Birds in the garden Part 3

Yes, that's it thanks, though the link didn't take me to that, lol!

If the male has his harem of females then there must be many poor males that are chased away, as there is usually a natural 50/50% of females to males.

Yes, I had two fighting last year but was so eager to get pictures in case they flew off I didn't change my settings! It was dull but I needed a fast shutter speed, had the settings completely wrong! You see a female casually walking around taking not a lot of notice, lol, ignore the blue pots too.

They both raised high into the air several times, but none were at all good. This one with one male flying high is not too bad. (you can see my pots of Rosa pteracantha ssp. omeiensis behind, lol!)

Stand off between the greenhouses.

Final eye to eye before he chased the other around the corner and behind the shrubs!

Proudly strutting back after victory! I had wondered which one won, lol, he had a loose feather on his tail from a previous battle I think and it was misssing! I frantically searched and found the feather near the back fence, whew!

Wallaby - great photos of the pheasants. How cool to have those in your garden! So pretty :-) Were the males loud when they were fighting?

bonitin - love the coconut feeder .... I need to try that if I find a coconut for sale here one day ;-)

Rann

Lol, I enjoyed the series of pics. wallaby!
What a body language the winner has! Soo proud and all puffed up.


Hi Rannveig!
Thanks, coconuts are usually for sale in the winter period over here, but not commonly sold, so you have to be lucky to find them.

Thanks rannveig, my garden is his territory, lol. They didn't make any noise at all! Sometimes the male stretches up flapping his wings making his cock-cock sound but not that time, a quiet victory.

Here he is still strutting, the next shot I took after victory, I think he was looking to me for praise, lol.

What a beautiful bird! One cannot help admiring these gorgeous colours!

Gorgeous colours, yes, this one is stunning! Even more so with a little sun on his feathers. This one was on 12th April, 4 days before the big battle. It was like winter in early April with temps often only 4-6C!

..and he KNOWS he's so handsome, lol!

Wow Wallaby! That is a wonderful photo! He's gorgeous and he knows it! LOL

He certainly does!

Hi Wallaby, Hi Resin, Hi all
Blue Tit and the black tie one is Great Tit.
In Sweden BlueTit is Blåmes and Great Tit is Talgoxe.

The pic is of gulsparv (Emberiza citrinella) I think Yellowhammer in Enlish

Sylvia

Look what an great link to birds in many language.
Sylvia

http://www.birds.se/

Hi Sylvia! I used to see the Yellowhammer where I live years ago but haven't seen any where I am now.

Looks like a good site, thanks, I will have a look. They have flags at the top for different languages. :)

Never seen a Yellowhamer Sylvia, it looks quite big!
Lovely bird!
Great quality pictures on that site too;

Three owls I photographed about a month ago in the bird asylum after bringing in a wounded pigeon I found along the road. They take care of them until they're strong enough to be left free again in the wild..

Surprised they can put all three in one cage - Tawny Owls are highly territorial, and normally wouldn't tolerate another one nearby unless they were a mated pair.

Resin

Lovely owls bonitin! I wonder if they were all the same brood which lost a parent.

Unlikely, with two being grey morph and one (middle bird) being brown morph. It would also (fortunately!) be highly unlikely for all of one family to be involved in an accident!

Resin

I don't know about morphs, I did wonder if they were of a different sex though. I didn't say they would all have been involved in an accident, but I did say they may have lost a parent.

bonitin
Yellowhamer is quite small, belong to smallbirds. Compare with "Gråsparv" =
Passer domesticus House Sparrow

They were actually with 4 in the same cage! They looked very cosy together!! The cage was quite big so if they felt any animosity they could have chosen to take more distance from each other..
I thought that the two on the left close together could be a couple..

this is the original picture I took (I had cropped the picture for aesthetic reasons, also edited the ugly electric wire)

Oh we cross-posted Sylvia! Thanks for that info!

bonitin - those owls are sooo cute :-) I found a coconut at the grocery store today - and at a decent price so I bought one ... how did you empty the liquid out of it before sawing it in half?

Yes Sylvia these owls have irresistable charms they remind me so much of cats but then with wings, lol!

It is some 8 years ago I made these coconut feeders, but I think I can recall how I did it.

I first drilled a hole on the top of the coconut where later the cord has to be attached to hang it up.
That done you can pour out the liquid.

Then I had cut them in two parts with an iron saw and scooped out the white coconut flesh inside, I suppose that could also be excellent food for the birds..
Then I drilled three holes evenly divided on the sides of the underpart and correspondingly of the upper part, where the cords are attached that hold them together. If you first draw three lines on the coconut its easier to have the holes matching. The cords are held in place by a knot I make at the ends on the inside.

Bore holes through two of the three 'eyes' at the end (one to pour liquid out, the other to let air in to replace the liquid. Drink the liquid (very healthy). Then whack the coconut with a hammer, or saw if you prefer.

Not sure there's any birds in Iceland that would be particularly interested in coconut though. In Britain they are primarily attractive to Parus species*. You might be better off eating it yourself ;-)

Resin

* Hence this much-quoted (though apocryphal) story . . .

A radio technician was doing a demonstration of a new model of radio to a large group of journalists. The radio had been pre-tuned to the wavelength of a respected BBC radio station. The radio was turned on, and boomed out Great tits like coconuts, and was quickly turned off again before further embarrassment could be caused. A check of the Radio Times revealed they had hit on a nature programme discussing the feeding preferences of garden birds.

LOL Resin - I wouldn't think of feeding any of the coconut to the birds, they won't be getting any such luxuries. ;-) lol I haven't even given them apples so far this winter ... just stale bread .....

bonitin - thanks for the instructions :-) Can't wait to try it.

Well well know the winter has come to my area :o((((((((((
But i was great with all the small bird in my garden this morning

Wow that is a lot of birds, I imagine they would be glad to be in your garden..!

Lovely Hobbyodlaren! No wonder they all come to your garden, with all these free self-service restaurants :))

Lol I love to have bird-restaurant, I love to feed the bird, I give me a lot of happieness. I can look at them from my kitchentable. I count to hundred one day.
Only a little bit sad not to manage to take photo close up to the birds. Perhaps I can manage if we get little sunshine, now I have´nt see the sun for 1 month here.

But I have a binoculars on my table. I is so nice to. We have an sweet
Större hackspett-Great Spotted Woodpecker- ( Dendrocopos major) coming every morning, but I have not get him on any photo yet, as soon I get close to the window, they always fly away.

http://www.birds.se/imgspec.asp?Qimg=523&Qlangues=Sv
Sylvia

What a beauty!! You are lucky to see him every day!

Yes its a beauty bird, he likes my ball with fat and nuts.
In the summer I most hear him, pick on the wood, tree trunk :o)

Hello International members!

Here's a chickadee in fresh snowfall.

Photo taken yesterday.

Happy Holidays!

That one's a Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon Junco), not a chickadee ;-)

Resin

a5footsea beautiful bird, I also which everyone Happy Holidays.
Sylvia