Backyard Bird Watchers

#253
#253
How do you folks keep the stray cats away from your feeders? I have a way in mind, but my wife doesn’t want me going to jail.
 
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#255
#255
OL SMOKEY said:
How do you folks keep the stray cats away from your feeders? I have a way in mind, but my wife doesn’t want me going to jail.
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My feeder is atop a five foot pole with a squirrel guard dish in open yard. The extended branches of a nearby dogwood are ~8’ from the feeder. There is no cover from which a cat can ambush the birds on the ground. Aerial approach from nearby perches and open ground thwart predators.
 
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#256
#256
Ocracoke has been invaded by Eurasian Collared doves. Their call is the same pitch as mourning doves, but monotonous; WHO-who, who; WHO-who, who; over and over and over. Aaaargh…

Starts at about 0:17, with crows in the background
 
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#257
#257
When I was living w Mom, and I was working in the yard. Crows would always sit up on the rooftop across the street. I looked up when I heard screaming. One of those damn crows was swooping off with a baby bunny in its clutches. I will never forget the sight or the sound.
 
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#258
#258
Juanita said:
When I was living w Mom, and I was working in the yard. Crows would always sit up on the rooftop across the street. I looked up when I heard screaming. One of those damn crows was swooping off with a baby bunny in its clutches. I will never forget the sight or the sound.
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Are you sure it was a crow with the bunny? We have crows that come around when the chickens are free ranging, when a hawk comes around they go crazy and let us and the chickens know. Needless to say the crows are well fed all winter.
 
#259
#259
VolNExile said:
Ocracoke has been invaded by Eurasian Collared doves. Their call is the same pitch as mourning doves, but monotonous; WHO-who, who; WHO-who, who; over and over and over. Aaaargh…

Starts at about 0:17, with crows in the background
Click to expand...

I think that someone imported then to the Caribbean or northern South America, and they’ve been making their way north. There were some in Madison, GA haunting us at a park a few years back.
 
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#261
#261
low_Mother's%20Day%20Birds_cover.jpg
 
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#262
#262
Wireless1 said:
Are you sure it was a crow with the bunny? We have crows that come around when the chickens are free ranging, when a hawk comes around they go crazy and let us and the chickens know. Needless to say the crows are well fed all winter.
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Positive. I know a crow. :)
 
#264
#264
Heard the song of a male common wren yesterday. It was across the street. Common wrens are seasonal regulars and usually show up earlier in Spring. Many times, they’ve nested on my property - in a wren box under a dogwood, and once in a decorative watering can hung on an exterior wall under the eave. This year, I think chickadees are in the wren box and hope that the common wrens stay across the street.

On another note, a pair of Carolina wrens have been year ‘round residents for the past dozen years. I wonder if they’re generational.
 
#265
#265
Tin Man said:
Heard the song of a male common wren yesterday. It was across the street. Common wrens are seasonal regulars and usually show up earlier in Spring. Many times, they’ve nested on my property - in a wren box under a dogwood, and once in a decorative watering can hung on an exterior wall under the eave. This year, I think chickadees are in the wren box and hope that the common wrens stay across the street.

On another note, a pair of Carolina wrens have been year ‘round residents for the past dozen years. I wonder if they’re generational.
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Common Wrens are now called House Wrens. Just an FYI not trying to be snobsish or anything. That's probably the most annoying thing about birding is the common names change every 15-20 years because someone needed to write a paper
 
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#268
#268
Good stand of poppies this year. Once the heads dry, there will be many goldfinches. They love poppy seeds. Because the back is terraced, we hung large mirrors on the fence. reflecting on the poppies, so Mom will be able to see the finches from the patio (notice: I did not say "lanai.")

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#269
#269
Juanita said:
Good stand of poppies this year. Once the heads dry, there will be many goldfinches. They love poppy seeds. Because the back is terraced, we hung large mirrors on the fence. reflecting on the poppies, so Mom will be able to see the finches from the patio (notice: I did not say "lanai.")

View attachment 456737View attachment 456738
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How long (as in years*) did it take for the poppies to get settled in? I’ve never had a lot of luck with them, but they’re so gorgeous!

*or possibly decades
 
#271
#271
VolNExile said:
How long (as in years*) did it take for the poppies to get settled in? I’ve never had a lot of luck with them, but they’re so gorgeous!
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Being annuals, the poppies reseed themselves. The goldfinches help when they drill into the dried heads. I always shake out remaining seeds when I pull them up. Poppies like full sun, and these have been prolific since Mom had a couple of diseased trees (too close to fence and power lines) taken out. They need to be thinned and don't transplant well. The little finches can sit atop a head without even making the stem move! I'll try to get pictures later. They tend to be a shy bird.
 
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#272
#272
A finch has build a nest on my wreath on my back door. I guess I'm not very observant, I didn't even notice until the bird spooked me flying away when I opened the door. It has 2 eggs in it, so I guess we're gonna have to live with it for a little while.

Edit: upon further review, pretty sure its a Carolina or house wren, not a finch. I'm waiting for it to come back to get a real good look at it.
 
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#274
#274
K-town Vol Fan said:
A finch has build a nest on my wreath on my back door. I guess I'm not very observant, I didn't even notice until the bird spooked me flying away when I opened the door. It has 2 eggs in it, so I guess we're gonna have to live with it for a little while.

Edit: upon further review, pretty sure its a Carolina or house wren, not a finch. I'm waiting for it to come back to get a real good look at it.
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If it has the loudest birdsong you could ever imagine, and the shortest tail, I’m going with Carolina wren. Amazing how much sound can come out of something so tiny.
 
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#275
#275
Wrens build nests that open outwards, finches build nests that open upwards. I don't know that wrens return to places necessarily but they build sturdy nests that undoubtedly get reused by future generations multiple times.
 
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