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

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.:)

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!

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

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:

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

today 2-17-11
 

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

Now THAT is kewl. :hihi:

the model "T"

Bald Eagle nest Cam
 

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...

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.

was sitting in the green house (quietly)
 

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.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
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/

moon walking bird
 

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:

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).

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

today 5-16
 

INDIGO Bunting @ the feeder :btu:

lots of towhees

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!