Backyard Birding

[DrW]

1 hour ago, Irv said:

Not too sure what kind of bird this one is.  Was hanging around today. 

 

 

 

Looks like a female House Finch.

[Ned Flanders]

Article in today's Washington Post on feeder care.  Wash the inside of the feeder every day?  Seems a bit much to me.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/how-to-clean-bird-feeder/2021/02/08/20797a58-60e6-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html

 

[T&C]

13 minutes ago, Ned Flanders said:

Article in today's Washington Post on feeder care.  Wash the inside of the feeder every day?  Seems a bit much to me.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/how-to-clean-bird-feeder/2021/02/08/20797a58-60e6-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html

 

Yeah, this is a bit much. Usually just running two suet feeders nowadays, along with a tall feeder for sunflower seeds. Really nothing to clean... I just tap it out on a board I have back there when it gets majorly low.

[Irv]

9 hours ago, Ned Flanders said:

Article in today's Washington Post on feeder care.  Wash the inside of the feeder every day?  Seems a bit much to me.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/how-to-clean-bird-feeder/2021/02/08/20797a58-60e6-11eb-afbe-9a11a127d146_story.html

 

Ok I need to get a life but not cleaning out the feeders daily.  What size feeders do these guys have - 1 cup???

[Punching Bag]

Mine will handle multiple pounds. We are mixing cracked corn, sunflower seeds and some mixed seed.

Unusual design

- it is wide tube based with multiple feeding holes (3x4) with outer wire frame to prevent squirrels and unfortunately some of larger birds.

-top has clips to keep top on but squirrels are creative so my wife was too and she drilled holes through top and and a washer which squirrels cannot open (yet).

-bottom has wood parts which squirrels have not been able to chew through and claps which you need to open on either to open bottom of feeder to clean it or empty out seeds which have gotten wet and sprouted.

It is on a chain off a hook but Squirrels can reach it with jumping effort. Saw a squirrel miss once.

Squirrels will jump on it trying to swing in to knock food out. Chipmunk will climb in and dig into it dumping seed to ground.

My daughter now (when she remember) hangs it and we keep it in an aluminum garbage can over night to keep racoons and other night animals away from it.

 

This is probably our 8th bird feeder.

 

[T&C]

I still have a few gold finches hanging around down here in Fl but it won't be long before they head out. Oddly, haven't seen any robin's lately... saw a couple of them maybe 2 months ago but that was it. Usually they are here by the hundreds. Next month I put up my new birdfeeder pole... a treated 4 by 4, ten feet tall... with sheet metal for the first 6', rounded. Mr. squirrel will have no way up but can have the scraps on the ground, which is usually a decent amount. 

[Gugny]

I put a basic cage-type suet feeder out with suet that attracts woodpeckers. They have arrived and the nuthatches love it, too.

[T&C]

55 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I put a basic cage-type suet feeder out with suet that attracts woodpeckers. They have arrived and the nuthatches love it, too.

I use those cages but until I get the post set up I'm using the greasy woodpecker cakes in them... the no melt ones are roto tilled by the ***** squirrels. I'm patient, should be just a couple of weeks. The woodpeckers here are the king of the hill here at the feeders, they don't care who or why, they just come in and that is it lol.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Look how close she let me get to her.   At work a few days ago, only had my puny cellphone...

Highly compressed:

ESSAYONS!

Edited February 21, 2021 by ExiledInIllinois

[T&C]

9 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Look how close she let me get to her.   At work a few days ago, only had my puny cellphone...

Highly compressed:

ESSAYONS!

I believe this is harassment of an endangered bird... section 9 of the 4th section regarding the species... rule 5 and 7. 

[Gugny]

15 minutes ago, T&C said:

I believe this is harassment of an endangered bird... section 9 of the 4th section regarding the species... rule 5 and 7. 

 

LOCK HIM UP!  LOCK HIM UP!

[DrW]

I put up a suet feeder and a tube feeder with black oil sunflower seeds shortly before Christmas. So far, I could identify 15 species visiting the feeders. However, only the pine siskins and house finches visit the feeders themselves regularly; sometimes, a cardinal or a red-winged blackbird will make an attempt. Most of the other species will just survey the ground under the feeders to pick up seeds that fell to the ground. Among the rarer visitors there are a curved-billed thrasher and a spotted towhee.

A few weeks ago the feeders attracted a bird that was not attracted to our offerings, but to the birds which were feeding - a Cooper's hawk. These accipiters are extremely agile (they have shorter wings than other hawks), and its moves were impressive. However, our regular visitors fled into a nearby rosebush, and the hawk could not get to them.

[ExiledInIllinois]

21 minutes ago, T&C said:

I believe this is harassment of an endangered bird... section 9 of the 4th section regarding the species... rule 5 and 7. 

Bald eagles have been off the endangered list since late 1990s.  Off the threatened list for about 15 years.  They are like rats in the sky now.  😆 Okay,  not really... But everywhere... 

[T&C]

2 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Bald eagles have been off the endangered list since late 1990s.  Off the threatened list for about 15 years.  They are like rats in the sky now.  😆 Okay,  not really... But everywhere... 

You know, its like the sandhill cranes down here... they are pretty much everywhere, in a pair usually. Sometimes with junior. They stand like 3' tall... I have had to block them off of tee boxes with a driver just so I could hit. ***** can for sure destroy a tee box area. Walk across the road like they are made of steel lol. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 minute ago, T&C said:

You know, its like the sandhill cranes down here... they are pretty much everywhere, in a pair usually. Sometimes with junior. They stand like 3' tall... I have had to block them off of tee boxes with a driver just so I could hit. ***** can for sure destroy a tee box area. Walk across the road like they are made of steel lol. 

Here the eagles are probably catching Asian carp on one side and flying with them to the Lake side and dropping them there!  😆🤣 I think the anti-industry crowd enviros need to shut those mofos down!  😉

[T&C]

24 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Here the eagles are probably catching Asian carp on one side and flying with them to the Lake side and dropping them there!  😆🤣 I think the anti-industry crowd enviros need to shut those mofos down!  😉

No need to make a bird feeding thread political... sincerely, the mods who oversee everything you say and do.

[Fan in San Diego]

Took a picture of this bird hunting gophers at work

[Irv]

Went fishing on the Genesee River last weekend.  This Momma would not move.  Great camo.      

 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by Irv

[Irv]

This guy sat there for about 20 minutes.  

[DrW]

Had a family of curve-billed thrashers at the suet feeder this morning, 2 adults, 2 young, already pretty chunky. One adult was hanging at the feeder and throwing down morsels of suet. The other adult took the morsels and fed them to the kids. Sorry, no pics.

[4BillsintheBurgh]

So I had a nice bird feeder, different birds showed up - 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by 4BillsintheBurgh

[4BillsintheBurgh]

Then it became a bear feeder -

[That's No Moon]

Bald Eagle nest on top of a cell tower next to my job in Delaware.  Pretty neat to see there.  There are many at the Conowingo Dam not far away in Maryland but I haven't seen one in that part of DE before.  I'll try to get a picture tomorrow but it's wayyyyyy up there.

 

My backyard is much more pedestrian. Catbirds, robins, finches, bluebirds, cardinals, blue jays, red winged blackbirds, the occasional oriole, Northern Flickers, Red-Bellied woodpeckers, Geese, ducks, blue herons, the occasional egret, the occasional Cooper's Hawk that will eat one of the aforementioned.  Next time I see something I'll try to remember to put down my beer and take a picture.

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, 4BillsintheBurgh said:

Then it became a bear feeder -

Wrong thread! Press 2 for customer service:

Paging @BringBackFergy @Beerball maybe you can help this wayward soul out! 

[shrader]

I had a duck nest hidden in the front of my house last year.  They're flying all over the neighborhood recently, so we'll find out soon if they stop here again.

[Gugny]

[GoBills808]

i shot 3 turkeys the other day

[ExiledInIllinois]

58 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I sent that to my wife.  In the throws of it @ the ripe young age of 54... 😆

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I sent that to my wife.  In the throws of it @ the ripe young age of 54... 😆

 

I sat and watched the baby nuthatches fly from their birdhouse last weekend.  Took them forever!  Took a video of one and sent it to a few people.

 

I love nature.

[WhoTom]

2 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

A few years ago, we had the pleasure of watching a pair of orioles build their nest in an elm tree about 10 feet from our deck.

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, WhoTom said:

 

A few years ago, we had the pleasure of watching a pair of orioles build their nest in an elm tree about 10 feet from our deck.

 

Not sure where you're at... But if up North, like here, you're in their migration pattern.  Obviously if they are building nests, they are staying for summer! LoL... Put sliced oranges out, they will comeback like clockwork.  Here it's every early May.  I have a few pics up thread... 

[WhoTom]

32 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Not sure where you're at... But if up North, like here, you're in their migration pattern.  Obviously if they are building nests, they are staying for summer! LoL... Put sliced oranges out, they will comeback like clockwork.  Here it's every early May.  I have a few pics up thread... 

 

We're in north-central IL - about 10 miles south of the Cheddar Curtain and 70 miles northwest of The Loop.

 

We feed the orioles grape jelly (cheaper than oranges) and they stay all summer. If we forget to put the jelly out before they arrive in May, they'll land on the spot where we normally keep the feeder and look into our window.

 

We've seen Northern Orioles every year we've lived in this house (11 years and counting). About three years ago, we began to see Orchard Orioles as well. Now they come back every year too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 4, 2021 by WhoTom

[ExiledInIllinois]

23 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

We're in north-central IL - about 10 miles south of the Cheddar Curtain and 70 miles northwest of The Loop.

 

We feed the orioles grape jelly (cheaper than oranges) and they stay all summer. If we forget to put the jelly out before they arrive in May, they'll land on the spot where we normally keep the feeder and look into our window.

 

We've seen Northern Orioles every year we've lived in this house (11 years and counting). About three years ago, we began to see Orchard Orioles as well. Now they come back every year too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice I am 5 miles in from the Indiana Line dead South of the Lake... in Will County.  They stop here like clockwork every May 5-10th or so,  spend a few weeks and head on N, NW!   😆,  They are going up to the "Cheddar Curtain" to nest! 

 

😃

[Gugny]

2 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Not sure where you're at... But if up North, like here, you're in their migration pattern.  Obviously if they are building nests, they are staying for summer! LoL... Put sliced oranges out, they will comeback like clockwork.  Here it's every early May.  I have a few pics up thread... 

 

I'm in Queensbury.  About an hour north of Albany.  I did the orange thing last year and no one touched them.

5 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

i shot 3 turkeys the other day

 

And a pig.  Wrong thread, cabbage farmer!

[SinceThe70s]

Two ducks showed up a week or two ago. They liked the swampy mess of my pool cover. Best part was watching them climb on top of the pillow like it was their private island. After spending two full days as our guests they'd over stayed their welcome and it was time to drain the swamp. Good times.

 

 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

6 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

i shot 3 turkeys the other day

Left the ten pin standing in the 10th frame?  That's a shame. 🤔

[DrW]

About 12 years ago, when our 1 acre lot was still close to fields, we had a pair of mallards nesting in our backyard. We just had removed a wooden playground structure, but the concrete foundations were still there. Thus, we could not mow this part and the mallards chose this as nesting site. From time to time we took a peek, and there were six eggs and later six chicks. One day, the mallard hen just walked away with the chicks in tow, through a hole under the backyard fence. Fortunately, it was a Saturday, and even more fortunately, I was just looking at the backyard when it happened - the exodus took less than two minutes.

 

Another episode from about the same time. We had a trampoline in the backyard for the kids. One day one of the kids left a plastic owl lying on the trampoline (the kind of plastic owl you use to deter small birds from your patio or your herb garden). Well, a young Swainson's hawk must have thought that a dead owl makes a nice meal, and it landed on the trampoline. Well, the fact that the owl was not made of flesh and blood must have been a disappointment. But the real problem came when it wanted to fly away. Raptors are not helicopters or VTOL airplanes and need some space to take off. However, the trampoline had a safety net which did not give sufficient space. Fortunately for the hawk, my son and I had seen the whole dilemma. We dismantled a part of the safety net, always aware to stay away from hawk, until it finally could lift off.  

[ExiledInIllinois]

3 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

I'm in Queensbury.  About an hour north of Albany.  I did the orange thing last year and no one touched them.

 

And a pig.  Wrong thread, cabbage farmer!

Here's the range and migratory map:

 

You should well be in the Northern Nesting, breeding area!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

On 5/12/2020 at 3:44 PM, Gugny said:

I would love to do more feeders but the squirrels make me want to pull my hair out.

 

 

I don't like how all the seed spills as it twirls. 

 

We have a double baffle shaped from a cone of aluminum flashing and a round piece with flanges cut around the edge.  The cone is loose and pushes up into the round piece.  It works.

[Punching Bag]

Quote

On 5/12/2020 at 4:44 PM,   @Gugny said:

I would love to do more feeders but the squirrels make me want to pull my hair out.

 

My wife bought air pellet gun and tried shooting squirrels but just ignore it.  Fur is too thick.

I'd like her to get training and then either get a air rifle or shotgun and shoot ice pellets at them.

My vision is too poor to shoot.

 

It is legal to shoot them in Virginia.

 

§ 29.1-516. Game animals.

Rabbits and squirrels. -- It is unlawful to kill rabbits or squirrels during the closed season; however, the following persons may kill rabbits or squirrels for their own use during the closed season:

1. A landowner and members of his immediate family;

2. Resident members of hunt clubs who own the land in fee, either jointly or through a holding company;

3. Tenants residing on the premises, with the written permission of the landowner.