they come over to my bird feeder set up
and twice i flung open the window
and YELL get out HERE! LOL
off they run.... bummin out bigtime

twice i sicked the DINGO on them
but opening the back door(s) they hear us coming

so this time i fling open the window
And STAR the wonder dog (a take off of UNDER DOG)
flies out the damn window
in Hot pursuit of them Varmits
i was never so proud as NOW

this Seed\suet is for Birds
and they are NOT birds

My tube feeders are now so low to the newly elevated ground, the squirrels don't even have to reach for the seed. They have even learned how to pop the top of the tube feeder and help themselves from the top avoiding the squirrel guard.

My trouble is I am not home during the week to keep them honest....

My tube feeders are now so low to the newly elevated ground, the squirrels don't even have to reach for the seed. They have even learned how to pop the top of the tube feeder and help themselves from the top avoiding the squirrel guard.

My trouble is I am not home during the week to keep them honest....

Well i hear ya loud and clear
i have a tube feeder hanging on the lathe house frame
out next to the glass green house
and every time i go back there
i find it on the ground empty
i'll be purchasing a sherridan hopefully this year

Used to do the same as you Raven, open the window and they'd scram for a few hours. Then....

This past Friday I came home from week long business trip to one of my feeders ripped down and practically chewed in half, a thistle bag with a chew hole in the bottom (the thistle? really?) and my suet bag with some chew holes in it.

I tried to be nice. Now I'm changing tactics and this from a friend:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21p5i2oYXjL._AA300_.jpg

We'll see how they feel about lead coming towards them at the speed of sound.

leave them somewhere (always the same spot) and a fox will get in the habit of making his rounds..they circle in a ten mile loop most evenings.

leave them somewhere (always the same spot) and a fox will get in the habit of making his rounds..they circle in a ten mile loop most evenings.
This is my hope. We're completely infested with the tree rats.

This is my hope. We're completely infested with the tree rats.

speaking of Rats i have something large living between floors and i hear them fussing and fighting and scurrying around up there big time

i have no idea what kind of animal it is but i hear something being dragged or swishing around like cut wire....and it worries me to no end.

I never see any evidence like droppings or tracks and the large coon cat lives up there (upstairs)....so they are not in his territory...

i suspect squirrels but for the life of me i cannot figure out where the entry hole is.... it's a complete mystery.

but my point is once they multiply and use every available tree hole they start looking for ways to get in your house out of desperation.

Once a litter of squirrel pups grows up in your house you are screwed
because then thats what they want from then on. Indoor livin.

Once a litter of squirrel pups grows up in your house you are screwed
because then thats what they want from then on. Indoor livin.

Send them to Martha Stewart!

hahahahaah she can make Squirrel Pies roflmao

My girlfriend's brother found an interesting way to take care of unwanted pests in attics and the walls... go away for a weekend and drop 4 bugbombs in the area.

His kids are definitely going to be born with 3 arms.

This is now f'''ing WAR! Those damn furry tailed rats not only learned to remove the tops of the feeders, now they stole them! They are no where to be seen. I'm done messing with them and getting one of these:

This is now f'''ing WAR! Those damn furry tailed rats not only learned to remove the tops of the feeders, now they stole them! They are no where to be seen. I'm done messing with them and getting one of these:

I want the soldier, too! At least he might be able to hit what he aims to hit?

This is now f'''ing WAR! Those damn furry tailed rats not only learned to remove the tops of the feeders, now they stole them! They are no where to be seen. I'm done messing with them and getting one of these:
I hoed a 1200fps pellet rifle off of Sweetwater. Now that the ice has melted off the trees, they've come out of their holes. Tomorrow begin my campaign of shooting every single one of them that enters the area I've declared safe to shoot towards.

Just missed one yesterday. I wonder what a pellet zipping by faster than the speed of sound actually sounds like.

BB's and snow (ice) balls! They both work and I have about the same hit percentage (hits/attempts). I think I need Roger Clemens fast ball!

Snowball implanted with icicles, sort of a "dissapearing" mace that you throw.

"Gee honey, I have no idea how the squirrel died, but its body is riddled with holes. Does anyone in the area have a machine gun?
Either that or alien experimentation!"

Just remember Jimbo (from South Park) and his way around all those "pesky environmental laws" and yell "They're coming straight for me" before you blast them away!

at 100' feet with a scope
you can use a dime to trace circles
on a card board box - don't draw silly squirrel outlines!
you aim for the eye- body shots suck- too bloody
..............they are to strong for that

Lots of Bluebirds especially when the snow begins and ends.I walk my dogs in the wellfield down the street and had 2-5 snow buntings for 4 mornings feeding on seed pods in the open field next to the water treatment plant.i've been told they are kind of rare this far south.

This is now f'''ing WAR! Those damn furry tailed rats not only learned to remove the tops of the feeders, now they stole them! They are no where to be seen. I'm done messing with them and getting one of these:

The best squirrel proof feeder I've seen has the perch weighted so it closes the feed stations when weight it put on it. Not sure of the brand but my parents swear by them.

I just use regular feeders but only put out safflower. They won't eat it...

-spence

Tomorrow begin my campaign of shooting every single one of them that enters the area I've declared safe to shoot towards.



JD, outside the safety zone a paint gun loaded with water balls is a lot
of fun. :hihi:

I've been finding by loading the suet feeders with the container still on,
it slows them down as they can only get at one side. Doesn't interfere
with the birds getting at it.

The best squirrel proof feeder I've seen has the perch weighted so it closes the feed stations when weight it put on it. Not sure of the brand but my parents swear by them.

I just use regular feeders but only put out safflower. They won't eat it...

-spence

yup. I use 2 I bought years ago. Not cheap but do the trick and i figure I have saved that in seed since I bought them. They learn fast and don't even bother them any more.

here is the kind i have , although I did not pay that much. more like 40 but it was probably 15 years ago. Heavy duty and well made

http://www.bird-house-bath.com/d/Heritage-Farms-Original.html


here is a good one too


http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/squirrel-proof-bird-feeder.html?gclid=CJTEhsbm76YCFUlN4AodLWX2IA

I want the soldier, too! At least he might be able to hit what he aims to hit?

It's happened to my twice now. the snow pile they are in is 6 feet tall I can't find them till April

be cool if it was miniaturized
you aim the scope on the PC
click the mouse and a little soldier
next to the Bird feeder caps the squirrel

Johnny, get a 4x scope and zero it in on the range/distance your birdfeeders are away. Pellets will drop 3-4" in 100', so if you are shooting at 20' and zero'd at 100' you'll shoot under every time. If you can get proficient enough to pass the Raven test you are there. I aim between the eye and the ear, but a straight on shot up the nose will also do. I don't want to see them suffer, but I don't ever want to see them again. My friendly neighborhood fox does the cleanup work for me.

Snow buntings Bobby - very good! Mark it up. Straight white or mottled?

Buzz 1
Squirrels 0

Does red snow distract other squirrels?

Johnny, get a 4x scope and zero it in on the range/distance your birdfeeders are away. Pellets will drop 3-4" in 100', so if you are shooting at 20' and zero'd at 100' you'll shoot under every time. If you can get proficient enough to pass the Raven test you are there. I aim between the eye and the ear, but a straight on shot up the nose will also do. I don't want to see them suffer, but I don't ever want to see them again. My friendly neighborhood fox does the cleanup work for me.?
Thanks for the tips Mike. I'm sighted in dead on at 50'. Most shots are a little closer, some a little further away so I adjust accordingly. I'm right there with you, in that I want a quick kill. With the distance I'm at and the pellet gun/pellets I'm using, I'm not too worried about that though. Damn pellets will go in one side and out the other.

Buzz 2
Squirrels 0

A good quality pellet gun does the trick and it puts food on the table at the same time.My old RWS 48 and Beeman R1 have decimated the squirrel population,but alas with the times we live and the neighborhood I recide in its no longer an option...to bad.

Johnny, get a 4x scope and zero it in on the range/distance your birdfeeders are away. Pellets will drop 3-4" in 100', so if you are shooting at 20' and zero'd at 100' you'll shoot under every time. If you can get proficient enough to pass the Raven test you are there. I aim between the eye and the ear, but a straight on shot up the nose will also do. I don't want to see them suffer, but I don't ever want to see them again. My friendly neighborhood fox does the cleanup work for me.

Snow buntings Bobby - very good! Mark it up. Straight white or mottled?They were all mottled.I'll send a couple off to you.

just spotted a small hawk in the tree next to the feeders. I tried to get as good a look as possible but my binoc's are in the truck and my eyesight stinks and getting to be dusk almost.. . Looking in the book could be a Coopers hawk or sharp spinned. Wish I had read book first as the tails are different but I don't remember. Cool bird though.

just spotted a small hawk in the tree next to the feeders. I tried to get as good a look as possible but my binoc's are in the truck and my eyesight stinks and getting to be dusk almost.. . Looking in the book could be a Coopers hawk or sharp spinned. Wish I had read book first as the tails are different but I don't remember. Cool bird though.

The Sharpie is the more prevalent of the two locally.The two are very similar and very hard to distinguish from one another.On that assumption I assume the one that visits my yard is a Sharpie.

Buzz 2
Squirrels 0

gun or cutter high inside?

Any of these furry tailed rats that dare stand and laugh at me from 10' away while I'm holding a WSD (weapon of squirrel destruction) deserves a BB right between the eyes!

BB right between the eyes!

send out the stretcher!!

You're having too much fun on the deck or is there a sniper position on a bar stool?

P. those are the best on the market. A few find there way around the Duncraft
and if they can't get to the seed the li'l bastards chew the wooden perch
in half. :smash:

I have never seen a squirrel get anything out of the Brome and there's
nothing they can chew or wreck.

The Sharpie is the more prevalent of the two locally.The two are very similar and very hard to distinguish from one another.On that assumption I assume the one that visits my yard is a Sharpie.

My sharpie came and visited for about 2 min yesterday afternoon. Just walked around the highest pile of snow looking for something.....of course all the birds were long gone. Wanted to run and get the camera but I enjoyed just watching too much. I also assumed he'd be gone by time I got back.

If he came back today he could have had squirrel meat!:uhuh: Something did, probably a feral cat.

i am building owl boxes this year

Rav,put some bat boxes up too if you have the place,
as you know they are on the decline because of some kind of diease.

Anybody ever try those exterior ultrsonic sound devices that
are supposed to repel squirrels, cats and even deer within a 30 ft
radious?

Took one out this morning. Fell out of the tree into about 3' of snow. Won't see him until May.

Took one out this morning. Fell out of the tree into about 3' of snow. Won't see him until May.

Probably won't see him ever, scavengers will get it first! Way to go, only an infinite number more to send to their graves!

I had issues with squirrels and raccoons right up the street from Slip

After taking out 63 squirrels, and fortunately rabies got the raccoons. I went with the Audobon feeder pole shield.

I've never had problem since as long as I mounted the shield per instructions.

Now if I could keep the bastards out of my birdhouses. I'm putting sheet metal inserts in the entry holes this year.

Probably won't see him ever, scavengers will get it first! Way to go, only an infinite number more to send to their graves!
I'll be curious. He fell in the middle of nowhere so the tracks and digging will be obvious. Should have had at least a couple more but I suck.

Johnny, the tail fur makes nice teasers - go dig it out!

Johnny, the tail fur makes nice teasers - go dig it out!

I thought of that a couples hrs later and the body(s) had already been dragged off by a predator, damn!

Don't worry PR, they'll be more - it's like the attack of the zombies.

I get red squirrels too.

Johnny, the tail fur makes nice teasers - go dig it out!
I have more deer tails and other teaser making stuff to last me a few years. Thought about collecting the tails and sending them off to Mepps, but I'm just gonna feed the local foxes for now.

I have a couple yuppy neighbors and the houses are pretty close so I'm trying to not draw any extra attention.

Cardinals. Just counted 9 males and 3 females at the same feeder at once. So cool to see so much red in the same place. Most i have ever seen at one time. had 3 on the feeder perch at once and the others were on ground or on branches with in 3 feet.

Cardinals. Just counted 9 males and 3 females at the same feeder at once. So cool to see so much red in the same place. Most i have ever seen at one time. had 3 on the feeder perch at once and the others were on ground or on branches with in 3 feet.

For a territorial bird their testosterone levels must have been off the charts!

get your birdhouses up shortly. that smell is in the air!!

I have a couple yuppy neighbors and the houses are pretty close so I'm trying to not draw any extra attention.

Sorry to hear that, I could see a call to the ASPCA in your near future. :hihi:

Sorry to hear that, I could see a call to the ASPCA in your near future. :hihi:
What's the fine for killing a squirrel after the season?

What's the fine for killing a squirrel after the season?

It's the Peta people

PETA people Suck

Toch O he's sympathetic to their cause

What's the fine for killing a squirrel after the season?

I have a good friend who was reported by some yuppie for shooting squirrels
with his 22 in his own neighborhood.
He had to go to county court, pay a $2500 fine and turn in all his guns due to local weapon discharge laws.

The ASPCA heard of it and wanted to prosecute him for cruelty
to animals too but that was dismissed.

ASPCA was successful though in another town for a guy shooting RATS
in his garden!!!! Forget what the fine was,but it was stiff.

I could see it if he were shooting at yuppies. :rotflmao:

I have a good friend who was reported by some yuppie for shooting squirrels
with his 22 in his own neighborhood.
He had to go to county court, pay a $2500 fine and turn in all his guns due to local weapon discharge laws.

The ASPCA heard of it and wanted to prosecute him for cruelty
to animals too but that was dismissed.

ASPCA was successful though in another town for a guy shooting RATS
in his garden!!!! Forget what the fine was,but it was stiff.

I could see it if he were shooting at yuppies. :rotflmao:
Interesting. Ah well. I think a pellet gun will be a bit different than a 22. MA regulates slingshots more than pellet guns.


*edit* The whole rat thing got me wonder... wtf??? So are they going to start prosecuting people for putting out rat poison and mouse traps?

*edit #2* Did some poking around out of curiosity...
http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIX/Chapter131/Section37
(my emphasis added)
Section 37. An owner or tenant of land or, if authorized by such owner or tenant, any member of his immediate family or his employee, as defined pursuant to section one of chapter sixty-two B, may, upon such land:—

(1) kill or attempt to kill, by means other than poisoning or trapping, any wild bird damaging his property, including domesticated animals, poultry and game on game-rearing farms or preserves, provided that such killing is not contrary to any federal law, rule or regulation.

(2) hunt or take by other means, except by poison or snare, any mammal which he finds damaging his property except grass growing on uncultivated land. No such owner or tenant shall authorize any person, other than a member of his immediate family or a person permanently employed by him, to place traps for the protection of said property other than during the open season, unless such owner or tenant has first obtained from the director a permit authorizing him so to do, which permit the director is hereby authorized to issue in his discretion, unless such authorized person holds a trapping license. All deer so killed shall be turned over to any environmental police officer and shall be disposed of by the director of law enforcement.

I had a good sign, in a sense, this morning when checking the recent damage to my bird feeders. The squirrels had once again dropped it off its metal hook (unraveled clothes hanger) and tore it apart.
The good news is that in the process one of the little bastiges must have cut its paw pretty good, because there was a fair amount of blood on the snow and the feeder.

The other good news was I was able to fashion a squirrel baffle out of plexiglas sheeting, cut into a circle roughly 18-20" wide.

I may have reached a turning point in my ongoing battle with these flippin' tree rats.

*edit* The whole rat thing got me wonder... wtf??? So are they going to start prosecuting people for putting out rat poison and mouse traps?

[/QUOTE]

This goes back 5 years or so ago and I don't remember all the particulars.
But there was a big hullabalou about just that, the rats were destroying
his garden and that was his defense.

So many regulations by the town, state and government agencies.
In high density residential areas I can see the gun regulations for safety,
but no traps is ridiculous.

Has anyone ever heard of Canada robins? Weather guy just said he's getting lots of reports of robins as being a sign of Spring. He said what we are seeing is southern migration of robins from Canada. He commented you can tell the difference in that the Canada robins are fat and when the US robins fly north when Spring does arrive they will be skinny.


I've got a flock about 40 fat robins going around cleaning off holly bushes of the last remaining berries.

AS a type of Shelter from the Storm..... (blizzards)

i recycled a huge Christmas tree by tying it
to my wooden Bird feeder pole outside the office window.

In the Center of it i tied a suet basket feeder
so that smaller birds would have unrestricted access
from the other "more dominant" suet feeder visitors.

AS it turned out , MALE cardinals preferred this location
because i think they felt more safe and that particular suet
basket was the first one to go "empty".

I'm putting sheet metal inserts in the entry holes this year.

Try gluing on fender washers just the right size inisde diameter for the birds you want to attract on the ouside hole of your birdhouse.

PR, I saw something on the news about that last night. They said that the robins we have around here now are northern robins coming south for the winter and that our robins were south in the Carolinas, Georgia & Florida. They said that when our robins get back you'll know because they'll be thin from the flight back north. Let's see -

Finally getting a chance to post some pictures I've taken during the days I've been snowed in. Pretty sweet being able to get within 3-4" of the birds and they can't see you - loving the mirrored windows. And not too bad of quality by the iPhone cam.

Sorry about the large size:
http://i.imgur.com/TPk0Ol.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lebByl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/cG3qkl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6aKtgl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/AMtqDl.jpg

And I have no idea what this guy is. I've only seen him once. Only ate the suet. Any help from you pros?
http://i.imgur.com/g7VZhl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/Af8P1l.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nRRsLl.jpg


The a few more pictures and larger versions of the above ones can be found here:
Da Birds - Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/1WEAI#6aKtg)

Also had 4 goldfinches at one feeder, with 2 more sitting on the post waiting for their turn. It's funny... initially we had the same two every day, then this past month, the same 6 show up every morning.

Unknown ID: Mockingbird! Wait until they nest in your area, you want some all night noise....:wall:

Nice that the birds, and a good variety, finally found your feeding stations.:)

Unknown ID: Mockingbird! Wait until they nest in your area, you want some all night noise....:wall:

Nice that the birds, and a good variety, finally found your feeding stations.:)
Thanks for the ID.

Yeah, I'm happy to finally have some variety. Getting a bunch of Chickadees, Titmice (titmouses?), nuthatches and the goldfinches.

Only saw that Mockingbird once. I can only convince the Cardinal over on rare occasion by throwing seed onto the snowy ledge (what you saw in the picture). Then, I get a dozen sparrows and finally the Cardinal will stop by for a few minutes here and there eating thistle and none of the other seeds.

I put up the feed house that I posted pictures of a few weeks ago with some quality seed, but no love over there by the Cards.

Wow! Squirrel-Kill porn! Why didn't someone tell me about this thread earlier. I've got an idea for an "electric bird feeder" that will make ol' sparky at San Quentin look like child's play. :drevil:

Mocking birds make nests low to the ground
and unfortunately snakes often find their babies and eat them
which has happened to me at a previous residence

unfortunately i have no mocking birds here
and i don't mind listening to them sing all night long
there's nothing finer than sitting outside listening
on a breezy summer night

As for Squirrels :mad:
i'm at war because one was sitting on my jerry jug today
chewing on the pouring tube and i am very pissed off now
AND....they all shined on the have a heart trap too :wall:

Squirrel-kill porn

You can buy or build the best "squirrel-proof" feeder in the world, only to have a furry little bastige render it obsolete in seconds.

They have to be one of the smartest rodents because they can be solitary or work as a group.
Damn, if they ever get REALLY organized, they'll probably pick the lock to our shed and take all the seed they want!

Wow! Squirrel-Kill porn! Why didn't someone tell me about this thread earlier. I've got an idea for an "electric bird feeder" that will make ol' sparky at San Quentin look like child's play. :drevil:

Can I be your beta test site, please.:jump1: I can power the contraption with solar power!

Squirrel-kill porn

i have one squirrel that has no tail at all
just a pink stub....four inches long

i have one squirrel that has no tail at all
just a pink stub....four inches long

Mother was a squirrel and father a RAT!:biglaugh:

You can buy or build the best "squirrel-proof" feeder in the world, only to have a furry little bastige render it obsolete in seconds.

They have to be one of the smartest rodents because they can be solitary or work as a group.
Damn, if they ever get REALLY organized, they'll probably pick the lock to our shed and take all the seed they want!

What squirrels have to be the dumbest..take this guy for example, why go through all the obstacles when he just could have climbed the pole supporting the feeder?:rotf2:

YouTube - Squirrel Obstacle Course (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWU0bfo-bSY&feature=player_embedded#at=87)

50 degrees expected
First BLUEBIRD sighting

All you bird watchers be on the lookout for a new species of hummingbird! It won't visit the standard hummingbird feeders with nectar either.

Tiny 'Hummingbird' May Someday Fly Spy Missions For The Military : The Two-Way : NPR (http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/02/17/133838899/tiny-hummingbird-may-someday-fly-spy-missions-for-the-military)

Now THAT is kewl. :hihi:

the model "T"

Live from IOWA:

Decorah Eagles, Ustream.TV: First hatch 4/2/11. 24-hour collage of first egg pip and hatch Second hatch 4/3/11. First glimpse of second hatchling Third... (http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles)

The eagel-cam is cool, particularly when the parent starts ripping pieces off of the carcass and feeding the chicks.

I was fishing Saturday morning at Jamaica Pond.
I managed to catch a crayfish that was foraging amongst the leaf-litter on the bottom.
While I was casting spoons to the invisible trout, I saw a brief commotion to my left, and as I turned QUICKLY, I saw a hawk barely miss a duck at the shoreline, and watched as it flew out just as I finished the cast I was in the process of making.
I was able to adjust my cast enough so that the lure and line passed well over the bird as it took off after its failed attempt.
That's one heck of a stealthy bird, as there was no noise, either from the hawk or any of the other birds in the area, nothing to indicate it was on the attack.
Beautiful sight regardless of the circumstances!

Feeding time: 4:35PM

Yummy muskrat!

I showed this to some coworkers, and they thought is was cool until I pointed out the dead animal (and bird) in the foreground.
Then they thought it was gross. :smash:
Exactly how did they think the eagles fed their chicks, with take out? :biglaugh:

I can't tell, but has they parents taken turns? I would hate to think that something would have happened to one of them, because if anything did, the chicks would never survive.
I say that because these birds were the focus of a PBS nature special a couple years back, and other birds that were included in that show didn't survive when one parent died during the filming.
As tough as it is to do, they do follow a strict "non-interefernce" policy and they let nature take its course.

It looks like one of two things has happened to the thrid egg in the nest.
1) it's in the process of hatching, and since we can't make the bird move, we can only wait for the sitting bird to move for a chance at seeing the egg clearly.
or....
2) the chicks have taken it upon themselves to increase their share of food from the parents by committing fratricide and "offing their un-hatched sibling. (hey, it's "survival of the fittest"!)

I can't watch it all day long, and it seems that there's some new carcass in the nest each day.

3rd chick is hatching NOW! 7:50PM

First shot is from my chair after work today. Went up to the window for the others.

Never seen so many dead turkeys along the highways as this year! Along I295 in RI last Sat. there was a couple mile stretch with at least 4 dead birds.

My co-worker got this shot in her driveway.

thinking on some things -strategies

and a big ole tom turkey goes walking by the
plastic with at least an eight inch beard

50 lbs of black sunflower at $28 at Ocean State now; wasn't it $25 just a few weeks ago and $20 around the 1st of the year?

As much as I want spring to get going it is nice to be able to see all of the migrants coming back. Without the leaves on the trees I never would have seen, nevermind ID'd, the blue grey gnatcatcher I saw yesterday. Anyone else see anything new recently?

I got a Canadian warbler about this time last year. I noticed that last weekend after that little shot of warm weather and heavy rain a lot of stuff was back - pine warblers, chipping sparrows, house sparrows and robins most conspicuously.

Two years ago, we had an artificial wreath on the front door that became the nesting site for a house finch and her brood. The wife, "kids," and I watched the eggs and hatchlings through the window until my neighbor's dog (a german shorthaired) decided to eat the babies.

Well, the next year, the house finch came back and laid another clutch. Since the dog was no longer around (RIP Maddy) we thought we were safe only to come home one day to find that the neighbors' (same ones) cat was going after the hatchlings.

This year we are not putting the wreath up.

50 lbs of black sunflower at $28 at Ocean State now; wasn't it $25 just a few weeks ago and $20 around the 1st of the year?
.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
yeah the price jumped (jacked UP ) again so BJ's became the better deal AGAIN
because the mixed seed is a total rip off

so i bought a forty pound bag at BJ's and it turned out to be a moldy batch and so i had to GO BACK AND return it....:wall:

Been trying to grow my own Russian mammoth sF's but the dammed field mice are digging them up...bastids .....set the metal trap for em with half a suet cake in it... he'll be in there in the MORNING.... I HOPE/

YouTube - Incredibl BIRD (Michael Jackson) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyCmBlYDYvg&feature=related)

Just found this post. I am glad I am not alone. I love feeding and watching the birds. I have a feeder and two suet cages right outside my door. I also feed the squirrels with corn blocks hung from a bungee cord. It is really funny to watch the squirrels hanging off the bottom of a bouncing brick of corn.

With feeding the squirrels it was really important to get a squirrel proof feeder and yes, they actually exist. I found one that has a cage over the feeding holes that slide down from the weight of the squirrels. Works perfectly. Squirrels don't even bother to try anymore.

All winter I have had cardinals, carolina wrens, red and white breasted nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, house finches and morning doves. Things are starting to migrate now and we get a HUGE migration out here on the island. The cow birds showed up last week along with a yellow throated warbler and have had a baltimore oriel on the suet cage for the last week. I also have a pair of mallards nesting in the yard. Over the next few weeks the bird population will explode. In past years, from my property alone I have identified over 100 different species. Its a cool hobby.

and here is this morning's returning migrant

does he have a green card ? :grins:

doesn't look like he needs one (http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/128/articles/migration)

Two years ago, we had an artificial wreath on the front door that became the nesting site for a house finch and her brood. The wife, "kids," and I watched the eggs and hatchlings through the window until my neighbor's dog (a german shorthaired) decided to eat the babies.

Well, the next year, the house finch came back and laid another clutch. Since the dog was no longer around (RIP Maddy) we thought we were safe only to come home one day to find that the neighbors' (same ones) cat was going after the hatchlings.

This year we are not putting the wreath up.
On man. I'd hate to have neighbors like that. Next thing you know, the police are going to be sent to your house because their daughter's boyfriend set off your home alarm system.

Anybody still keeping tabs on the Decorah IA, eagle's nest?
The three eggs hatched last month and all three chicks are now about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of the adults.
They're starting to test their wings (no flying until the feathers grow in).

Anybody still keeping tabs on the Decorah IA, eagle's nest?
The three eggs hatched last month and all three chicks are now about 1/2 to 2/3 the size of the adults.
They're starting to test their wings (no flying until the feathers grow in).

I check in periodically. Want to watch them eat: on their own yet (not catching, but tearing) or still beak fed from adults?

INDIGO Bunting @ the feeder :btu:

lots of towhees

INDIGO Bunting @ the feeder :btu:


Oh man Rav, only seen a few in my lifetime. One of my all time favorites
along with scarlet taninger, cedar wax wing ,rosebreasted grossbeak and
bluebird.

Been enjoying the pair of Rose breasted Grossbeaks that are steady visitor's but haven't been enjoying the chattering and noisey red squirrels that are dropping feeders and being a nuisance in general.:wall:

My feeders except for the thistle, gold finches, are all put away for the summer. To much city to get neat birds like Raven!

then feed the hummingbirds

OK I'm stumped, what white bird about the size of a pigeon can
fly 60-65 MPH flying down the highway drafting trucks and cars
weaving in and out of traffic flying between 5-20 ft high for a minimum
of 3 miles then turn and fly west with the traffic as the highway divided????
If my wife and I didn't see it with our own eyes today I would never believe it.

thats a toughy ....but a pergrin falcon comes to mind...
based on the speed ...but scientists have determined that highways do indeed have signifgant usage as land marks used by many species to navigate with.... owls work the highways and some of the smaller ones are white colored and are incredible fliers
. there had to be some kind of pattern to the flying like dipping
~~~~ ------u----- .........'`` and that is a big clue.

OK I'm stumped, what white bird about the size of a pigeon can
fly 60-65 MPH flying down the highway drafting trucks and cars
weaving in and out of traffic flying between 5-20 ft high for a minimum
of 3 miles then turn and fly west with the traffic as the highway divided????
If my wife and I didn't see it with our own eyes today I would never believe it.

Maybe a white dove? Some people have white doves released at weddings and such. They can fly 50-60 mph. The "home" like homing pigeons.

Rav,it was dipping and flying between cars like a riceburner
cutting in and out of traffic but not the shape of an owl.

SW, you may be right about the dove as it was white and
pigeon shape. Didn't know they could fly that fast.

He looked like he was having fun. :)
Nature is an amazing thing!

When they are being chased by a raptor, they can really hit the after-burners.
I second the "highway-association" reference as the birds can/will use (vehicle) drafts to their advantage.

Speaking of raptors, the Decorah eagles appear to have left the nest.
There were 2 in the nest yesterday afternoon, and this morning, now there is only one.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to see the actual flights, but they've been testing their wings all last week.

float above my sanctuary daily
of course there's the occasional crow
or two hassling them with the dive bom b
routine... but they simply out maneuver them

Speaking of raptors, the Decorah eagles appear to have left the nest.
There were 2 in the nest yesterday afternoon, and this morning, now there is only one.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to see the actual flights, but they've been testing their wings all last week.

Last I checked on them was a week or so ago and they looked ready to go soon. Glad to hear the nest is nearly empty, good luck, Live Long and Prosper to the new eaglets!

I got a nest right outside my bedroom window and the chick(s) does nothing but chirp from 4am on and I can't take it anymore.

Anybody ever move a nest?Is it advisable to do so?I certainly don't want to harm the bird(s) but someting needs to be done.

choose the relocation spot quickly
just far enough where you can't hear it as much
but the birds can still hear them chirping
and keep it at the same height if possible

a first......... knocks out power

http://http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/06/17/mt.deer.causes.power.outage.kpax?hpt=hp_t2

Speaking of raptors, the Decorah eagles appear to have left the nest.
There were 2 in the nest yesterday afternoon, and this morning, now there is only one.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to see the actual flights, but they've been testing their wings all last week.

Don't think they have actually left the "nest" just expanded their range to the branches of the tree. This morning 2 young'uns and the adult were the focus of activity. Did not see the 3rd but the camera did not show the nest, the youngest may still hang out there.

Finally, After having a Purple Martin house up at the house in RI for over 20 years, we have a pair nesting in the house. They are cool to watch. they put on some awesome displays when feeding. They really put on a show. I will bring my camera with me the next time I am up there and post some pics.

Vic

less mosquito's at your place

You are not kidding. The skeeters there are horrible! They bite all day and you can put saddles on some of them. That is why we put up the martin house. Now if we can keep them coming back with some friends next year I will be very happy:jump1:

less mosquito's at your place

You are not kidding. The skeeters there are horrible! They bite all day and you can put saddles on some of them. That is why we put up the martin house. Now if we can keep them coming back with some friends next year I will be very happy:jump1:

If I'm not mistaken, they like to live in colonies, which they sell martin houses with multiple nest boxes/chambers. I live in an area that isn't condusive to martins or swallows. What we do have is a wide variety of traditional backyard birds.
Our backyard bug zapper has to be the sparrows. They can/will eat bugs all day long, and since they will breed repeatedly during the year, they are always on the lookout for bugs to feed their young.

You are not kidding. The skeeters there are horrible!
They bite all day and you can put saddles on some of them.

two enemies of Mosquitos are <<WIND>> and Garlic oil perls
so keep the wind avenues open by clearing

sometimes it's worth it to search and destroy the breeding grounds
by throwing into their water a dunk donut mosquito killer
that ya buy at home depot...kills them ALL!

oil sits on top of the water killing them
in the larvae stage .... also dragon flies eat them....
i call em buddy...
when they land on my rod.... waiting for a tap...(bite)

i had never seen this before....

but a red squirrel was sounding the alarm
as to my presense....

and it kept scolding and chippin away loudly
attracting the attention of my local HAWK

I watched with much amusement as that hawk
flew up and down the huge pine tree trunk
just inches away from the BARK
(even round and round ) trying to catch that
red squirrel without much sucess
but it sure came mighty close.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd:

On the way home yesterday i spied a hawk sitting on a
boundary post that was perhaps 3.5 to four feet tall
right on the side of the road
so camoflaged my wife never even saw it....

so i banged a U-ey and pulled right up to it
within four feet and totally stopped
so it turned (facing us) to look at us
but stayed there quite unafraid glaring at us....
I said: "what's up Dude...?"

it had just caught a nice fat field mouse and was
gonna sit there and just eat it up...
the heck with us....it was Hungry -lol

My squirrels are drinking my hummingbird feeders!

I can add a new species to the list that which have visited my yard. Easy to track since all the native birds are not sure what to make of this thing! Anyone know specifically what kind of parrot? I have already called animal control in case someone reports one missing.

i think it's a lorokeet (sp)

it may be wild
or it maybe an escape`....

often times they escape the cage and wind up in the kitchen
or the entry way to the house....

you come home unaware that the bird is loose
as the door opens "frightened"
out they fly "free as a bird"
Happened to me................

My squirrels are drinking my hummingbird feeders!

They seem to be desperate for this time of the year.

I had one yesterday climb up the GLASS on the window to get to
the feeder. He hung upside down off the chain of the lucite satelite feeder
and chewed a hole in the side of it.
Haven't been able to trap him, he'll go inside the trap and lick off only
the top layer of peanut butter then back out without setting off the
lightest setting of the trap.

I'll have to get a shelled peanut and lodge it deep in the trap hole
and then smear it with peanut butter. If he wants that nut the trap
WILL go off for sure. Have to see how smart he really is. :)

ya gotta feed him something hotter than a 3 alarm fire:devil2:

that he really really wants.....

also;

i think some glow in the dark powder would
also make their grey camoflage coloration rendered non existant :)

ya gotta feed him something hotter than a 3 alarm fire:devil2:

that he really really wants.....

also;

i think some glow in the dark powder would
also make their grey camoflage coloration rendered non existant :)

LOL Rav, a friend of my wife's told her she put tabasco sauce on a pile of nuts
and when she came home found the squirel laying on it's back in the driveway
gasping for breath. :hih:

in the pitch black of the backyard
walking around looking up at the stars
i suddenly sensed i wasn't alone
i quickly noticed some motion and
saw a white striped sumthing within
5yards ....a skunk ...backing up here boss :hs:
i was trying to bust the coons
coulda got ugly :uhuh:

I'll have to get a shelled peanut and lodge it deep in the trap hole
and then smear it with peanut butter. If he wants that nut the trap
WILL go off for sure. Have to see how smart he really is. :)

Yup, it worked this morning. I was watching when the little smart
arse walked into the trap licked the peanut butter off the peanut
walked out, got greedy, wanted that peanut so back in he went.
Gates closed and he went wild.
Never seen one so mad, biting the cage doing flips and making this hissing
noise. :hihi:
He is now enjoying his new home, a 1/2 mile stretch of resivoir
water between him and me and a golf course to boot.
Waaaay to kind to him. :)

Got 10 squirrels in 9 days.
Yesterday I was releasing what I thought was 1 in the usual
manner. Normally they run up the nearest tree. This one
takes off like a bat outa H*ll passes every tree and just keeps running.
I swear I thought he ran over the horizon. :hihi:
I was laughing right out loud, went to throw the trap on the truck
and heard this rattle, looked and it was another squirrel in the
trap.:hihi: Two for one, saved me some gas. :D

Got 10 squirrels in 9 days.
Yesterday I was releasing what I thought was 1 in the usual
manner. Normally they run up the nearest tree. This one
takes off like a bat outa H*ll passes every tree and just keeps running.
I swear I thought he ran over the horizon. :hihi:
I was laughing right out loud, went to throw the trap on the truck
and heard this rattle, looked and it was another squirrel in the
trap.:hihi: Two for one, saved me some gas. :D

the squirrel in the trap than ran away forever was the husband
the squirrel left over in the trap was the wife....

it was the husband's idea for her to go into the trap.

There have been no fewer than 20-25 sparrows on the feeder right outside my window every morning for hours and then throughout the day. So many of them, no other birds show up any more... damn things.

There have been no fewer than 20-25 sparrows on the feeder right outside my window every morning for hours and then throughout the day. So many of them, no other birds show up any more... damn things.

http://www.sparrowtraps.net/?gclid=COmg_92szKoCFcnc4AodWVZw1g (http://www.sparrowtraps.net/?gclid=COmg_92szKoCFcnc4AodWVZw1g)

There have been no fewer than 20-25 sparrows on the feeder right outside my window every morning for hours and then throughout the day. So many of them, no other birds show up any more... damn things.

Same here! :fury: The parents are teaching all the young ones how to raid feeders rather than really have to search for wild food sources. They empty my thistle tube feeder in 2 days and fight off the gold finches, chikadees, etc.

http://www.sparrowtraps.net/?gclid=COmg_92szKoCFcnc4AodWVZw1g (http://www.sparrowtraps.net/?gclid=COmg_92szKoCFcnc4AodWVZw1g)
Alright now that looks pretty damn cool. Not sure if it's worth the $55 to me though.

Same here! :fury: The parents are teaching all the young ones how to raid feeders rather than really have to search for wild food sources. They empty my thistle tube feeder in 2 days and fight off the gold finches, chikadees, etc.
I used to have a pair of goldfinches that were here all through winter and still coming back in the spring. Since this madness with the finches started, I haven't seen them back since and don't get any chickadees either.

Pretty much down to a couple titmice and nuthatches.

Alright now that looks pretty damn cool. Not sure if it's worth the $55 to me though.

if ya have some materials you could make one :uhuh:

it has allot to do with the plants on your property
and whats adjacent to you....

we have crown sparrows ,fox sparrows, chipping ect

but no english ,suits me fine because they are always rioting :grins:

If you want to get rid of the sparrows, stop feeding them.
I rarely feed the birds during the summer because I want them to forage for their natural diet.
That also goes for other birds. Sure, eveyone enjoys the cardinals, bluejays, orioles, chickadees, titmouses, nuthatches, mourning doves and various woodpeckers. But I would like them to teach their young how to forage as if I weren't providing food, so that they can fend for themselves when the winter approaches.

I will feed during the winter, but as a supplimental food source, and not their ONLY food source.

Sure, having lots of sparrows around can be daunting, but if they were to feed on their normal diet, it would be small insects like mosquitos, so I encourage them in my back yard.
I will say that if they were actually a nuisance for me, I might think differently, but since I don't see them as a problem they are OK in my book.

don't get any chickadees either.

Pretty much down to a couple titmice and nuthatches.

i was looking out the window..........

then it hit me.... J-D

are you feeding your birds straight
black oil sunflower seed?

because that could make a HUGE difference.

i was looking out the window..........

then it hit me.... J-D

are you feeding your birds straight
black oil sunflower seed?

because that could make a HUGE difference.
I've been testing different seeds, one time at a time - black oil sunflower, hulled sunflower, safflower, crushed peanuts - and some mixtures of the above with dried fruit and other goodies in it. Same result with most of them. Also, nothing I use has millet or cracked corn which I heard is like a magnet for HOSP.

The little bastards also plow through my suet, so I stopped putting that out.

yeah............. them and the starlings
go ravenous on that sh1t like piranha

Not a bird post but has anyone seen squirrels devouring a holly tree? There are at least 4 squirrels seriously pruning this tree for the berries over the last couple of weeks. The branches on the ground (sorry for the blurry pic) are just from today. Other trees/bushes in the vicinity are not even being touched.

Must be a really bad year for acorns.

http://www.sparrowtraps.net/?gclid=COmg_92szKoCFcnc4AodWVZw1g (http://www.sparrowtraps.net/?gclid=COmg_92szKoCFcnc4AodWVZw1g)

I hate killing anything anymore. How far do you need to take them
so they won't come back?

China

LOL Rav,thats what i figured. :hihi:

Those English Sparrows would find someway to get backfor the noontime fights in the forsythia bushes. :smash:

has long branches with growth just at the ends

in the backyard...
anyways the cooper hawk comes gliding- swooping
through the branches every so often

then all ya see is a single small feather
floating ever so slowly to the ground.

I haven't had my feeders up for about 3 months and put them up Saturday morning. I can't believe the number of species and total numbers of each type bird that found the feeders within the 1st 24-36 hrs! They really aren't eating a lot of the food but are stashing it all around the area. I sure hope birds are better than squirrels at finding stashes....at least the wrens are finding the nuthatch's stashes.:)

The rundown: chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, goldfinches, house finches, cardinals, bluejays, juncos, hairy woodpeckers, redbreasted woodpecker, winter wrens, and of course sparrows but they don't count.

Maybe just forecasting the impending 2 snow storms?:err:

The squirrels will have a special treat this year......

Since putting my feeders up last December, I've never had any blue jays or wood peckers at them. Been seeing both pretty consistently lately. Also had a junco last week as well for the first time.

see that !
one junco last week
this week snow

some-how
they always know

see that !
one junco last week
this week snow

some-how
they always know

Amazing and so true.

Got the feeders going yesterday.Not much activity yet but we had a few chickadees and a wren this morning.

This has probably been the latest I've ever waited to put out the feeders.Hell I'm still feeding the fish in my pond,usually this time of year the deicer is already on and the fish have been done eating for a few weeks.

the old timer at Comet Pond told me
that they come in cycles of two's

(14 years a snow plow operator)

meaning that this winter will replicate
last winter.

the old timer at Comet Pond told me
that they come in cycles of two's

(14 years a snow plow operator)

meaning that this winter will replicate
last winter.

Maybe, I'll tell you April 2012 what the winter was like.:)
I heard a stat that with the extremely warm Nov coupled with a warm Oct the chances of a cold (could still be wet) winter are unlikely.

Maybe, I'll tell you April 2012 what the winter was like.:)
I heard a stat that with the extremely warm Nov coupled with a warm Oct the chances of a cold (could still be wet) winter are unlikely.

NAO is extremely Postive, doesn't show signs of even coming neutral before the end of the year.

We could get a blast of arctic temps end of this week. it's been trapped up in AK/BC

So I had to take down this monstrous white oak next to the house this past weekend. This tree has been the center of my bird feeding stations for 20 years. God I hated to take it down, perfect specimen, but it has just gotten to be too much work so close to the house. The next morning the birds all came around and were like WTF. Where did the tree go? Why is it on the ground? So I am in charge of cutting up and removing the wood to my stacking area so I didn't get the feeder put up in another location by then but I could tell they were pissed at me for not having their breakfast ready for them. Late that day I put it up on another tree, not as good as viewing for me , but they found it an hour later and this morning they were happy as clams.

One thing i can advise you to do
is to provide a "landing ZONE" for birds
so that they can do a look-see survey first
before they go to the feeders.

Just like at an AIRport
the planes have a runway then disembark passengers
to terminals and there is a rotation of planes coming in.

the airplanes don't land inside the airport buildings.

It's the same with Birds! and that's their comfort ZONE.

I have a dowel screwed to the house at the gutter level
then i have runway ONE screwed to an old fence post
where they have safe landing and hop on in further.

below that
i have various perches and feeders for them to explore.
and of course a recycled 8' footer christmas tree with SUET

on the other set up in the middle of the backyard i have three of
those metal "candy cane shaped" feeder poles in a row with bamboo
sticks going across the top tied down
and then a larger fatter maple branch on there too
so they can zoom down and land easily without any hesitation.

for photography

here's the results while sitting in the office

one for Paul and One for Buzz ;o)
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/wren.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/TITMouse.jpg

Nice! How much you pay them to pose, going rate 100 black oil seeds?

Wind blew seed all over the place last night. Found it >20ft from the feeder.... Threaded a dead circular saw blade through the wire that holds the feeder to keep the squirrels from climbing down to it so easily. So far, so good. If they get around that, I havce a 10 inch ready to try.

Nice! How much you pay them to pose, going rate 100 black oil seeds?

Suet....
with 4 degrees coming it's more important than seed to them
for survival... otherwise a seed mix with Spanish peanuts

Ross a policeman out in Cal is the latest abuser...
just sprayed a baby squirrel in the eyes with pepper spray....
and he is catchin hell for it... like pissin on dead guys

new bird for the life list today: Snowy Owl

Not expecting to do bird watching so photo taken on an iPhone (thanks ODM) through a spotting scope.

Anyone else that wants to go see it: Sachuest Point National Wildlife refuge

Snowies are now becoming lower 48 residents this year.That one at Sachuest has brought in quite a few watchers.

A very good friend of mine has great pictures on his phone of a snowie at Bradley Airport in CT

Not all birds of prey have talons and sharp, curved beaks!

Watched a RAVEN ravage a morning dove's nest this afternoon. Saw the adult dove fly to the ground injured but not mortally. Think it later recovered. Then saw the raven fly off with a chick in its beak to another tree. This was no small chick: covered in almost mature features and about 1/2 size or better than the adult. The nest was in a Colorado Blue Spruce in a fairly open, exposed area.

A 2nd chick flew to the ground and disappeared. The raven (same/different?) returned a short time later looking for dessert?

the dove was faking the injury to draw the predator away

Bluebirds at my suet feeder's today

Cool. I've heard them Off and on but not spotted them around the yard for at least two weeks now.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Cool. I've heard them Off and on but not spotted them around the yard for at least two weeks now.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

actually they've been here ever since .....shoving a broken in half berry suet cake into the hollow log is a perfect attraction for them.
they go in... luvin it

Any chance to get a birding forum on here? The posts go back on this thread to 08 but there are over 650 posts.One of the cooler pair of birds I have frequent my feeders has been the Eastern Towhee.

this kinda is the birding forum.

As such, an outstanding few last days for me. Had the return of the pine warblers (they are pretty much unafraid of me/people so I can get to within a few feet of them), a rare sighting of a yellow rumped warbler (they both go for suet until the bugs come out) (and as I was typing this one showed up on my seed board - I didn't think they did that) two female indigo bunting (hope the guys show up this year), chipping sparrows and, last but certainly not least, something I've never seen before: two ruby-crowned kinglets (unfortunately, they seemed to just be passing through - I was out in the yard and they came from one end to the other flitting through the branches looking for bugs - they are tiny and jumpy and I was fortunate enough to have them pass right around me, within a few feet). On top of that I have a pair of Downy woodpeckers and Hairy woodpeckers taking turns at the suet too - those Hairy's make a racket. When I got down here to Truro I found a pile of feathers under the seed board, so looks like a sharp shinned hawk is around.

Speaking of suet, where is the cheapest place now? I've been hitting Ocean State at $1 a cake - anyone able to beat that? With all of the attention I'm getting at my sole suet station I was thinking of adding another, but I'm going through a cake/week.

here's a couple of pics of a male indigo on my seed board from a couple of years ago (May 2009)

a handful of finch food thrown into the mix attracts many other birds.
i have found that some birds enjoy regular beef suet better from the grocery store.
the deals for suet squares less than a dollar each seem to be absent now.
nice pics on the male indigo!
i once had a 5 inch cube stuffed with 6 squares hanging over the seed board and on top of it
i piled a big handful of hulled sunflower seed right in the middle.
well it was like a little table and soon goldfinches started lining up on all four sides
like a little Party until they were shoulder to shoulder....it was the greatest site.

thanks for the tip on the beef suet. If I'm gonna set up another station might as well use that. As you point out, having different seed sets the table for different birds. I use mainly black sunflower and safflower in my feeders but grab the tweety bird seed for the ground feeders on the seed board. I mix some of that into the feeder seed, but I find that it usually doesn't get eaten and I end up dumping it out on the ground anyways ~

those red onion bags are super for beef suet feeders
so say the woodpeckers as they like how easy it is to
latch on to. i've never really questioned the price of beef suet
because i could tell i was getting more for my buck than squares

I was digging up a small stump in the yard today and came across basically a baseball size and form of grubs, threw them under one of the bird feeders and before I walked the 30' back to the stump all sorts of birds were going ballistic until the grackles showed up and ravaged them. A little while later I looked up and saw something chasing a dove through the trees, they were "moving". Just saw the white underbelly, no time to see the tail. Alot of that going on in my yard lately. 3 weeks ago I looked out and saw a red tail almost smashing into the front window. It came through the middle of 2 spruces that the branches are 10' in front of the window. I could see the whole bottom of the bird, its wing span from a foot away looked like it was 10'!!! Almost messed myself

one thing i have preserved in my backyard is a wicked tangled grape vine thicket that gives the birds an escape pod type of place when the predators arrive and
they'll often sit inside of it singing away with absolutely no fear.

So i'm sitting there.... actually kneeling on the couch
looking out the window at 3 am....the dog's been barkin
somethings been out there doin sumthin...
and i see this mouse jump off the side of the house
into the suet cage basket and start eating away
this is only like 24 inches from my head.

This changes everything....about feeding suet
bad enough that the Fokin racoons have been rampaging
and stealing it blind... now it's time for 1/4 inch mesh wire
.............i am going to build my own set up for suet.

a few years back I posted a couple of pictures of a white cardinal. Well, I was at my parents place a few days ago and it seems that she is a fully functioning member of bird society - here are some shots of her daughter.

The original one is still around, this one is much brighter while her mom (or possibly sister?) is getting a little worn. The original version was camera shy, but I was able to catch a couple of quick shots of the 1st year before a crow spooked her.

And as an added bonus, while I was there I saw my 1st hummingbird of the season.

interesting that the albino or white coloration only changed in the buff brown color
and that the other darker red colors remained the same. :uhuh:

cardinals tend to "twitch move" so hard to get clear shots sometimes.

cleaning out some old birdhouses today

have "recently" made the scene....

RBG's are here: Rose Breasted Grossbeaks
note to self :buy more seed for these seed crackers
as they are the best in the business At what they do.

WOOD Thrush singing melody in the canopy
our Nightingale.... always great to hear

then there's some i can't even identify
just by hearing them :huh:

Thought this was worth sharing.

Nice shot smokefish, looks like a redheaded bullet!

they are Unique fliers in that they learned that by swooping their approach
they can simply fold their wings in tight momentarily, and shoot through the air like a dart.

Nice to finally see the ruby throat humming birds today

timing is everything!

Thought this was worth sharing.

That looks like a Flicker to me... very cool picture

close, but it is a red bellied woodpecker

My yard was a nature preserve today. In addition to the groundhog sunning itself , I had a Cardinal and a nice big Hawk. The hawk landed , looked around a while , then took flight again. Given 10 more seconds I'd have had a picture!

heard my first Baltimore Oriole today

yeah Paul Just heard one up there too...

they will eat suet cake especially the berry kind....

friggan raccoons! raided all mine - so - now every night at 3 am
i am on patrol... for awhile...anyways

close, but it is a red bellied woodpecker

was thinking the other day... while listening

there's nothing like hearing the "drumming"
of a woodpecker in spring....

like hearing the call of a pheasant real early
on a crisp fall morning

heard my first catbird today while I was on my lunch break at work

i do the cat sound at them Paul
and i am pretty good at mimicry but it
tends to be so real... they often fly off

i have only one so far.... they're almost as
good as a mockingbird....i'd PAY to
get a mockingbird though.

saw my 1st oriole of the season yesterday in Quincy, and during the weekend in Truro had the return of the white crowned sparrows and the towhees. Catbirds are next -

I cleaned and moved several bird houses around the other day
and one in particular i mounted on the back of the glass green house.

Well, the very next day there was a skinny stick protruding from the
door in the front and a pair of Carolina wrens have moved in. :btu:

let the serenades begin.
~
I had a red bellied woodpecker outside my window doing his little
dance and heady call (on top of the hollow log)
his red feathers on top of his head separating
while he tapped out a sunflower seed. cool to see.

I tried getting a close up shot using the make do blind but
he was too clever so i'm headed to wally world to get some cheap suet
to smear into the cracks which they cannot resist anymore
than a cat and a partially open door.

wow
bought some peanut dough suet @ christmas tree
(non melting) and the cat birds are Luvin it!

Quite a weekend for me in the bird dept. (and a few schoolies to boot). Catbirds were right on schedule and tore through every orange I put out on my seed board, but as a bonus I had a pair of flycatchers checking out the birdhouse outside my window. The female was checking the house out while the male was a few feet away. He then flew over to another house, but I think that the hole was too small - bummer.

Got some pics of an unidentified hawk that came down and took a birdbath in a puddle in my driveway, he was about the same size as a crow and he had a prominent black cap. I forgot to drag the pics home with me, I'll get them up next weekend

http://fishhardlivelong.com/Red_Shouldered_Hawk_with_inset.jpg
Red Shouldered Hawk, (male) April 2012
I used a Nikon D-70 w/80-400mm telephoto at maximum focal length. He was perched on a snapped off tree-trunk about 30 feet up and 50 feet behind my back fence. It looks smallish, but it had a wing span about the same as a Red Tailed Hawk.

great hawk pictures!
I love the red bellies so i built them a pecker pole
with a perch up top (15 feet tall)
hoping to attract some owls @ night for mice control too.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/peckerpole.png

that hawk is nice~

I got a crappy old 3.0 megapixel that I keep around, doesn't have the best quality (especially on long shots) but the price is right. I got that flycatcher from about 10'.

ya know whats cheap for a binocular camera
is these type....the only gripe is you have to keep them
real steady to reduce blur
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/binoc.png

They work for cute girls TOO :)

Raven - Your yard looks like bird heaven.
I like photographing somewhat rare or unusual birds. It's similar to fishing - I find it very rewarding. I like sitting still in the woods, it unfolds the longer you stay in one place. Very intriguing, very mystical.
I can see the allure of dear hunting, it's not for me, but I can appreciate it.

here's my hawk from last weekend, Small, a little smaller than a crow. ID appreciated~

can't tell :huh:

Joe, with your photoghrapy skills you should build a blind somewhere
in the woods near a stream. Amazing, just like deer hunting, the longer
you stay in the blind the more your senses come alive and the deeper
you can see into the woods and identify birds and animals by sound.

here's my hawk from last weekend, Small, a little smaller than a crow. ID appreciated~

Mike, I think that's a Cooper's Hawk. I've seen a couple around my house.

yeah. a Cooper's it is. A 1st.

I've noticed a lot of stuff around I haven't seen before. You have birdfeeders out Paul?

Not much like sitting in the woods and having them come alive around you. I have been trying to id an accipiter hawk around my house and the other day saw it take a sharp turn up into a canopy not too far away so I will have to take a walk and look for a nest then set up shop. I have seen a few orioles around, is it true putting up oranges are an attractant for them? I also saw a bird the other day I have never seen, thought it might be a grosbeak, that I never id'd but couldn't match in my books. Gotta get a better look, its right near work, gonna bring camera.

easy to recognize a gross beak hence the name

their beak resembles a pair of wire cutters

the female is striped bigtime and the male looks like he's wearing a tuxedo complete with a ROSE

if that's a coopers hawk its pregnant

yeah. a Cooper's it is. A 1st.

I've noticed a lot of stuff around I haven't seen before. You have birdfeeders out Paul?

Yeah, I have bird feeders out. I "used" have suet out but there's a raccoon that keeps getting into it. He climbs out on the limb, and reels the chain up to the limb and perches the suet cage on the limb and eats the whole thing.

I've got to change my feed though. I'm getting a lot of the same birds. Tons of chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, cardinals, and goldfinches.

easy to recognize a gross beak hence the name

their beak resembles a pair of wire cutters

the female is striped bigtime and the male looks like he's wearing a tuxedo complete with a ROSE

if that's a coopers hawk its pregnant

I'm pretty sure it's a cooper's hawk based on the coloration and 2na's description of it's size. It's bathing itself so its feathers are all puffed out.

By the way, I was walking the old railroad bed between Great Hollow beach and Pamet Harbor in Truro today and spotted what I think was a black headed grosbeak, but I didn't think the eastern coast was in their range. Maybe it was a towhee, not sure. I couldn't get a picture.

i'd say it was a towhee as their head is completely black

they sound different too....

so............what kind of seed you gonna switch to?

i've been getting raided also so i put up a real bright light
for the time being as they like to be in complete darkness
if possible....

my seed mix has some peanuts and i keep finding the tops
of the feeders pulled up with only half the amount left each time:fury:

i'd say it was a towhee as their head is completely black

they sound different too....

so............what kind of seed you gonna switch to?

i've been getting raided also so i put up a real bright light
for the time being as they like to be in complete darkness
if possible....

my seed mix has some peanuts and i keep finding the tops
of the feeders pulled up with only half the amount left each time:fury:

Not sure what kind of mix I'm going to. There's a "birder" store in Orleans, I may go there and get some hints about attracting a wider variety of birds. I do get a lot of birds and the local feral cats can attest as they stalk my feeders.

I had a raid happen last night....but this time it was a battle between a Fisher
and a Racoon .... it's getting to the point that i have to build a over night box
out of ply wood that locks up feeders nightly to keep the critters away.

Feral cats aren't to hard to dissuade ya just tree them with your Dingo and blast them with your hose for awhile then they'll avoid your Sanctuary....

I've gotta find some peanut flour to mix with cheap natural peanut butter to dry it up a bit... and make my own suet cakes ....
the "FEED" stores Inland usually have a better price on the "Exotic" mixes but make sure you avoid any seed mixes with Millet
as Nothing eats it and it's a con job filler additive!

the hole i drilled and filled with peanut butter and then jammed sunflower seed in it yesterday got licked clean last night.... bastids

didn't see the beak on the bird I thought might be the grosbeak, it was mainly black, with white on all but the outline of the underbelly of the tail feathers which the outline was black. Sounds confusing even to me. The tail feathers were white with a black border. A call I've never heard, and flew almost like a flicker.

one thing that stands out when I see a Towhee are the red eyes

didn't see the beak on the bird I thought might be the grosbeak, it was mainly black, with white on all but the outline of the underbelly of the tail feathers which the outline was black. Sounds confusing even to me. The tail feathers were white with a black border. A call I've never heard, and flew almost like a flicker.

one thing that stands out when I see a Towhee are the red eyes
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/Towhee.png

this is a very cool clear video
after you skip the dammed ad

i have set up a similar feeder array , early
just 2 thus far but that number will grow
More Hummingbirds Than You Can Count! - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4jX2TrK7Ro)

forgot to mention wally worlds back to sellin suet cakes for 92 cents
best found at the super stores

"it was mainly black, with white on all but the outline of the underbelly of the tail feathers which the outline was black."

what I meant was the whole bird was black, except for white in the middle of the tail feathers, wasn't a towhee, I know them. I couldn't find the bird I saw in any of my books, will have to find it online, me tinks

ahhh i see, didn't mean to insult your intelligence there

then i was thinkin you heard one Bird and saw another....

like a female downy, all black and white and would fly like a flicker
as they are much larger than their male counterpart

Raven -
Your yard looks like bird heaven.


Yes Joe....exactly what i was looking for in a Rental during this time period.
The Guy showing me the property went to open the door
but i had already made my decision just upon what i was hearing.

SO I said: WAIT! we'll look and see inside in a few minutes ,
FIRST, i want to see whats out back if you don't mind
confirming what Google Earth had already told me....

Afterwards, i already knew i wanted to rent it
before even seeing the inside. :uhuh:

I'm not sure this qualifies
kinda like Boat fish don't count
i took this pic in the front yard -lol
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/Hummer.png

You need to up your shutter speed to freeze that wing action! Nice shot from a boat fisherman.

You need to up your shutter speed to freeze that wing action! Nice shot from a boat fisherman.:grins:

my camera isn't that sophisticated i'm afraid

so i took the shot within 24 inches of my subject.

Trying to get the Ruby but he's kinda wary

speaking of Hummingbirds:
i saw something the other day that surprised me
a male hummingbird seemed to drive off a competitor female
and forced it to right to the ground
then it did this aerobatic maneuver flying in an arch
back and forth keeping it pinned to the ground
(think of a kid swinging on a swing over a ball directly beneath it)
it did that about 8 times then sped off with the female not moving
then slowly leaving the grass
it came over to sip some nectar and left.

the wren babies in the bird house i put up for them
are making lots of "feed me" noise

and a chipping sparrow with the red crown
has taken a liking to my wife's banana bread
i stuck a small piece in there that was slightly
under-cooked from the middle just to see if they
might like it...and it's getting taken to feed babies.

cow bird babies almost twice the size of the (adopting
the egg) parents are being chased around demanding food
from the host ....sort of a strange sight to see

Nice pic of the hummingbird!

Spotted an Indigo Bunting in Berlin, MA.

Saw this exact behavior this past weekend.I assumed it was some sort of bird mating dance but not sure.
speaking of Hummingbirds:
i saw something the other day that surprised me
a male hummingbird seemed to drive off a competitor female
and forced it to right to the ground
then it did this aerobatic maneuver flying in an arch
back and forth keeping it pinned to the ground
(think of a kid swinging on a swing over a ball directly beneath it)
it did that about 8 times then sped off with the female not moving
then slowly leaving the grass
it came over to sip some nectar and left.

Saw this exact behavior this past weekend. I assumed it was some sort of dance / mating ritual but not sure..

I now have a Great Blue Heron visiting fairly regularly my small goldfish pond, won't be long before the pond is goldfish-less! Not going to try to through a protective net over the pond....nature's at play, survival of the fittest!

So i'm sitting there watching the two hummingbirds battle for territory over the dual hummingbird feeders
positioned at the corner of the house.... there's like ten now switching up from front yard runs to back yard runs
keeping the locals Busy
these two come flying by my head At mach one chasin each other
so fast you can't even see it...
yet i felt the wing beats and vibrations on my left ear lobe
dayamme....so i set up a ladder and hung a second one on the other corner heh heh

this should be interesting... :)

I now have a Great Blue Heron visiting fairly regularly my small goldfish pond, won't be long before the pond is goldfish-less! Not going to try to through a protective net over the pond....nature's at play, survival of the fittest!

You'll regret that very soon,put the net on.

I'll post pics at some point and show you my setup......you don't even see the net.

do you use dunks to prevent mosquitos from breeding
or do the goldfish eat them. coons would eat any fish
that i put in my little pond.

dont have a lot of time to read the whole thread with family committments but what is the most versitle feed/seed to use to draw a variety of species

already have the suet out there....looking for a broadcast seed

thanks guys

SUNFLOWER- BLACK OILED
but, avoid the blends containing millet
because it's just a filler and Nothing eats it

thanks raven

I have a Catbird pushing his luck big time.
He/she has a nest in a rhodie 1/2 way between the front and back porch.
When I have my coffee on the front porch in the morning and sit on
the back porch at night he constantly sqwaks that annoying cat sound.
I'm thinking about letting him have it with the hose, which will prolly
tick him off even more. :(
If it weren't for the possibility of young being in the nest I would take some more
drastic efforts to remove him from the property. :D

Nope you go down to the Christmas tree shop and buy the no melt peanut butter suet for 1.14 a square
and make it available for him/her
to stuff the Babies but make sure he /she see's you make the offering
and then you'll be in like flint.

Nope you go down to the Christmas tree shop and buy the no melt peanut butter suet for 1.14 a square
and make it available for him/her
to stuff the Babies but make sure he /she see's you make the offering
and then you'll be in like flint.

LOL Rav, like the Bird whisperer. :D
He already finished off a lot of my suet and safflower seed on the other side of the house.
Worth a try, i'll put it up in the birch tree near his/her nest while he's harrasing me and see what happens.

Well the fledglings left the nest and the catbird quieted down.
He came back yesterday checking out the nesting place, prolly
to have a second brood.
A few boots hurled at him as he sat in the birch tree must have
persuaded him otherwise. :D

Whose sittin in the catbird seat now? :hihi:

i know what ya mean....
cute at first............-pain in the arse Later
had huey and dewey robins in lil greenhouse
i could get so close i could touch them
then three weeks later all grown up
ready to leave the nest and all that
i walk in and they explode into frightful fleeing
like i was gonna eat them signaling the parents
to attack me as well.... so i learned my lesson

f-their nests in certain spots... like this huge branch over the driveway
the mother robin would build it there
and then roll out these huge
turd balls out of the nest right onto my wifes car.... endlessly
so i removed that whole limb completely

on another Note i finally figured out what's been raiding my suet cages
hanging on the Nuthatch/woodpecker tree i built

it's those freaking FLYING squirrels (3:00 am) ....man are they fast
they are twice as fast as a chipmunk.....

it would run up the tree and lift the suet cage up and down
to get a better bite... pretty darn smart

i'm thinking this is what's in my ceiling

on another Note i finally figured out what's been raiding my suet cages
hanging on the Nuthatch/woodpecker tree i built

it's those freaking FLYING squirrels (3:00 am) ....man are they fast
they are twice as fast as a chipmunk.....

it would run up the tree and lift the suet cage up and down
to get a better bite... pretty darn smart

i'm thinking this is what's in my ceiling

Rav, sounds like you could use suet as bait to catch them.
They are tough li'll guys to catch but an easy meal might undue
them?

that peanut butter suet will take care of them
it's irresistible and can't dry out

What the bird that is about the size of a Robin , is mostly speckled brownish but has a big black butterfly pattern on its chest?

yellow shafted flicker

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/images.jpg

usually seen on the lawn drillin for lawn grubs

That's it! :) Thanks

The one I saw must have been a female as its colors were more drab but that's the chest pattern.

the way to attract them is to
take a special piece of wood
one
that has weather'd several winter's
has long since lost it's bark
and has sorta petrified a bit
having become grey -darker, heavier
usually oak or some other hardwood

then you drill a series of holes in it
as if they drilled them out themselves
by pecking.... in order to hide a cache
of acorns ...any kind of nut...

like if you made some oblong wholes by
leaning on your bit a little each way
so you could bang in some Almonds
that are still in the shell
without breaking them....

to them that is irresistible
later you can push real beef suet into those holes
in the winter time

I got finches all over the backyard today. I don't know why they suddenly are back there. I don't put out seed and while that area is thriving with wildlife , its seldom finches. Today they are all over. Mostly they are down in the grass , so small you often lose them as they go in and out of longer clumps.

Fun to watch the animals! :)

eating wild grass seed i'll bet