Just chilling watching my birds....

Joined
Mar 17, 2008
Messages
8,140
Location
Michigan
Sitting on my back deck watching the birds at my feeders.

I have: red bellied and downy wood peckers, blue jays, cardinals, Grosbeak, fiches, Baltimore Orioles, red wing black birds, chickadees, Mourning Doves, and many others. Still waiting for Hummingbirds to show.

I have out: regular bird seed with black sunflower seeds included, finch food, suet cakes, half orange, peanut pieces, sugar laced grape juice.

Thinking I might try some meal worms.

Got a momma robin with a nest under my deck who keeps constant patrols and an eye on me....
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Any other bird watchers out there? What you got and what do you feed them?
 
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We have our bird feeder up still. We take it in each night so the bear(s) don't rip it to shreads. They did last year. My wife knocks on the door glass when the large crows come as they eat too much. When a bird stays too long on the feeder she knocks also.

My favorite are the small yellow birds at the feeder.
 
We have a wide variety of birds at our place also. We feed them sunflower seed and higher quality bird seed mix and thistle. Under worst conditions I place out suet. I minimize this because the woodpeckers tear up my trees. And saw the first hummingbird last week.
 
I observe them occasionally. I don't see Cardinals and Bluejays that often. Robin's love hunting for worms in my yard after I mow. They can spot worms easier when the grass is shorter.
 
I often get Grackles and Cow birds too. But not lately.

Just haf a brown Thrasher show up. Never noticed one before.
 
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Originally Posted by Ws6
I have a river in my back yard and bald eagles fly above it. I enjoy them!
[Linked Image]



That would be awesome.
 
We have a feeder and so does my neighbor. My felines have been getting more supervised out time these past couple of weeks and consequently have been terrorizing the resident bird/rodent population. I have bonifide(sp?) serial killers on my hands so I'm having to constantly play the spoiler. One avian death, many more deaths averted.
 
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
We have a feeder and so does my neighbor. My felines have been getting more supervised out time these past couple of weeks and consequently have been terrorizing the resident bird/rodent population. I have bonifide(sp?) serial killers on my hands so I'm having to constantly play the spoiler. One avian death, many more deaths averted.


Yeah, I have a few neighbor cats that stalk around my feeders at times. Not happy!
 
We have our hummingbird feeders already out. Good to establish them early so they become a go to source as the weather warms. Good response already. . Great activity, great topic by the way, well done ZZ.
 
Originally Posted by ZZman
Originally Posted by Ws6
I have a river in my back yard and bald eagles fly above it. I enjoy them!
[Linked Image]



That would be awesome.

The river is about 140m from my deck, and in the winter I can see them through the trees flying above it. I love watching t hem. Before I moved here, I'd never seen a bald eagle in the wild.
 
I use regular sugar for hummers. 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Or you can sweeten it further by going 1 to 3. Heat it on the stove until the sugar dissolves, no need to boil it. Stir, let cool and you're good. No added dye necessary. On calm, warm summer nights they feed like crazy. Also first thing in the morning.
 
I feed everything that flies.
I blend my own seed. The premix usually has millet seeds that the mob seems to avoid.
Make the jump to mealworms. The birds will thank you.
 
Our indoor cat enjoys watching a flycatcher that flies back and forth from the deck railing to nearby trees .

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Anyone know what bird this is ? It was in the woods a few years back . Have a few bird books and not to be found .

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We have a glass front door and my wife always hangs a stupid wreath on it. Last year a finch family decided to build a nest and lay some eggs. It was cool to watch the babys hatch and grow until one day they were gone. The nest in my cherry tree didn't fare quite as well, was observing those chicks and one day there was only 1 left and they were not big enough to fly yet. Then I noticed the rat snake looking all fat and happy about 10 feet away.
 
Originally Posted by Aredeeem
We have our hummingbird feeders already out. Good to establish them early so they become a go to source as the weather warms. Good response already. . Great activity, great topic by the way, well done ZZ.

We have a hairy woodpecker that's damaging our utility pole . Tried to scare it off by honking car horn and clapping loud with no impact .
shocked.gif
 
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The usual here is: house finches, house sparrows, chickadees, northern flickers, and starlings. See a few hawks, and eagles, here and there, and the turkey buzzards once in a while. During the migration season we see orioles, bluebirds, and lazuli buntings. Near the Salt Lake there is far more to see. Hummingbirds come around when I plant tobacco. They absolutely love the flowers.
 
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