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  1. #461
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by cspan37421 View Post
    I'm not feeding birds as I'm tired of feeding squirrels - and I've had multiple "squirrel proof" feeders. I've given up on it. However, I do enjoy making birdhouses, and we have two of them right outside our kitchen nook, handing from a shepherd's crook. Over the years they have alternatively housed chickadees and bluebirds. The latter are really beautiful but I have grown tired of them pecking on the window. I almost suspect they're doing it to annoy, rather than out of mistake in seeing a reflection. Anyway, this year was a changeover, and we're seeing chickadees there. Bluebirds took over one of my carpenter bee traps (enlarging one of the entry holes).

    About a week ago the removable bottom fell out of one of the two birdhouses. Two bits of wood pivot under to hold it in place. Somehow both got pivoted outward. I felt bad as I thought there was some nesting going on in there (as there was in the other). Once the coast was clear of any recovery efforts (by the birds) I replaced the floor. Within just 3 days I noticed chickadees going in and out again.

    The next day, I saw a wren REMOVING chickadee bedding from the other birdhouse! Trying to evict them! "No my friend, we must not interfere, for it is nature's way ..."
    [can anyone get the reference without googling?]

    Saw some other nice birds in the area too. Female cardinal; what I thought was a finch (like the kind I see in doctors' offices) but had more of a "mohawk" atop the head. I need to look that one up. And our usual assortment of sparrows, crows, bluebirds, and so forth. All without feeding! Granted, when I was buying the $pendy birdfood, we were getting amazing birds. But this is still pretty good.

    ***

    Curious if this was bird action:

    I went to mow the yard yesterday, and as part of my pre-mow walkaround, I saw two adjacent piles of freshly-cut, small branches at the foot of our oak tree. The branches were a bit thinner than a pencil's diameter. My initial reaction was, "Did our gutter guy come out today and cut those off - were they encroaching the house?" No. "Could that be the start of a failed squirrel nest, that got blown out of the tree?" Well, we haven't had unusually high winds in the last few days. Now I wonder if birds cut them, and were actually collecting them there to pick up and move later. Would be a big bird. These little branches were about 1.5-2.0 feet in length, with leaves on them. I don't know what to think. Any ideas?
    Maybe Big Bird got tired of New York?

  2. #462
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO
    Quote Originally Posted by cspan37421 View Post

    Curious if this was bird action:

    I went to mow the yard yesterday, and as part of my pre-mow walkaround, I saw two adjacent piles of freshly-cut, small branches at the foot of our oak tree. The branches were a bit thinner than a pencil's diameter. My initial reaction was, "Did our gutter guy come out today and cut those off - were they encroaching the house?" No. "Could that be the start of a failed squirrel nest, that got blown out of the tree?" Well, we haven't had unusually high winds in the last few days. Now I wonder if birds cut them, and were actually collecting them there to pick up and move later. Would be a big bird. These little branches were about 1.5-2.0 feet in length, with leaves on them. I don't know what to think. Any ideas?
    The corvids (crows, magpies) make stick nests. My first thought was squirrels, but I don't know why they would bring nesting twigs to the ground.
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  3. #463
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Washington, DC area
    Quote Originally Posted by cspan37421 View Post
    I'm not feeding birds as I'm tired of feeding squirrels - and I've had multiple "squirrel proof" feeders. I've given up on it. However, I do enjoy making birdhouses, and we have two of them right outside our kitchen nook, handing from a shepherd's crook. Over the years they have alternatively housed chickadees and bluebirds. The latter are really beautiful but I have grown tired of them pecking on the window. I almost suspect they're doing it to annoy, rather than out of mistake in seeing a reflection. Anyway, this year was a changeover, and we're seeing chickadees there. Bluebirds took over one of my carpenter bee traps (enlarging one of the entry holes).

    About a week ago the removable bottom fell out of one of the two birdhouses. Two bits of wood pivot under to hold it in place. Somehow both got pivoted outward. I felt bad as I thought there was some nesting going on in there (as there was in the other). Once the coast was clear of any recovery efforts (by the birds) I replaced the floor. Within just 3 days I noticed chickadees going in and out again.

    The next day, I saw a wren REMOVING chickadee bedding from the other birdhouse! Trying to evict them! "No my friend, we must not interfere, for it is nature's way ..."
    [can anyone get the reference without googling?]

    Saw some other nice birds in the area too. Female cardinal; what I thought was a finch (like the kind I see in doctors' offices) but had more of a "mohawk" atop the head. I need to look that one up. And our usual assortment of sparrows, crows, bluebirds, and so forth. All without feeding! Granted, when I was buying the $pendy birdfood, we were getting amazing birds. But this is still pretty good.

    ***

    Curious if this was bird action:

    I went to mow the yard yesterday, and as part of my pre-mow walkaround, I saw two adjacent piles of freshly-cut, small branches at the foot of our oak tree. The branches were a bit thinner than a pencil's diameter. My initial reaction was, "Did our gutter guy come out today and cut those off - were they encroaching the house?" No. "Could that be the start of a failed squirrel nest, that got blown out of the tree?" Well, we haven't had unusually high winds in the last few days. Now I wonder if birds cut them, and were actually collecting them there to pick up and move later. Would be a big bird. These little branches were about 1.5-2.0 feet in length, with leaves on them. I don't know what to think. Any ideas?
    I've seen this from squirrels. They chew the ends off and sometimes drop them. Even saw one once that was on the wrong side and came down with the branch tip. (Apparently had the wrong acme saw.) He collected first himself then the branch, and went back up a tree.

    -jk

  4. #464
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    West Palm Beach, Fl
    Had the cutest little baby limpkin chick in the yard for the past three weeks. Always walking around with mother. Today mom is here with no baby. Too many gators.

  5. #465
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    West Palm Beach, Fl
    Saw a rose breasted grosbeak on Cedar Key in my yard today. It was in a cabbage palm eating the berries after its flight across the Gulf. I have never seen one. It was quite beautiful.

  6. #466
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Outside Philly
    Saw fully yellow goldfinches today which is a nice sign of spring. They’re year round here and go dull in winter.


    Had a couple of bald Eagles cruising lately. Wondering if a nest is nearby.

  7. #467
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    West Palm Beach, Fl
    Yesterday afternoon while fishing between two small islands in the Gulf, we saw a bald eagle floating on the water. A gull flew overhead with a small fish. The eagle shot up after the gull causing it to drop the fish. The eagle then swooped down, picked up the fish, and off it flew towards the island. Another first, I have never seen one actually floating on the water.

  8. #468
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    Quote Originally Posted by sagegrouse View Post
    The corvids (crows, magpies) make stick nests. My first thought was squirrels, but I don't know why they would bring nesting twigs to the ground.
    Every Spring our local crow contingent visits our large day lily area where they gather the dead lily stalks from the year before and use them for nests...but as far as I know, they don't stash them on the ground...

  9. #469
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Outside Philly
    Quote Originally Posted by TeacherTom View Post
    Yesterday afternoon while fishing between two small islands in the Gulf, we saw a bald eagle floating on the water. A gull flew overhead with a small fish. The eagle shot up after the gull causing it to drop the fish. The eagle then swooped down, picked up the fish, and off it flew towards the island. Another first, I have never seen one actually floating on the water.
    That would have been fun to see. Eagles are definitely opportunistic; not surprising they’d bully other birds!

  10. #470
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    West Palm Beach, Fl
    Exactly why Ben Franklin was opposed to it being the National bird. One of his reasons was they steal from the hard-working ospreys.

  11. #471
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    Quote Originally Posted by bundabergdevil View Post
    That would have been fun to see. Eagles are definitely opportunistic; not surprising they’d bully other birds!
    stealing from gulls shouldn't be a bird crime, those guys are unrelenting.

  12. #472
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    West Palm Beach, Fl
    Franklin would have been a regular poster on Ymm, Beer for sure. The ABV of his craft draft would probably be the cause of his relentlessness.

  13. #473
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Steamboat Springs, CO

    Yes, Feeding the Birds Until Today

    I came into the kitchen at the normal early hour and looked into our back yard. A full-size bear was sitting above the rocks, and the four bird feeders were strewn all over the yard -- all empty. I yelled at him, and he moved off a ways, but then came back. He ran away when I sounded the portable air horn.

    That was it for feeding birds.

    It was probably the best winter we have had for seeing and feeding birds here. The main reason may have been that we were here every single day and kept the feeders filled. The last month has been notable in the large flocks of Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks, and Goldfinches. We also had Cassin's Finches, Spotted Towhees, the usual Corvids, both Nuthatches, both Chickadees (Mt. and Black-Capped) and -- for four months -- a Juniper Titmouse -- an uncommon bird but rare in our mountain habitat of Gambel's Oaks and Aspens.
    Sage Grouse

    ---------------------------------------
    'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013

  14. #474
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Outside Philly
    It’s prime lovemaking season for the birds where I am. Lots of flittering about. My houses are starting to get tenants.

    My garden box is getting a house wren pair again. I really like them. Very neighborly birds, beautiful calls.

  15. #475
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    woodpeckers (hairy and downy) attacking the suet box like barbarians at the gate...

  16. #476
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Outside Philly
    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    woodpeckers (hairy and downy) attacking the suet box like barbarians at the gate...
    They’re pursuing a leveraged buyout of the suet so no other birds get it?

  17. #477
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    Quote Originally Posted by bundabergdevil View Post
    They’re pursuing a leveraged buyout of the suet so no other birds get it?
    the crows don't recognize the buyout, though most other birds seem to give woodpeckers a wide berth, I imagine they take a look at the beak and say no thanks.

  18. #478
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    our hummingbirds return, on average, on Mother's Day...can I assume most of you have them already?

    There used to be a fabulous migration map which showed their progress every year, but Google Maps found a way to screw it up...

  19. #479
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Northwest NC
    The migrants are coming through now. I took a trip Saturday up to Moses Cone on the parkway to see if I could see any. Here are some pics...
    P1030607.jpgCanada Warbler
    P1030594.jpgBlack Throated Blue Warbler
    P1030584.jpgHooded Warbler
    P1030561.jpgNorthern Parula
    P1030635.jpgChestnut Sided Warbler

    Also saw an American Redstart, Black and White Warbler and several others but wasn't able to get good pics.
    "The future ain't what it used to be."

  20. #480
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    our hummingbirds return, on average, on Mother's Day...can I assume most of you have them already?

    There used to be a fabulous migration map which showed their progress every year, but Google Maps found a way to screw it up...
    They have buzzed my window already, fussing at me for not having the feeder up, yet.

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