Birding

Charles...congratulations on the bluebird babies.
Astromeria....let us know what birds you see in Italy. Hope there is something interesting.

My update is my Tree Swallows (mistakenly called them tree starlings for those who care) are flying today. I have 5 and I thought one was pushed out of the nest by the others. They vie for the front of each window/port hole and I thought the others pushed one out on the ledge.

Shortly after, they all were urged by one of the parents and went flying as a family. The landing were a little shaky, but they all made it back to the ledge or one of the nearby feeder poles. Amazing. I didn't realize they would fly that quickly. I was ready with the ladder to rescue and return them to their house if they fell on the ground.

They still expect Mom to feed them but I wonder how long they'll hang around now that they're mobile.
 
Re: The ultimate birding binoculars

audreyh1 said:
Here's what I use: http://www.eagleoptics.com/index.asp?pid=887

Absolutely fantastic binoculars. $$$ Worth every penny to me.

Audrey
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I like the Swarovski too, but given my amateur status, I went for the Nikons, plus the Nikons are smaller and lighter. At about the same price as the Swarovski is the Zeiss FL, also a very nice binocular.
 
Final update on my baby birds:

Wednesday, they all flew and came back and slept in my birdhouse. Mom only fed them in the morning. No afternoon feedings. She had been feeding them all day into the evening on Tuesday. While they were off flying, she must have been teaching them to catch their own bugs.

Thursday morning Mom fed them all, but only a few times. They all flew off with her, except one. Finally the last one went off with the rest and they haven't come back.

Apparently once they weaned, they were ready to go wherever Tree swallows live. So I have an empty birdhouse. While I'm sorry to see them go, it was a lot of fun watching them while they were here.

So I have some time to get those new binoculars before my birdhouse is populated again.
 
You know how it is... the hot chicks go for the wren-men with flashy feathers and cool nests. Poor good-doobie homeowner can't compete ;)
 
:LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

Cut: Charming Cocktail hour post.

Check out the content in the A.M.

Have fun, and have one for me. 8)

Jarhead
 
CT .. I hope he lures a female in. It's a lot of fun to watch the progression while they build the nest. Not to mention the singing. I have a ton of wrens in my yard and they are great to listen to.
 
Cut-Throat said:
- What the hell was I drinking? - It must have been that cheap Trader Joe's wine.
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Looks like you've discovered how Trader Joe can sell wine so cheaply. They leave the spell check out of the fermentation process. ;)
 
Checked on the bluebird nestlings, and it appears we have only one, but large, healthy and clearly growing blue feathers. Neat.

Yesteday, we didn't detect movement, and thought a predator had killed the nestlings.

For those with nestboxes, if on poles, do you usually install some kind of baffles to deter predators, or is that not a common problem?

Perhaps a Wild Birds Unlimited franchise would be an interesting sideline ... ;)
 
My birdhouse did not have any form of security for the baby birds. The only problem I had was Blue Jays trying to eat the Quail/Mourning dove food. The parents would chase the Blue jays away and I helped by scaring them when I saw them. I'd assume your parent birds would be keeping a sharp eye on the baby.

My baby birds were out of the nest within days of them peeling out of the house. Maybe yours has moved on as mine did.
 
Here’s a live bird migration map.

https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/

It seems birds show up very well on weather radars. So it’s easy to get a good map of where they are going and how many are going there. Yesterday was great flying weather in my area. No rain and the birds had a tail wind. So the state was nearly covered with migrating birds.
 

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We're just starting to see the Sandhill Cranes here in Central NM. Seems like they're a little bit late. Also getting Woodpeckers and Western Bluebirds that migrate through.
 
Here in the PNW we are seeing various birds make their ‘stop over’ down at the local late front parks. After a few days rest they head for places in So Cal, Arizona, etc.
 
Here at the Lsbcal Research Facility we specialize in lazy backyard bird watching. So I built this easy bird bath. Recipe:

1. Cut down a pressure treated square wood piece to size (hole+upper).
2. Nail a small wood base to top.
3. Dig a hole around 2 ft down
4. Place the board upright in hole and pack in dirt + rocks. Place some rocks around base for more stability. No cement needed.
5. Place a bowl on top and put a nice flat rock in it for weighting.
6. Run a drip line up the side to auto fill with water from backyard drip system. Or just manually put in your own water absent drip system.
7. Birds mostly land on the rock or on the drip tubing going on the edge.


image1.jpg


We get all kinds of birds visiting. Some who have signed the guest book:
bluebirds, Acorn woodpeckers, scrub jays, oak Titmice, house finches, Gold finches ... and the occasional squirrel



Also built a birdhouse years ago out of old redwood and this season we got a Western Bluebird family:


image2.jpg
 
Birds really appreciate shallow bird baths and a rock in the middle is a bonus. If you find a rock that also provides a shallow ledge under the water on part of it they will appreciate that too.
 
Chuckanut said:
Here’s a live bird migration map.

https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/live-migration-maps/

It seems birds show up very well on weather radars. So it’s easy to get a good map of where they are going and how many are going there. Yesterday was great flying weather in my area. No rain and the birds had a tail wind. So the state was nearly covered with migrating birds.
Click to expand...

That night, October 12-13, was epic in New Jersey. By far the biggest night of fall migration this year. This was "second wave" migration. Our summer residents have already largely departed. This was winter resident arrivals - white-throated sparrows, swamp sparrows, juncos, yellow-rumped warblers, and the first of the incoming ducks. The skies were full of strings of migrating geese, many beyond most human sight, but visible when you put binoculars up to the sky.
 
Putting up a flag of some sorts will keep the birds away. When our US flag was taken down after some storm damage we had a resumption of birds flying into our front window and or pooping on our front porch furniture and cushions. Once we replaced the flag, the attacks stopped.

We stopped feeding the birds because we attracted more undesirable wildlife into the area. More chipmunks, mice, squirrels and skunks wanting to eat the spilt seed. Feral cats, foxes and coyotes, after the chipmunks, mice and squirrels.

That doesn't stop us from enjoying the birds off the deck though. There is an app for cell phones named Merlin, created by Cornell University. Once opened, you give your location, and for however long you want to listen, it identifies every bird that emits a song. Pretty cool app.
 
I was walking in my backyard, and a Golden-Crowned Kinglet swooped in and landed about 5' from me. I froze, he went about his business, poking around in the grass, and ignored me for a few minutes. I finally had to move on, but it was a great sight while it lasted.
 
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