Things are really getting rough out there, here is a Crow that I spotted going through the neighbors trash.
...tuppence a bag
Our winds are 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 55mph. It is very noisy. I don't think any snow could land in this.
Here's my woodpecker at the feeder. He is there everyday now.
Here is a picture of the cardinals feeding. But now that it is freezing out they only seem to want walnuts and sunflower seeds.
Great photos, mgarr. Fussy Cardinals, last night I saw a 40% off sale on shelled walnuts at Giant. They had a lot of them in 2 lb tubs that were brought in for Christmas baking.
I never gave a thought to walnuts in bird feed, I guess I could add some. I try to get the food with fruit and nuts in it but sometimes they are out where I buy it. I try to stay away from a lot of millet in the food, and will buy the black sunflower and that white seed ? (name excapes me right now).
safflower :-)
I'm not sure my birds like safflower any better than sunflower, but the squirrels don't really care for it (although they'll go for it if the other feeders aren't full), so that's what I use in the little window platform feeder that I'd rather not have squirrels try to sit on. :-)
I'll have to look for walnuts on sale at our giant... bet they'd be nice to mix into PB suet cakes, also.
We have numerous visitors to our balcony now!
Here are some of the latest photos!
A white-breasted nuthatch
Red-bellied woodpecker
Cardinal
Mockingbird
Male downy woodpecker
Waiting on an ID from the birdwatching group for this one!
Will edit when I get an answer.
A yellow-bellied sapsucker
This message was edited Jan 7, 2010 2:55 PM
Titmouse
"I know there's a peanut in there somewhere!"
Beautiful shots, Rose! I'm thinking your mystery bird is a yellow bellied sapsucker, http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/go/264/
You are correct Jill!
They just answered it also in birdwatching!
Thanks!
Rose they are great pictures, you should add them to the Bird Files, they are so up close and personal.
Love the Titmouse, I seem to have a larger number of them this year. I haven't seen a yellow-bellied sapsucker, and no Mochingbirds up here. Keep up the great work!
Super pictures! I had a sapsucker the other day--he/she has come to the same area of my nearest tree for several years now, but usually later in winter. I saw the telltale wet patch when i pulled in. Nuthatches are around but don't often come to my feeders (wjhen I'm looking anyway) And that Titmouse, is cute!
Great photos as usual VWR. I can't believe how many different birds visit your balcony. I put 2 kinds of seed out and so far haven't seen anybody. Of course, you do have to take the time to go look!!!
Have you been following Lithicum's thread in the Birdwatching Forum about the Bald Eagles at Conawingo Dam?
Yes I have! Aren't they stunning! I wanted so bad to get up there in Nov-Dec, but i just couldn't fit it in! I will go up there one of these days!
I really want to find somewhere to photograph owls, even if they are captive. My oldest daughter loves owls and she has got me wanting to capture them with my camera!
I'm planning on heading down there to see them at the end of the month. It's what I asked DSO for my birthday. No Poconos this year. Eagle watching, here I come!
Love the titmouse with his head in the feeder.
What a pretty bird that yellow bellied sap sucker.
You enjoy that stormyla! That'll be fun! I hope you take pics!
VWR, I'm even going to read my camera manual before I go!!!
This message was edited Jan 8, 2010 4:33 PM
Some close-up photos from today...
Mockingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Blue Jay
My owl relocated last summer. Wish he would come back. Nice shots, VWR.
Ok I went out and refilled the feeders. Somebody has been eating the stuff. I added some aging walnuts and moved the feeders where I can see them better. Will birds eat out of flat, dish type of feeders?
Yes! I have three window box-style planters that I cleaned off in the fall that I put seed in. I have also since then added a suet feeder and a tube feeder, but the birds eat in mass out of the planters! See the post of Virgil watching the birds, above, from Dec. 24th. Most of my photos are of birds standing on the edge of the banister, eating from one of the planters.
Different types of birds eat out of different types of feeders
Platform feeders are excellent for attracting ground feeding birds such as doves, juncos and sparrows.(lots of types of bird will eat at these but a bunch of grackles or starlings can empty one in a matter of minues)
Tube feeders are usually used for small woodland birds like chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches and finches.
Hopper feeders are for small and large birds such as doves, jays, grosbeaks, cardinals and woodpeckers where they can land and feed comfortably.
Nyjer feeder for finches
Suet feeders for nuthatches, woodpeckers and chickadees
There are also speciality blue bird feeders and obviously hummingbird ones
Thanks, VWR. I hope to see some soon. Usually I'm so busy, I only go out there to look if I hear some singing.
Jen, I have some of them, but they are all out in the garden. I guess I'll go out there tomorrow and get them moved closer to the house and fill them.
One thing I was truly amazed at was the unbelievable increase in the amount of birds in the beds after I planted about 30 new Echinaceas. Entire flocks would fly away when I approached.
I get that many out there when the mulberries are dropping too, only those birds ignore me and keep on eating.
Welll...Wellll...
Lookie what all I have missed not having internet access for almost a month. SO many Posts to catch up with!
I have 2 feeders that hang from the under-ceiling of my high patio roof. Squirrels cannot get to these--no access point to jump from. Will try to take some pictures, but my windows are so dirty that shooting through them will not work.
Also--as soon as i get near a window--all the birds fly away. They are very motion sensitive.
I have a Finch feeder but no one seems to be paying attention to it. it HAS been out there since Summer. Maybe the seed is stale or wet and rotten or something....I may just dump it on the floor and let the others go at it and re-fill it with fresh seed.
Question: Is "Finch seed mix" different from just Niger Thistle seed as far as attracting Yellow Finches? I have both.
Today, I put out 4 suet cakes (from Tractor Supply--between 70 cents and 99cents each) in one of the wire containers that hold 4 cakes --also semi under my patio roof. I just hope the black birds and squirrels do not find it--or it is gone in a couple of days. My triple-tube feeder with the squirrel baffle over it hangs securely under the center of the patio roof. NO ONE can get to it but the birds. Have seen squirrels trying to figure out how--but their jumping distance seems to be about 4 feet. I can watch all these "theatrics" from my LR window.
Jill--I printed out the PB+lard recipe from your article. Might concoct some--someday.....;o) Yeah--right....
I have NO X-Mas trees to put them on, but i do have a couple suet feeders.
I also throw seed, cracked corn and oilers on my patio floor for the ground feeders--AND squirrels.....Last year, i was worried that it may have attracted rats?????? WHY? Because a couple of cardboard boxes I had out there were shredded on the outside. Do squirrels do that--for their leafy nests???
I DO have a County storm drain right behind my shed and i am sure rats would not be out of the question with all this free food supply all Winter..
I generally do not like buying bird seed that has a lot of Milo in it. Seems no one much eats it...They just add weight to a mixed bird seed same as cracked corn does. HD sells a nice Wagner's "Eastern Blend" mix w/o either of these in it, but the 20lb. bag costs $15.50. But--it IS my favorite bird seed. On the other hand--when I FINALLY found the "Tractor Supply" store nearest me (Aberdeen--a 1/2 drive away)--I got a 50lb bag of mixed bird seed for $9.99. I also bout "Oilers"--40lb bag for $11...something and a good-sized bag of safflower seed for..??..$6.99? Not sure.
I will have to try and get some photos--I just do not have a very good camera so I can get close-ups.
I have lots of catching up to do.......Woe be me! Did not know this Post was even here.....SO seasonal!!!
Love all your bird photos! Gita
I just caught a squirrel chowing down on the walnuts!!! Filled the other feeders. I don't have them hanging on the deck because I don't want to do anything to attract squirrels up onto the deck. They are all in the trees.
I have a hawk! I was doing dishes last night around 5:00. I saw this large bird dive down into the shrubs on the other side of the privacy fence. He was there for awhile, I went to the other window to see if I could spot him taking off. Sure enough, looked like he caught his evening meal.
Lady, That's probably one less vole to dig under that fence and come eat your lovelies. Neat! I've never seen one dive so close, only from far away. How big did it's wing span look? I think they are beautiful and love watching them.
We had a red tail get a little to intent on lunch one day, he braked a little late and bounced off the glass in the living room. Lucky for him he was only stunned, after a bit he shook his head and flew off. We see raptors frequently checking out the feeder area, but as the plant cover develops it affords the little ones better protection.
We don't often get bird strikes, since the glass is on one side. Every once and awhile we do get a bird that insist on trying to land in the green area inside. We had a female cardinal spend a couple of days off and on, hovering against the glass, trying to perch on the ficus. She persisted even after we taped sheets of paper on the glass to make it appear more solid. I wonder where the expression "bird brain" came from. LOL Ric
A few Summers ago--I was outside on my patio in my back yard and a hawk came right down from nowhere and carried off a Mourning Dove--Man! The feathers were flying!
Several times i have found an area where there are a lot of dove feathers on the ground. Must be some critter at night hunting them, eating them up and leaving just feathers....Cats????
I also find a dead Dove now and then on my patio floor. i am pretty sure that they must have been startled by something and had tried to fly away--but headed for one of my 4 high sky lights in the patio roof and broke their necks. I have seen them do this if i walk out there and they are all feeding on the patio floor--and then take off when startled....thinking that is a way out.
G.
Stormy, he got a bird waiting it's turn at the feeder. I have too much snow right now for it to get a vole. The Voles are traveling under the blanket of insulation. At first I thought it was a crow, but not the right color of flight pattern. Not sure what hawk it was but one of the smaller one.
Gita the Doves are slow movers, I find traces of then quite ofter, I did see a hawk pick one out in the back yard a few years ago. Maybe you have an owl, they hunt at night, you can't hear them fly over head. I had one fly pretty close, would have never know it had I not looked up at the right time.
The funniest thing I had every seen with glass and birds is at a strip mall, there were 2 crows trying to chase off their reflection in the Dollar Tree Window, they were so intense about it, people were standing around watching and the crows were not bothered that we were there.