a great idea
the ant moat
on this feeder
the (black ants) bastids
can even crawl down 20 lb test :hs:

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

this was Funny
 

after living once on a ranch that had 100 chickens
i got pretty good at imitating their c l u c k i n g... ok (that being said)

i go to let the dog out yesterday
and our Local sorta pet neighborhood turkey
comes walkin up the trail from the back field

for what ever reason instinct kicked in and i started
c l u c k i n g at him/ her not sure which
and it was Fascinated studying me intensely sensing
no danger....

it extended it's one leg backwards in the air to stretch out
as it stood on the other .....staying there ...about 35 feet away
trying to figure out what i was saying in fowl language....

then it slowly headed back down the trail :jester:

Noticed something odd hanging off my cedar stockade fence today when I went to fill the feeders. Seemed feathery but pretty decomposed.

Last week when we were away a bird appears to have gotten a leg stuck in between two pickets. Struggling it just slipped deeper down to the top rail.

What a way to go.

saw one of free range chickens dead (long time ago)
it tried to eat a lizard that was a little too big to swallow
the back legs sticking straight out at the Beak...

night visitor ....smaller than a grey squirrel
...faster than speedy gonzales...
turns out the wide eyed lil bugger is a
flying squirrel ...known for getting into your house

Rocky
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

my View
 

(stairway to heaven) we call it :)
Christmas Turkeys strolling by
@9:20am
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...as-Turkeys.jpg

setting my wife up for back yard bird watching, bought her a set up....did not realize the cost, the free standing pole(rod), squirrel cover, plastic thistle seed container and suet and holder....
$110.00 ....may need a loan to buy thistle seed....lol.....:)

those RED mesh or white mesh potato bags
work great for suet feeders.

Hey, you PAY for them when you BUY potato's
they are easy for wood peckers to "Cling" to

I wrapped a hollow log with black shade cloth strip
to make it clingy and to hold IN the GROCERY store bought
MEAT fat suet which is Highly preferred ...and a chunk of
LOG with Simulated wood pecker holes 3/4 inch to 1 1/2
and you HEEL IN(with palm of hand) some fat into those holes
and you'll have happy nutty's and WOODPeckers.

for turkeys
 

I spread seed for some cedar wax wings
but they didn't go for it... they split.

the Turkeys got Captured from my Blind
heh heh

wooped em again Josey

how's this for a close up
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...1/a-turkey.jpg

Nice close up......looks like all hens and one tom....U ever harvest one for thanksgiving or xmas?...:)

thinkin bout that
turkey season 2016

I'm about to make a big pile of dead woodpeckers if anyone wants to take some pics…. #^&#^&#^&#^&ing things have made holes all over my house.

well
 

they are either looking for food in your wood
because it's there

or merely using the wood as a RING the bell Knocker
to announce that this is their territory to other woodies

you can hang hollow logs (drums) far from your house
to attract them :point: away
and/ or make suet logs (combo)

like so....
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/log.png

hammered it in
 

the log has a "hollow"
I took a perfect sized chunk
of real beef suet
and hammered it in the hole (tight)

the black netting is to
replace the bark which fell off
to give them something to cling to

I lent a buddy an owl with the wobble type head and it seems to be working. Just move it so they don't get used to it. He actually saw the woodpecker put something in a hole it made. He got the ladder and found a black sunflower seed it put in the hole.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I used to watch nuthatches
(incredible birds)
tuck individual sunflower seeds
underneath each roof shingle where
the little gap (cut out) is for later.

First casualty from the new bird feeder....red tail hawk pounced on a dove...tried to take picture to far away....:)

have a cheapo round plastic table out there
to provide a semi free no snow zone

I have a dozen doves...but today they are gone
riding out the storm because they are ground feeders

as Nothing goes to waste here @ the Homestead
the Xmas turkey rack and bones goes to the crows
rather than the trash can which just invites trouble.

I have a pet crow that I am Taming step by step.
Here he is sitting on the POST right where I want him
as they are quite adept at recognizing peoples Faces.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...ob1/mycrow.png

backyard deer watching
 

after the 5 inch storm, high winds and cold temps no birds at the feeder for 2 days....maybe with the sun out today they will appear...:)

wind chill factor i think
when the snow becomes hard
that's when i broadcast sf seed
and switch over to pricey hulled seed

because it takes allot of energy to
peck open a seed for the little ones

....blue jays swallow them whole....

i have my sentry crows all eating out of
my bacon grease cans i screwed to the top edge
of my fence posts...which i replenish with mice
and other :point: freebies

They were back in full force today.....:)

i'm psyched after seeing a Pileated wood pecker land on the cedar tree next to my garage and he was pecking away. They are just Huge having the side profile of a pheasant in flight. Now ....i'll go over there and fill his holes with beef suet.

here he is :point:
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...ob1/awoody.jpg

that dead wood up there is 8 inches wide and your seeing just half of him.

My buddy was back yesterday and actually hung around long enough for me to take a pic.

great photo Basswipe

i haven't seen my snowy owl that normally sits atop of the barn
and wish i had a few more predators around...too many rodents!

here's my flock of Goldies
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...b1/goldies.jpg

Friends with feeders complain about sparrows and squirrels....have not had problems with them, I have 3 squirrels in the yard....only been putting out thistle and homemade suet some little birds and a woodpecker enjoying the suet, doves love the left overs on the ground...:)

they are probably using millet based seed and i consider it worthless

I have about a 1/2dz pics of "a" bird in almost the same exact position over the past 5-6yrs.Me thinks its the same bird!

Great pic of the Piliated. I have been seeing one the last two years at my house. Last week he stayed for about a half hour, wasn't concerend about people in the slightest. I had 8 people come over for a viewing. Pretty cool watching it pound a swamp maple. From about 40 feet away i could see chunks of wood falling to the ground. By far the coolest bird i have ever seen.

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there's suet and then there's cheap suet

the peanut butter no melt is highly favored

the REAL beef suet sells for under 3 bucks typically
for a big chunk but hard to find sometimes tho

I have been making my own hard suet treats with crunchy peanut butter, dried fruit too....bought some Nut N Berry food which has safflower, sunflour, peanuts etc:, gonna mix in a gelatin mixture...just finished making a 7'pole with 4 feeding stations, cost about 70 bucks and then my labor

pictures would be nice.... fly rod

f-ing turkeys try to keep me busy out back
they have made a deal with the squirrels
then 3 will sneak around to the front
i send them flying hurahhhhh !!!!

here he is: about 50-60 feet away :point: feeding at the 8" x 8" suet basket
and it took me 3 weeks of waiting to seem him finally get interested in
something other than making holes in my cedar trees. of course i filled all his holes with suet ha ha ha

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...ob1/feeder.jpg

new arrivals
 

thank god for another sign of spring

red wing blackbirds have arrived

i LONG for the sound of Peepers....


can't wait for ICE OUT

Lots of grackles here.

There are some around here that are still waiting ICE IN!

and the real prize is
seeing the "indigo Bunting"


http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...%20bunting.jpg