Backyard Birding

[Augie]

On 6/8/2022 at 8:58 AM, SoTier said:

 

Love pileated woodpeckers!!! 

 

We had some buddies up the street who had a pileated woodpecker who had pecked a hole in the siding of their house and was living in the attic. They covered up the hole, and he just pecked another one next to it and was still living in the attic. They gave up trying to get rid of him (it was a rental)  and named him Woody. They asked “do you want to go upstairs and see Woody?”, and sure enough, there he was in the attic staring right back at us. 

 

In retelling this years later to a friend, I got to “do you want to go upstairs to see Woody” and our friend turned to her college age daughter without missing a beat and said “just so you know, the correct answer to that is always NO!”   😂

 

 

 

.

Edited June 17, 2022 by Augie

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Saw my first  

 

yesterday

 

[Saxum]

Ran out of bird feed mix so I put some corn in feeder I usually mix in.

I heard something outside in morning and was going to open dog door to let Zelda chase away squirrel and I found a young deer licking bird feeder to eat corn.  Deer was lucky I have been using the standing one rather than the hanging one I put away each night.

[Gugny]

On 6/13/2022 at 4:52 PM, Irv said:

The Starlings have become a nuisance.  I did get a cool video of an adult feeding an immature Starling on the suet cage.  It seems like the Red Headed Woodpecker is top dog on the suet cage as they run the others off - Pileated not withstanding.  The cake does last about a day and you guys are correct.  Starlings are the monster eaters.  A lot of Starling on Starling violence.  

 

And, yes.  I still need to get a life.  

 

 

 

@BringBackFergy loves Starlings!!!

[T&C]

26 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

@BringBackFergy loves Starlings!!!

God lov'em.

 

Haven't seen any in a few days so maybe they went over to his place.

[BringBackFergy]

53 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

@BringBackFergy loves Starlings!!!

Pains in the ass.

[DrW]

[Gugny]

FINALLY saw my first bald eagle yesterday (July 4th).

 

My girlfriend and I spent the day on Lake George yesterday with a couple of our friends (their boat).

 

We were on an island, cooking out, swimming, etc., and the two of us took a break from the other two (they never shut up) and went to the dock and sat on the back of the boat.

 

All of a sudden, we saw this beautiful bald eagle with an eaglet in tow.  We watched them fly to their nest, then the mature eagle flew back out and snagged a fish out of the lake.

 

Quite a sight and I'm glad we were able to see it.

[ExWNYer]

On 6/21/2022 at 2:08 PM, Gugny said:

 

@BringBackFergy loves Starlings!!!

 

 

The only Starling I'd love to see is Marte...

 

35 minutes ago, Gugny said:

FINALLY saw my first bald eagle yesterday (July 4th).

 

My girlfriend and I spent the day on Lake George yesterday with a couple of our friends (their boat).

 

We were on an island, cooking out, swimming, etc., and the two of us took a break from the other two (they never shut up) and went to the dock and sat on the back of the boat.

 

All of a sudden, we saw this beautiful bald eagle with an eaglet in tow.  We watched them fly to their nest, then the mature eagle flew back out and snagged a fish out of the lake.

 

Quite a sight and I'm glad we were able to see it.

 

When I was in high school (back in the dark ages), my brother had a buddy who was dating a girl nicknamed 'Bald Eagle' because of her inability to grow hair in a certain...ahem...anatomical area. (True story) 😇 

[SoTier]

The hummingbirds have apparently abandoned my yard since their favorite flowers -- bee balm, trumpet vine, early blooming hostas, crocosmia -- are past their prime, but they've been replaced by some other seasonal visitors, most notably by goldfinches.  They come mostly for my sunflowers, but if the sunflowers aren't ripe (they aren't yet) they feast on my tube feeders filled with black oil sunflower seeds.   This morning I had a dozen crowding the two feeders, including the bright males and the olive colored females.   I've also had flocks of young bluejays coming for peanuts and recently fledged song sparrows and wrens.

[T&C]

2 hours ago, SoTier said:

The hummingbirds have apparently abandoned my yard since their favorite flowers -- bee balm, trumpet vine, early blooming hostas, crocosmia -- are past their prime, but they've been replaced by some other seasonal visitors, most notably by goldfinches.  They come mostly for my sunflowers, but if the sunflowers aren't ripe (they aren't yet) they feast on my tube feeders filled with black oil sunflower seeds.   This morning I had a dozen crowding the two feeders, including the bright males and the olive colored females.   I've also had flocks of young bluejays coming for peanuts and recently fledged song sparrows and wrens.

Interesting on the goldfinches... they only seem interested in niger seed or millet when they are down here in the winter. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

6 minutes ago, T&C said:

Interesting on the goldfinches... they only seem interested in niger seed or millet when they are down here in the winter. 

Many years ago when working good paying jobs I could afford to keep a large feeder filled with nyjer seed.  I eventually moved out for a few years.  Upon my return and now retired, I found that hungry finches will settle for the black oil sunflower seeds I feed the chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals.

[SinceThe70s]

2 hours ago, T&C said:

Interesting on the goldfinches... they only seem interested in niger seed or millet when they are down here in the winter. 

 

We've had a goldfinch drop by a few times the past two weeks. Can't remember ever seeing one before, had to google to figure out what it was. Absolutely striking!

[T&C]

7 minutes ago, SinceThe70s said:

 

We've had a goldfinch drop by a few times the past two weeks. Can't remember ever seeing one before, had to google to figure out what it was. Absolutely striking!

I'm in Fl. so we only get them during the winter/cold weather times. They are gorgeous. Had one that befriended a cardinal last year and it was like he was adopted... they were always hanging together.

[SoTier]

13 hours ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Many years ago when working good paying jobs I could afford to keep a large feeder filled with nyjer seed.  I eventually moved out for a few years.  Upon my return and now retired, I found that hungry finches will settle for the black oil sunflower seeds I feed the chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals.

 

I think that the goldfinches' food of choice here in WNY is thistle seed, but thistles don't ripen for about a month yet.   There are a lot of sunflowers ripening now, so they'll eat those, even settling for oil seed in feeders.  I've found that they never come to my feeders in the late summer/fall until my volunteer sunflowers around the feeder pole open and set seed.   They do stop by for a day or so during spring migration.  Most spend the summer in the nearby rural areas, especially where farming is still active.

Edited August 27, 2022 by SoTier

[T&C]

I've found a better way to use suet cakes... one of those why didn't I think of that before things. Starlings have tapered off but what I've been doing (with the standard green hanging suet holders) is putting the cake in the fridge for an hour or so. Then, taking the plastic wrap off and putting the cake in the holder with the plastic case instead of taking it completely out of the plastic case. It leaves 1 side of 6 open for feeding and none of them seem to care... woodpeckers, carolina wrens, etc... Less waste and they can all get to it. Took a couple of days for them to get used to it but now it's a regular thing for them. Starlings, whenever they come around, don't really bother with it anymore.

[Bad Things]

Yesterday evening the wife and I were out on the back deck when we spotted a massive Australasian Harrier flying overhead.  It landed on one of our taller trees to have a look around.

It eventually spotted the White-faced Heron nest in our neighbours gum tree, and had a feast of the baby birds in it.

It was actually quite a startling thing to witness.

[Joe Ferguson forever]

https://imgur.com/a/GHnWuhJ

 

2 from the backyard.  One professional photo.  Obvious quality difference!  Have heard a n owl out back but never been able to capture on camera.

[Joe Ferguson forever]

23 hours ago, Bad Things said:

Yesterday evening the wife and I were out on the back deck when we spotted a massive Australasian Harrier flying overhead.  It landed on one of our taller trees to have a look around.

It eventually spotted the White-faced Heron nest in our neighbours gum tree, and had a feast of the baby birds in it.

It was actually quite a startling thing to witness.

once watched a hawk kill a pheasant with one peck through the head while i was aiming at it w a 12 gauge.  Years ago, still remember it vividly. Startling and disturbing strangely, since I was about to kill it myself.  Not much into hunting anymore but if I was hungry...

Edited October 18, 2022 by redtail hawk

[Saxum]

I have been having issues with unwanted feeders at my feeding stations.   Beside the terrible issue with long tailed rats (that is what they are called in Chinese, in English they are squirrels) recently we have been having night feeders.  My wife said she saw a rat recently and Zelda, our German Shepard, has been indicating spots where she smells something.  Last night I wrapped my standing bird feeder with an old dog seat cover (useless since she sheds so much) and then a plastic garbage can to discourage night feeders.  I have found if they cannot feed multiple nights in a row they look elsewhere to feed.  This morning when I went out uncover feeder and Zelda indicated something under cover.  I slowly unwrapped it not giving it opportunity to flee. I saw movement under cover and my dog tried to get it thru cover so I banged it under cover trying to stun it before opening rest of it.  My dog then attacked the rat which appears to have got its foot caught in feeder and killed it after a fierce fight.  Taking off cover I found a hole the rat chewed in it to get to feeder.

 

Don't know if it is only one or if another has been feeding.

 

This year we have been putting suet out during year. It started in winter and I got some new birds so I continued feeding in spring.  The small woodpeckers have returned and we now have some "black" birds with a shiny blue tinge and yellow beaks I have not seen before.  They can feed from suet cage when suet is full but have issue feeding when cake is reduced in size.