For the Birds!

Last May. Rose Breasted Grossbeak and an Indigo bunting at the feeded.
Very good year for birds and wildflowers last year.
 

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Lsbcal said:
I don't think I've seen that. Some do sit in the water for a while before or after taking a splash bath.

Here's our birdbath with a bluebird in it. Note the rocks that keep the bath on it's perch plus the little birds like to stand on them.

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Our largest birdbath is 9" deep and holds 3 gallons of water. On occasion it gets emptied overnight by our swamp mutton (whitetails). At dusk it is often visited by 4 - 6 mourning doves who, even in chilly weather, will sit on the rim of the bath facing outward with their tails in the water. Although the doves are typically ground feeders they do take feed from our 28" X 36" platform feeder which is 5.5' above the ground.
 
Had a FOS Blue-throated Hummingbird today. If you are not familiar with this bird, it is huge(for HB size) about as big as a sparrow around 5 inches.
 
Love the Blue-thoated Hummingbird!

I have a Buff-bellied Hummingbird visiting my feeders. This hummer is a year-round resident here, and this is the only place in the US that you can see one! Soon the migrating hummingbirds will be here to mob my feeders.

This is also a largish hummingbird. At 4" or more it's noticeably larger than the ruby-throats and black-chinned that pass through here. And it has a red bill and it obligingly makes loud snaps when it shows up.

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Oh, and Painted Buntings summer here too :)

Audrey
 
Now up to 5 species of Hummers daily. Blue-throated, Black-chinned, Broad-billed, Anna's, and Rufous. Only 10 more species to go.

hummingbird-1.gif
 
Yesterday, wood duck pair with a friendly hooded merganser (middle) who seems to be imprinted on them. Follows the woodies around the yard like a puppy.

P1000095.JPG

20120404
 
9th different species of hummingbird today. A nice male Calliope while I was washing dishes. Magnificent showed up to stay yesterday, along with a noisy male Broad-tailed. All 3 Orioles are back Scot'ts, Hooded, and Bullocks(Baltimore), they will all stay around to nest in different trees on the ponderosa.
 
Add a female Lucifer Hummingbird a little early for us.So made it an even 10 different species coming daily to my feeders. Lucifer Hummingbirds were reported from 4 locations in Cochise County this past week.

SIERRA VISTA & the HUACHUCAS

At Ash Canyon B&B #LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRDS continued through 4/10 (Mary Jo Ballator).

A #LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD was noted at the Battiste B&B on 4/10 (Tony Battiste).

PORTAL & the CHIRICAHUAS

A #LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRD was reported from a residence in Portal this week (David Johnson).

BISBEE

#LUCIFER HUMMINGBIRDS were reported from a residence in Bisbee this week (Ken Lamberton
 
Tuesday is my golf day. Regardless of how I'm playing I always look for wildlife because it is so calming. Makes you forget all your troubles. Does to me anyway. One of the courses we play (University of South Florida) has lots of wildlife believe it or not. Always see deer, otter and wild turkeys. The other day we had a real treat. On the back nine that backs up to a preserve, we saw the turkeys, a peacock and two Canadian geese. All within the space of three golf holes. Peacock are not uncommon in the area but we never see the geese. We all just stopped and took in the beautiful scene along with the honking. Those geese had to be lost.
 
grasshopper said:
9th different species of hummingbird today. A nice male Calliope while I was washing dishes. Magnificent showed up to stay yesterday, along with a noisy male Broad-tailed.
Click to expand...

I am jealous of the different species of hummingbirds. Finally, just this week, our ruby throated hummingbirds returned from the south. Other than the usuals, I have been hearing a yellow billed cuckoo calling in our back woods.

I need to spend some quality time on the back porch, updating my spring sightings. The problem is, it has been so nice here, I keep nodding off. I'll keep at it though, this is science!
 
JOHNNIE36 said:
Tuesday is my golf day. Regardless of how I'm playing I always look for wildlife because it is so calming. Makes you forget all your troubles. Does to me anyway. One of the courses we play (University of South Florida) has lots of wildlife believe it or not. Always see deer, otter and wild turkeys. The other day we had a real treat. On the back nine that backs up to a preserve, we saw the turkeys, a peacock and two Canadian geese. All within the space of three golf holes. Peacock are not uncommon in the area but we never see the geese. We all just stopped and took in the beautiful scene along with the honking. Those geese had to be lost.
Click to expand...
The Canadian geese are probably local residents. Several years ago the the Powers That Be (Feds) had the great idea to transplant Canadian geese all over the Southeast USA. Apparently, the geese liked the Southeast USA (warmer than Canada) and have become permanent residents. The geese have multiplied to the point that they are pests in some areas, for example, large flocks on golf courses.

I wake up almost every morning at dawn year 'round to the honking of Canadian geese flying low over my house arriving for another big day of pooping (compare to small dog poop) and grazing. Sometimes the geese will block the roads. They are not easily frightened. They don't have to close to water all the time. A goose through your windshield can spoil your whole day.
 
JakeBrake said:
The Canadian geese are probably local residents. Several years ago the the Powers That Be (Feds) had the great idea to transplant Canadian geese all over the Southeast USA. Apparently, the geese liked the Southeast USA (warmer than Canada) and have become permanent residents. The geese have multiplied to the point that they are pests in some areas, for example, large flocks on golf courses.

I wake up almost every morning at dawn year 'round to the honking of Canadian geese flying low over my house arriving for another big day of pooping (compare to small dog poop) and grazing. Sometimes the geese will block the roads. They are not easily frightened. They don't have to close to water all the time. A goose through your windshield can spoil your whole day.
Click to expand...

Goose poop can be a real problem. When I lived in Michigan and on a lake, the wildlife authorities would round them up from time to time and transpost them elsewhere. At the same time they were doing an audit of some kind. Never could figure out how you can expect to relocate 100's of geese and expect them to stay put. Never seemed to work.
 
Last year I built a birdhouse and a blue bird pair moved in. Unfortunately the spring weather was unseasonable and the chicks did not make it. The blue birds abandoned the nest.

Now we have an oak titmouse family and hopefully things will work out better. The birdhouse is right outside our family room window. Here is a shot taken in the evening, my guess is it's Mr. T looking in on Mrs. T on the nest (but I'm no expert):



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Here is a very nice site reference for these birds and others: Oak Titmouse eggs and nests and young photographs
 
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Had the quail trifacta today. Montezuma (Mearns's Quail) on the west edge on my am walk. Gambel's, and Scaled (cottontop). Most birders would travel a whole county to see what I have on the ranch.
 
grasshopper said:
Had the quail trifacta today. Montezuma (Mearns's Quail) on the west edge on my am walk. Gambel's, and Scaled (cottontop). Most birders would travel a whole county to see what I have on the ranch.
Click to expand...

Nice. Bird season is going to start any day now up here. Winter birding here has been dull. Looking for some action soon.
 
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