Backyard bird watching

[basswipe]

Finally had a hawk show up yesterday!

Everytime I try to get a pic he takes off right before I can snap it.

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by basswipe

Everytime I try to get a pic he takes off right before I can snap it.

I swear they KNOW when you filming/picture taking! I put out an HD video to capture them and don't they stay just outside the field of view. I go re-adjust and the birds move again upon return to the area that I had previously pointed.

[WoodyCT]

If you leave it long enough for them to get accustomed to it I bet you can get some good pics.

My bluebirds outside my classroom window were really shy and would bolt when my students moved around the room. A month later the kids crowd the windows when the BBs come to the feeder, which is only 10' from the window, and the blues just ignore them.

Any idea what kind of hawk it is? Sharp Shinned and Coopers like to dine near feeders. Northern Harriers will come in as well. These 3 are tough to distinguish, so be super observant of the tail feathers and head.

[PRBuzz]

Most likely Sharp Shinned. I've got one that dines.

Camera battery at one sitting is only good for about 45 min. due to the cold. Warm weather good for 2 hrs.

[HESH2]

got a good size red tailed hawk sitting in big tree next door from my home waiting on squirrels going to my bird feeders.

[PRBuzz]

Sharp shined just dined on what looked like a junko. Video cam was out but not looking in right direction.

[2na]

Anyone else ever see one like this? She made it through her 1st winter, probably blended in!

[Chris in Mass]

Wonderbread...

[PRBuzz]

Snow Cardinal....his dad must be a snowy owl? Molting to summer colors...

[JohnnyD]

Just moved and finally have a place to put out some bird feeders. I want to get the feeders out soon in hopes that as they migrate back, some birds will take residence in the trees around us.

Suggestions on feeders and seed that they like the most?

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Just moved and finally have a place to put out some bird feeders. I want to get the feeders out soon in hopes that as they migrate back, some birds will take residence in the trees around us.

Suggestions on feeders and seed that they like the most?

Go to Ocean State Job and pick up some single tube, squirrel proof feeders, a bag of black oil sun flower, a bag of thistle and a bag of premium mix. Couple suet cakes and holders, too.

I spread seed liberally on the ground besides the tubes. The junkos/finches really like the thistle but I've had mixed luck with thistle tube feeders so put on the ground.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

Go to Ocean State Job and pick up some single tube, squirrel proof feeders, a bag of black oil sun flower, a bag of thistle and a bag of premium mix. Couple suet cakes and holders, too.

I spread seed liberally on the ground besides the tubes. The junkos/finches really like the thistle but I've had mixed luck with thistle tube feeders so put on the ground.

Sounds good. Thanks!

[justplugit]

Make up a few birdhouses, JD. Most important is dimensions,
size of entrance hole and height you hang depending on the
species you want to keep around.

[mekcotuit]

Originally Posted by 2na

Anyone else ever see one like this? She made it through her 1st winter, probably blended in!

I showed these photo to a friend of mine who is a professor of biology at UMaine and her specialty is birds. (she travels world over studying different kinds) here is what she said:

wow! no, actually, I think it is a male...the bills seems too red to be a female. It may be a 'mosaic' of male and female parts (gynandromorph!)- a genetic/developmental condition where parts of the body develop one way or the other. Usually if birds have white feathers where they should'nt, they tend to have much more of it than this bird! And the non-white parts look like a mix of male and female. Where were photos taken?? good spotting on the photographers part!

[2na]

Mek, thanks for the 411. Come to think of it, it was whiter and more female looking up to a couple of weeks ago.

Johnny, Ocean State is a good place for cheep seed (and those 'squirrel proof' feeders are $10 a pop, good deal), but watch out for thistle. As a kid my mom had thistle feeders and some of the seed took. Stepping barefoot on a thistle is not something you'll forget. I mix black sunflower with millet, Ocean State is/was somewhere around $20 for 50 lbs of black sun.

For your suet, the best holders are those lobster trap bait bags that litter the beach. I've got a stash, want me to drop some by Dan's? I'm headed down this week (and only 3 weekends until I open the cottage and get my feeders there going!)

[Big D]

Mike what have you been feeding that bird. I hope its part of your genetic research to rid of us those f****** seals. Its really cool to see freaks of nature, plus get a picture.

[FishermanTim]

I wouldn't be too concerned about any seed taking hold unless they fall into an area where the birds can't get to it.
I agree with tube feeders (squirrel-proof if possible) and suet feeders.
As for seeds, I only put out two kinds. Black oil sunflower seeds for the larger birds and thistle for the smaller.
I would stay away from the "seed mixes" because those contain weed seeds. No,, the company isn't trying to put one over on you, it's just that one of the seeds included in these blends is millet, which is a weed in these parts.

I get a variety of suet mixes to see what they like best, but they like EVERYTHING, so it doesn't really matter.

A few more things to consider:
If you plan on putting up a few birdhouses, don't put them in the same tree as the feeders. Birds won't nest where they feed.
They may start a nest, but will abandon it once the area gets crowded with birds traffic.
As the weather gets warmer, you can also put out fresh fruit for the birds. Apple and orange halves speared on a small branch will do.
It works well for orioles when they arrive in a month or so.

One last suggestion would be to think about water, either a drinking or bathing setup. If you have a man-made pond, you would already know that birds NEED water as much as food.
Even a small bowl will do for thirty birds.

Good luck!

[gone fishin]

Here is my resident hawk. He hangs around all winter.

[redcrbbr]

had a good size flight or redwings with a couple of grackles mixed in at the feeders this morning. may have one or two stragglers during the winter, a sign of spring to me when they start showing up in numbers.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

I wouldn't be too concerned about any seed taking hold unless they fall into an area where the birds can't get to it.
I agree with tube feeders (squirrel-proof if possible) and suet feeders.
As for seeds, I only put out two kinds. Black oil sunflower seeds for the larger birds and thistle for the smaller.
I would stay away from the "seed mixes" because those contain weed seeds. No,, the company isn't trying to put one over on you, it's just that one of the seeds included in these blends is millet, which is a weed in these parts.

I get a variety of suet mixes to see what they like best, but they like EVERYTHING, so it doesn't really matter.

A few more things to consider:
If you plan on putting up a few birdhouses, don't put them in the same tree as the feeders. Birds won't nest where they feed.
They may start a nest, but will abandon it once the area gets crowded with birds traffic.
As the weather gets warmer, you can also put out fresh fruit for the birds. Apple and orange halves speared on a small branch will do.
It works well for orioles when they arrive in a month or so.

One last suggestion would be to think about water, either a drinking or bathing setup. If you have a man-made pond, you would already know that birds NEED water as much as food.
Even a small bowl will do for thirty birds.

Good luck!

Wow! Awesome tips. Thank you and everyone for the advice.

With the weather creeping a bit warmer, I think I'm going to head out to the shop this week and build some bird houses. We only have one or two trees in the yard and they're in the far back corner. Going to head to Home Depot and see what I can fasten up with steel poles to hold the feeders.

I'd like to put some water out for them but I'm concerned about standing water and mosquitoes.

[FishermanTim]

One thing to be aware of when building birdhouses:
Every birdhouse can be plundered by other birds.
What I mean is that even if you build the house with the right size opening, if the house is left unoccupied it will be ransacked by the neighborhood equivilent of the local "gang".
Sparrows are my primary residents due to their bug-catching ability.
(If you get a mating pair in one of your houses, watch them after the young have hatched. They will fly back time and time again with beaks loaded with a multitude of local insects (mostly mosquitos).

Starlings like the challenge of widening the opening, but they don't stay in one spot for long, so soon many more species may check out the house because the opening is large enough for them to enter.

Last but not least are the squirrels. They will try to get at the sunflower seeds and the suet if they can.
They also will try and get into the birdhouses if they are big enough for them. (Note that they LIKE LOTS of insulation, so they will stuff everything including the kitchen sink into a house they have their eyes on.

Still, they are managable and shouldn't deter you in any way.

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

Starlings like the challenge of widening the opening, but they don't stay in one spot for long, so soon many more species may check out the house because the opening is large enough for them to enter.

(

FT, i found a good trick in prventing the "outlaws" from making the hole larger.
Epoxy a fender washer, drilled out to the the right size, over the opening.

[striperman36]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Wow! Awesome tips. Thank you and everyone for the advice.

With the weather creeping a bit warmer, I think I'm going to head out to the shop this week and build some bird houses. We only have one or two trees in the yard and they're in the far back corner. Going to head to Home Depot and see what I can fasten up with steel poles to hold the feeders.

I'd like to put some water out for them but I'm concerned about standing water and mosquitoes.

Fences posts

[striperman36]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

One thing to be aware of when building birdhouses:
Every birdhouse can be plundered by other birds.
What I mean is that even if you build the house with the right size opening, if the house is left unoccupied it will be ransacked by the neighborhood equivilent of the local "gang".
Sparrows are my primary residents due to their bug-catching ability.
(If you get a mating pair in one of your houses, watch them after the young have hatched. They will fly back time and time again with beaks loaded with a multitude of local insects (mostly mosquitos).

Starlings like the challenge of widening the opening, but they don't stay in one spot for long, so soon many more species may check out the house because the opening is large enough for them to enter.

Last but not least are the squirrels. They will try to get at the sunflower seeds and the suet if they can.
They also will try and get into the birdhouses if they are big enough for them. (Note that they LIKE LOTS of insulation, so they will stuff everything including the kitchen sink into a house they have their eyes on.

Still, they are managable and shouldn't deter you in any way.

I've double layered some of my entrance holes to keep the vermints out
The best thing seems to be to clean it out as soon as you can after the young have left.

[likwid]

Got some better pics of him and his dusky friends.

[striperman36]

Old Grandad!!

[likwid]

He spent a solid 3 hours by the feeder during the snowstorm yesterday.

[Raven]

i didn't have birds in this shot.... because it was a camera test having just installed new batteries

but here is what i did ...i added an upright post to the deck railing
so i could screw on a piece of "pine slab with Bark" on it...

the Woodies love going up this.....(same as a tree to them)

i added an old bird house which is full of "shelled" sunflower seed....so its protected from the elements and its fun seeing the smaller birds going in an out....

i added old christmas trees...(free) too for shelter and i toss a few handfulls of seed into them...

have to get more suet today because they wiped it out already

[chrisjoe13]

Love this thread!

I alway notice birds where ever I am. Have most of the birds around that have been mentioned (never see blue birds though). I do get a flock of wax wings for a few hours in the fall (clean out the cherries from an ornamental tree), and also there are always a few phoebies around during the summer (back and forth to their nests all day).

A few years ago I got to go with my Uncle to tag the peregrines that live on top of the Fleet building in Prov. Awesome experience. We acted as "spotters" for my Uncle. The adult female would fly away and about 2 seconds later would be flying back at full speed (very fast, 180+ mph) in an attempt to claw his head and back. We'd call out, my Uncle would duck, and the falcon's claws would either miss or scrape off the top of his hard hat or jacket! The larger male just stood there watching and not caring. Very cool to see. He was heading to the Newport bridge after that but I didn't have it in me to climb out there!

He also tags the bald eagles that live in scituate, RI. every year. DEM rows him out to the island, he climbs a huge pine tree loaded with poison ivy vines and sits INSIDE the nest while he tags. The eagles just fly around and don't bother him while he is doing this. He's an interesting guy with a great job. These are the only two pics I have of him. He waited 18 yrs for a moose tag and drew one this past fall (he already said he will never do it again). The other is a 40+ inch bass landed on an 8wght. fly rod from the surf in Maine. The third picture is of a red-breasted hawk, the only one I have ever seen.

[basswipe]

We're getting a woodpecker(downy) at out suet feeders.The house finches of the season have showed too.

The one thing I'm not looking forward to are thousands of grackles that roost in the huge pines in my neighbor's yard.They start EARLY and are very loud!