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barred_owl
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« Reply #45 on: September 22, 2009, 10:29:44 PM » |
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That is sooooo awesome, averagebear! I know there must be owls around our area, but I haven't heard them near our home (out in the "country," yes, but not here).
The big headline-grabber in our city-specific (i.e., small-time) newspaper last year was the presence of wild turkeys in town. Shortly after all the hullaballoo about it in the paper, we saw a wild turkey wandering across the back lot of a small strip mall. Definitely a sort of non sequitur sighting!
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...I can't help rooting for the underdog underbird. |
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averagebear
Treading water in the adjunct pool and still a
Senior member
Posts: 856
Scheherezade's cookie-baking, bartending minion
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« Reply #46 on: September 23, 2009, 07:50:32 AM » |
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Heh. We're on the border of suburbs and farm country, and we get an interesting mix of critters. Mine is definitely a suburban development, but we still have plenty of backyard deer (which have RUINED my young trees), foxes, groundhogs, 'possums, skunks, squirrels, chipmunks, turkeys (really), owls (lots), songbirds, and hawks of all flavors.
Last summer we had a blast watching a juvenile broadwing hawk playing a clumsy game of cat-and-mouse with a squirrel...while both of them were still in the tree. The hawk lost.
Two weeks ago I had an interesting encounter with a pair of RT hummingbirds on my front porch, where I keep a nectar feeder and hanging baskets of red and white flowers. I was wearing a white t-shirt with a bright red, yellow, and blue graphic on the chest. I was out watering the baskets and when I heard a hummingbird buzz in, I froze so as not to scare it off. The next thing I knew I was staring at not one but two hummers hovering not a foot from my face, trying to decide whether my shirt was a potential target. One adult female and one juvie female, probably mother and daughter...which would explain why they weren't chasing each other off. It was pretty cool!
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"Build your fantasy world, and move in. Sometimes it's a remarkably functional decision." ~msparticularity
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barred_owl
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« Reply #47 on: September 23, 2009, 10:14:40 AM » |
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The hummingbirds are fun--I've seen a few buzzing here and there, and one buzzed my ear one day in the garden. Haven't seen too many lately, but it is getting late for them here. I've had them come up and check out red objects, articles of clothing, and such, too.
Does anyone out there keep a life list or participate in any bird-related projects/events, or the like? Christmas bird counts? Feeder watches? Bluebird trails?
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...I can't help rooting for the underdog underbird. |
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averagebear
Treading water in the adjunct pool and still a
Senior member
Posts: 856
Scheherezade's cookie-baking, bartending minion
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« Reply #48 on: September 23, 2009, 10:50:40 AM » |
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Yep! I keep a life list in my trusty Peterson. And the kids and I do Cornell's GBBC every year.
Bluebird trails? Heck, all I have to do is look out at the posts on the deck. Not at all unusual to see a bluebird on three or four of them at the same time. They're here (southcentral PA) all year. :)
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"Build your fantasy world, and move in. Sometimes it's a remarkably functional decision." ~msparticularity
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anthroid
Annoying bad luck snails
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,002
No happy socks because nobody gets Manitoba.
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« Reply #49 on: September 23, 2009, 03:16:54 PM » |
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There are bluebirds in my area as well. I saw them at the golf course a couple of weeks ago.
Well, now that I have established feeders, I am getting nuthatches, wrens, sparrows, goldfinches, purple finches, and cardinals; I know when the crows have been around when the feeders are emptied between breakfast and lunch and when my new birdbath is turned over (it's sort of a plastic foam kind of thing; I need to weigh down the pedestal with some gravel or something). I also have quite a mess what with discarded seed, spilled seed, and the like, though not a whole lot of poop...I'm enjoying seeing the birds feed!
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Do you hail from Planet Hello Kitty? It's like an action movie, but boring.
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pollinate
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« Reply #50 on: September 24, 2009, 08:39:16 AM » |
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I haven't seen a male Ruby Throat in a few days. I think it's another week or two later that the females and juveniles leave. A few weeks after that I'll take down all but one feeder b/c this area regularly gets Rufous hummers (and occasionally other western species) in the winter and I'd absolutely love to host one!
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While "against stupidity, even the gods themselves contend in vain" may be true,
it is not reason for us to just give up and let the stupid run this world.
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anthroid
Annoying bad luck snails
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,002
No happy socks because nobody gets Manitoba.
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« Reply #51 on: September 24, 2009, 02:57:43 PM » |
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I wasn't here in the summer so no hummers (or orioles, for that matter) to miss.
Turns out it isn't crows decimating my feeders. It's starlings and grackles. I caught them in the act this morning. Rotten birds. Any advice on how to get rid of these freeloaders? I want the songbirds, not the scavengers!
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Do you hail from Planet Hello Kitty? It's like an action movie, but boring.
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,983
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #52 on: September 24, 2009, 03:05:18 PM » |
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I don't know. Starlings are an invader that are becoming a serious hazard. They reproduce so effectively they cause a health hazard with the volume of their waste. I know that my campus has used boom cannons to try to keep them from roosting on campus. If you come up with a way to keep them away that doesn't keep your other birds away I'm sure there are authorities that would love to know what it is.
Starlings are just ridiculous.
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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barred_owl
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« Reply #53 on: September 24, 2009, 03:14:23 PM » |
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I hear ya, anthroid! Starlings and House Sparrows--Shakespeare may have loved them, but that was certainly no excuse for introducing them into North America! The grackles are a native species, but that doesn't mean they can't become pests.
There are no good solutions, unfortunately. "Scarecrow"-type devices might deter some of them, but the devices are not selective enough--they'll also scare off the desirable species. The plastic owl replicas that are available at garden stores might work, but, once again, they're apt to deter the 'good' birds, too. Apart from watching for the flocks to descend and then yelling at them, there isn't any one ideal solution. Unless, of course, you happen to have a trained Peregrine Falcon or Cooper's Hawk handy. Sigh...
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...I can't help rooting for the underdog underbird. |
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anthroid
Annoying bad luck snails
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,002
No happy socks because nobody gets Manitoba.
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« Reply #54 on: September 24, 2009, 03:22:38 PM » |
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I suppose I could just put out thistle for a while. The starllings and grackles are going after the fancy songbird mix that I bought, not the thistle. Nuthatches and finches and even a wren or two seem to be liking the thistle. It means no cardinals, I guess, but maybe that'll be a tradeoff I'll have to make....
In these parts you can buy big tubs of mealworms to put out for the birds. I've never used that before--any thoughts? Or is it really more for hunting (pheasant, grouse, turkey)? Clearly I'm clueless about such things.
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Do you hail from Planet Hello Kitty? It's like an action movie, but boring.
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goldenapple
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« Reply #55 on: September 24, 2009, 03:33:33 PM » |
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The park near our house has about half a dozen egrets and a green heron. Last year, we discovered a family of owls there, too. We even talked with a guy who'd been going there every single day to see what the owl family was doing (talk about a lack of privacy!).
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barred_owl
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« Reply #56 on: September 24, 2009, 03:48:42 PM » |
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You might be on to something there, anthroid, putting out only the thistle. Likewise, putting out only sunflower seed could work, too--the cardinals would love it, but the pest birds would have a hard time dealing with it (well, House Sparrows might like it, I suppose). Thinking about it, our 'squirrel proof' birdfeeder--the kind that closes all the ports when a squirrel tries to hang on to the perches--might deter the heavier grackles and, maybe starlings. I looked up info on mealworms. It looks like they're attractive to bluebirds, among others! Oh, and the same organization also has a page on deterring House Sparrows: http://www.sialis.org/halo.htm I wonder if it also might work against the grackles and starlings? |
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...I can't help rooting for the underdog underbird. |
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barred_owl
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« Reply #57 on: September 24, 2009, 04:27:16 PM » |
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And, one more place to seek suggestions for deterring grackles and starlings: http://www.abirdfeederplace.com/grackles.htmlLooks like it's a combination of limiting food types and preventing the grackles/starlings from getting their pesky beaks into a feeder. |
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...I can't help rooting for the underdog underbird. |
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wegie
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« Reply #58 on: September 24, 2009, 04:40:27 PM » |
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Nothing short of thermonuclear weapons deters starlings, and having seen vast flocks of them nesting on nuclear power stations I have my doubts about that.
Anthroid, if you have starling problems, do not put out mealworms, the buggers adore them.
However, if you have sparrows, we'll be delighted to have them back. They're actually in fairly serious decline over here.
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norvell
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« Reply #59 on: September 24, 2009, 05:12:26 PM » |
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When I was a young lad, my great-great-uncle, his grandson, and I went starling hunting with BB-guns. After the successful hunt, he sent one home with me to show my mother along with assurances that she would be real proud of me.
Turns out the joke was on me (and especially my mom).
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