Backyard Birding

[Irv]

On 8/17/2020 at 3:37 PM, Limeaid said:

Beautiful blue jay.  It looks like the baby one we found and raised.  My wife taught it to hunt by breaking grasshopper legs and having Jay Jay hop on ground to her to get grasshopper.  For a couple a months after he was able to fly he would fly around our house and stay at night on desk.  He eventually paired off with a female one and when we went on vacation he left.

You’re cool on this thread but viscous on all others.  I don’t get it.  

[SoTier]

On 8/21/2020 at 1:41 PM, Irv said:

This guy was feasting today.  Looks like a woodpecker.  Not too sure what kind. 

 

 

 

I venture that he's an immature starling.  If his head was noticeably brown, then he might be a cowbird.

[shrader]

On 8/21/2020 at 1:52 PM, Irv said:

This guy showed up two minutes later.  Yes.  I still need to get a life. 

 

 

That picture makes it look like you lured that one in with a steak.  If you keep doing that I'll show up outside your window.

 

These pictures are making me very seriously consider putting a feeder outside my home office window.  A couple neighbors are drawing a ton of hummingbirds so that may be a good option.

[SoTier]

This summer gardening and backyard bird watching have been my main activities.  My covered back porch overlooks the brick patio which is surrounded by flower beds on four sides, all of which contain at least some flowers that attract birds and various pollinators.  There's a choke cherry tree along the south side of the yard that provides some shade, lots of fruit in season, and overhangs my garden pond which sits in the long flower bed that runs the entire length of the yard.  The pond has a waterfall and I have two bird baths.  I hang three bird feeders in the summer, two with sunflower seeds and one with peanuts for the bluejays.   I can sit for hours watching the birds -- and butterflies -- like I'm doing now. 

 

Some birds I only see when the right flowers are in bloom.  The hummers come when the scarlet bee balm, hostas, honeysuckle and trumpet vine bloom.  I've never had much luck attracting goldfinches even with niger seed except during spring migration when they feast on sunflower seed for a few days than move on.  They do return, however, when my sunflower plants' heads mature.  They prefer their sunflower seed "au naturel" apparently.  When the choke cherry fruits are ripe, I'll see a dozen or so birds of various sizes and species in it, including some unusual visitors like gray catbirds and cedar waxwings.  It usually takes them about 3 days to strip the poor tree bare.

 

There's a lot more activity at the bird baths and waterfall right now since it didn't rain here for three weeks (we finally got about a half inch overnight in some thunderstorms).  The sparrows and cardinals use the bird baths but the bluejays and robins prefer the waterfall.  There are also lots of young birds that have just fledged, so they literally "flock" to the feeders in groups.  I've had two new sightings this past week -- an immature black headed grosbeak and a rose-breasted nuthatch.

 

[Saxum]

1 hour ago, shrader said:

 

That picture makes it look like you lured that one in with a steak.  If you keep doing that I'll show up outside your window.

 

These pictures are making me very seriously consider putting a feeder outside my home office window.  A couple neighbors are drawing a ton of hummingbirds so that may be a good option.

 

If you do that put some metal screen by window so birds know window is there.

That is what happened to hummingbird I found at office and brought home to rehab.

[Irv]

This guy was below the feeder today.  Not birding but cool anyway.

 

 

[SoTier]

Yesterday I had a hairy woodpecker visit my long wire tube feeder filled with sunflower seeds.   Hairy woodpeckers look to be larger versions of downy woodpeckers, but are much less common. 

 

The chickadees and the gold and house finches are seriously into the sunflower seeds that are ripening up near the feeders.

 

 

[Saxum]

There has been a lot of tree work (mostly cutting down) in area as part of watershed work.  They are spending a lot of time on this watershed.  Once they appeared to have installed a long path on it and we thought "Oh might be nice to walk the dog there" and they then tore it up and did other work.

 

One of large trees across the road has had most of the branches cut off but tree appears to be still alive. At the top of the trees is a large nest and my wife spotted hawks in it.  There were at least 4 and none of them were fledglings but two may be juvenile.  It may be why they did not completely cut the tree but find it that they did not wait until hawks left.  

[Nanker]

On 8/19/2020 at 12:39 PM, Irv said:

This guy has been hitting the suet cake.  I think this is a Grackle. Picture came out pretty cool.  Almost looks photoshopped. 

Looks like Mr. Carson, the Butler on Downton Abbey. 

[Irv]

I took the pic. Bird probably weighs 2 ounces, and sadly, as a man, I am frightened by it.   

16 hours ago, Nanker said:

Looks like Mr. Carson, the Butler on Downton Abbey. 

 

I took the pic. Bird probably weighs 2 ounces, and sadly, as a man, I am frightened by it.

 

 

[SoTier]

On 9/18/2020 at 5:46 PM, Nanker said:

Looks like Mr. Carson, the Butler on Downton Abbey. 

 

He actually looks pretty intimidating in that shot, and I suppose he is to smaller birds.    Good shot!

[Nanker]

[Gugny]

 

This is what one of my bird feeders looks like.  I put the peanut butter flavored suet (non-sticky) in the little suet holders, but I break them so they don't go above the top of the cage.

 

The other night, I was enjoying a beverage on my deck.  It was very dark.  I heard this, "clank ... clank ... clank ..." over and over, coming from near my shed.  Not gonna lie .. I was a little scared.

 

Well, that's where this bird feeder is.  Suddenly, I see this enormous doe walk around the front of the shed and go into my neighbor's yard.

 

I checked the feeder the next morning and the suet cakes were still intact.  She must have been licking them, lol.

 

Nature is great stuff.

[Saxum]

We had a regular night time visitor so upon recommendation we bought a trap and baited it with peanut butter expecting to catch a racoon or possum.  We did not put it away at day and we heard something in trap next day.  It was a cardinal who wandered into trap and was heavy enough to trigger trap.

Edited September 22, 2020 by Limeaid

[The Dean]

Has Wallace Wimple checked in yet? He keeps a very extensive Bird Book:

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

I think  you're only suppose to give them suet in winter. ?? What are you trying to do @Gugny...Give them diabetes? 

 

😉 😜 

[Greybeard]

     My son sent me this link.  Looks like a possibility for next year.

 

 

[Irv]

This guy was on my new, double suet cake holder today.  Not too sure what kind it is.  Yes.  I still need to get a life.

   

[Seasons1992]

On 9/20/2020 at 11:00 PM, Nanker said:

 

Series, great.

 

Movie, AWFUL.

 

My favorite bird:

 

 

[T&C]

21 hours ago, Irv said:

This guy was on my new, double suet cake holder today.  Not too sure what kind it is.  Yes.  I still need to get a life.

   

Look like a Tufted Titmouse.