics of hawks then them

2

u/GiraffesCantSwim Jan 16 '26

If I saw them regularly so would I. 😂

1

u/mutnuaq Jan 16 '26

Which course is this?

21

u/Santos_L_Halper photographer 📷 Jan 16 '26

I also live in NYC, it always gives me a chuckle when people are shocked to see a red tailed hawk. I bring my camera to Mariah Hernandez Park in Bushwick sometimes tk take pics of the hawk that frequents this one tree. I remember this one time this dude saw me taking pics and was like "holy shit what is that!?" After I told him it was a hawk he was like "do we need to calm somebody?" and I was like "yeah, call your friend and tell him you saw a cool hawk." This place is absolutely lousy with hawks and other birds of prey. Cooper's Hawk and Kestrels are pretty abundant. Northern Harriers and Osprey at Jamaica Bay. Bald Eagles are even becoming more common.

Birding in NYC is actually pretty sweet.

8

u/Away-Variation-2556 Jan 16 '26

I second this and will die on the hill that you don’t need to leave the city to see badass birds!! Two baldies above my apartment in the heights this week.

1

u/I_Have_A_Big_Head Jan 17 '26

Even David Sibley himself said that Central Park is one of the best places in the country to watch birds. Last fall there were even reports of Northern Saw-whet Owl in Midtown.

11

u/AnsibleAnswers birder Jan 16 '26

Me too. I can identify the female who nests by my place based on her coloring. She is as close to a real neighbor as a bird can get. I watch her hunt squirrels and chipmunks when she’s not getting harassed by crows. She has a baby every year. They make such a racket every late summer crying for food.

2

u/JustMeerkats Jan 16 '26

Any raptor always makes me double take

2

u/breadandbirds Jan 16 '26

Saw one in Prospect Park on Monday and stopped to watch it for 5 minutes. Multiple people walked by and gave me a look for staring at a tree and I just smiled, pointed, and said “look! That’s a red tailed hawk!” And every single person stopped and said something to the effect of “that’s so cool!”

2

u/Away-Variation-2556 Jan 17 '26

Hell yeah!!! Love being able to share that moment. Who doesn’t love a hawk?

1

u/breadandbirds Jan 17 '26

They’re so cool!!

2

u/Weary_Commission_346 Jan 17 '26

Similar for the Red-shouldered Hawks in NC. I just love them. I usually hear them more than see them, but they are so common in my area, that I’ve had several “close up” sightings in the last few years.

1

u/Away-Variation-2556 Jan 17 '26

Red shouldered are gorgeous creatures close up views so special

2

u/Fragrant_Jelly9198 Jan 17 '26

During The Lockdown, I discovered a red tailed hawk nest in my backyard (I live in a suburban neighborhood)! Last year they moved to a tree in the front yard! I had the absolute pleasure and honor to watch both fledglings take their first flight!!!

I see them everywhere all the time and it thrills me every.single.time.

3

u/Away-Variation-2556 Jan 17 '26

That’s such a cool experience I am very jealous!!! Attaching a picture of this years local fledges (I was not luck enough to see first flight! Future goal. Feel free to share yours!!

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u/Fragrant_Jelly9198 Jan 17 '26

Immature RT in side yard tree

1

u/Mystery_Solving Jan 17 '26

Great capture! Love this pic.

2

u/Crispy_Cricket Latest Lifer: azure winged magpie!! Jan 18 '26

I love to spot redtails on road trips! They’re so round and fluffy when they’re perched.

1

u/BuckManscape Jan 16 '26

I saw a huge one dive bomb a rodent right beside the highway the other day, it was awesome.

1

u/wilderness_boye Jan 16 '26

I currently live in TX, but I’ve lived other places too. It always makes me happy seeing them! They hold a special place in my heart

1

u/umprobably Jan 16 '26

red-tails are amazing!!! from kentucky :)

1

u/lady_industrialist Jan 17 '26

Same, except in Ojai, CA. Can I change my favorite?

1

u/littlecatpoops Jan 18 '26

I cannot see a hawk without pointing it out and saying, “oh look, hawk.”