Backyard bird watching

[ProfessorM]

Birdhouses and Woodworking Birdhouse Plans For Over 70 North American Species
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[ProfessorM]

bird houses plans - Google Search
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[Raven]

heads up on seed

JOB Lot
reduced their 50 LB bag of black oil sunflower seed to $27.99

was at Lowe's grabbin a few things.... there
bought a Big Bag of DRIED Mealworms
and the titmice and blue birds gobble them up
so now i have 4 different types suet plus mealworms..
the B'B's are hooked "hook line and sinker"

[Raven]

I was just checking out Duncraft for stuff
and i have to say they are the biggest rip off
that i have EVER seen in my life for SUET cakes
charging $12.95 for a single suet cake AND UP ^
Holy Crap ....
made my eyes almost leave their sockets.

[justplugit]

That's rediculus, but there are some yuppies who will pay the price, and
anyhow , how am i going to get rid of my deer.

[Raven]

deer hate fishing line or string fences which you string up

on an angle / so the fence is 8 feet wide then they cannot
simply jump up and over as they do with livestock barbed wire....

they end up STUCK in the middle
and entangled in the lines and then it increases
their fear .... making them never wanting to return...

similar to how things Horses cannot see around their back legs and rear
send them into a panic.....

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by Raven

was at Lowe's grabbin a few things.... there
bought a Big Bag of DRIED Mealworms
and the titmice and blue birds gobble them up
so now i have 4 different types suet plus mealworms..
the B'B's are hooked "hook line and sinker"

Bluebirds... now that's one species I just cannot seem to get to come by regularly. In two years at our old place, I only ever saw one. Now that we have a house, I have a bit more flexibility. Hoping to get some this spring.

[ProfessorM]

Get your boxes out early as they come up a lot earlier than most think, and keep cleaning them out when sparrows and other crap birds invade them. Once you know their call you will be able to spot them a lot easier. The males will check out the boxes and then he will hope to lure in a female. Also after they leave after the first brood get the box clean as you will sometimes get 2 in a year. They like open space and room in front of the box so don't hide it in the trees, perfect for the open front yard. Pretty much my favorite bird to watch once you get some renters. Good luck
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[Raven]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Bluebirds... now that's one species I just cannot seem to get to come by regularly. In two years at our old place, I only ever saw one. Now that we have a house, I have a bit more flexibility. Hoping to get some this spring.

NO need to WAIT til SPRING....
as the bluebirds are already here
they don't come alone or individually usually... they travel as a group.. (flock)
and send out scouts... then they all arrive at once when they find
a source of food they are looking for... mainly a FAT supply
~
suet comes in many grades i've found and some is pure white and
smooth, that is sold differently as it's a cut above the rest ...not all chunky
and broken up.... this stuff looks like half a turkey breast you just sliced whole off a fresh baked turkey right
out of the oven and it's all ONE piece. it's then shrink wrapped and people use it to make Pudding ...the meat guy said.

once you find it.... you may have to search a few stop and shops
and don't forget to ask the butcher(s)

slice it thin then cut it the opposite way , then diagonally until you have mini pieces that they can WOLF down

[Raven]

they are attracted to the commotion or TRAFFIC
of a good bird feeding operation...
watching the (BIG red i call them) woodpeckers
those being the red bellied... and follow their lead.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

Get your boxes out early as they come up a lot earlier than most think, and keep cleaning them out when sparrows and other crap birds invade them. Once you know their call you will be able to spot them a lot easier. The males will check out the boxes and then he will hope to lure in a female. Also after they leave after the first brood get the box clean as you will sometimes get 2 in a year. They like open space and room in front of the box so don't hide it in the trees, perfect for the open front yard. Pretty much my favorite bird to watch once you get some renters. Good luck
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Thanks for the heads up. Looks like I need to get building on some houses then. At our old place, I'd pick of the rare House Sparrow when possible but barely able to take a bite out of that elephant. I'll be able to take a more aggressive approach on the HOSP this year - I hate those invasive little bastards. I've read that they are allegedly the #1 reason why the bluebird populations have been decimated.

Originally Posted by Raven

suet comes in many grades i've found and some is pure white and
smooth, that is sold differently as it's a cut above the rest ...not all chunky
and broken up.... this stuff looks like half a turkey breast you just sliced whole off a fresh baked turkey right
out of the oven and it's all ONE piece. it's then shrink wrapped and people use it to make Pudding ...the meat guy said.

once you find it.... you may have to search a few stop and shops
and don't forget to ask the butcher(s)

slice it thin then cut it the opposite way , then diagonally until you have mini pieces that they can WOLF down

Originally Posted by Raven

they are attracted to the commotion or TRAFFIC
of a good bird feeding operation...
watching the (BIG red i call them) woodpeckers
those being the red bellied... and follow their lead.

Thanks for the advice Raven. I'll have to check the Meat House or something and then rig up something to hold the suet.

We get a decent amount of traffic at the feeders. Downy woodpeckers throughout the day and the usual suspects - Thrushes, both nuthatches, titmice, goldfinch, chickadees and cardinals.

[Raven]

i just sliced up another 2.32 cents worth of a FAT product i look for called RUMBA which i found they prefer to all others....

less than a minute later Bluebirds were stuffing their blue bird bellies

which will get them through the wet and nasty sloppy weather expected tomorrow.

[Raven]

but the biggest hit has always been the peanut butter suet
and when it gets rock hard from below freezing temps
i bring it inside and grate it on the big hole side of the
cheese and or carrot shredder making it easier for them

[Raven]

Originally Posted by Joe

Saw (and heard) a Common Grackle outside my window this am - since robins now winter over - this is my "new" sure sign of spring.

written by Joe on 4 -6-2006

I had twenty grackles yesterday 3/10/2012 (month early) show up at my FAT feeder operation...

[Raven]

RED WING BLACKBIRD

[Sundowner]

Had a big a$$ Osprey pick up a good sized branch in my yard today

[JackK]

During this storm and the last one I've had a massive flock of red winged blackbirds take over the feeders. Probably two dozen of them. They only come on the snotty, snowy days.

Now I am watching this dumb squirrel stuff his face with my sunflower seeds. Completely fearless.

[ProfessorM]

Tons of red wing blackbirds last week. Did see another bald eagle on Sunday at Lake Assawopsett perched in a tree.
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[new jack]

Saw and heard the first osprey of the year in sandwich today!
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[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by JackK

During this storm and the last one I've had a massive flock of red winged blackbirds take over the feeders. Probably two dozen of them. They only come on the snotty, snowy days.

Now I am watching this dumb squirrel stuff his face with my sunflower seeds. Completely fearless.

Same here except the weather was pretty decent. Easily had 50-60 red-winged blackbirds in the big oak tree outside my window. Boy can they get loud.

Probably try my first attempt at making suet cakes this week. Really hoping to get some different species.

[Raven]

just taken - the perch is designed for photography

[FishermanTim]

If so, then why isn't he smiling???

[JohnnyD]

Raven, that picture makes me quite jealous.

[O.D. Mike]

The wife and I made a trip up to Ipswich, walked around the Castle Hill and at the end of our walk we saw this owl sitting up in a tree completely camouflaged. At the time we first saw it, there was a tree directly behind it and all I could make out was the eyes.

Is this a rare owl? Just curious...

[PRBuzz]

Barred Owl, common

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/videos

[Raven]

one thing i can tell you
as a former parrot owner...
is birds have "learned" how to sit
so still that it makes them
virtually disappear... especially owls.

[Raven]

front yard bird watching --->

strangest hawk related thing i've ever seen ~ just now
a coopers hawk running around the front lawn
like it was an oversized robin looking for something
not finding it in several circles or zig zags it went over to
the neighbors lawn to look there... eating worms???

[Raven]

Towhee chestnut sided I callem
Catbird
always a friendlY bird
and the RBGB's are back too

[spence]

Had a nice nest of Carolina Wrens under the deck.

Operative word is had.

Can't wait to find our cat.
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[Raven]

believe it or not.... unless there's a pile of feathers
the babies were eaten by a snake,,,

seen it many times with nests made too LOW