The thread for birds and birding

[CarlS]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Goldy - did you get a turkey? Details?

[goldy_331]

Goldy - did you get a turkey? Details?

No. Called a flock in but didn't get a shot. It's my son (16) who is hunting. We'll try again next weekend. I set the blind looking into the sun next time it'll be at our back.

[goldy_331]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Man we have had a ton of warblers in our yard the past week or so. Yellow, yellow rumped and others of similar size. Guess they are waiting for a warm up before moving farther north. House finches have again built their nest over my back door light. Saw an Oriole trying to rebuild a nest in our silver maple, had one there last year, may have to get out some grape jelly.

[FreshFish]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

While it seems a bit later this year, the "usual suspects" are starting to appear. In the past two or three weeks, have seen /heard that catbirds and redwing blackbirds are back. Saw a yellow finch and a woodpecker the other day as well. Have not yet seen a hummingbird but suspect they are around as well.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Well, a female oriole stopped by the jam bowl yesterday afternoon, so hopefully I've snagged a couple. Plan on picking up that feeder this weekend.

Thanks Carter.

Also, do bees and wasps frequent the jelly feeders?


EDIT: Just saw her at the feeder again, so hopefully they are residents and not transient.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

There she is...

[Carter]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Well, a female oriole stopped by the jam bowl yesterday afternoon, so hopefully I've snagged a couple. Plan on picking up that feeder this weekend.

Thanks Carter.

Also, do bees and wasps frequent the jelly feeders?


EDIT: Just saw her at the feeder again, so hopefully they are residents and not transient.

Out of the last twenty years or so, there was only one where we had some serious wasp invasions. Not too bad. Right now we have at least 3 pairs frequenting the feeder. Yesterday before my wife left for work, she mentioned that the jelly feeder was getting low. Mid afternoon I'm in the living room when I hear a tapping on the house, which I realize must be a woodpecker. I walk into the kitchen to see the female oriole knocking on the window, and look behind her in the yard to see the now empty feeder. Made me chuckle. So I refilled the feeder only to have the silly bird continue to knock on the window all afternoon. Wacky bird.

[goldy_331]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

While my son and I were out hunting turkey this weekend (my son shot a jake Sunday morning), I heard a bird call that sounded just like drops of water or a stone falling in water. Yesterday I looked it up on line and figured out what it must have been - brown headed cowbird. Pretty amazing call.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Well the oriole stopped showing up around the time we put up a feeder instead of the bowl (3 days ago?).

A friend told us to tie orange ribbons on the shepherds hook, so I did that last night. We'll see if it works and the one that was showing up was local.

[Carter]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Well the oriole stopped showing up around the time we put up a feeder instead of the bowl (3 days ago?).

A friend told us to tie orange ribbons on the shepherds hook, so I did that last night. We'll see if it works and the one that was showing up was local.

The orioles always stop coming in the late spring, at least with any regularity. My wife and I guessed that there must be some wild foods that become available around that time which they prefer to the jelly. They still do show up, though with less frequency. Perhaps they spend more time around the nest. At any rate, it seems kinda early for them to disappear, so maybe it's just a pause.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

The orioles always stop coming in the late spring, at least with any regularity. My wife and I guessed that there must be some wild foods that become available around that time which they prefer to the jelly. They still do show up, though with less frequency. Perhaps they spend more time around the nest. At any rate, it seems kinda early for them to disappear, so maybe it's just a pause.

The male stopped by yesterday. Didn't eat much, but at least I know they're still around.

[Gurtholfin]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Witnessed something a bit gruesome in the yard today.

We have (had) a nest of grackles on the backyard line in a tree. Could hear the babies making a ruckus every time mom or dad would come back with food. Parents were protective of a circle around the nest and even buzzed the wife once when she got too close.

Today, all of a sudden about 10 other grackles descended on the nest and where making all kinds of frantic/frenzied racket and after about 10 minutes of this, two of the babies were on the ground dead.

I know that grackles will raid nests to eat baby birds, but this was a pack of them killing some of their own kind and they didn't eat them.


Looked online but couldn't find any mention of this type of behavior.

[FreshFish]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

We saw something pretty interesting about a week ago. It looked like a hawk was flying overhead with some prey in its talons, while it was being chased by another hawk.


Also saw something quite sad yesterday. A pair of robins had built their nest under our front porch, tucked away by the front joists. I was wondering how long it would take the neighbor's cat to find it. Apparently it found the nest yesterday, as I saw the nest in the driveway and two fledgelings mewling miserably nearby. My son put on some gloves (to keep the scent off) and tried putting them back in the nest and the nest back where it came from. I doubt they'll make it but there is some hope I guess that they were still alive at all....

[Carter]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Also saw something quite sad yesterday. A pair of robins had built their nest under our front porch, tucked away by the front joists. I was wondering how long it would take the neighbor's cat to find it. Apparently it found the nest yesterday, as I saw the nest in the driveway and two fledgelings mewling miserably nearby. My son put on some gloves (to keep the scent off) and tried putting them back in the nest and the nest back where it came from. I doubt they'll make it but there is some hope I guess that they were still alive at all....

I've used the 20 gauge with remarkable effectiveness to resolve this problem. It's fine to have pets, but don't put them out to decimate the wild bird population.

[goldy_331]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

The house finches built their nest above our back door light again this year. Four babies in there.