Backyard Bird Watching 2

[Raven]

had been watching and waiting
to see Bluebirds since winter began
but they've been a NO Show til today

So, I chopped up 5 lbs of special beef Fat
put it at the window ledge feeder
and saw my first Male and Female bluebirds today 2/15/14

[missing link]

I had a Eastern Bluebird (male) at my suet box yesterday couldn't believe it . Never had one in my yard before, I know the bog owner behind my house puts up nesting boxes . Like I said never seen one in the 29 years I've been here probably never see it again
ML Sr.

[Raven]

well you have to change your brand of suet
if your using the store bought squares in the plastic tubs
that particular suet freezes hard as a rock

what's awesome is having a flock of them coming often
grabbing hunks of the "right kind" of suet and knockin them back
like someone doing a shot of tequilla
this suet is the kind people make bread pudding with
then there's the regular white beef fat.... almost as good

only certain meat sections have it.... you have to look
hard far and wide to finally find this special fat they love
they tell other bluebirds once they find it... i swear

added comment: the suet is called beef kidney suet
used for making bread pudding ALSO called RUMBA

[ProfessorM]

cool

Here are my pets, Carolina Wrens. They sleep there. Their heads are buried in their feathers and never even move no matter how close I get. I have not feed the birds this year but my compost pile has been like a bird feeder with tons of birds rooting thru the kitchen scraps all day long.

[Raven]

my wrens are actively feeding and have a green house to go in for shelter
and my hollow log feeder that's always full of goodies

went over to JOB lot to get another 50 lb bag of black oiled sunflower seed
and they had jettisoned the whole load because of old age i suspect

you can always tell (well i can) but there will be teeny tiny white specks
in the seed and that is a bad sign ... so it had been on sale for 25 bucks

found out that an added benefit to running a roof line de-icer to prevent ice damming
is that it provides some drip water when the temperatures are way below freezing

[redcrbbr]

redwings are back

[Raven]

interesting BOB ....they know what's up!
here we have some single digits coming all next week
but they are on their own schedule

[Raven]

redwings are here today

this serves as a guide to how things vary time-wise
from the coastal shore to inland.... roughly two weeks behind

so we'll give it a test ok, soon as you hear spring peepers
down the cape (please announce)
and ....we'll see how long it takes for them
to start their chorus in the woostah area

[Raven]

i've already witnessed Robins staking out territory
and chasing off Bluebirds (i believe they're cousins)
in territorial battles from their chose turf

[Raven]

Today, i have been watching a couple of deer roam
around my canyon and then as i was watching the deer it
bedded down for awhile very camouflaged down there.
Invisible unless you saw it walking.

[FishermanTim]

I saw a Great Blue heron flying near some open waterways, if that counts for anything?

[FishermanTim]

I finished off the last of the suet cakes and now it'll just be niger seed and sunflower, until that runs out and then they are on their own!

[Raven]

Racoon's will be raiding suet soon

[Raven]

got raided the night before last
they took off with a suet cake

today ushered in the arrival of
the welcomed ROSE Breasted Gross Beaks
Love the Bird but they are supreme eating machines
so much so i have to feed the blue jays all the left over
dry catfood abandoned by the fussy fat cat

[Raven]

beautiful day today
outside working on the boat
heard a bird calling that sounded new
lo and behold the baltimore oriel had arrived

[jim sylvester]

nice visit raven
did you have oranges in the feeder to bring them in?

[ProfessorM]

Heard my first oriole a week ago here. One of my favorite calls
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Raven]

but i have so many different colored feeders
it was checking out the whole set up hoping from
one to another....

i had placed a partial bag of sunflower seed
in the wheel barrow and it absorbed some rain water unfortunately
causing a good portion of it to sprout, So having already purchased
a new 50lb bag of smaller higher quality black oiled from south dakota
i dumped it (the old one) over the chain link fence.

tonight to our surprise our old friendly turkey (a male)
was over there 30 feet from the office window
stuffing his crop .... with much pleasure.

[afterhours]

orioles here and my favs- hummingbirds .

[Raven]

not allowed.... same as SODA

thanks for the heads up on the H-Birds

gotta go grab 5 lbs pronto

[FishermanTim]

I haven't seen or heard the orioles yet, but they should be here soon as the crab apple trees (and pretty much all trees) are blooming. For me nothing matches the sight and sound of orioles chasing off rival males, as they rocket through the branches in an orange blur.

I put out three hummingbird feeders, and hopefully there will be some visitors soon, I mean besides the usual ants and wasps.

[afterhours]

seems the hummingbirds pass on the nectar after only 2 days, I remember it lasting longer last year?? does that sound right??

[Raven]

now that you mention it....

i've been debating the same thing and the necessity of boiling/simmering
the water to get the sugar to dissolve

i find that if it's warm thats fine and i stand there stirring
until the water is clear and no sugar is seen on the bottom.

Yesterday i sat out front to observe them and a female ruby throat
was coming to the feeder.... watching me watch her....

As i love mimicry... i imitated the sound of a humming bird doing
multiple sit sit sit sit's sound effect and she flies off the wire's
that stretch over the front yard immediately stopping in front of my face....
as if to say... i know it's you.... heh heh heh

but then.... i observed something kinda cool
over in the pine tree (blue spruce) where they seek shelter and build a nest...
she started doing this maneuver flying in a short arch
like a pendulum (but upside down arch) maybe 24 inches wide
making this weird sound .... maybe attracting a mate? dunno
but it's hypnotic because they are making a sound at each side
of the arch and they blend or harmonize because they are moving
almost faster than the eye can see...

out west i witnessed this too but it was loop de Loops (big ones)
it's difficult to describe at best...

i have my feeders hanging underneath the front porch roof so
it keeps the solution out of the sun except for an hour or two...
~
i went and purchased an oriole nectar feeder thats ORANGE
but so FAR .... the oriole hasn't returned

[Raven]

the wood thrush

best vocalist of all in the bird world



play it once and when you hear it you'll know what it is

[Raven]

as cold as it is....post rain storm
raw crapola
birds are appreciating the no melt
peanut suet big-time....

[Raven]

sounds like a baby goat hollering help to it's mama
or when the feeder person shows up at feeding time on a farm

or a child calling out to a distant friend >>>> HALP

it flew over.... and the sound was heard fading as it
got further away.... and further away

it was very LOUD
and i cannot say that i've ever heard it Before
my hearing is Extraordinarily good....too

i have no idea what it was

[blondterror]

had a Flicker dancing around my yard yesterday... the only woodpecker that does some ground feeding

[Raven]

typically they hunt/ find and eat white lawn grubs

[blondterror]

If they eat grubs I hope he sticks around... I did use Grubex this spring... but I usually do nott put any fertilizer down..

[Guppy]

white hen! on the bench with all the chicks under it.
never seen one this light colored
been there half the day,,,,