Birders

If this forum thing isn't getting out of hand for y'all, I have another request.

Anyone interested in birding? We enjoy the company of many feathered friends in our yard and enjoy taking day trips to places where we can see more. Anyone interested in talking about birds? :0) Kimberley

I am Kimberley. I can only identify about 5 native birds since I've been in the States and would love to get to know all of them. Great idea!!!

Count me in,
My plan for this year was to encourage birds into my garden, and as i live on a new estate i thought this would be quite a challenge. But I've been pleasently supprised, this week alone I've had a blackbird family and its babies, Starling / babies, magpie, pigeon, a sparrow and a blue tit.
I suppose i should be thankful to my parents for dragging me around the countryside to bird hides, with my banoclias strapped around my neck when i was younger!

I get quite excited when i see birds in my garden now, call me sad, i don't care!

Gardenwife,

Living on the Delta, we get alot of waterfoul in my area. Mostly Western Grebe, Common Loons, lots of Herons, and White Egrets, the occasional lost pelican, and my favorites, Canadian Honkers. I think adding a bird forum would be a wonderful idea!

Ladyhawke

I know - some of our friends kid us about "needing to get a life". LOL. Around our yard, we see bluejays, nuthatches, titmice, chickadees, cardinals, ruby-throated hummingbirds, starlings, grackles, white-throated sparrows, house sparrows, house finches, purple finches, house wrens, goldfinches, juncos (winter only), catbirds, mourning doves, hairy woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, and red-headed woodpeckers. I know I might be missing a few. We saw an oriole of some kind a few days ago, and we're hoping he'll stay around. My DH saw a pileated woodpecker last summer, so maybe we'll see them again this year. The birds are attracted to the splashing water from our pond's waterfall and drink from the edge. It's so fun!!

Since DH works nights, we don't get out on the patio in the early morning when the birds seem to be most active. I enjoy them in the late afternoon and evening, though.

This message was edited Saturday, May 19th 6:03 PM

I love to watch the birds too. I was thinking that maybe a backyard wildlife forum would be a broader topic and get more people involved. We could discuss anything from birds to critters (including bugs & butterflies).

That's a good idea, Poppysue! That would be better -- gardening for wildlife involves more than just birds. And there are all kinds of neat critters that don't quite fit into the plant topics.

I have lots of earwigs for SASE if anyone's interested. And Lisa has Cajun fire ants. ;o)

GW - I'm sure I must get all those birds you mentioned around here also. Is there a good web site that has photos of them all? Anybody!!!!

Louisa this looks like a good site for identifying
http://www.birdnature.com/id.html

It's done.

Those of you who are using forum subscriptions, just add this new forum to your subscription list at http://davesgarden.com/forumpreferences.php

Dave

Wow Dave - thank you very much :-)

Thanks poppysue - great site!!

I'm not what you would call an active "birder" but I do maintain nest boxes for Eastern Bluebirds in my backyard.

One of my nest boxes currently has five little Bluebird nestlings that are about a week old. Mom and Dad Bluebird sure are vigilant about feeding them. One or the other is always coming or going!

In my other nestbox, I have a pair of barn swallows-- the little black birds with the greenish cast to their feathers and white throats. I think they are also called house swallows or wrens. I like these birds almost as much as my bluebirds. I have a little male that comes and sits on my clothes pole while I am looking at my daylilies and he makes all kinds of noises when I talk to him. His "wife" is currently sitting on five eggs, and she lets me check the nestbox without flying out of it. She doesn't look too happy about my doing it, but she doesn't leave.

Then there are the killdeer.....well, they are comical little birds but they sure do make a racket! I even hear them calling in the middle of the night when I get up to let the dog out!

To round everything out, I am the proud mom of three cockatiels: Amos, Joe, and Molly. All are quite tame and spend quite a bit of time with me out of the cage during the day.

We, also, enjoy the Eastern Bluebird. As, Indashade, stated, they are certainly a 'caring and industrious, set of parents. We now, also, have a family living in a home made house.

Last year, they moved in the second day, after we put it up. It was so entertaining to watch them 'checking' it out, before moving in!

Whats that you say, get a life?