Birders' Nest

[Gurn Blanston]

No, I have not (re bird cam).  Haven't heard the term "boof" before either (but figured out what you meant by context).

We have way too many squirrels around here; I'd prefer that any raptors in the area would go after them!

Has anyone here ever been 'buzzed' by a hawk before? 

Benji,

It sounds like you have a nice variety visiting your yard?

I have a friend who almost every morning (whilst working on her morning coffee) sits at their kitchen table with a pair of binoculars at hand recording the number and variety of birds that she sees in their backyard for the Audubon society; she's been doing this for decades.  She has a number of feeders set up in their backyard.  They also have a stream running through it.  I remember seeing a heron in it one year when I was visiting them in the wintertime.

Recently saw a blue heron flying along a river landing in a tree--which quite surprised me and the friend who was with me!  And two falls ago, we saw a pair of bald eagles way up high in a tree by the same river--thanks to some other folks who had noticed them first and had stopped to look at them.  Also, early last spring same friend and I were walking around my neighborhood and I happened to notice a red-tailed hawk flying overhead with a stick in its mouth and was able to see where it landed.  And, yup, there was a nest probably about 70' up off of the ground in a tree.  That was a happy day! 

PD

Yep, boof is just onomatopoeia in action.

We have a 'pet' Blue Heron at the pond, he has lived most of his life there and doesn't easily suffer others. Here he is raiding our stock of young catfish:



I like your friend's occupation. I need to find one of the lists they make for that. Probably at Audubon.org, I would guess.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Yep, boof is just onomatopoeia in action.

We have a 'pet' Blue Heron at the pond, he has lived most of his life there and doesn't easily suffer others. Here he is raiding our stock of young catfish:



I like your friend's occupation. I need to find one of the lists they make for that. Probably at Audubon.org, I would guess.

Yet another cool photo!  I suspect that he or she isn't interested in sharing any of their catches with you, the landlord? 

I've heard of eBird before and suspect that that is how my friend is now doing it these days though I will ask.  It's a joint project that was created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon.  You can read about it here...just scroll down a bit:  https://www.audubon.org/news/how-use-ebird

Went for a short walk today out in the sun:  chilly but crisp and sunny.  No hawk sightings alas.  May go for a longer walk after I finish lunch.  I love going down to a local river and walking around there. 

[Gurn Blanston]

Yet another cool photo!  I suspect that he or she isn't interested in sharing any of their catches with you, the landlord? 

I've heard of eBird before and suspect that that is how my friend is now doing it these days though I will ask.  It's a joint project that was created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon.  You can read about it here...just scroll down a bit:  https://www.audubon.org/news/how-use-ebird

Went for a short walk today out in the sun:  chilly but crisp and sunny.  No hawk sightings alas.  May go for a longer walk after I finish lunch.  I love going down to a local river and walking around there. 

No, he would sooner we never showed up, I believe. 

eBird, eh? Well knowing even that name should enable me to find it. But any further info would be cool. 

Here is another shot of that lad, you can see he is ready for the lady of his dreams to arrive at his pond. FYI, she did, they had a baby, he tolerated that, then he ran them both off when the time was ripe.


And on that same chip, this shot came up. You were talking earlier about the difficulty of ID'ing sometimes. Well, have a go at this one. My guess is that due to the mosaic pattern of the back feathers, it is a sort of owl, but I can't tell what, nor for that matter, what he is doing.

[Szykneij]

This little one was a successful rescue attempt from the past summer. I heard her calling for her mother one day in my backyard, so I kept an eye out for her all afternoon. When it started to get dark and she was still in the same spot, I knew she wouldn't escape the nighttime predators. I took her in and fed her using an eyedropper and a pair of stamp tongs, going to bed hoping she'd survive the night. The next morning, she was still calling away, so I put her back where I found her where (hopefully) she had a family reunion. It's hard to identify a bird so small, but my guess was she was a baby robin.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

No, he would sooner we never showed up, I believe. 

eBird, eh? Well knowing even that name should enable me to find it. But any further info would be cool. 

Here is another shot of that lad, you can see he is ready for the lady of his dreams to arrive at his pond. FYI, she did, they had a baby, he tolerated that, then he ran them both off when the time was ripe.


And on that same chip, this shot came up. You were talking earlier about the difficulty of ID'ing sometimes. Well, have a go at this one. My guess is that due to the mosaic pattern of the back feathers, it is a sort of owl, but I can't tell what, nor for that matter, what he is doing.

Gurn,

I don't know, the head/neck is too blurry to be able (for me anyway) to try and figure it out.  I do think though that it's most likely tearing up and eating something that it caught.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

This little one was a successful rescue attempt from the past summer. I heard her calling for her mother one day in my backyard, so I kept an eye out for her all afternoon. When it started to get dark and she was still in the same spot, I knew she wouldn't escape the nighttime predators. I took her in and fed her using an eyedropper and a pair of stamp tongs, going to bed hoping she'd survive the night. The next morning, she was still calling away, so I put her back where I found her where (hopefully) she had a family reunion. It's hard to identify a bird so small, but my guess was she was a baby robin.

That was very kind of you to try and help, but I suspect that the little one probably didn't make it.  My guess is that it either fell out of its nest or the nest was knocked out of the tree or wherever it was built.  I did find this online which might be of help to you if this ever happens again:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfOYI0AXFvU

You might also want to check out this website for help (and jot down the link somewhere if you need to find it again):  https://www.mass.gov/service-details/find-a-wildlife-rehabilitator

Best wishes,

PD

[Gurn Blanston]

Gurn,

I don't know, the head/neck is too blurry to be able (for me anyway) to try and figure it out.  I do think though that it's most likely tearing up and eating something that it caught.

Yes, I was able to zoom in pretty closely, it's a rodent of some sort, possibly a wood rat. That's the belly facing us. Pretty sure it's an owl though, probably stopping for a snack on the way home for the day! 

[DavidW]

Yes, I was able to zoom in pretty closely, it's a rodent of some sort, possibly a wood rat. That's the belly facing us. Pretty sure it's an owl though, probably stopping for a snack on the way home for the day! 

When I was visiting my parents at Thanksgiving in a local park I saw a rodent of unusual size... I was actually shocked by how big and how fast it was.  It is called a Nutria.

[Gurn Blanston]

When I was visiting my parents at Thanksgiving in a local park I saw a rodent of unusual size... I was actually shocked by how big and how fast it was.  It is called a Nutria.

Yeah, nutrias are a South American invasive species that was brought here to raise for fur, but they escaped into the wild (from Louisiana, I think) and have spread all over the South. They do a lot of damage burrowing along creek and pond banks. I would help the owl catch them if I needed to.   They are about the size of a big opossum, so yeah, I can see being impressed!!

[T. D.]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56189600

Rare bird: 'Half-male, half-female' cardinal snapped in Pennsylvania

[Gurn Blanston]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56189600

Rare bird: 'Half-male, half-female' cardinal snapped in Pennsylvania

Cool!  About 10-15 years ago, we had an albino Cardinal living in the area. I saw him 3-4 times, he was very impressive looking. Never saw anything like that though!

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Interesting!  I had never heard of that before in birds.

Gurn,

Cornell has a Feeder Watch Program, but it sounds like this would be a different kind of program than what you are looking for?  https://feederwatch.org

Here's a link to ebird:  https://ebird.org/home

By the way, my friend is no longer feeding the birds due to too many rodents alas.

You might also want to visit the Texas Audubon Society.  They also talk about eBird there.   Reminds me that I want to visit more of my local Audubon sites.  Had a fun time last winter going for a hike with a friend around one.  We had an unusually warm day.  The area was still covered with some snow and ice (forest type of area); he brought some hiking poles which came in handy in some areas that were slippery.  Quite pretty there and we were by ourselves for 99.99% of the time too! 

[Gurn Blanston]

Interesting!  I had never heard of that before in birds.

Gurn,

Cornell has a Feeder Watch Program, but it sounds like this would be a different kind of program than what you are looking for?  https://feederwatch.org

Here's a link to ebird:  https://ebird.org/home

By the way, my friend is no longer feeding the birds due to too many rodents alas.

You might also want to visit the Texas Audubon Society.  They also talk about eBird there.   Reminds me that I want to visit more of my local Audubon sites.  Had a fun time last winter going for a hike with a friend around one.  We had an unusually warm day.  The area was still covered with some snow and ice (forest type of area); he brought some hiking poles which came in handy in some areas that were slippery.  Quite pretty there and we were by ourselves for 99.99% of the time too! 

PD,

I downloaded eBird the day we talked about it, and looked through all the info on their website. I haven't had time to get any data entered yet, been busy with the aftermath of the blizzard. By bad luck, at the same time, I discovered that the National Bird Count took place 3 days earlier!  We are members of the National Audubon Society, but I never thought about the state one. Good idea, I'll look into that.

Hiking around a wilderness area is a great thing to do. In truth, for me it means walking up to the pond. 🤠. I rarely have a regret over the years of effort spent acquiring this place, if I was a really serious birder, rather than a casual observer, I would be in Hog Heaven!  😃

😎

[Szykneij]

By the way, my friend is no longer feeding the birds due to too many rodents alas.

That's a concern, especially these days. With fewer restaurants operating, the rodents don't have as many discarded food sources to go to. I've moved all my feeders far from the house for that reason.

We now also have a visiting coyote, which I just recently learned will eat bird seed. The fact coyotes feast on rodents I guess is a plus, but it doesn't outweigh my concern for our cats and dogs.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

That's a concern, especially these days. With fewer restaurants operating, the rodents don't have as many discarded food sources to go to. I've moved all my feeders far from the house for that reason.

We now also have a visiting coyote, which I just recently learned will eat bird seed. The fact coyotes feast on rodents I guess is a plus, but it doesn't outweigh my concern for our cats and dogs.

Coyotes eating bird seed?!  Who woulda thunk it?    Good for a shiny coat I guess!

Irons,

Have you tried using the dried meal worms yet?  I did a quick bit of googling.  I guess that part of the trick is in getting the birds to notice it and also give it a go.  One person even recommended soaking some of them to make them more appealing.  Or that one could mix it in with other bird food?  What has been your experience?  Note:  the prices that I saw seemed pretty high, but as I haven't bought bird seed before, I don't know how much that can go per pound.

PD

[Benji]

Coyotes eating bird seed?!  Who woulda thunk it?    Good for a shiny coat I guess!

Irons,

Have you tried using the dried meal worms yet?  I did a quick bit of googling.  I guess that part of the trick is in getting the birds to notice it and also give it a go.  One person even recommended soaking some of them to make them more appealing.  Or that one could mix it in with other bird food?  What has been your experience?  Note:  the prices that I saw seemed pretty high, but as I haven't bought bird seed before, I don't know how much that can go per pound.

PD

I feed the birds here with dried mealworms - I don't usually rehydrate them and they still get eaten gleefully! They work out about £10\kg (roughly the same price in USD I guess). They weigh next to nothing so it's pretty good value but bird seed, a high quality one with sunflower seeds etc, is only £2/kg.

I guess I'm just a sucker for the birds - I have no kids so I just spoil the local wildlife rotten.  0:)

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I feed the birds here with dried mealworms - I don't usually rehydrate them and they still get eaten gleefully! They work out about £10\kg (roughly the same price in USD I guess). They weigh next to nothing so it's pretty good value but bird seed, a high quality one with sunflower seeds etc, is only £2/kg.

I guess I'm just a sucker for the birds - I have no kids so I just spoil the local wildlife rotten.  0:)

Lucky birds! 

PD

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Note - I just found this about meal worms.  Seems that you could be feeding other animals too--including some that you would rather not:

"As is common in the natural food chain, mealworms have natural enemies. These enemies of the mealworm include mice, rats, cockroaches, frogs, spiders, and snakes. Mealworms are excelant fishing bait and food for captive reptiles, chickens, fish, and birds."  From this website:  https://opticbird.com/what-birds-eat-mealworms/

PD

[Irons]

Coyotes eating bird seed?!  Who woulda thunk it?    Good for a shiny coat I guess!

Irons,

Have you tried using the dried meal worms yet?  I did a quick bit of googling.  I guess that part of the trick is in getting the birds to notice it and also give it a go.  One person even recommended soaking some of them to make them more appealing.  Or that one could mix it in with other bird food?  What has been your experience?  Note:  the prices that I saw seemed pretty high, but as I haven't bought bird seed before, I don't know how much that can go per pound.

PD

I do not prepare them, PD. The birds like them straight. The only problem was Mr Magpie who managed to keep airborne in a stationary position and knock the birdfeeder with his beak to scatter the mealworms on the ground below - quite a sight! I soon put a stop to this by moving the feeder closer to the trunk of tree. Cost depends where you buy them. Mealworms are expensive in garden centres, as is everything else. We buy a large bag for little cost at a chain here in the UK, Home Bargains. 

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I do not prepare them, PD. The birds like them straight. The only problem was Mr Magpie who managed to keep airborne in a stationary position and knock the birdfeeder with his beak to scatter the mealworms on the ground below - quite a sight! I soon put a stop to this by moving the feeder closer to the trunk of tree. Cost depends where you buy them. Mealworms are expensive in garden centres, as is everything else. We buy a large bag for little cost at a chain here in the UK, Home Bargains.

Nice!  Well, at least squirrels don't seem to like them...and hedgehogs consider them to be a real treat!

PD