BIRDS (and how to look at them)

[Ice Queen]

The other night around dusk there were hundreds of chirping birds in my giant northern oak. What a racket! I also have the biggest, fattest robin I have ever seen hanging out in one of my azaleas. I'll try to get a picture of him. It's a wonder he can fly, he's so fat!

[Mlle. Zabzie]

16 hours ago, Xray the Enforcer said:

YASSSSSSSS 

BTW, spring migration has started. The first timberdoodles have started showing up in the NY area. Love me a timberdoodle.

Ok - I am going to need your serious assistance.  I am now the proud owner of minor burd paradise upstate (from Manhattan at least) NY.  I will only be there on weekends/vacations.  The property backs up to like 50 acres of conservation land which looks like mixed meadow.  Front yard is lightly wooded trailing into meadow/a little wet weather spring by the road.  Back yard is open.  The prior owners had up some feeders, but were in ill health and older so I'm not sure how much they were used of late.  Was planning to put up a bluebird box along the back property line against fence by the conservation meadow, but what else can I be doing that will attract the burds?  Particularly thinking about what kinds of plantings I could make/not make, how to handle feeders if I won't be there all the time etc.  Already have one NY specific field guide that I got as a gift, but could use other recs.  Could use recs. for kid friendly binocs because one daughter is seriously into teh burds.  Also, Xray you are welcome to come up and burd   We are also near several trails where apparently a lot of waterfowl are to be found.

[Tears of Lys]

2 hours ago, Crazy Cat Lady in Training said:

The other night around dusk there were hundreds of chirping birds in my giant northern oak. What a racket! I also have the biggest, fattest robin I have ever seen hanging out in one of my azaleas. I'll try to get a picture of him. It's a wonder he can fly, he's so fat!

It's possible too that the robin's feathers are really fluffed out to insulate it from the cold weather.    In other words, he's not really fat, he IS fluffy!  I know I've seen birds in my yard on super cold days with their feathers standing out around them.  I'm not really sure how that works, though.

We live right in the middle of a bird paradise here in SE Michigan.  There's protected bird areas all over the place since there's major migration paths that run right through here.  We get a little bit of almost every raptor stopping by to have a bite on their way to Canada (right across the river.)  Our steady bird population has grown too to include eagles coming back, now that the environment has been cleaned up enough for them.  We get our fair share of Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, lots of different kinds of ducks and geese, at least a couple kinds of swans (one good type and one bad - don't ask me to tell the difference, though,)  Goldfinches, Baltimore Orioles, Titmouse, lots of Cardinals and Blue Jays, (it's very colorful around here!)  . . .

Actually, it'd be a lot easier to list the birds you WOULDN'T see around here! 

I spend a fair bit of time talking to the birds and whistling to them.  Sometimes they'll talk back to me, especially the doves and the Cardinals.  I wish the owls would answer back more often.  I blame it on the pitiful nature of my hooting - can't seem to strike the right note.   

We also get at least three colors of squirrels: grey, brownish, and black.  The black ones are the most playful and fun to watch.  But that's another story for another thread.

 

 

[Lily Valley]

@Mlle. Zabzie  How old is daughter?  I *love* the binoculars I bought and they were about $110.  Made by Celestron.  I bought a separate cleaning kit for them.  They're pretty light weight and easy to focus.  Seem pretty sturdy, although I wouldn't use them to smash pumpkins or anything.

One of the women I go caroling with every year is doing some amateur crow field research on behavior / vocalization of crow family groups.  I AM SO EXCITED.  I'm going to follow her (if she permits) on one of her trips and see if I can supplement her research in my neighborhood.  She's had really good luck in the past making friends with a crow family in her old neighborhood.  She laid out a plan for me.  Now I just have to get over feeling like an idiot making crow noises before I toss my peanuts and toast leftovers down.  Also, I really enjoy her company.  My caroling group has three rules 1)  No Rehearsal  2) Only carol where we are obviously not really welcome.  3) Only sing THE WORST Christmas songs.  Drinking is optional although those of us that do imbibe tend to do so with GREAT GUSTO.  It's a real good time and this woman has been with us since year one.  

The girlfriend has been chattering at the crows and it looks like it's paid off.  They have come to investigate peanuts that I've put out.  One of my cats is VERY interested in them.  Caught her the other day boldly walking up to the fence that they were sitting on and rearing up on her hind legs to have a good look at them, tail lashing.  For all of me it looked like they were having a huge chat right out of Watership Down.  Bold little thing.

The interactions between the cats and the birds in the yard have been really entertaining.  This new house came with three spayed outdoor kitties.  I call one of them Jumpin' Jack.  He tends to hide on the fence and pop his head up like a muppet once in a while when the birds are coming and going from the tree to the feeders.  Sometimes I just see some ear tips and an orange set of claws.  More than once he's gotten over excited and fallen from the fence.

The feeders are hung on posts with a crossbar at the top.  No way for the cats to get up there, so all five of them mostly just lay around the yard WATCHING.  Snack loves to follow me around the yard while I'm refilling the feeders or gardening.  She's the one who investigates the crows.  I really don't know what she thinks she's going to do with them.  She's a very small cat and they're bigger than she is.  They just jeer at her.

[Lily Valley]

On 3/6/2018 at 10:14 AM, S John said:

Thought you bird people might appreciate Tower Girl:

https://news.utexas.edu/2018/03/02/new-camera-offers-view-of-uts-resident-falcon

 

 

I keep this open on my desk top all the time.  SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!  Thank you!

[Tears of Lys]

 

On ‎3‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 0:20 PM, Mlle. Zabzie said:

Ok - I am going to need your serious assistance.  I am now the proud owner of minor burd paradise upstate (from Manhattan at least) NY.  I will only be there on weekends/vacations.  The property backs up to like 50 acres of conservation land which looks like mixed meadow.  Front yard is lightly wooded trailing into meadow/a little wet weather spring by the road.  Back yard is open.  The prior owners had up some feeders, but were in ill health and older so I'm not sure how much they were used of late.  Was planning to put up a bluebird box along the back property line against fence by the conservation meadow, but what else can I be doing that will attract the burds?  Particularly thinking about what kinds of plantings I could make/not make, how to handle feeders if I won't be there all the time etc.  Already have one NY specific field guide that I got as a gift, but could use other recs.  Could use recs. for kid friendly binocs because one daughter is seriously into teh burds.  Also, Xray you are welcome to come up and burd   We are also near several trails where apparently a lot of waterfowl are to be found.

Yeah, feeders probably wouldn't be the way to go, considering you're there only on weekends, etc.  We end up filling our bird feeder twice a day!  They come to depend on a steady food source, so if it goes empty, it's somewhat calamitous. 

Planting sunflowers, feed corn, are just a few suggestions.  You'll find a great resource for what birds you can attract and the plants that'll do it at the Audubon Society website.  You just plug in an email address and your zip code and you'll get the exact plants and birds for your area.  https://www.audubon.org/native-plants?ms=digital-acq-ppc-google-x-20160000_google_grant

 

How old is your daughter?  I'd probably go right for a grown-up set of binoculars if she's 8 or above.  Anything else, she'll outgrow too quickly.  I know that's what **I** would have wanted.  No "kid stuff" for me when I was a kid!   Others probably have other/better suggestions. 

I know SOMEONE here hates ducks - DUCKS!  If you can believe it!   We used to have a Mr. and Mrs. Duck that would come visit us all the time for the dried corn that was in the seed mix we use.  When the corn was eaten up, Mrs. Duck would actually come onto our back deck, look in the sliding glass doorwall screen and utter a loud, "QUACK!" to let her feelings be known.  Mr. Duck would follow her everywhere, keeping a close eye on her even when he was eating.  When she'd make wing movements to indicate that, okay, she's ready to leave now, he'd scurry to keep up with her.  When we adopted Benny, our late, great K9 pal, that put an end to the ducks' visits, but I still hold them dear. 

 

 

[Lily Valley]

@Tears of Lys there's a whole Krewe of Mallard haters here (guilty).  I have a pal with a pond on her farm and she brings any aggressive mallards down to New Orleans every year.  I've not seen the type of behavior in ducks that you describe.  We have a lot of ducks and geese on campus and spring is in full force down here.  I will look out for it.

Agreed on big-girl binocs depending on age.  I LOVE mine and mini-me would have LOVED them, too.

[Xray the Enforcer]

On 3/15/2018 at 0:20 PM, Mlle. Zabzie said:

Ok - I am going to need your serious assistance.  I am now the proud owner of minor burd paradise upstate (from Manhattan at least) NY.  I will only be there on weekends/vacations.  The property backs up to like 50 acres of conservation land which looks like mixed meadow.  Front yard is lightly wooded trailing into meadow/a little wet weather spring by the road.  Back yard is open.  The prior owners had up some feeders, but were in ill health and older so I'm not sure how much they were used of late.  Was planning to put up a bluebird box along the back property line against fence by the conservation meadow, but what else can I be doing that will attract the burds?  Particularly thinking about what kinds of plantings I could make/not make, how to handle feeders if I won't be there all the time etc.  Already have one NY specific field guide that I got as a gift, but could use other recs.  Could use recs. for kid friendly binocs because one daughter is seriously into teh burds.  Also, Xray you are welcome to come up and burd   We are also near several trails where apparently a lot of waterfowl are to be found.

@Mlle. Zabzie Oh, I can definitely help you! For plants, check this out -- enter your zip code and it'll tell you which plants are native to the area and which birds they attract/support. You can drill down to "only pollinators" or "only seed-eaters" or you can go for a mix. https://www.audubon.org/native-plants  I also have friends who are very knowledgable about this and can get you in touch!  (Edit: Just saw that ToL linked to the Audubon NP database as well. HIVEMIND)

For binocs, I think your kids are old enough that you could get some compact 8x32 (adult), rather than buying little-kid bins. We could make a date of it and go to B&H and Paragon (after we shop for stinkwasser!) to test out various pairs to see what feels right. 

For feeders, you can get some pretty big ones that will last for a week or so. Also, suet feeders tend to last longer than loose seed. All of that said, once you start filling those feeders regularly, the birds will notice and even if it goes "dry" for a day or two, once you're back the word gets out in the nabe and all the birds come flocking back. 

For field guides -- that's a whole 'nother discussion. I am very fond of Sibley, but I would also suggest that you get Kenn Kaufman's field guide as well because his advice is spot on. His Advanced Field Guide is totally awesome because he just flat out says that some birds are the study of years -- immature gulls in particular -- and that it's OK to suck at birding for a long time. 

[Larry of the Lawn]

There are a few thousand starlings that have been roosting in the trees on the farm I live on for the past week or so.  I have to wear a poncho going to and from the vehicle everyday if they're in tree near the driveway because as soon as I walk past they all take off and shit all over me.  On the plus side it's right by where I'm putting my garden so the soil is going to be loaded with nitrogen.

[Lily Valley]

The gulls have arrived!   I think they are laughing gulls.  They sure sound like a pack of evil witches jeering at me.  There's no way I can ID them based on their looks, they're all flying overhead and I have little chance to inspect them up close as of yet.  Gonna give the calls a listen.  NEATO!

Edit:  @larrytheimp I love starlings.  The little arseholes.  The ones near me copy all the industrial noises in the trainyard.  They truly sound like aliens from a horror film.

[Tears of Lys]

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 4:47 PM, Lily Valley said:

@Tears of Lys there's a whole Krewe of Mallard haters here (guilty).  I have a pal with a pond on her farm and she brings any aggressive mallards down to New Orleans every year.  I've not seen the type of behavior in ducks that you describe.  We have a lot of ducks and geese on campus and spring is in full force down here.  I will look out for it.

Agreed on big-girl binocs depending on age.  I LOVE mine and mini-me would have LOVED them, too.

Speaking of aberrant behavior, I really, really, REALLY wish I would have thought to grab my cellphone camera and snap a picture of the doe that came up to our feeder last night several times to gobble up birdseed.  What a nut!  My husband kept chasing her off too.  I kept hollering that she was HUNGRY and MUST BE STARVING to eat birdseed.

Truth be told, she looked pretty healthy to me, not like a starving deer at all. 

[Ice Queen]

Waiting for the bald eaglets to hatch. Any day now!

[Xray the Enforcer]

which cam are you watching?

And while I do dig raptor cams, I really dig hummingbird cams, like this one at the Paton Center For Hummingbirds (a MUST VISIT if you're in southeastern Arizona). http://tucsonaudubon.org/go-birding/tucson-audubons-paton-center-for-hummingbirds/paton-center-web-cams/

[A True Kaniggit]

I've been waiting for that falcon to show up for the last hour. It's starting to get dark now. Do falcons return to their nests at dusk?

Edit: 4 errors. 

Edit 2: There she is! Just hopped into view.

Edit 3: she gave the camera a look that said, " why the hell you watching me you creeps?" And then she flipped us the bird

[Ice Queen]

11 hours ago, Xray the Enforcer said:

which cam are you watching?

And while I do dig raptor cams, I really dig hummingbird cams, like this one at the Paton Center For Hummingbirds (a MUST VISIT if you're in southeastern Arizona). http://tucsonaudubon.org/go- I'm not birding/tucson-audubons-paton-center-for-hummingbirds/paton-center-web-cams/

I watch our local cams. We have 3 bald eagle nests but only two of them have cameras. The third is on private property.

http://www.pixcontroller.com/eagles/

I love the falcon cams, too. We have several nests but two of them have cams: Dori and Louie at Gulf Tower and the infamous Hope and Terzo at the Cathedral of Learning. For the last two years Hope has eaten some of the chicks so it can be hard to watch. They're on the National Aviary's website.

http://www.aviary.org/PF-Nestcam1

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Bird Facts: Crows are really smart and Owls are really dumb.

[Xray the Enforcer]

Corvids, in general, are very smart. Ospreys, on the other hand, are dumb as a sack of hammers. I learned the latter from the director of a raptor rehabilitation center. Direct quote "They're GREAT at catching fish, but really bad at everything else."   (In contrast, the Crested Caracara is a wily bastard that loves taking would-be rescuers on long, involved foot-chases.)

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Also, Bald Eagles are basically vultures with a good PR agent. - Ron Magill

You've been learned! 

[Mlle. Zabzie]

On 3/16/2018 at 7:22 PM, Xray the Enforcer said:

@Mlle. Zabzie Oh, I can definitely help you! For plants, check this out -- enter your zip code and it'll tell you which plants are native to the area and which birds they attract/support. You can drill down to "only pollinators" or "only seed-eaters" or you can go for a mix. https://www.audubon.org/native-plants  I also have friends who are very knowledgable about this and can get you in touch!  (Edit: Just saw that ToL linked to the Audubon NP database as well. HIVEMIND)

For binocs, I think your kids are old enough that you could get some compact 8x32 (adult), rather than buying little-kid bins. We could make a date of it and go to B&H and Paragon (after we shop for stinkwasser!) to test out various pairs to see what feels right. 

For feeders, you can get some pretty big ones that will last for a week or so. Also, suet feeders tend to last longer than loose seed. All of that said, once you start filling those feeders regularly, the birds will notice and even if it goes "dry" for a day or two, once you're back the word gets out in the nabe and all the birds come flocking back. 

For field guides -- that's a whole 'nother discussion. I am very fond of Sibley, but I would also suggest that you get Kenn Kaufman's field guide as well because his advice is spot on. His Advanced Field Guide is totally awesome because he just flat out says that some birds are the study of years -- immature gulls in particular -- and that it's OK to suck at birding for a long time. 

Ooo!!!  Grown up binocs are probably best.  I would definitely be the most casual of birders.  My daughter will probably keep a journal and will obsessively try to spot every single burd.  I will have to get two pairs though because her twin will be devastated if she doesn't get them.  She'll never use them, so maybe they can be mine?

Let's go shopping!  I'm back  

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

I'm not asking this to be crass, but does being a bird watcher make it hard for you to eat.....birds? I don't think I could ever give up eating chicken.