Author Topic: BIRDS (Read 328443 times)

WV Sawmiller · « **Reply #1760 on:** October 09, 2020, 09:40:53 PM »

We started the day with a couple, maybe more, bluebirds going in and out of the bluebird box they used to raise 2 clutches of 5 eggs each this summer on the pasture fence and overlooking the front yard. We still don't know what they were doing going in and out of the house. Surely it is too late in the year for them to try to build another nest and raise some more. i told my wife I'd have to put a light bulb in it like I did in Sampson's small doghouse to keep him warm. I did not see them going and coming later in the day. Maybe they were just homesick and came back for a visit.

About midday I looked out my window to see a Towhee perched there looking at me about 2' away. I don't know what he was up to.

KEC · « **Reply #1761 on:** October 10, 2020, 08:45:34 PM »

WV Sawmiller, Bluebirds occaisionally check out boxes at all times of the year. They will go in boxes to roost at night in the winter. I read once of someone who counted ~24 bluebirds that all went into a box for the night and it was just a standard size box! No need for a heat lamp there. I once discovered a chickadee going into the cross pipe (1 1/2" diameter) of a clothes line pipe. He would curl up inside that pipe and spend the night, safe from those pesky owls.

WV Sawmiller · « **Reply #1762 on:** October 10, 2020, 10:52:26 PM »

@KEC ,

Thanks for the info. That may be what these were doing although we did see them going in and coming out of the box. I just figured they were homesick.

Ron Scott · « **Reply #1763 on:** October 12, 2020, 05:53:18 PM »

Redtailed Hawk also likes the apple tree.

KEC · « **Reply #1764 on:** October 12, 2020, 08:54:07 PM »

Ron, So one works the night shift and one works days. Just not a safe place for mice and voles and such.

Ianab · « **Reply #1765 on:** October 13, 2020, 04:27:31 AM »

Local artist has hit a boring concrete wall on the walkway where the while fantail hangs out.

So even if you don't get to see the bird, that's what it looks like

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #1766 on:** November 22, 2020, 08:20:47 AM »

Grouse feeding in the back yard this morning. A rather plump one to. There are three hanging around, saw all three the other day when carrying ashes out to dump.

KEC · « **Reply #1767 on:** November 22, 2020, 07:20:47 PM »

I used to hunt and eat grouse, but now I just enjoy seeing them. Just to let you guys know, this is a good year for "winter finches", Crossbills, Pine Siskins, Pine Grossbeaks and Evening Grossbeaks. Keep your feeders stocked with sunflower seed. So far this fall I had a single Pine Siskin a couple of times.

Onthesauk · « **Reply #1768 on:** November 22, 2020, 08:08:15 PM »

When my daisies died back this fall the pine siskins were all over them for several weeks, maybe a couple dozen at a time.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #1769 on:** November 23, 2020, 05:00:03 AM »

We get a lot of juncos and goldfinch here in the weeds. We have only a small number of evening grosbeaks that eat seeds of the boxelders. Bluejays are always present, looking for a free lunch. They love peanuts by the way, they will have them all before a squirrel even knows they are there.

WV Sawmiller · « **Reply #1770 on:** November 30, 2020, 09:17:22 PM »

I thought my eastern bluebirds had migrated south for the winter but I sat in my lower shooting house today from about 1:00 pm till dark. Almost as soon as I got there I spotted eastern bluebirds getting the corn off the spinner of my deer feeder. For every grain of corn they took off the feeder they would knock 10-20 off on to the ground below. I assume these are the ones that raised here at the house since I was probably only 500-600 yards away. That brought back memories of when they did not want me near their house, even though I had built and provided it to them. Here they were eating food I had provided and wasting most of it. I remembered how they would attack and crap all over me but were now dependent on me and no doubt I will have to house them and their offspring next year too and it suddenly dawned on me - they must think I am the Federal Government.

(Sorry - the devil made me say that.

)

Two in the frame - sometimes there would be 5-6. Just right of 6:00 and about 10:00 in the frame.

Underneath the feeder picking up some they had already knocked out

Raiding the spinner on my feeder. I wonder how often they are there when it goes off? I watched at my 4:00 feeding and a red-bellied woodpecker had just left about 30 seconds earlier.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #1771 on:** December 01, 2020, 05:09:44 AM »

They seem to return to the nest site when on migration. They do here, but it was earlier in the fall.

I had to chase off a hairy woodpecker the other day, he was trying to make a nest box hole larger.

doc henderson · « **Reply #1772 on:** December 01, 2020, 08:10:14 AM »

Chuck White · « **Reply #1773 on:** December 01, 2020, 08:54:54 AM »

Believe it or not, we are still seeing Eastern Bluebirds here!

There was a bunch of them that left about a month ago, but now there's another "smaller" bunch of them here!

KEC · « **Reply #1774 on:** December 01, 2020, 10:29:38 PM »

I'm in Southern Onondaga County, NY and I have been seeing bluebirds year round for years. Oftentimes I will hear them flying overhead. In winter they feed a lot on berries and Staghorn Sumac seeds. Watch the big clumps of sumac with the red seed clusters. WV Sawmiller, the birds in your photos are titmice. Nobody told some of the birds that they have to go South. Today I counted 59 Turkey Vultures in the trees by the Jamesville Post Office (near Syracuse).

WV Sawmiller · « **Reply #1775 on:** December 02, 2020, 08:33:56 AM »

I may have been watching the screen vs the birds and got the wrong ones when I snapped as it was a cloudy day and poor visibility and the birds were constantly going and coming. I know some of the birds I was seeing were bluebirds. There were also nuthatches which have some blue but are about half the size of the bluebirds and often walk upside down on the trees. I saw the bluebirds chase some of them off. I also have several species of woodpeckers coming including red-bellied, downy, and hairy and yes, we have titmice or is that titmouses? Occasionally a cardinal or blue jay come. The most problems are the dove and turkeys who wipe out the corn on the ground in short order.

KEC · « **Reply #1776 on:** December 02, 2020, 10:52:28 PM »

I know what you mean about birds moving about and trying to sort them out or get a good photo. Today I had a bunch of chickadees and nuthatches (red and white-breasted) making a fuss by one of my Screech-Owl boxes. One Red-breasted Nuthatch stood right in the entry hole of the box and peered inside. As expected, at dusk a red morph Screech-Owl appeared at the hole. Most around here are gray morph. I enjoy your posts, WV Sawmiller.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #1777 on:** December 03, 2020, 04:29:17 PM »

One spring I thought I was seeing a flock of bluebirds out in the maple woods. Come to find out they were northern parula on there way north to the coniferous forest to nest in old man's beard moss. They are a slate blue with yellow chest. Never seen them before or took notice until then.

They actually are smaller than bluebirds as it turns out. I knew very little about bluebirds back then as they were never here in this area.

SwampDonkey · « **Reply #1778 on:** December 05, 2020, 10:57:44 AM »

Out for a stroll in the yard again. He's under the beech.

KEC · « **Reply #1779 on:** December 05, 2020, 06:24:49 PM »

It's been quite a while since I've had a grouse come around near the house. I drove around a high rent housing developement today as many of these places have planted River Birch and crabapple trees, which attract birds. Saw 3 bluebirds eating crabapples and several robins. Was hoping for redpolls and maybe Pine Grossbeak.

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Author Topic: BIRDS (Read 328443 times)

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