Mid-Atlantic Bird Watching - Fall 2013

I went out and blew all the snow off the walkways with the leaf blower and took that time when I disturbed all the birds to top off the one feeder and refill the suet holders. I too have a heated bird bath, they are really nice to have. We live at the edge of a woodland so we are lucky to have the Pilated in our area.

I have only seen Pileated woodies no more than a couple of times. What can I do to lure them to my suet? :o)

Amamda.

I have long ago observed (with squirrels) that if I throw out peanuts in the shell
they will eat one--maybe two--but bury the rest, which defeats the purpose.
So--I buy roasted peanuts (don't know where you get raw ones) and shell them all
to throw out to feed the squirrels.
i DO want them to have something to eat...

My upside-down Lucite feeder, that Tapla made me, with Sally's fancy suet
cake on it has not attracted any woodpeckers at all.
I guess my yard is too urban as well....It just hangs there--high above--
under my big, old, bare Maple tree.
Gita

My woodpecker situation may well be helped because I have many large trees around and a fair amount of dead branches up in them. So they know my yard year round for food. My suet cake is only slowly being nibbled on. Now that its colder, maybe that will pick up.

Pileated Woodpeckers ;Are those the ones that are Black & White , about the size of Chickens ,
and sound like Swamp Movie Birds ?

Yes with a Red Crest. You should see the wing span on them when they take off. The neighbor had some dead trees and limbs taken down. I was sorry to see them go as the woodpeckers love dead branches.

First time I saw one one morning I thought it was a chicken . Took me a while to remember that was a Woodpecker ,
Did not see any last year but the three previous years , I had seen them , One of those years a pair of them, Not real common here where I live ..

Ho ho ho!!! I laughed out loud at the "swamp chickens" just now. Thanks for that. :)

Gita - that sounds like a lot of work for the peanuts. I just happened to find the raw peanuts at the grocery next to the roasted salted and roasted nonsalted. I have also purchase "wildlife seed mix" which right now has grey striped sunflowers, dried corn kernels, and whole peanuts. I think it's funny...squirrels and blue jays don't recognize peanuts with the shell on. I have to break them in half so they can see what's inside. I guess as they don't grow naturally and nobody else feeds peanuts they grow up not knowing what they are. Sat and watched even as my red bellied woodpecker took black oil sunflower seeds delicately from all around the several whole peanuts I'd placed on the platform just for him. :/

I'm out of suet cakes. Been putting out bloodworms from the fish tank supplies and kibble and watched blue jays take sliced hot dogs I'd put out for the crows (yeah, yeah...). It was a good day at the window. I love the variety. We have downy woodpeckers also. Across town where I lived before I'd see a yellow/Northern Flicker and the Red Headed woodpeckers. Talk about amazing. It's always a thrill. I agree that you have to be near their territory/range to attract them.

There's always tomorrow!

FYI:
I am using candle warmers/mug warmers this year under my cake pans full of water as my heated bird baths.

Amanda,

Just recently, (I think in Jill's article a couple day s ago) was a recipe on how
to make your own Suet that lasts all seasons w/o melting.
Did you see it?

Here---- http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/467/

Sure would save $$$$. I should try it....

Gita

It looks like the squirrels figured out how to open one of the suet feeders, the entire cake was gone. I just bent the hooks tighter to see if that works. I usually get my suet at Agway or Tractor supply, most often just under a buck.
Did anyone else see the news about the Bald Eagles in Utah? Even if it were sick and needed help I don't think I would carry one that close to my face!

I googled for the story just now, Ric, and I agree... my first thought seeing the photo of the hiker holding the bird (wrapped in a blanket but with head and huge raptor beak free) was, "that's a really sick bird." If he were feeling even a tiny bit feisty, he'd be taking somebody's eye out. I do think whales and dolphins understand when they're being helped and restrain themselves (and their sharp teeth) accordingly, same with dogs or other domestic animals. But eagles? No way.

I have heard that to lure in the Pileated Woodpeckers you need to put out suet. The suet needs to be attached to something long so they can rest their tails. I have my suet feeders attached to the electric pole that runs along the back property line. They can land on the pole and climb it like they would a tree. There are some rather expensive suet feeders that are long (about 2ft or more) pieces of tree branches. They have holes drilled into them and filled with suet. A fun project and easy to do with a hole saw. Of course whether they come depends on if they are living in your area. I have seen a more standard type feeder mounted with a long flat board at the bottom for a tail prop.
Here are a few ideas.
http://wildbirdsunlimited.typepad.com/the_zen_birdfeeder/2010/04/bird-feeders-for-pileated-woodpeckers-think-big.html

sallyg ; Good One !!!LOL !!!^_^

Like the link to feeders . ^_^


First bald Eagles I had seen in a long while as they made a come back (?) Were in Brown County Indiana , A mature female and two eaglets .
Last one I saw here 1980 at an Indianapolis Park reservoir , migrating taking a rest it was Eagles are around and about here though , not a lot of habitat for them near me here ..
Enjoyed the Eagle link also ..

Nice link to the feeders....wish I had woods around my property....
I DO have woods near me--one area is by the High School (4 houses away)
and the other is in the other direction--about 9 houses away.
But--the development is all around these areas....

FYI--HD sells suet with the hot peppers in it....right along with all the others.
G.

juhur 7, If the reservoir is large and situated in a park that might be enough to support one pair. I think what encourages them here is the river and creeks surrounded by wooded areas. The ospreys love the river and we have had eagles along the creek for probably 20 years. Now we have even more, with bald eagles being seen cruising over residential areas.
Gita, Many suburban woods are too clean to encourage woodies. Owners tend to remove all dead wood that provides their food source. While creating a park-like setting, it's just not natural. The squirrels don't usually steal our suet, just nibble the edges.
Jill, I'm surprised that guy that rescued the eagle didn't look like a Grateful Dead poster, just trying to free a tangled sea gull can be painful. For anyone interested here's the link: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/53921042#53921042

Brown county southern Indiana , 25 sq mi .. Other parks around that one are Lincoln state park 10 sq mi . Several are close together with rivers and reservoirs . Geist near Indianapolis the reservoir itself is 2 sq miles of surface area , all private homes and forest disappearing . Eagle creek is smaller , I remember Water Moccasin trapping at either as a youngin ,,lol
Lot different , The first two contain State Forest and will stay mostly ..
Good for wildlife ...

Finally looked at those pics I took a few days ago. They aren't the best but good enough (barely) to post. The second pic has both birds in it but is definitely harder to see them.

Well hey Holly that's quite a sight!

And as to the news/video about the eagle, I got a sick sinking feeling in my stomach. Sure hope it's something isolated. :/

Very cool photos, Holly--what beautiful birds!

There are red-bellied woodpeckers in my area. I occasionally hear them pecking away and have seen them exactly twice. Such beautiful birds!

thanks for the link to the bald eagle story. Well, if we ever find one, we'll wrap its head! Don't they 'hood' birds of prey for public demonstrations?
The news reporters did their very best to maximize doom and gloom.

Doom and Gloom is the news. The Nightly News with Brian Williams always ends with something positive, a humanitarian story or a lighter note. That is probably why I watch it, the last segment most always gives hope after the despair. When I read the daily paper, I always read the comics first to lighten the load, then I did the crossword to dull it down.I sometimes wonder if a news report exist that only reports good or positive news of the world? Who beside me would watch?
A couple of years ago Jamie built a large nest box for Holly, with about a 3" opening and hung it high (20') in a rather dead tree out back. In hopes of attracting Pileated's or owls. I should start paying attention to see if we have and tenants.

Here ya go!

Just remembered something called the Good News Network. Been a while since I looked at this page, but after you are crushed by the day's horrors, you can follow this link and be renewed:

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

A.

I'll have to look at that Amanda, thanks
I got some beef fat from the grocery store today. Some are saying their birds love raw suet. We'll see what the birds think. Or whether Addy learns to climb the tree!

There was a news update on the Utah bald eagles yesterday. It would appear they had West Nile Virus and were getting it by preying on a type of waterfowl.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/31/22125743-soaring-deaths-of-bald-eagles-in-utah-attributed-to-west-nile-virus?lite

thanks for the update
The downy bypassed my beef fat and went for the commercial suet block.

Our red tailed hawk perched on the canopy frame on the back deck for a while yesterday -- closest she's ever come to the house! I say "she" bacause of her size, large even for a red tail, and I think the girls are bigger.

We made an enormous pot of PB suet 2 years ago, with lots of mix=ins frm the back of the pantry, and we're just getting to the last of it. Joyanna calls the squares "bird cookies" LOLOL

I have put out two suet cakes (regular ones) and no bird has paid any attention.
One hangs smack against the trunk of my big maple--the other sits in the "Y"
of the main trunk.
It will take starlings to discover it--and trash it--and then there will be
other birds around to pick up the crumbs.

Sally,
Your fancy suet cake you gave me last year spent the summer and fall
in my freezer. It now hangs from a main stem of my maple--in too plain a
sight. It was supposed to attract woodpeckers. The closest to woodpeckers
I have ever seen around here are the small b&w downy ones.
I guess others won't be around a development.....;o(

Hunkered in for the snow.....G.

It's snowing here. Sure looks pretty and the bird feeders are doing great business. I was out a bit earlier, doing all the outside chores. Taking care of the chickies, filling the bird feeders, bringing in coal and taking out the ashes. All done before the snow started.

Fluffy flakes falling here, too! Put out a new "bird cookie," and the Carolina wrens have claimed it, fending off all other customers.

We must have a dozen cardinals queued up at the feeders.

started snowing here at 4"15PM. Still snowing--but more like big flurries.
Forecasters said it may change to rain--but than tomorrow--we may end up with 1"-4" of snow.

I have nowhere to go--and so can hunker down an start cleaning my house
for my company arriving on the 7th. Both my sisters ans a friend of theirs.
Mostly--their trip here is to go and see all kinds pf Museums and places in DC.

I am, more or less, a B&B here.
G.

Thanks for the link to the story on the eagle deaths. Certainly not what I expected!

Ric ordered a new camera for us for Christmas. It should be coming any day now. Can't wait to see what I will be able to do with it.

Nice! I am sure you will get something better than the mob of cowbirds we saw this am.

I am hoping that it's anti-shake will help with my tremor issues. It also has more range than the old one and it has a remote so I can set it up on a tripod closer to the bird feeders and control it from the house. Those Pileated Woodpeckers come in almost every morning for awhile and there are Blue Jays and Juncos, so many LBB's. I could sit here all day just watching them. Big treat on New Years day while my parents were here the Pileated came to the feeders and they sure had a great time watching them. Mom couldn't remember the last time she had seen one.

Does the remote show your the camera-eye view, or do you push the shutter button at your best-guessed time? Either way, you'll get some fun close-ups that way!

Birds emptied my feeders in just a few days during the recent "weather"... I put out 10 pounds of seed and a couple pounds of squirrel mix this afternoon. They're not going after the thistle feeder very much; maybe the nyger seed no longer meets their standards, although it tastes fresh to me still. (easiest way to see if it's gone "off" is just to grab a few seeds from the bag and chew on them)

No one is touching my Finch Feed either..Bummer!
This is not just Thistle--it is the mix called "Finch Food"--
has other small seeds in it.

I bought it last year--but it has been tightly closed and sitting in my cold Shop.
Wonder if there are any Finches even around???

Overall--I have to say that not too many birds are visiting my big feeder either....
Earlier--the English Sparrows emptied TWO of my big, 3-tube feeders.
Seems they moved on--SO??? WHERE are all the other birds???
I see lots of Juncos. A very few cardinals...not hardly any Chickadees
or Titmouse. All common birds--usually....

I still throw down a good amount of seed on the ground for the Doves
and other ground feeders. Have two BIG bags of seed not even opened....
Hope they all get hungry soon.

G.

Just want to hang out with my little bird friends.