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The thread for birds and birding

Proud2baLaker

Proud2baLaker

Master of Science
There used to be a thread like this a while back but I think it got purged.

After a long time without them, I finally put my feeders back up and filled them. I have 3 suet cakes out, 1 large square seed cake, 2 feeders for standard feed, 1 thistle feeder, and one small tray attached to the pole the regular feeders and seed cake hang on.

I used just standard seed suet rather than any of the nuts or fruit ones only because the Rural King I went to had them for cheap. I offer safflower and sunflower on the tray with a little bit of corn and spread corn on the ground to keep the squirrels occupied (though they are unable to get to the regular feeders anyway). I usually get a no waste, nut and fruit based seed but I was being cheap and got something more standard though it still has sunflower in it. Have had some issues with grackles but not to bad. The come for a bit here and there once or twice a day but then leave after getting spooked.

My regular visitors: Carolina wrens, cardinals, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, goldfinches, titmouse, house finches, white throated sparrows, house sparrows, chickadees and blue jays. Ive considered putting up a few wren houses around the yard but I hope to be moving in the spring to a new state so I dont want to be in the middle of breeding and have to take them down. Definelty will be doing that in the future. I love the wrens. When they come feed they really like to stay around for quite a while. They have also shown some interest in the flower box I have outside my window (its empty) maybe I wil get lucky and they will just nest in that.

My feeders are maybe 10 feet from my bedroom/office window. The birds have gotten really comfy and will land on the remnants of the shrub right under the window and dont even react (except the grackles) when I am right at the window moving around.
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

Proud2balaker - I looked for that old thread awhile ago. Have had some interesting things in New England this Fall/Winter - Northern lapwings in RI and on Nantucket, Great Grey Owl in Hanover. NH, 2 Golden Eagles in Maine and a Gyraflacon in Hadley, MA. Of course the bird of the year showed up on Nantucket in October - a grey-tailed tattler. Check out the normal range for this one. Amazing that it showed up here ... and I didn't get to go after it due to being laid up after shoulder surgery.
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

CarlS said:
Proud2balaker - I looked for that old thread awhile ago. Have had some interesting things in New England this Fall/Winter - Northern lapwings in RI and on Nantucket, Great Grey Owl in Hanover. NH, 2 Golden Eagles in Maine and a Gyraflacon in Hadley, MA. Of course the bird of the year showed up on Nantucket in October - a grey-tailed tattler. Check out the normal range for this one. Amazing that it showed up here ... and I didn't get to go after it due to being laid up after shoulder surgery.
Click to expand...

How confused on its migration pattern did that bird have to be to end up on Nantucket?!!?!?!?!?!

Also spent the morning doing this (dark-eyed junco):
644393_647424380224_1283046708_n.jpg
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

I don't know much about birds, but we have a female cardinal who is just obsessed with getting into our bathroom. Very often she is sitting in the window sill or hovering by the window, pecking on the glass, like she wants to get in. Any idea why?
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

Timothy A said:
I don't know much about birds, but we have a female cardinal who is just obsessed with getting into our bathroom. Very often she is sitting in the window sill or hovering by the window, pecking on the glass, like she wants to get in. Any idea why?
Click to expand...


She wants to kill you, obviously. :eek:

At our old house, we had a crow that would stop by our skylight over our bathroom in the morning and tap on the glass while looking down at us. Happened intermittently for a couple of weeks and then it was gone.

Was a little unnerving.
 
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Re: The thread for birds and birding

We have a couple of sunflower seed feeders, a thistle feeder and hummingbird feeders.

We really don't get much out of the ordinary, but it's a lot of fun to have a yard full of birds. Three of the feeders are in trees near our deck so we usually eat dinner in the warmer months along with our guests.

We do have Cooper's & Red Tail Hawks though, which can make things interesting. Every once in a while, I come upon what looks like an exploded mourning dove on the lawn. One time there were feathers all over our deck and one intestine, a beak and two feet. Lovely.

This photo is one I took of a Cooper's that showed up in our tree while we were eating dinner a couple of summers ago. To get this shot I was basically right under him, 20 feet below. Pieces were dropping around me.

I like to believe that he's eating a Gopher. :D


Hawk_zpsa491eeea.jpg




A couple of months ago, we had a nest of voles under our front feeder. They wore a path to their hole in the pile of sunflower casings. They lasted about 4 days. I was getting ready for work one morning and noticed a Cooper's on the ground under that feeder. When the hawk took off, I saw an unfortunate little black fur ball in its talon. So much for the nest of voles.

I never feel too bad (a little though). Predators' gotta eat too.
 
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Re: The thread for birds and birding

Timothy A said:
I don't know much about birds, but we have a female cardinal who is just obsessed with getting into our bathroom. Very often she is sitting in the window sill or hovering by the window, pecking on the glass, like she wants to get in. Any idea why?
Click to expand...

Might see her own reflection and view it as a competing female. I have several in my backyard and for the most part they are ok with each other. But every now and then they (all of the cardinals) just go crazy and chase each other around like mad.
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

Timothy A said:
I don't know much about birds, but we have a female cardinal who is just obsessed with getting into our bathroom. Very often she is sitting in the window sill or hovering by the window, pecking on the glass, like she wants to get in. Any idea why?
Click to expand...

Back when we lived in town on the east side I had a cardinal just pecking the crap out of my Blazer's side mirror. It was a male, and I'm pretty sure it was a territorial thing, aside from the fact that he was pecking at his own reflection. Silly bird.
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

So I had been out of town for a few days and took my feeders down since there was going to be some rain (I worry about the feed getting wet and nasty). I finally got to put them back up today. Didn't take long for them to all come back. The goldfinches still havent realized the thistle feeder is back up but they will (I had been having several sitting at the feeder all day). The Carolina wrens have been coming all day (still my favorites). I have a flower box outside the window and they have been checking it out more and more. Really hoping it becomes a nest site (no flowers in it but it has some branches from a small shrub protecting part of it). I did have a new bird today, a red bellied woodpecker. Nothing special but havent had one yet this year. My hope is that the pileated woodpeckers Ive seen in town in the past may stop by eventually.
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

Gurtholfin said:
She wants to kill you, obviously. :eek:

At our old house, we had a crow that would stop by our skylight over our bathroom in the morning and tap on the glass while looking down at us. Happened intermittently for a couple of weeks and then it was gone.

Was a little unnerving.
Click to expand...

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten hockey,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my roof window.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my roof window-
It's probably only nothing though.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my old programs surcease of sorrow - sorrow for Badger teams of yore-
For the rare and radiant team that once could win-
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my roof window-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my roof window; -
It's probably only nothing though,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my roof window,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide my door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Gopher whore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Gopher whore?'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis only Dubber and nothing more!'

You're a complicated dude, Gurth.
 
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Re: The thread for birds and birding

burd said:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten hockey,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my roof window.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my roof window-
It's probably only nothing though.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my old programs surcease of sorrow - sorrow for Badger teams of yore-
For the rare and radiant team that once could win-
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my roof window-
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my roof window; -
It's probably only nothing though,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my roof window,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide my door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Gopher whore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Gopher whore?'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis only Dubber and nothing more!'

You're a complicated dude, Gurth.
Click to expand...


Burd, in the Birding thread?

And with this!?!


It's all too much. Heavy stuff there bro...
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

Well, if we're talking about the birds...

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iUT4QpHcWGI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Re: The thread for birds and birding

Farce Poobah said:
Crane Cam is up, courtesy of Rowe Sanctuary. Woot!

http://rowe.audubon.org/crane-cam
Click to expand...

Neat.

I had my 20th species of bird show up at my feeders this year, an eastern towhee. Birds should starting coming through on migration soon, can't wait to see what shows up next.

#21 came later in the day. A northern mockingbird showed up and chowed on some suet for a little while.
 
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Re: The thread for birds and birding

Been dabbling in some more bird drawings:

American Kestrel
578068_650671178614_1381046309_n.jpg


American Goldfinch
734124_650594497284_971804890_n.jpg


These are both going to friends.
 
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