What's at your bird feeder?

[justsomeguy! 614]

Meep-meep!

[Mrleft8 2,264]

That ain't no Cormorant..... Looks like a long tailed Thrush.... But I have never seen that bird....

[justsomeguy! 614]

6 minutes ago, Mrleft8 said:

That ain't no Cormorant..... Looks like a long tailed Thrush.... But I have never seen that bird....

Didn't "meep-meep" give you a clue-clue?

Hint, a member of the coo-coo family.

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

5 minutes ago, justsomeguy! said:

12 minutes ago, Mrleft8 said:

That ain't no Cormorant..... Looks like a long tailed Thrush.... But I have never seen that bird....

Didn't "meep-meep" give you a clue-clue?

Hint, a member of the coo-coo family.

Roade Runnere - sawe hime and ortheres in New Maxico severalle yeares aggo.                             

[justsomeguy! 614]

[Mrleft8 2,264]

Ah. My eastern proclivities missed the "Meep Meep".... We generally associate that with a Volkswagon.

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

4 minutes ago, Mrleft8 said:

Ah. My eastern proclivities missed the "Meep Meep".... We generally associate that with a Volkswagon.

No Roade Runneres werre mde by Plymouthe           

[Dorado 624]

1 hour ago, Mrleft8 said:

Ah. My eastern proclivities missed the "Meep Meep".... We generally associate that with a Volkswagon.

Well, if you see a big round black spot on the road, don't drive over it.

[Amati 1,423]

6 hours ago, justsomeguy! said:

There's this guy banging away at a bedroom window. 

The reflective film may make him think "rival" or "mate".

 

We had a horny and aggressive male Robin do that for a couple of weeks in Spokane.  Really annoying.  Could not chase it away.

[view at the front 154]

I have a male robin that catches a worn in our yard, then flies to our front porch flaunting the worm in his mouth, and then shits on the porch.  He's an asshole.

[Amati 1,423]

Wild Turkeys can be assholes.  We had one that parked himself on our front porch and pecked all the grout out between many pieces of slate.  We had to hire a mason to get it all back together.  $500, which included some new slate because pieces fell, and do what blue slate always does when it falls on aggregate.  

Swallows, though, are winsome.  Even when they get in the house.  They are intense though. Jeeze are they intense!  I like the way they glide. They will let you help them outside, which is nice.  Hummingbirds are nice like that.  They sound like bumblebees from hell, but if they trust you, they’ll land on your finger, which is just about the nicest thing you can imagine.  It’s like sailing on lake Washington on a cold winter’s day when there’s no wind, except the absolutely smooth flow of cold air sinking off the Cascades down to the lake, and the Sound.  No turbulence at all....  wasn’t it Feynman who, when asked What he might ask God, said he’d ask him why there’s turbulence?  
 

 

[Dorado 624]

1 hour ago, view at the front said:

I have a male robin that catches a worn in our yard, then flies to our front porch flaunting the worm in his mouth, and then shits on the porch.  He's an asshole.

Speaking of assholes, my wife has a little spot in the yard where she likes to read in the shade of some oak trees. Apparently a blackbird started dive-bombing her and harassing the shit out of her. She came running into the house, all Tippi as hell, screaming do something. 

He's no longer with the firm . . .

[Blue Crab 1,061]

8 hours ago, Dorado said:

Speaking of assholes, my wife has a little spot in the yard where she likes to read in the shade of some oak trees. Apparently a blackbird started dive-bombing her and harassing the shit out of her. She came running into the house, all Tippi as hell, screaming do something. 

He's no longer with the firm . . .

Well played.

[billy backstay 970]

12 hours ago, Mrleft8 said:

Ah. My eastern proclivities missed the "Meep Meep".... We generally associate that with a Volkswagon.

 

WHAT??  Most of us Easterners grew up with Looney Tunes, Bugs, Daffy,  Wiley Coyote, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, etc..

[Mrleft8 2,264]

1 hour ago, billy backstay said:

 

WHAT??  Most of us Easterners grew up with Looney Tunes, Bugs, Daffy,  Wiley Coyote, Elmer Fudd, Foghorn Leghorn, etc..

I grew  up with VWs.....

[billy backstay 970]

2 minutes ago, Mrleft8 said:

I grew  up with VWs.....

 

So did I.  But by the time I was 16, when I could drop a Bug motor out in 7 minutes, I was watching girls, not cartoons. 

[Blue Crab 1,061]

42 minutes ago, billy backstay said:

 

So did I.  But by the time I was 16, when I could drop a Bug motor out in 7 minutes, I was watching girls, not cartoons. 

You can tell a real VW man by 36mm socket ownership.

[billy backstay 970]

1 hour ago, Blue Crab said:

You can tell a real VW man by 36mm socket ownership.

 

First car was a 62 Karmann Ghia Rag Top witha rust colored, faded, JC Whitney rattle can paint job. Followed by at least 3 bugs that I can recall and one Squareback.  Then I got into Mini's and still love them, and will own one again someday.

[Mrleft8 2,264]

2 hours ago, Blue Crab said:

You can tell a real VW man by 36mm socket ownership.

10MM was the real work horse.

[billy backstay 970]

3 minutes ago, Mrleft8 said:

10MM was the real work horse.

 

I used to know by heart which SAE wrenches or sockets were close enough to fake it, and vice versa.  Usually no problem with 6 points, sometime dicey with 12....

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

1/2" = 12MM

[view at the front 154]

Is anyone missing a 10MM open end wrench?  

I found one impaled in the tread of my Jeep tire that created an immediate blow-out while traveling at 60 mph on the highway.  The local Les Schwab Tire Store had the tire mounted on their wall for a while.  I went to local auto parks stores and asked if anyone was looking to replace a 10MM wrench.

[Mrleft8 2,264]

3 minutes ago, Snaggletooth said:

1/2" = 13MM

FTFY

[billy backstay 970]

Just now, Mrleft8 said:

FTFY

14 MM is 9/16

[El Borracho 1,733]

All sparkplugs are, and were, metric. But to prevent confusion and patriotic rage the USA used 13/16” sockets. Close enough for Jethro.

Bluebirds and Jays at the feeder.

[cyclone 288]

6 hours ago, Blue Crab said:

You can tell a real VW man by 36mm socket ownership.

And a well worn .004” or .006” feeler gauge.

[billy backstay 970]

For some reason, the goldfinch's are now chowing down on the Nyjer thistle seed way more than the he sunflower hearts? Tractor Supp;y store was out of the hearts, and I bought a slightly inferior brand of sunflower heart "chips" from Amazon, but even before that, the were going more for the Nyjer seeds?

Can't see the little heads yet on the Osprey nest I see at least twice a day, but soon they will be obvious............

[billy backstay 970]

I never noticed this last year, but I was pretty busy fixing up the house and property we bought in February.  For the past 4 or so months, the Goldfinches have emptied 2 sizable sunflower heart feeders ever day.  Since a week or so, the sunflower hearts are relative untouched, but the Nyjer thistle seeds are  emptied every day and a half??  Any Ornithologists here, that can explain this phenomemon??

[bmiller 750]

Not uncommon to have a dozen peacefully feeding on this little feeder.

 

[Blue Crab 1,061]

Clicked, I thought my AC had developed a high-pitched whine. My surround speaker gizmo is better than I thought.

And I'm not from Floriduh.

[welder 2]

I have 4 hummingbird feeders they are a amazing bird .. I go through at least a liter a day of food . I started feeding them the beginning of may so far 12 lb of sugar!

[Blue Crab 1,061]

My tomatoes! One is almost red. The birds are on them. I'm conceding the uppermost ones. The large green ones are now on my windowsill. ( Heh... the birds can still see them.)

[Dorado 624]

The kids are  teenagers now. 

 

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

3 minutes ago, Dorado said:

The kids are  teenagers now. 

 

Macke frendes withem untille Novembere..............                   

[view at the front 154]

We had 24 oyster catchers on the beach today. . . they are noisy.

[billy backstay 970]

On 7/19/2020 at 8:50 PM, welder said:

I have 4 hummingbird feeders they are a amazing bird .. I go through at least a liter a day of food . I started feeding them the beginning of may so far 12 lb of sugar!

 

Where are you located?  They are not common in SE CT, only spotted occasionally.  We had a hummingbird feeder and it attracted more bees than anything else, and MIssus BB is highly allergic to their stings, so we had to deep six it.  

[welder 2]

Lakeville ma. Plenty of them here I put out feeders early end of april.one bird made a nest about 30 feet from the deck had 2 baby birds 

[billy backstay 970]

Biggest 24 hour seed usage day ever, since we move in here last February!  I think the local birdie's "coconut telegraph", has told every hungry bird in a 5 mile radius, that our modest 1400 SF Ranch, we call the "Final Cafe", is the best free birdie meals in the County!!  Since last evening they have nearly emptied 2 Nyjer thistle tube feeders, 2 larger sunflower heart feeders and an entire suet cake!!  Even the cheap millet, corn and sunflower feeders are down a couple of inches, but I have only seen Blue Jays, and other lesser desirable birds feed at them.  Sunny, our fat, slow, 12 yo cat managed to catch a female Woodpecker or Flicker, which are not small birds!!  MIssus BB got to her in time to grab the scruff of her neck, so she dropped it, and Ms BB put the cat inside.  The bird was okay, but it took her a half hour to shoo it out of the screened porch, which is open to the large deck during the day. I need a couple more of the predator bird decals that Snaggy turned me onto, for the two panels of the sliding patio door to the deck.  They have worked great on the other 3 picture windows that look north to the CT River and forest lands across the river.

[justsomeguy! 614]

 

First one I've seen since moving here in '97. About a foot long.

[Dorado 624]

Gila Monster puppy  ?

[billy backstay 970]

18 minutes ago, justsomeguy! said:

 

First one I've seen since moving here in '97. About a foot long.

 

Never seen that bird species before?????  Start a lizard thread, don't pollute the bird one!!! 

[justsomeguy! 614]

6 minutes ago, billy backstay said:

 

Never seen that bird species before?????  Start a lizard thread, don't pollute the bird one!!! 

Hey, they're bird feeders!

https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Gila Monster.php

[billy backstay 970]

27 minutes ago, justsomeguy! said:

Hey, they're bird feeders!

https://www.desertmuseum.org/kids/oz/long-fact-sheets/Gila Monster.php

 

I guess you get a free pass, since I mentioned our cats who like to eat birds...

 

In the wild Gila monsters eat small mammals, lizards, frogs, insects, carrion, birds and birds' eggs.

[justsomeguy! 614]

12 minutes ago, billy backstay said:

I guess you get a free pass

They're just so very rare, I got a little carried away. 

And aren't birds descended from lizards?

[view at the front 154]

I take my un-caged bird-feeders inside at night to deter the black-tailed deer.

Last night, the caged bird-feeder was standing upright about 15 feet from the shepherd's hook, which was bent at about 15 degrees from vertical, and most of the seed was gone.  I have no idea what could have caused that.  We don't have bears on the island.  It's the only shepherd's hook that does not have a slinky.  Someone was really hungry?

[Blue Crab 1,061]

Baby robins! six or seven sparrow-like chicks on my dirtpatch. Mom and Pop in attendance. I am here to say they were very hard-working parents. Think I'll buy a cigar.

[Jkdubz808 177]

Bowgirl has been seeing more hawks around lately.  I think the big owl that lives in the forested area behind our house has a nest full of chicks too.  I wish we had hummingbirds where we live but they are not common.  In Cali we had them all the time at our feeders.  We are adding 4 hens to our animal collection (two cats and a dog) this fall, so I'm starting to build the chicken run when I get home.  Using good strong wire all the way around and the top to keep put unwanted critters, including the hawks.

[billy backstay 970]

On 7/24/2020 at 1:36 PM, view at the front said:

I take my un-caged bird-feeders inside at night to deter the black-tailed deer.

Last night, the caged bird-feeder was standing upright about 15 feet from the shepherd's hook, which was bent at about 15 degrees from vertical, and most of the seed was gone.  I have no idea what could have caused that.  We don't have bears on the island.  It's the only shepherd's hook that does not have a slinky.  Someone was really hungry?

 

I try to take them in, because Raccoons have pilfered them in the past.  Goldfinches are emptying both Sunflower heart feeders twice a day lately, and one third of the Nyjer thistle feeders..  Ospreys on the nest I go by twice a day on my work commute have not been seen on the nest since the big storm.  I expect their nest was unproductive this year...

[welder 2]

Blue crab I made 2 flats platforms for birds to nest on with cameras about 12 inches away got to watch Robin's make nest. They raised 2 sets of chicks on them fun to watch.

Wife was very upset when a crow came and took 2 of the eggs

 

 

 

 

 

[billy backstay 970]

On 7/24/2020 at 1:36 PM, view at the front said:

I take my un-caged bird-feeders inside at night to deter the black-tailed deer.

Last night, the caged bird-feeder was standing upright about 15 feet from the shepherd's hook, which was bent at about 15 degrees from vertical, and most of the seed was gone.  I have no idea what could have caused that.  We don't have bears on the island.  It's the only shepherd's hook that does not have a slinky.  Someone was really hungry?

 

How thick and what metal was the Shepherd Hook made of?  If there are no bears there, WTF did that????

[view at the front 154]

1 hour ago, billy backstay said:

 

How thick and what metal was the Shepherd Hook made of?  If there are no bears there, WTF did that????

The Shepherd's Hook is 1/2" square and about 6 feet tall before the curve, so it's not very robust.  I can visualize a deer bending the pole, but how did the feeder get 15 get away, left setting upright, with the lid pushed aside?  It hasn't happened since.  

We do have raccoons which don't seem to be interested in the feeders as far as I know.  I'm not up when they are.

[billy backstay 970]

43 minutes ago, view at the front said:

The Shepherd's Hook is 1/2" square and about 6 feet tall before the curve, so it's not very robust.  I can visualize a deer bending the pole, but how did the feeder get 15 get away, left setting upright, with the lid pushed aside?  It hasn't happened since.  

We do have raccoons which don't seem to be interested in the feeders as far as I know.  I'm not up when they are.

 

Oh, I've caught raccoons on the feeders, that's why I started bringing them in.  And something, probably them, destroyed a plastic thistle feeder and left bite marks on the plastic tube.  I leave out the two caged feeders out, that have the unpopular cheap, millet, corn, sunflower seed mix, but the other 4 with sunflower hearts and thistle seed come inside the screened porch at night, unless I forget.  It was a long time before we started getting Red Winged Blackbirds, since they rarely stray far from the river, but after the first one discovered our free lunch, he must have got on the Blackbird Coconut Telegraph and told all his mates, because now we get a half dozen all at once, but not for long, and they head back to the river when done.

[pbd 131]

17 hours ago, Jkdubz808 said:

Bowgirl has been seeing more hawks around lately.  I think the big owl that lives in the forested area behind our house has a nest full of chicks too.  I wish we had hummingbirds where we live but they are not common.  In Cali we had them all the time at our feeders.  We are adding 4 hens to our animal collection (two cats and a dog) this fall, so I'm starting to build the chicken run when I get home.  Using good strong wire all the way around and the top to keep put unwanted critters, including the hawks.

Depending on what type of fox coyote population you have you might want to take the barrier a foot or more below grade so they don't dig themselves into the coop.

[pbd 131]

2 minutes ago, pbd said:

Depending on what type of fox coyote population you have you might want to take the barrier a foot or more below grade so they don't dig themselves into the coop.

or racoons

[DtM 544]

5 hours ago, pbd said:

Depending on what type of fox coyote population you have you might want to take the barrier a foot or more below grade so they don't dig themselves into the coop.

Tom seems to have constructed a predator safe chicken coop.  See the camera thread.

[Jkdubz808 177]

6 hours ago, pbd said:

Depending on what type of fox coyote population you have you might want to take the barrier a foot or more below grade so they don't dig themselves into the coop.

We will be doing that anyway, using strong hardware cloth all around.

[bmiller 750]

Speaking of raccoons and foxes, I keep a live trap set often for skunks and coons. Wound up with a fox in there. Let him go with no injury. I figured he's smart and won't be back. Well believe it or not he was in the trap again a few days later. I have the only dumb fox in the neighborhood.

[bmiller 750]

Been very busy at the feeder. Pinon Jay's discovered it. They come in 20 at a time and ravage it.

Last night our local bruin came over and destroyed it along with the deer fence around the tree. 

[pbd 131]

Not really a feeder although they were eating 

 

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

black vultiures?  I sawe some today to.

[Jkdubz808 177]

There are a lot of them down here in FL too. 

[Orion Jim 73]

Since the Gila monster made the grade earlier, here’s a Timber Rattler in central Ct.. After being polite enough to rattle as a warning to my granddaughter of its presence underfoot, it went on about its business.....and she was more careful of where she placed her foot....

[justsomeguy! 614]

16 minutes ago, Orion Jim said:

Since the Gila monster made the grade earlier, here’s a Timber Rattler in central Ct.. After being polite enough to rattle as a warning to my granddaughter of its presence underfoot, it went on about its business.....and she was more careful of where she placed her foot....

All of our rattlesnakes have been perfect gentlemen/ladies, alerting us to their presence before a bite was possible.

[Blue Crab 1,061]

My thrasher families have matured. Group of at least 20 here yesterday.

[billy backstay 970]

Last year we had not a single red wing blackbird, that I can recall.  Now they are like the crows, or grackles.  A dozen or more come up from the nearby river, and pillage the expensive sunflower hearts, and chase away the desired goldfinches and other smaller birds.  I was buying a 25 pound, 30 dollar bag of sunflower hearts every 3-4 weeks, now it's going to be every 1-2 weeks!!  If I am home and paying attention, I load the BB gun, out of sight and when I go onto the deck I see which tree they took off to, and send a BB into the tree.  Then they next tree the move to, and sometimes the 3rd tree and I lob a BB there too.  Then they disappear from sight, but not for very long...

[pbd 131]

17 hours ago, Snaggletooth said:

black vultiures?  I sawe some today to.

We call them turkey vultures around here

I’ve not seem them without a red head until yesterday’s sighting 

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

Diffrentte birdes........

 

[cyclone 288]

43 minutes ago, Snaggletooth said:

Diffrentte birdes........

Yet equally attractive....

 

They are fun to watch flying.

[billy backstay 970]

1 hour ago, pbd said:

We call them turkey vultures around here

I’ve not seem them without a red head until yesterday’s sighting 

 

AKA Turkey buzzards, and yes the red head is slightly different species than black headed.

[cyclone 288]

Sunset visitor

[pbd 131]

6 hours ago, Snaggletooth said:

Diffrentte birdes........

 

I just got smarter

 

I guess I never paid close enough attention to distinguish the black vultures from the turkey vultures. 

[TheDragon 550]

In central Illinois we get only ruby-throat hummingbirds and over the past 30 years we see only a few near the end of the season each year, presumably adults and then juveniles migrating through to the south. We've used a wide variety of feeders, but this year I bought this set of four single feeders and put one up on each side of the house. It has been amazing. We have a hummingbird defending each feeder for weeks now and others trying to barge their way in. Very entertaining for our Covid lockdown. I just wish I'd done this in early spring, we might have had breeding.

https://www.amazon.com/Gray-Bunny-GB-6846B-Hummingbird-Feeders/dp/B01MYXLZSZ/ref=sr_1_25?dchild=1&keywords=hummingbird+feeder&qid=1599859066&sr=8-25

[billy backstay 970]

23 minutes ago, TheDragon said:

In central Illinois we get only ruby-throat hummingbirds and over the past 30 years we see only a few near the end of the season each year, presumably adults and then juveniles migrating through to the south. We've used a wide variety of feeders, but this year I bought this set of four single feeders and put one up on each side of the house. It has been amazing. We have a hummingbird defending each feeder for weeks now and others trying to barge their way in. Very entertaining for our Covid lockdown. I just wish I'd done this in early spring, we might have had breeding.

https://www.amazon.com/Gray-Bunny-GB-6846B-Hummingbird-Feeders/dp/B01MYXLZSZ/ref=sr_1_25?dchild=1&keywords=hummingbird+feeder&qid=1599859066&sr=8-25

 

What do you use in the feeders?  We have a few that come and sip from flowers on the deck, but gave up on feeders a few years ago.  The sugary liquid attracted more bees than birds, and the Missus is deathly allergic to bees, so we deep sixed the feeders to Davy Jones locker.  If there is a feed that does not attract bees, I would try again, and these look perfect.

[TheDragon 550]

Absolutely standard mix of 1/4 sugar to water. No color. For whatever reason no bee problems. I did purchase some little water catchers for above the feeders, but unless it rains every day I have to top those up each day to stop the ants from getting to the feeders.

[F395 54]

I have had hummingbird feeders for 20+ years on my back decks without ever seeing a bee.  This year the bees are making it impossible for us to use the decks.  I am moving the feeders into the woods along the back of the dog fence to keep the bees away from the house.  I want to keep the hummers well supplied with food  as they are getting ready to migrate, but I cannot take the bees trying to get into the house or possibly stinging our dog who tries to catch them with her mouth when they fly by her.

We have hummingbird wars quite often and it gets comical when they are pissed off at each other or us for being on the deck.  Usually a male is near each feeder and will swoop in on any other birds trying to get to the feeder.  It is crazy to watch them hover a few feet from us when we are on the deck.

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

Be carefulle, hummers cane be dangerouse.  When they feelle thretenned wille attack a largere beings eiyes.  Allso nowen to kille much largere birdes, as bigge as eagles, by peiceng the hearte with spearlicke beake.                                 

[justsomeguy! 614]

1 hour ago, F395 said:

It is crazy to watch them hover a few feet from us when we are on the deck.

I've had them feeding while I held the bottle a foot from my head. Fearless birds!

[nota 38]

peacocks the area is infested with them

[Tunnel Rat 1,122]

We saw a flock of male and female scarlet minivets the other day while out walking, not at our bird feeder, so not sure if that counts.  Never seen them before, beautiful.

Male

Female.

[cyclone 288]

For anyone lacking their own feeder

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/cornell-lab-feederwatch/

[billy backstay 970]

Seems all the mature goldfinches have gone south, but heaps of immature ones still here.  Sometime 3 dozen swarming around.  35 dollar bag of sunflower hearts used to last a month, now it's 2 weeks tops.  I notice some the males as their feathers are slowing turning from brown to yellow, but curious why the mature ones left, but the immature are still here, in droves!

[billy backstay 970]

2 hours ago, cyclone said:

For anyone lacking their own feeder

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/cornell-lab-feederwatch/

 

Video unavailable??   If could play that on the 43 inch flat screen, I could dispense with the feeders, and let the cats back out on the deck!! 

[lostonsat 8]

1 hour ago, billy backstay said:

 

Video unavailable??   If could play that on the 43 inch flat screen, I could dispense with the feeders, and let the cats back out on the deck!! 

Working for me.

Lost

[billy backstay 970]

2 minutes ago, lostonsat said:

Working for me.

Lost

 

Work computer nannies then   Will try from home.

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

Ist kinda quiette ritte nowe...............                                   

[F395 54]

here is a funny looking bird trying to eat some black sunflower seeds

[Snaggletooth 3,048]

A Rockette Jay?

[cyclone 288]

1 hour ago, Snaggletooth said:

A Rockette Jay?

Wossamatta U

[nolatom 371]

Nothing at the moment, electricity still nonexistent since Hurricane Zeta here in New Orleans

But before, and certainly after when electricity finally returns, our little square pool  with the central totem-pole colorful ceramic hollow pieces on a pipe (it's art!) which pipe, when we have power, has water pumped upwards and it makes a "water bubbler" at the top,  ergo.....

Blue Jays (mostly) and Cardinals, love it, they splash and flutter, in an unintentional birdbath.   Fun to look at.