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  • #46
    Re: The thread for birds and birding

    Originally posted by Gurtholfin View Post
    Driving into work today on a country road and I could see a little bird taking evasive action over the road up ahead and then saw the smallish hawk or falcon that was chasing it. In short order, the pursuer caught the smaller bird, wheeled and flew back past the van, basically showing me its catch.

    Never witnessed that before.
    I saw something similar a year or two ago. I was waiting in a left turn lane at a red light when I saw a small bird come out of nowhere weaving around the cars. Not far behind was a sharp-shinned hawk. Amazing site.


    I'm still trying at attract my 30th species of bird to me feeders. I had a house wren show up and land on one shepards hook but never went to a feeder so I dont count it. Put out some orange halfs and and a mesh ball with sunflower that I mixed some dried mealworms into. Havent seen anything new yet. Seems like everytime I go out to fill my feeders I have a hummingbird show up. He has no fear as I am standing litterally 2 feet from the feeder when he comes in, lands, and drinks. Also, yesterday, I sat and watched a downy woodpecker sit at the hummingbird feeder and drink sugar water for like 2 minutes. I can't say I have ever seen that before.

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    • #47
      Re: The thread for birds and birding

      Originally posted by Proud2baLaker View Post
      I saw something similar a year or two ago. I was waiting in a left turn lane at a red light when I saw a small bird come out of nowhere weaving around the cars. Not far behind was a sharp-shinned hawk. Amazing site.

      After looking at images and reading up on sharp-shinned hawks, this is very likely what I saw.

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      • #48
        Re: The thread for birds and birding

        Originally posted by Gurtholfin View Post
        After looking at images and reading up on sharp-shinned hawks, this is very likely what I saw.
        When I was first getting into birds (grade school) I had a few feeders outside my window at my parents home. One day I was watching them out the window when suddenly the birds scattered and a sharpy came down out of now where, took a bird from the ground, and landed in the neighbors tree. It was amazing. I knew that I could sit and watch my feeders everday for a year and probably not see that again. Also, it took a day or two for the birds to really start coming back to the feeders.

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        • #49
          Re: The thread for birds and birding

          We have a large, mature rhododendron bush outside our living room window. In the higher branches, there is a bird's nest with four blue eggs in it. It will be interesting to see if they hatch and the hatchlings make it to maturity.
          "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

          "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

          "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

          "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

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          • #50
            Re: The thread for birds and birding

            Have you seen the adults at all? I'd be curious to see what species it is. Also wonder if this is a 2nd brood since it seems late for the first (I'm seeing fully fledged chicks around here)

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            • #51
              Re: The thread for birds and birding

              Originally posted by Gurtholfin View Post
              After looking at images and reading up on sharp-shinned hawks, this is very likely what I saw.
              Originally posted by Proud2baLaker View Post
              When I was first getting into birds (grade school) I had a few feeders outside my window at my parents home. One day I was watching them out the window when suddenly the birds scattered and a sharpy came down out of now where, took a bird from the ground, and landed in the neighbors tree. It was amazing. I knew that I could sit and watch my feeders everday for a year and probably not see that again. Also, it took a day or two for the birds to really start coming back to the feeders.
              Originally posted by FreshFish View Post
              We have a large, mature rhododendron bush outside our living room window. In the higher branches, there is a bird's nest with four blue eggs in it. It will be interesting to see if they hatch and the hatchlings make it to maturity.
              Haven't seen the sharp-shined in a while, but there used to be one in the residential neighborhood I live in that would attack the house sparrows that hang out in my neighbor's bushes. I've seen the sharp-shined swoop down, catch a sparrow, and de-feather and fillet it down to the bones in my driveway. Amazing to watch.

              As for the blue eggs in a rhodie bush, this may or may not help: http://www.sialis.org/blueeggs.htm
              NMU Hockey Since 1976 ...there at the beginning.

              Bill Crawford, LSSU radio announcer, on NMU hockey: "This is their MO right to the tee: get out shot, get out played, keep hangin' in there, just rope-a-dope it in your own zone, get it up the ice, bang it in and win the game."

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              • #52
                Re: The thread for birds and birding

                Originally posted by Proud2baLaker View Post
                Have you seen the adults at all? I'd be curious to see what species it is. Also wonder if this is a 2nd brood since it seems late for the first (I'm seeing fully fledged chicks around here)

                Yeah, both our robins and grackles are out of the nests already, which is good coz the grackles decimate our feeders but once their young are independent, they move on.

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                • #53
                  Re: The thread for birds and birding

                  Originally posted by Proud2baLaker View Post
                  Have you seen the adults at all? I'd be curious to see what species it is. Also wonder if this is a 2nd brood since it seems late for the first (I'm seeing fully fledged chicks around here)
                  There is a bird on the nest atop the eggs in the neset right now but I can't see her very clearly. My guess would be a robin but I can't tell for sure as she is scrunched down into it. BTW, we are in a different climate zone than you are (coastal CT is I think two or three zones cooler than southern IL).

                  We saw a robin building a nest in a different rhododendron which was then abandoned halfway through. If I see a male on the fence nearby standing guard I'll let you know.

                  Just looked at Gurt's picture: four eggs, same shaped nest, same color: even more evidence it's likely a robin.
                  "Hope is a good thing; maybe the best of things."

                  "Beer is a sign that God loves us and wants us to be happy." -- Benjamin Franklin

                  "Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy." -- W. B. Yeats

                  "People generally are most impatient with those flaws in others about which they are most ashamed of in themselves." - folk wisdom

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                  • #54
                    Re: The thread for birds and birding

                    Originally posted by FreshFish View Post

                    Just looked at Gurt's picture: four eggs, same shaped nest, same color: even more evidence it's likely a robin.

                    That was aygwm2's picture, just so credit goes where due.

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                    • #55
                      Originally posted by Carter View Post
                      We have several pairs of orioles every spring, and we have great luck feeding them grape jelly. We use this feeder http://www.amazon.com/Droll-Yankees-...m_sbs_indust_1 and put about half of one of the larger jars of jelly in it. They really go nuts for it.
                      Fwiw........we have a few bird feeders just outside our large windows in our sun room. We live in a semi rural area and have a two acre yard. We live in west central MN and we have a wide assortment of birds that frequent our feeders. I have never seen an oriole though. After reading your post I put out a bowl full of grape jelly. Within an hour we had 3 sets of orioles and they have been there since. It's like crack to them. Might have to invest in Smuckers.
                      Last edited by gmann; 06-06-2013, 08:51 PM.
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                      • #56
                        Re: The thread for birds and birding

                        Originally posted by gmann View Post
                        Fwiw........we have a few bird feeders just outside our large windows in our sun room. We live in a semi rural area and have a two acre yard. We live in west central MN and we have a wide assortment of birds that frequent our feeders. I have never seen an oriole though. After reading your post I put out a bowl full of grape jelly. Within an hour we had 3 sets of orioles and they have been there since. It's like crack to them. Might have to invest in Smuckers.
                        I opted for an orange but I may try jelly in the near future since the orange has not brought any in (wait until next week when I have a few days off from work so I have better chance of seeing them). What is working against me is that I am in a neighborhood area. Lots of trees and shrubs and a few open areas. It seems like it should be a good area but I feel it may be too urban if you will for some species to be common. I am actually surprised I have had as many species as I have had. My hope for the future is to have a house out in the country and have a few trees around the house, an open area/field to one side and some woods to another.

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                        • #57
                          Originally posted by Proud2baLaker View Post
                          I opted for an orange but I may try jelly in the near future since the orange has not brought any in (wait until next week when I have a few days off from work so I have better chance of seeing them). What is working against me is that I am in a neighborhood area. Lots of trees and shrubs and a few open areas. It seems like it should be a good area but I feel it may be too urban if you will for some species to be common. I am actually surprised I have had as many species as I have had. My hope for the future is to have a house out in the country and have a few trees around the house, an open area/field to one side and some woods to another.
                          We live in a fairly open area as our property is surrounded by fields. We have 75 pine trees that follow our property line and we have planted numerous trees throughout the property. Just to the east of our property is a 10 acre pond and about a quarter mile away there is a lake. We have a wide assortment of birds (and wildlife in general) that frequent our yard. From pheasants to turkeys to geese and ducks, to finches, robins, cardinals, chickadees, orioles, red winged blackbirds to name a few.

                          I have two young boys ages 7 and 4. We purchased a bird book a couple weeks ago and have been marking off the ones we have seen. It has turned out to be a fun little "project" for us. We have verified over 35 different varieties. a couple days go we seen a indigo bunting.
                          Last edited by gmann; 06-06-2013, 09:27 PM.
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                          • #58
                            Re: The thread for birds and birding

                            Originally posted by gmann View Post
                            Fwiw........we have a few bird feeders just outside our large windows in our sun room. We live in a semi rural area and have a two acre yard. We live in west central MN and we have a wide assortment of birds that frequent our feeders. I have never seen an oriole though. After reading your post I put out a bowl full of grape jelly. Within an hour we had 3 sets of orioles and they have been there since. It's like crack to them. Might have to invest in Smuckers.
                            Wow, that's fantastic. I think we must have seen the orioles around before we set up the feeders. They'll try and feed off the hummingbird feeders if there's nothing else around.
                            "This world is your world. Take it easy, but take it." - Woody Guthrie

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                            • #59
                              Originally posted by Carter View Post
                              Wow, that's fantastic. I think we must have seen the orioles around before we set up the feeders. They'll try and feed off the hummingbird feeders if there's nothing else around.
                              Hummingbird feeders are the next item in the list to purchase.................
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                              • #60
                                Re: The thread for birds and birding

                                We haven't seen too many hummers yet this year. Just one or two and not on a regular basis.

                                Carter, you're about 10 miles from me. You have them yet?

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