Backyard bird watching

[Raven]

realize that when its 14 degrees out and there's absolutely NO Liquid WATER


add some warm water to the bird bath

they'll eat snow yes....but it chills down their core temperature
SUET right now is more important than SEED !!!

1.00 a square now at walmart

save your meat juices and let them harden in a coffee can
until they can be frozen ....then low-reheat and strain out the meat
scraps and pour it into a mold.... and then re-chill

fat is fat to a freezing Bird.

[saltfly]

Originally Posted by basswipe

Its that time of year again.

I was surprised the last two days as a large blue heron has showed up at my fishpond,usually they're gone by now.He ain't getting anything because of the net.

Getting all the usuals at the feeders now.No hawk yet though.

Just had a sharpshin hawk on a branch in the yard.run for the camera,changed lenses to a 400 zoom.......gone.It was watching the feeders and the bath water[plugged that in yesterday].Had a Coopers Hawk take out a squirrel the other day right under one of the feeders 20' from the house....Missed that one too,Damn.

[spence]

I'm going to try and keep my pond running all winter this year. Today I installed a water spigot in the cellar with it's own hose so I can add water in the winter if it gets low.

Funny how water won't freeze if it's moving much at all.

Needless to say, the birds really love this. And the stream/waterfall/pond looks really cool after a good snowstorm!

-spence

[justplugit]

Had a ONE LEGGED Downy woodpecker at the window suet feeder yesterday!!!
Little guy holding on and pecking away.
WTH, how is he able to climb trees with one leg. Talk about adaptability.

[Raven]

years ago -> maybe 15 years ago i was living in an upstairs apartment and he'd come each day....to a kitchen bird feeding station....

he was literally un afraid of me...and practically let me touch him...
man i used to spoil that bird...

it was there i noticed how clever nut-hatches were...watching this
one smart bird take individual safflower seeds and tuck them up under the roof shingles one by one where there's a little notch for a future stash.

but..........................

i know it's cold when the woodpeckers ultimately cooperate!!
and share the same suet feeder....i have a 4 banger cube out there right, hanging via coat hanger on a landing rope that goes 40 feet out to a big ole Blue spruce.... a 2x4 is nailed to the deck rail supporting the rope and i have a bark board rough cut pine stick (still has pine bark) screwed to it... so the red bellied wood pecker is on one side and the huge downy
(looks like a mini penguin) is eating on the other side.

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by Raven

realize that when its 14 degrees out and there's absolutely NO Liquid WATER


add some warm water to the bird bath

they'll eat snow yes....but it chills down their core temperature
SUET right now is more important than SEED !!!

1.00 a square now at walmart

save your meat juices and let them harden in a coffee can
until they can be frozen ....then low-reheat and strain out the meat
scraps and pour it into a mold.... and then re-chill

fat is fat to a freezing Bird.

The fishpond does have a de-icer.It doesn't really warm the water all that much,it just keeps a hole in the ice and keeps my pumps from freezing up.The birds are able to get to water where it spills over from the top pond to the lower.

Got peanutbutter suet out in a couple of feeders.Have had a Downy Woopecker visiting those.

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by spence

I'm going to try and keep my pond running all winter this year. Today I installed a water spigot in the cellar with it's own hose so I can add water in the winter if it gets low.

Funny how water won't freeze if it's moving much at all.

Needless to say, the birds really love this. And the stream/waterfall/pond looks really cool after a good snowstorm!

-spence

I added a de-icer two years ago.Haven't lost a fish over the Winter since.When it gets truly cold the fish will get right up against it. They're pretty cheap and don't consume all that much juice.

[spence]

Originally Posted by basswipe

I added a de-icer two years ago.Haven't lost a fish over the Winter since.When it gets truly cold the fish will get right up against it. They're pretty cheap and don't consume all that much juice.

I've got one of those floating heaters to keep a hole open, seems to work well.

My bigger problem is water loss as the stream and waterfall are prone to ice up from splashing...

-spence

[basswipe]

The feeders were very busy right before dark.Its gonna get COLD!

[basswipe]

One of my pond pump hoses froze.Its damn good policy to run two smaller pumps in your filter than one larger one.

My guess is that when I plugged my deicer it was to much for the circuit and tripped the GFI and the more shallow of the two buried hoses froze.Can't figure out why this didn't happen the last two Winters.
Nothing new has been intro'd to the circuit.

A re-route of the heater cord fixes the heat issue.Hopefully we get some warmer weather soon.

[ProfessorM]

Glad I saw this post as it reminded me to show you what I saw on Monday. I was out winterizing my boat finally as the weather was nice and mild and I saw the extended forecast with the arctic temps this week so I was doing my thing and I heard a very distinct bird call that I know very well but haven't seen since spring. Matter of fact I was hearing several of them. I look up and there are about 20 Bluebirds sitting in a tree above me. They were looking at one of the houses I have set out and they were also rooting thru my compost pile with the fresh table scraps, fruits, in there. I ran in and got my camera and got some good shots. I have seen them before this time of year in very large flocks. They are probably heading south but hang around a lot longer than I would have thought and they also come up north much earlier than I once thought too.


In the 3rd pic you can see a male and a female. They just finished checking out the bluebird house. Just a male in 2nd pic.

[ProfessorM]

Here are a few in my compost pile and one on the fence, looks to be a female and a male sitting on the house. Hopefully they are far south by now as these temps this week were pretty harsh.

[Raven]

December 15th thru Christmas i have seen flocks of them
one time at my feeders and they were after suet droppings
from the pecker heads. but it's always like ............a one day event.

[justplugit]

Nice P. We don't have them anymore due to the lack of open space and hedge rows.
I built 4 Bluebird houses for my son when he built his house in the country
and they were all occupied within a month.

[spence]

Originally Posted by basswipe

One of my pond pump hoses froze.Its damn good policy to run two smaller pumps in your filter than one larger one.

My guess is that when I plugged my deicer it was to much for the circuit and tripped the GFI and the more shallow of the two buried hoses froze.Can't figure out why this didn't happen the last two Winters.
Nothing new has been intro'd to the circuit.

A re-route of the heater cord fixes the heat issue.Hopefully we get some warmer weather soon.

Mine is still running, but I left my net over the pond which caused the entire thing to really ice up in this cold weather. Also, my heater died so I had to get another today before the storm.

Pump is still going. About 95% of the pond, stream and waterfall are covered with ice...but it's still cranking underneath...which is pretty cool.

When I unfroze the bad heater today a few fish swam up to say hello, the water underneath wasn't even that cold. Assuming a lot of snow will melt into it and chill the water down a lot this weekend.

-spence

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by spence

Mine is still running, but I left my net over the pond which caused the entire thing to really ice up in this cold weather. Also, my heater died so I had to get another today before the storm.

Pump is still going. About 95% of the pond, stream and waterfall are covered with ice...but it's still cranking underneath...which is pretty cool.

When I unfroze the bad heater today a few fish swam up to say hello, the water underneath wasn't even that cold. Assuming a lot of snow will melt into it and chill the water down a lot this weekend.

-spence

My boys are still pretty active considering the amount of ice.The deicer and moving water are huge in that respect.Having two pumps was the best advice I was given.

[basswipe]

Nice pics Prof.

Had a crap load of Chicadees today.They even hung out with me while I was screwing around with the pond.

[justplugit]

This is a pic of the one legged woodpecker I took this morning.
Right leg is missing, I'm sure he is happy having the suet to eat.
Pic not that clear as i had to take it through the window.

[Karl F]

hafta take better aim...only blew one leg off...sites on the pellet gun musta been off...

[justplugit]

LOL, ya way off, i was shooting at a squirrel.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by justplugit

This is a pic of the one legged woodpecker I took this morning.
Right leg is missing, I'm sure he is happy having the suet to eat.
Pic not that clear as i had to take it through the window.

you should pop that suet outta the plastic tray because the softer
easier to eat side is on the bottom ....

and yeah that bird looks like it was born without it.

[basswipe]

With all the rain and warm temps the other pump is no longer frozen.

Now that the rain is done the birds are back with a vengeance today.

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Raven

you should pop that suet outta the plastic tray because the softer
easier to eat side is on the bottom ....

Rav, i only leave one side open as it prevents the sparrows from ploishing it off in a day.
The good guys know how to hang on the open side and it will last a week or more.

[Raven]

i don't have a single common Sparrow

i have several red finches
a couple of song sparrows
(with the white and black striped heads)
also known as fox sparrows
quite a few cardinals mostly female
a wolf pack of blue jays(man do they eat)
20 or so Juncos
two morning Doves
and a wild grey cat that wants to eat them

around fifteen wood Peckers-
Hairy, Downies and Red Bellies and Nut hatches

typically around 50 birds live on my deck
i have 1/2 round bark Quonset hut's shelters
taken from logs i burn as they peel and or fall off

the 4x4 cube of suet sits over an old bird house
with a slanted roof that catches the "droppings"
from the suet so the Juncos land there with GLEE

the house itself prolly an old bluebird design......
is stuffed with seed which when seed gets real low
entices only the most intelligent of the crew
to stick their head in the hole and feast away.

but my best idea is the thinly cut slab wood
screwed to the uprights attached to the railing
that gives the pecker heads a landing pad
where they line up for their turn at the suet.

the bark is what they love because its perfect traction!
one thin strip of bark (about 2 inches wide)
i have screwed to
the outside of the slider to the deck so i can
watch the smaller downies from just 16 inches away.

the Barn cat who's almost as fat as Garfield now
has a grand time watching the Action for hours on end.

[Chris in Mass]

A pack of Starlings invaded today. I don't usually get these. Very cool looking - winter plumage. After reading up on them, it sounds as though they are pretty common.

[Raven]

they are a non native species common to England,
but when an ornithologist here in the states accidentally
had four of them "he was studying" escape in 1954 they
multiplied .........and now ..........
Flocks blanket Texas so thick
they literally block out
all satellite transmissions.

[Chris in Mass]

Are there any equivalent websites like this one for birding that are focused on the Northeast? Anyone subscribe to a good birding magazine?

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by Chris in Mass

Are there any equivalent websites like this one for birding that are focused on the Northeast? Anyone subscribe to a good birding magazine?

Searched Google (what else) for Birding in New England and came up with these reference sites, useful but not a bulletin-type board:

Common Birds of New England


Birding in Massachusetts

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Chris in Mass

Are there any equivalent websites like this one for birding that are focused on the Northeast? Anyone subscribe to a good birding magazine?

Chris, contact The Birdwatchers General Store in Orleans Ma., they will
have any publication you want. They have a web site too.

Rav, basically the same with the English sparrows we have. They used to be a ground bird eating the cheaper millet etc. but graduated to sunflower, niger and suet lately. They are worthless competing with all the good guys you have.
They are ugly, come in flocks, squawk, fight and eat you out of house and home.


Oh BTW- spring is close behind we had a lost flock of Robins in the crabapple tree this AM.

[ProfessorM]

the house sparrow was introduced here in the good ole USA via NYC and central park when 50 pairs were released in the 1800's. I hate them because they take the nesting spots from the native species.