Bird Watching: Daily Bird Pics. Vol. 460, 1 by Chillybean

Chillybean wrote:
That's a neat feeder, Lily_Love.

We had a Merlin crash into the window by the feeders, so I'm a little touchy about windows. We think it was trying to catch something, but the little bird diverted at just the right time, causing the Merlin to hit. The little falcon flew off after a bit, the flight looked strong, so I hope it made it.

We have bird tape going both up and down & across on that window, plus bird tape in vertical stripes on problem windows, but the others that we've had no known hits, we muddy up, just as a precaution. It makes photo taking interesting, but I do not want to risk any loss just so I can get a clear shot. The auto white balance on my editing program actually does pretty good at sharpening the photos I take from the windows.

These photos are of one of the oddest places the Robins nest around here. This is an old fence post across the road from our yard. They usually nest in evergreens. At least this post is further from the corner than last year, where a feral cat keeper lives. I want to get wolf urine or orange peels around this to keep cats away, but not sure how to do so without disrupting the little family. I also wonder about the predicted rains and storms. That possibly could fill up the post with water. Maybe it is decayed enough the water can drain out.

We were short on rain for awhile, so the Robins couldn't find mud. I think some settled on locations like this. Others began nests but abandoned those efforts when mud was available for a short time.

The Papa is in the second photo. The males never sit on the nest, but stand guard while their mates get a snack. I thought it was cute how often he looked in, like he wanted to see if any babies hatched.