Backyard bird watching

[spence]

I could see that, this nest had easy access for a serpent.

But I found a baby in the driveway that was dropped. Not sure if it was from the same nest but the age was right...

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by spence

I could see that, this nest had easy access for a serpent.

But I found a baby in the driveway that was dropped. Not sure if it was from the same nest but the age was right...

Likely too early for bird eating serpents....

[spence]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

Likely too early for bird eating serpents....

I've already caught snakes in the yard this year, although I've never seen one big enough to raid a nest.

More carnage found by the basement door. Evidence toward the cat is getting stronger.

-spence

[PRBuzz]

Garter snakes don't count!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[spence]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

Garter snakes don't count!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

My wife spotted something 3+ feet at a pond this week...they're out and about.

-spence

[Raven]

Have'm in the yard but since they eat slugs i leave'm be

at a different residence they ate a nest of mockingbirds
in a low bush...pissed me off...

[striprman]

they make a nest like a hanging bag, different. I'll try to get some pic's

[FishermanTim]

I love seeing and hearing the orioles when they arrive.
When they are fighting off rival males they will fly through tree branches with wreckless abandon, and chirping loudly in their distinctive trill.

As for garter snakes eating birds, when they get large enough, they will eat wahetever they can fit in their mouths. They have been known to eat vole and shrews, so small birds particularly newly hatched ones, would be right up on their menu.

Fortunately the snakes are much more beneficial than harmful to our backyard environment.

[chrisjoe13]

So, two weeks ago I noticed that an Eastern Phoebe had built her nest
on the top edge of my shed door (about an inch wide). On a whim, I tacked a small box next to the door and moved the nest. I reformed it the best I could and within an hour she was back working on it.
Yesterday I reach up and snap a pic to see inside the nest and saw 5 eggs....but 2 are different.
Apparently the 2 speckled eggs are brown headed cowbird eggs. (they hatch first and get all/most of the food).
My first inclination was to take them out but after reading more, some say that the cowbird will come and destroy the nest if the host bird (or anyone) removes its eggs.
Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

[chrisjoe13]

stupid cowbird eggs..

[Raven]

they lay eggs in 200 specie's nests
and it's a leavem and forgettem process
so if it were me, i'd remove the C-B eggs and tossem

[Raven]

Welcomed them back with 3 batches made and 6 feeders HUNG !

had one there enjoying it in 5 minutes.....

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
now i'm real mad

it only took the Big black carpenter ants 1.5 days to find the humming bird set up
and i had to remove them all until i re suspend them usin 20lb mono (again) to
foil their raiding party because they cannot walk down it! basturds

[FishermanTim]

Sure you can hate the ants, but you have to admire their intelligence being able to find food in so many unusual places. Now if the ant eating birds would do their part, you might not have a problem anymore.

I know how frustrating it is to set up your feeder(s) and find that the ants have spoiled the food and feeder even before the birds have found it.

[FishermanTim]

Originally Posted by Raven

they lay eggs in 200 specie's nests
and it's a leavem and forgettem process
so if it were me, i'd remove the C-B eggs and tossem

Although they have a place in nature, they have been doing a number on many songbirds up and down the east coast. They will lay their eggs in another birds nest, their eggs hatch first and the first thing they do after hatching is push out all other eggs/chicks so that they are the only survivor. They have played havoc with the bluebird population.

They had a nature special on PBS a few years ago about songbirds and their decline in the wild. Pretty interesting.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

Sure you can hate the ants, but you have to admire their intelligence being able to find food in so many unusual places. Now if the ant eating birds would do their part, you might not have a problem anymore.

I know how frustrating it is to set up your feeder(s) and find that the ants have spoiled the food and feeder even before the birds have found it.

~
Bluejays use carpenter ant oil to add oil to their feathers so it's more water repellent....
-what's even more frustrating is that the two hummingbirds left my Yard the very next day...

i'm guessing they were just passing thru.

[chrisjoe13]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

Although they have a place in nature, they have been doing a number on many songbirds up and down the east coast. They will lay their eggs in another birds nest, their eggs hatch firstm and tghe first thing they do after hatching is push out all other eggs/chicks so that they are the only survivor. They have played havoc with the bluebird population.

They had a nature special on PBS a few years ago about songbirds and their decline in the wild. Pretty interesting.

One of the PBS guys is the one that said if you remove their eggs, they destroy. still havent taken them out, but want to.

[justplugit]

The crows are raiding the nests here and the Blue Jays are after
them in full force.

Ants are amazing. The carpenter ants will move the sawdust 30 feet
away from the nest at night, not to be detected. You can Back track the army
from the saw dust as they march back and forth to the nest with a flashlight
at night.
Can't believe how strong ants are.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by chrisjoe13

One of the PBS guys is the one that said if you remove their eggs, they destroy. still havent taken them out, but want to.

THEN PERFORATE THEM

[FishermanTim]

I'd remove the eggs, and if the cowbird desides to destroy the nest, the results are the same except there will be 2 less cowbirds.

Personally, I doubt that the cowbird which has already abandoned the egg and doesn't do any of the feeding, would be watching the nest to make sure her eggs hatch.
If it were true, it would be really strange.

[Raven]

having raised cockatiels i can tell you they lay lots of eggs

[Saltheart]

Saw the first of those orange/red cardinals I get in my backyard. They have a distinct orange tint to them , not the pure red cardinal color. He was standing on the ground and kept hopping up a foot picking what I guess were bugs off a very short bush above him.

Love the colored birds. they seem to go with the bright spring colored flowers.

[Raven]

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/vi...ucked.cnn.html

[Raven]

late at night a high pitched whistle

that went up in scale ....ending in a quick zippy ending

the only way i can describe it....

sounded like a kids whistle or blowing into an acorn top...

i'm thinking some sort of OWL .....but have no idea....

which one it could be

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

Although they have a place in nature, they have been doing a number on many songbirds up and down the east coast. They will lay their eggs in another birds nest, their eggs hatch firstm and tghe first thing they do after hatching is push out all other eggs/chicks so that they are the only survivor.

Sounds like the earliest blue print for bird socialism. The Blue Birds do all the work building
the nest for their own and the Cow Birds reap all the benefits.

[chrisjoe13]

I removed the speckled eggs from a second phoebe nest in my yard....
4 white (phoebe) eggs hatched and grew, 0 cow birds.

[FishermanTim]

I was out fishing the Charles upstream from the Dedham Mall. I was fishing the weed line along a small cove just past the first bridge you would come to heading up river and I noticed what I thought was a bird in distress on the opposite shore.

turned out to be a turkey vulture trying to find a way to make a meal out of a huge dead snapping turtle on the shore. This was the first time I've seen one of these large birds, and it was an awesome sight.

Oh, and I did manage to catch a few good size bass and pickerel as well!

[goosefish]

Originally Posted by Raven

late at night a high pitched whistle

that went up in scale ....ending in a quick zippy ending

the only way i can describe it....

sounded like a kids whistle or blowing into an acorn top...

i'm thinking some sort of OWL .....but have no idea....

which one it could be

Could have been a whipoorwill.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

on the opposite shore.

turned out to be a turkey vulture trying to find a way to make a meal out of a huge dead snapping turtle on the shore.

Oh, and I did manage to catch a few good size bass and pickerel as well!

when i was growing up there was a story of how a couple went to have a picnic (beside the Charles river)
and spread a blanket to lay the baby down then walked back to get the basket and beverages....

as they turned around to walk right back a huge snapper was observed dragging the baby into the river never to be seen again...
afterwards...
the Police used huge hooks baited with chickens and cable i guess and hauled out a large number of huge snappers
then shot them with shotguns to check stomach contents for baby parts.

i think you were lucky to be on that side of the river

[Raven]

Originally Posted by goosefish

Could have been a whipoorwill.

i checked all whipoorill sounds and found no match....


that was a good guess however...

[PRBuzz]

Great site for counds, here's owls: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse_tax/55/


How close the the E Screech come to what you hear?