BIRDS

[thecfarm]

It's nice to hear the birds singing!!

[DDW_OR]

my favorite bird song is the hermit thrush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0mATRdzZSc

[SwampDonkey]

I hear them a lot when marking pre-commercial thinning ground.

[Hilltop366]

There have been Robins for three or four weeks, I have been seeing cormorants and herons since the weekend. Not birds but there have been peepers for a few days now too. 

[SwampDonkey]

There's 50 robins around the yard here all day long. More robins than there was last spring. A couple stayed here all winter.

I heard the killdeer this morning.

[Onthesauk]

I saw swallows this morning for the first time this spring.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I was sawing up some dead ash near one of my bluebird boxes yesterday. I had seen some activity so when I finished I opened the top to check and sure enough there were 4 eggs in the nest. The parents did not attack as usual but I hope I have not disturbed them too much. This is the 3rd year I've had the box up. Raised 2 clutches the first year, swallows last year and bluebirds back this year.

[Chuck White]

I've seen a few male bluebirds buzzing around and checking out available housing, but no females yet.

I cleaned out all (16) of the birdhouses around the yard, one had an unhatched egg, and another had a dead baby bluebird.

I usually have a population of half and half, bluebirds and tree swallows, of course there will be one or two house wren nest boxes!

[Crusarius]

My yearly mallard visits started today. Of course, they were met by the 1 year old cat that loves to hunt  They were laughing as the cat was sitting on the bank of the pond testing the water

[Hilltop366]

A few bird photos I have taken recently.

A red tail hunting in the front yard.



 

Geese splash down at the camp.



 

Eagle across the river at the camp.

 

[woodroe]

Psycho Bluebird.
 He is bouncing off 1st and 2nd story windows. Starts at 1st light and continues for hours. Sees his reflection in the window and thinks its another male evidently.  Seen robins doing this on lower windows but this is a first for a Bluebird.  
That and he shits all over the sills which is a turnoff too. 
Anyone want a crazy Bluebird ?

[KEC]

Hilltop, nice photos. Woodroe, if you splash some soapy water on the outside of the window, it might help. A friend and I went down near Ithaca, NY a few days ago to see an active Peregrine Falcon nest on a high cliff. They nested there many years ago before Peregrines became rare. It was neat to see them on a natural site. You pull off the road and park, walk all of 30 feet and look at the nest at eye level across a huge ravine.

[beenthere]

For the psycho bluebird, eventually the cure is #8 shot. Weed out the ones that do that if possible. Same with the occasional robin. Over 50 years, has happened three times..  Sorry

[woodroe]

For the psycho bluebird, eventually the cure is #8 shot. Weed out the ones that do that if possible. Same with the occasional robin. Over 50 years, has happened three times..  Sorry

Agree, It is rare to have this happen. Its still early here and no nest building going on yet so took the boxes down.
The nuisance bluebird will move on then and I'll put em back up.
But that kind of activity can make someone do something extreme, .
I had started throwing some 1" firewood rounds at him.  

[KEC]

Yesterday and the day before I had a Pine Warbler at a feeding station eating bits of suet that fall when the woodpeckers work the suet. Few warblers come to feeders so it was neat to see one out the window ~10 feet away at below eye level. Yesterday we woke up to 6-8" of snow so the feeders did a brisk business. Snow didn't last long. All told yesterday I tallied 26 species of birds around the yard. A pair of crows have a nest in the front yard and they are strickly enforcing a no-fly zone in the air space for the Turkey Vultures and hawks and other crows.

[woodroe]

KEC has lots of bird activity. 
Think I've been to that river gorge in Ithica where you saw the Peregrine Falcons.
Son went to college there for a spell so we got to explore the area.
We had a rare appearance from a Palm warbler recently, a pretty bird never seen here before, passing through heading for Eastern Hudson Bay I think. 

[KEC]

Warblers passing through will escape most peoples' notice. You have to be looking for them. I look for them and still miss seeing many of them.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I was working nearby so I took a peak in the box and found my bluebird eggs have hatched and the chicks were all hunkered down wondering where the roof of their house went. I am going to be giving them lessons to stay away from BT's windows. >:( ;)

[SwampDonkey]

A pair of bluebirds checking out the 2 bird boxes in the yard this morning. The ground is froze this morning, 30F and north wind. Don't get in too big of a hurry. :D

[SwampDonkey]

Years ago when glass windows were pretty thin and not great quality, a ruffed grouse went through a neighbor's kitchen window one morning, ready for pluck'n. ;D

[Bricklayer51]

sd had one last fall darn good eating

[doc henderson]

Got a pm from @Cedarman .  He had interest from a guy in some cedar, and he was from Elsworth, Ks.  It is 1 hour north of me, so I agreed to have him come to my place as he only needed a small chunk 8 x 8 inches.  His name is Don and he does Falconry.  He has a white falcon, and wanted the red cedar for contrast and beauty.  He makes and sells a few on ebay.  He origionated in Ca.  moved to Co, and then to Ks just for the prairy chicken huntin.  they have contests, and much of the hunting involved dogs, and falsons working together.  We found several pieces large enough to make several of these Arab blocks.



 

I forgot to get his pic, but he was a character.  I did not know what we would find, so had not thought about payment, but was excited to be able to give 5% to the FF, if not all.  When he asked price, I ask him to make an offer (to see what he thought of the wood he got) and I would make a counter-offer.  He offered 50 bucks, and I said how about 20.  He took out a check book, and I thought "surely you have a twenty".  That is when he told me coming from CA, He never carried cash.  He had shown up early, and my wife had lunch waiting in the house.  After he left I thought about his hat that I thought had to do with the birds, but it said 101rst Airborne.  I confirmed he was former military.  and my dog promptly ate his check.  He is appreciative.  He is about 70.  He promises to send pics.  Thanks Richard.

[Walnut Beast]

Interesting! 

[Cedarman]

Doc, I am glad you two got together. It is more fun to talk with people with unique qualities then converse by e-mail. I know it kills time, but to me one of the pleasure in life.
The author C J Box has one of the main characters as a falconer in Wyoming. Fascinating what those birds can do.
Hope to see the pics of the "Arab blocks".

[SwampDonkey]

Tree swallows have joined the bluebirds to see who gets which nest box. :D