Here's a fun bird I learned in my yard.
http://birds.audubon.org/birds/great-crested-flycatcher
I saw this perching on a tomato cage and repeatedly flying a quick loop into the vegetable garden and back to the wire. Has a pretty cinnamon brown tail when it flies. And the 'wheeep' call is unique once you learn it, and if you imitate, the bird will wheep back and forth with you, it seems.
Mid-Atlantic Bird Watching - Spring 2014, Cont'd
Three of the grandies from Annapolis came a day early. Sitting at the kitchen table with the window open. Theynwere talking and I said SSHHHH!! Listen. It's a cardinal. Hadley, the 9 yr old looked out and saw it in the tree. They have a bird book at home and try to identify ones they see in their yard. Their house is going on the market today, so they have showings and an Open House this weekend. Hence the reason the grandies are here. Was just asked yesterday if they could come Fri. To Sun. Sure, I said, so I started laying out stuff to pack in the RV and then I got the call to see if they could come today. Now, stuff is all over. But, hey!! I'm not going to see them til August. I'm flexible. Anybody want a house in Annapolis? If it sells they will go into military housing. His next tour of duty changes next year. So, they didn't want to wait to HAVE to sell it.
oh pooh- you're losing your convenient stop-over to visiting coleup and me!
Hehehe, well.....that just means I'll have to stay WITH you, which would be fine by me. There is a chance they'll go to CA if he gets accepted for a master's program. If not, he may stay in Annapolis to finishe out his 20 years or up in the northeast near her parents.
I'll show the girlies the cardinal nest today. And the abandoned robin nest.
I loved seeing the nest in the pole on the way down to aspenhill's dock. What kind of bird made that?
We could see babies in the cardinal nest when I held the girls up high enough. Cool beans!!!!
cardinal babies in the nest! that is definitely cool!
Trying to keep the grandies from that area. We were scolded by the cardinal parents. I sat and watched from the deck. Why didn't I bring out the binoculars? Later. It's nap time for Phoebe and the other two are busy in the kitchen at the table. They are very creative girls. May I take a nap, too? Hmmm....it got quiet and I heard SSHHHH.... WELL THAT IS NEVER GOOD. HEHEHE., Glad they are washable markers. Blue tongue. Oh, boy!!!!
that's creative all right!! ROFL
Hehehehe. Hopefully it won't still be blue when their dad sees them in the morning.
They wanted to keep the abandoned robin eggs. Suggestions???
They can keep them as long as they don't break them. I have a very small nest that sits in a desert cup with a few interesting birds eggs some cracked and some not. If you have access to some long grass they could weave/build their own nest for the eggs.
At least keep while they are at your house. If you're sure its abandoned. Wash hands after handling. Then when they go home, go to Michael's Crafts and buy plastic ones.
I love them making their own nests.
Hehehe, plastic eggs, sallyg. Good idea. Yep, definitely abandoned since mid May when we had the party for Jeff's Korean students. We kept telling the robins they chose a bad place , but they didn't listen. Looks like a new nest is farther out into the yard.
The little eggs are such a lovely color.
How about filling the nests with Easter Egg chocolates/candies?
Called "Robin's Eggs'...
They come in all colors and when they get tired of that 'clutch"--
they can just eat them and do some other bird's "nest'...
Hehehe, good idea, too. Cept I'd be the one eating them. Don't need that.
Found a surprise today!!! A bird has built a nest in mt Sweet Surrender Rose--
right in the main crotch--lower than my eye-level. Nothing in it.....
I never noticed it before! As I have watered around there--broken off some
azalea stems--RIGHT next to it--taken several pictures of this Rose to show you---
Geez! How fast can a bird build a nest???? Unless I was just looking at it from afar?
But I walk by it many times a day--and never saw a bird near it--or flying away from it...
Mystery!
G.
1--the nest
2--Took this picture just yesterday--you'd think i would have noticed it?
3--Here's the whole bush just now---can you see it below and to the left of the
lowest bloom? Kind of low for a nest--don't you think?
What bird would do that? A Robin?
Amazing isn't it how they are so well hidden.
No bird anywhere near it---yet...
Maybe she is all done--and I missed the whole thing?
I would have seen something--I mean--I'm all over this Rose--dead heading--
Dealing with the Clematis right next to it, etc.. How could I have missed it?
G.
They can work pretty fast. And some make extra nests and then let the lady pick one.
that is something, Gita! is it possible it fell from somewhere else? Or does it look like it was definitely built right there?
It was definitely built where it is.
The Rose's main stems form a triangular 'cup"--and this nest is situated
right in there. The stems support it.
sally--I never knew birds build an "extra" nest....seems too much work....
Willkeep an eye on it. I should ask my Pakistani lady to do so--as this bed faces
their house. I have to walk around to see it.
IF no one occupies it--I will, carefully, remove it and give it to one of the young
children behind my house. They can ause it for "Sow and Tell" at school.
G.
Gita, that sounds like a great use for an abandoned nest! :-)
Well, I was thinking of taking my sickly-looking weeping cherry down, until I saw this sight this morning! Not sure how well you can see it in the photo, but the tree is full of birds! I took the photo from inside the house and didn't want to disturb them by opening the door, so this is as close as I could get. Anyway, they're so happy with the tree's location and height and shape--plus it has berries! How could I take it away from them?? :-)
MY NEST IN THE ROSE BUSH HAS AN EGG IN IT!!!!
Have yet to see a bird in it or near it....must be a nocturnal parent-bird.
Snuck close and took a picture of the egg---any guesses what bird owns it?
It is a dirty white with dark speckles on one end...
?????
Gita, what fun! I guess the mother bird is out looking for food?
Catmint, I was just thinking about your cherry tree. Is it one of those trees that doesn't like root disturbance? Do you think it would help to remove the plants that are near the base of the tree?
Btw, I recently met the trap/neuter/release cat rescuers from my neighborhood. They confirmed my suspicion about the "cat lady," who is actually a "cat man." He's a hoarder, not well mentally, and the cats were taken from him. But the cat situation was already out of hand when the rescuers got involved, so they've had to trap/neuter/released around 50 cats. We're down to 13 ferals. Many were already too sick and some were apparently attacked and killed by a local dog that was loose. :( (And it wasn't even my back neighbor's, dog!)
They also said that most of the ferals are sickly and elderly and not good hunters. They occasionally see dead voles, but never birds, so they think I'm safe with my birds!
But I'm still not sure if I want to set up a bird feeder. One of the rescuers actually feeds the raccoons separately so they don't steal the cat food. That's why all the raccoons stay on that side of the neighborhood where they know there's a ready food source. I don't want to attract the raccoons on this side by setting up another source of free food.
thanks, SSG. I think the problem with the tree is that it has a canker disease. I'm not really sure what to do about it at this point. :-(
It's funny you should mention moving the plants! After you were here on Friday I got to thinking how the rose campion on one side of the tree seemed to be getting too much shade and how you said yours was in blazing sun, so I moved it to a super sunny spot! :-)
That is interesting about the TNR situation in your neighborhood. It sounds like they've really got things under control--and guess there's a silver lining in having so many sick and elderly ferals--LOL. Unfortunately the 2 that hang around my house seem young and healthy... That is really horrible about the local dog attacks! :-(
Just found this about raccoons. Looks like all kinds of things attract them to people's yards, but there are tips for deterring them.
http://www.allspecieskinship.org/files/Raccoon_tips_20102.pdf
Oh no, it has canker disease! I guess the long term solution has to be to replace it?
I think it's funny that they recommend keeping the radio on to deter raccoons. These raccoons are not scared of humans at all!
I think I'm going to start with a bird bath and see.
I don't feed birds at all in summer. Eat bugs and berries, birds! Grow sunflowers.
On the 'get rid of the cherry' side of the argument, those birds on it are English house sparrows. No great loss not supporting them.
well, from what I'm reading online, it does seem to be canker. :-( There doesn't seem to be much that can be done... Unfortunately now is not a good time to buy a new tree. Maybe in the fall or next spring.
LOL Sally! I wish my backyard attracted a greater variety of birds. It's very basic suburban. Sparrows, chickadees, catbirds, house finches, house wrens, mourning doves, cardinals, cedar waxwings, blue jays, the occasional starling bullying everyone else... oh, well, they're fun to watch anyway...
I have sunflowers growing all around my bird feeder! I'll have to take a photo sometime. :-)
Sunflowers are super for bringing goldfinches in. Cedar waxwings are pretty special, IMHO! I don't think I've ever seen them in my yard and hardly know them anywhere- that is a bird I don't know at all.
I was walking the grandies home the other day and up the street I spied a goldfinch couple. Whoo Hoo!!
I wish I could grow sunflowers! The squirrels just pounce on them. Sadly, I think I may have pulled a couple of volunteers.
Goldfinches also love agastache seed heads.
Hope I get some goldfinches once the sunflowers are blooming!
I think the cedar waxwings are attracted to the red cedar growing in neighbors' yards! They look a little like very pale female cardinals. In fact, at first I thought that's what they were, but it has a bushier tuft on its head, darker wings, and more of a mask around its eyes. Well, I guess that's about the most exotic bird I get... ;-) None of them follow me around like Muddy's birds, though!! :-)
SSG, that's one thing my feeder is proving useful for--I have sunflower volunteers everywhere now, in addition to the ones I planted from the group buy, and sowed from seed... :-o
There were sunflowers in the group buy? I guess I completely missed it!
Helianthus annuus 'Lemon Gem'. I also sowed these by seed, plus some Mexican sunflower. And now they are coming up from the bird seed as well -- LOL! Last year I had no sunflowers, this year I have a ton. Would you like some, SSG?? :-) You could come over with a pot and scoop up several!!
Haha, I have literally run out of room! I need to start covering up more grass but I'm gonna wait until the fall. :)
Gita, Congrats on the egg, that egg looks familiar to me but I can't ID it.
Catmint, I always feel bad when it is time to cut back the butterfly bush as the birds use it as a staging area for the feeders.
Sally, I haven't been filling the feeders this summer either. I usually do but just haven't bothered this year. Seems to be plenty of bird around the yard. With the water source for them, the bird houses and cover of the bushes. I am keeping the Hummer feeders filled.
Holly--
I tried to Google "Bird's Eggs"---and there were just SO many speckled ones...
The ones that first caught my eye were either a Mockingbird or a cardinal,
I don't think a Cardinal would build a nest so close to a house--they are so skittish.
Gonna go outside and take a peek....OHHH! There are TWO eggs now.....
Google "Mockingbird eggs" and look at "the Images'...I think these eggs are from a
Mockingbird...If so--I am in for some nice "music"....
http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/Mockingbird.html#sthash.fVkVq7Qh.dpbs
G.
Gita is a grandma!
I AM a Grandma to a Cardinal!!!!! Didn't think they would nest so close.
It IS well protected...The big, white Azalea bush on the street side a the wall of my
house right behind the Rose bush--The rest of the bed to the other side--and
my neighbor's house not that far away from the front.
Since it is raining today--I figured that a mama will HAVE TO be sitting on the nest.
Sure enough--I snuck around the corner and saw the red bill...AWWWW......
How exciting.....A baby Cardinal born in my Sweet Surrender bush.
Now I wan to pur some bigger leaves on top of the Rise bush (like peony leaves)
so that in heavy rains the nest would stay dry. There is an endless supply of
peony leaves.
When the babies hatch--I will make sure I toss a worm their way now and then.
G. !!!!!!!!!!!!!
awww, so the speckled egg is from a cardinal, Gita?? That is so exciting! It will be so much fun to watch the babies! :-)