Backyard bird watching

[Raven]

i spread a scoop of sf seed out on the dog area for the Jays

because hey,,,i realize it's tough going out there
and they're just trying to survive ...

it was fun putting a couple of mice out on top
of the plywood on the burn barrel
for whom ever would take them....
as my cat kills em in the attic often...

the jays had no interest but a crow did....
of course he had to hover- fly over the set up
three times before he was confident enough to go
take them and then he took both at once and took off with-em

i cannot stand starlings tho and wouldn't care if they all froze.

[Raven]

did you make the top pivot for easy refills ?

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by Raven

i cannot stand starlings tho and wouldn't care if they all froze.

Starlings, blue jays, and English House sparrows all in the same boat....

[PRBuzz]

OK f---ing starlings win! Some experience you had.

[ProfessorM]

I have gone to squirrel proof feeders about 15 years ago. The squirrels will eat right thru a wooden one. I like the feeders that are spring loaded, although a little pricey they are worth it in the long run. Too much weight on perch they close. Luv watching the squirrels try and figure it out. They give up eventually. The darn sparrows are worse then squirrels though. They take up house on the perch and never leave till they are full. PIA.

On a side note take some time to check out your feeders at nite. I will bet you have flying squirrels but just never knew it. I got video of them, 4, feeding. Pretty cool. Since the neighbor stripped mined their yard of a lot of trees they don't seem as frequent anymore. If you have a lot of trees and close to the feeders you got them I'll bet. It is really cool to see them swoop down from high above. They are so friggin fast up a tree and they have gigantic eyes. They are in and out of the feeder lightning fast so you have to watch closely. I have a spot light on the feeder and they don't seem to mind it. I have had up to 8 at a time feeding in years past. Drain the feeder fast though with them at nite and birds in day. Stupid Cat killed one and bought it in house one nite. It was neat to examine it up close though. Real small and light weight.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by ProfessorM

On a side note take some time to check out your feeders at nite. I will bet you have flying squirrels but just never knew it.

Don't think I've ever seen a flying squirrel before. Gotta be pretty cool to see.

[O.D. Mike]

[PRBuzz]

Hawk I.D. If you guess, give me an idea how sure you are on a 0 - 100% scale

[Chris in Mass]

Looks like a Sharp Shinned. Had them in the back yard as well, and just looked it up. Could be Cooper's, which look very similar, but bigger. The Sharp shinned is more common I believe. Let the more experienced weigh in though.

[justplugit]

I agree, 80% SS. Hard ID but the barrel chest makes me think it's a SS.
Tail tip in the pic is hard to ID wether it is square or rounded like the Cooper.

[striperman36]

Sharp-shinned hawk
pretty high

[justplugit]

.Check out www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw.../accpiterlDtable.htm[/url]. They have pics and comparisons
of the SS and Cooper.
Really hard to tell from the pic posted.

[PRBuzz]

Originally Posted by justplugit

.Check out www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw.../accpiterlDtable.htm[/url]. They have pics and comparisons
of the SS and Cooper.
Really hard to tell from the pic posted.

Checked that site and 2 or 3 other sites plus 2 different field guides, just couldn't get a match I was confortable with, that is why I posted here: the ultimate authorities?

[nightfighter]

Pellet gun comin out shortly... too many squirrels showing around a now empty feeder

[PRBuzz]

The head coloration is what I find difficult to reconcile!

[PRBuzz]

I've got between 6-7 squirrels that fear the sight of me, one has felt my sting! A clap of the hands now has them scurrying for cover.

[FishermanTim]

We get anywhere from 7-12 grey rats ** every day.
It wouldn't be so bad if they were content to feed on what I give them, but they have destroyed too many of the feeders for me to let it go any further. Fortunately the will only bother with a feeder that has sunflower seeds. Unfortunately they have learned to leap great distances in order to get at the only feeders that I fill with sunflower seeds, and they have chewed them into worthless plastic tubes.
I don't want a deterrent, a repellent or any other device/method to repell these creatures. I want them gone PERMANTLY. They not only destroy the bird feeders, they dig up way too many transplants in the spring, and take too many liberties in the veggie garden.
Their time is up!

** I was referring to squirrels, but in hindsight I don't want to give rats a bad name.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by PRBuzz

I've got between 6-7 squirrels that fear the sight of me, one has felt my sting! A clap of the hands now has them scurrying for cover.

when i attached the wire baskets to my one feeder
to deter the pack of bluejays

they finally gave up ...

But not the squirrels, and as i sent out the dingo to chase them off
one had difficulty navigating back out of the wire loosing precious seconds
and was actually in my dogs mouth for a split second before she went to do the clamp down...
he flew outta there missing entrapment by a half second
(wishing i had my camera) and hasn't been back since.

Rats -Grey_ i find live inside trees same as squirrels but down low.

[2na]

so...how many of you guys blast squirrels?? Nothing pisses me off more than seeing one on the feeder shoveling out the seed and scaring off all the birds. Anti-squirrel devices simply do not work - they figure them out eventually. I had a red squirrel the would just chew through the line leading to the feeder so I had to start using a picture wire leader. They are like the Terminator.

I have a friendly neighborhood fox that collects them at nite, and as another benefit I have found far fewer mice in my sheds. Additionally, my accuracy has improved tremendously over the last 4 years.

[Raven]

I'd like make a simple blow gun with a curtain rod ,
a piece of yarn and a large sewing needle.....
have the compressor sitting there attached with 80 lbs of air..
the rod goes out right next to the feeder...


sitten there with finger on the trigger....

but....then,
the sk-wirl -dog would have nuthin to do or to get excited about

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by 2na

so...how many of you guys blast squirrels??

The same one or two squirrels have woken me up every morning going after the feeders I have hanging from my front windows. Grabbed my pellet gun last night from storage. This morning was the first morning in a week that I haven't seen them out there. It's like they know.

[Raven]

no pellet gun here

so the hav -a- Heart with a full piece of bread covered in old peanut butter topped off with black sunflower seed proves out to be an irresistible bait that works every time! I use half the size for chippy's

had a red squirell coming over this morning which i thought odd

Dave the squirell's know their home turf by sound
not by internal compass

they remember things like sirens from the local fire station
church bells
a particular dog's bark
the sound of a dump truck squealing

so if the wind carry's that sound to them
they'll know which way is home

[PRBuzz]

Within city limits one has to be extremely careful shooting anything...never know when a neighbor might report gunshots to police or PETA. Doesn't mean I don't do it (BB).

[ProfessorM]

I once shot 12 squirrels one summer as they were eating all my peaches off my trees. A pellet gun took care of them but I have since cut those trees down and moved my peaches away from the tree line and out in the open and they don't bother them anymore. I have 3 outdoor cats so the squirrels are hunted all day long and rarely reach the feeders and they are squirrel proof feeders so they really don't waste their time if they are lucky to reach them.

I had 7 or 8 Robins at the feeder yesterday morning. I have to get more feed today as i am running low. Probably have the most Cardinals this year I have ever had. Sometimes there are 8 of them at the 3 feed locations I have in the yard at once. Going to grab some suet today as I have not put out any yet this year but came across 3 feeders in cellar yesterday so I'll fill them up. Still got my eye open for the flock of Bluebirds I see every winter but still a little early. Usually see a flock of at least 30 of them every winter. Also my compost pile is becoming a big hit with the birds again this year. I dump pretty much all my kitchen waste in there and the birds go thru it and seem to really enjoy the fruits and veggies and table scraps. It is always full of birds when I look out there.

[Raven]

a cute girl from Grafton ma. b4 christmas that i chanced to meet
at the suet selection table said she was getting bluebirds
feeding them the blueberry suet that they sell there @ the christmas tree shop.

so they're here... or around

what are the robins eating.....?

they only been hitting the bittersweet here...

this year they will be evicted every time i see a nest because
they are too dammed bossy over their friggan babies


and we have 25 -50 on the front lawn every spring
so there's at least 20 or so pairs. No wonder my maine coon cat
cringes in fear sitting on the back of the couch at the bird feeder window.
WE are inudated....
it's like the seal population.....quit eatin my worms ya fat bastids,..
i dream of robin pie.

[ProfessorM]

they were eating off the ground. I have no less that 8 Viburnums that are loaded with berries right now and they are not being touched much. I think they prefer the sunflower seeds more.

[justplugit]

Hav a Hart with peanut butter bait works well.

Just make sure you release them on the other side of a river
from your house so they will need to swim to get back.

I usually spin the trap around in circles a bunch of times before I release
them to confuse their direction.

[FishermanTim]

You could just toss the trap into the river, but that would be unneccesarliy cruel.
I know, to give them a fighting chance catch 3 or 4 and release them on a frozen pond/lake as far away from shore as possible and wait for a hawk or eagle or some other bird of prey to fly overhead, and then release them to see which one doesn't make it to shore?

If you get more than one bird of prey, it could make for an interesting event.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by justplugit

I usually spin the trap around in circles a bunch of times before I release
them to confuse their direction.

they navigate by sound(s)
"remembered" such as firetrucks ,church bells,
flowing water, and sounds of the spectrum unknown to us.

Birds in Mass can hear the sound of Niagara falls (long range)
similarly to elephants-> low pitch vibration

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Raven

they navigate by sound(s)
"remembered" such as firetrucks ,church bells,
flowing water, and sounds of the spectrum unknown to us.

Birds in Mass can hear the sound of Niagara falls (long range)
similarly to elephants-> low pitch vibration

Didn't know that, Rav. I guess duct tape over the ears would help.

The Fischer Cat took care of my squirrel problem this year.
Only one left, and he's too busy looking over his shoulder to eat.