Backyard Birds (continued)

Twincol: You're right. It is funny to watch those finches take their dust baths ! I see them at the park a block away doing that in the sand box area.

NO!! STOP! DON'T THROW THE BELL BOTTOMS AWAY! They're back in style. LOL

Glad to know you missed me. : )
I've had a couple of bird photos, but are really fuzzy. One with a yellow breast told me off yesterday. Another one just barely moved a wing while cruising on by. Did I have the new camera ready? Unh unh. Nope, nothing but blurs. LOL!
I really laugh when the broody hens take their first dirt bath in 21 days. Cracks me up every time. Of course they have to do it quick before the roosters catch on that a "new" female is in their midst.
I missed you all too!
Glad to be home.
WIB!
SW

SW: I know you were gone, but where were you ? LOL

I think I could get less than half of my current "bottom" into my old bell-bottoms...LOL---loved those hiphuggers with the wild-colored flowers and the wide white plastic belt!! My son would plotz if there were any pix to show him of Mom all dressed up to go dancin'!!!

New word for the day......plotz. Thank you Ima. LOL My DGD was looking at old pictures and kept saying "eeewww, how could you let me wear that". I told her she picked her own clothes, so she says "Why didn't you stop me?" One of the outfits was big purple flowers on pink background and a wide white plastic belt. LOL

There's nothing like Yiddish for describing in one word what in English requires a paragraph!

At that time I worked in a department store where we had to wear black or navy blue dresses. I thought my white stretchy vinyl knee-high-chunky-heeled boots went well with both....LOL..

SW; Which camera did you end up getting?

JD, sorry to hear about the loose parakeets. I hope your neighbor is able to catch them before the cats do. Some times I think people are so irresponsible about the other critters that inhabit our world. My Dad and Barbara (my stepmom), used to rehab birds that were injured, usually by idiots who forgot to turn off their ceiling fans before they let their pet birds out to exercise.
People don't realize that birds are just as much if not more of a responsibility to you as a dog or a cat. That's why I like 'em outside and flying free.
Parakeets/budgies are not native to our area, and can't withstand the winter temps. To have released them when they can't even fly, either because of their wings being clipped or never being out of the cage before, makes me mad. Pets should not be dumped and expected to fend for themselves. They aren't equipped for it.
Wild should remain wild, when possible, (not like our little blind hummer friend). Yes, I get upset when I see a dead bird on the lawn, or have to tell my dog, "That's not yours! Spit it out!", they do, and I have to take care of the remains. That is natures way, may seem cruel but the healthy and swift survive.
Sorry, let me step off my soap box.
In answer to your question, JasperDale, my family and I went to OK, to scatter my Dad's ashes on the old family homefarm. The only birds I saw were turkeys, and turkey vultures. DH wouldn't slow down for any photo ops. Rats!
I still have a pair of bell bottoms. Too big to wear now, but I have hopes of them fitting again.
DP, we ended up getting the Nikon Coolpix P90. Now if only I can figure it all out. I decided to take baby steps. Using the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Silly). I'm sort of familiar with Nikon, and can usually figure it out with the manual and practice. (Am wondering who wrote the manual, taking notes.) The weight was a big factor in my choice. I wanted something with a viewfinder and not just the LCD screen, and a neck strap. This model isn't too heavy. Although, I'm not able to hold it steady for long, and so I'm glad I have the tripod. It'll help. So far I like it, even if I haven't fingered it all out yet.
Yesterday I played with the sports setting. Won't be doing that again unless I see a really cute surfer. LOL! Posted the best photos on the hummer page today. Still haven't figured out how to take really good macros, but am working on it. Am happy that I am figuring out how to get better bird shots. I'll be posting them later.
Did I forget anything?
Well if I did, let me know.
So glad to be home to the land of the fee!
WIB!
SW

SW, I hear you.

We found a little green budgie two summers ago with clipped wings in our backyard pecking around on the ground below our feeders. We rescued it and named it "Lucky" for ending up in our yard before the hawks or the neighborhood cats could get it. We put up some signs with pictures of him, but no one claimed him.

I just don't understand how someone could let a little bird like that get away when its wings are clipped. A local pet store at the time told me they're very good climbers. We've since let Lucky's wings grow out and put him in a flight cage so he can get exercise (in case he somehow escapes--we're very careful--at least he'll have a chance...I've seen flocks of 'keets fly through the neighborhood before...) He chatters and twitters away most of the day, especially when we turn up the volume on the music or tv and he gets even louder. I like it. It's white noise to me, but not to my husband or daughter. He's not very tame, but at least he's not cat food.

I got a lot of warblers in the spring, but I think I may have missed the grosbeaks and orioles this year, and the creme de la creme of birds I've sighted in my own backyard in the past: the Western tanager. I've always gotten a few who hang around for a few days before moving on...but not this year. I'm disappointed. I've had the tanager appear for the past three years (I have a birdbath dripper). I was hoping to get a picture...it was magnificent. Sigh.

Knowing zilch about pet birds, do "clipped wings' grow back to being normal again ???

Unless they were clipped back to nubs (at which point they would not be flitting around as you described) they will grow back. Normally, only the primaries are clipped, so they can still glide to a landing if they jump or fall. Depends on the bird how quickly they grow back, but at the most within a year. Birds replace their feathers regularly, which is we find fully formed, undamaged feathers laying around. I save our birds feathers and donate them or give them to friends who appreciate them.

Western Tanager - would love to see one of those, too! Saw a Flicker a few days ago, which was a treat.

Thanks for the info. KC...good to know.

Well, I don't know that much about plants, but birds are another subject!

By the way - here are a couple of links that explain why I asked if you were referring to budgies. To someone familiar with parrots, parakeet has a wide meaning! LOL Probably more than you want to know, but some of the pictures are pretty!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parakeet
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/parakeets/parakeets.htm

Wow---great info! When I was first searching for data about how to take care of my feral budgie, I found some site that said the Aboriginal word for budgie means "good bird"-----and by "good" they mean "tasty", not "well-behaved". Don't know if there's any truth to that!

Could be! I especially like Ring Neck Parakeets - there's just something so elegant about them and they have cute voices.

Jas, I'm guessing the parakeets you've been seeing are escapees with possibly partially grown back feathers. (I don't know a lot about birds, but I believe, but not sure, if certain feathers are clipped in such a way, they can permanently disable a bird from flying because they don't grow back while others do grow back.) Maybe yours are in the process of growing their flight feathers back and that's why they can fly somewhat.

Budgies will eat any kind of seed. In the wild, in the jungles where they come from originally, they also feed on fruit, but the pyracantha may not be "ripe" or they may just not like the taste. Some birds will gorge on them and I've seen people report all the time that the birds look "drunk". I don't know if pyracantha is considered technically poisonous, but they do have a type of toxin in them that affect the birds if they eat a lot of them, at least temporarily.

Needing a barrier plant to slow down the neighborhood cats from coming over the fence and pouncing on my wild birds, I'm currently experimenting with berberis darwinii, a non-toxic, edible barberry that people use the berries to make jam out of. I planted three of them, and only two survived. Not quite sure yet why--even though they're supposed to be "drought-tolerant", the fact that they're this lovely shade of brown and are thoroughly crispy tells me I didn't water them enough to get started. At least two of them, anyway. Oh well. I'll try again in the fall.

That's a shame, Surf. I looked it up and it's a pretty plant. Maybe there is a native variety that would work -

http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?orderby=taxon&where-genus=Berberis&ttime=1248982854

I bet you're right, though, planting in fall would probably be the key.

JD, I'd go with KC, fits with my experience with birds.
Oh boy! Action at the bird feeder. Am pretty sure that these are house finches. They really like the black sunflower seed.

Now he's warning his buddies in the other feeder that I'm there!

Indignant or wary, he takes off with a flurry.

They all flew away, but I found a place where I could sit in the shade and in a while they were back.

I think someone spotted me or one of the cats.

Whew, false alarm! They continued to feed.

Can't tell if the one is telling the other off for encroaching on it's space, or if it's mouth is full! LOL!!

Saved this one for last, because it was my favorite photo of the day.
WIB,
SW

"Eh, what'd ya say?" ^_^ I like that round feeder - it's like a piece of art!

Great shots SW ! And yes, that feeder is a work of art.

I found out today that the parakeets/budgies are indeed escapees from a house nearby: The owners of the house were getting new carpeting installed and they put the birds outside (in their cage) hanging from a hook on their overhang. The weight of the cage was too much for the hook, it broke, the cage fell, and the birds got out.

My neighbor rigged a feeder on a pulley (ala Kathleen's husband ! ) and is trying to lure them over there. So far, they've caught 3 of 9 that got loose.

Haven't seen any more of them at my place as they've evidently figured out the cats are a threat.

Lots of bird drama lately !

Hi Guys, You know I'm really trying to understand why you are taking a subject (that is not yours) and posting volumes of threads on it.

I would never even DREAM of doing this to you.

We worked so hard to get a Bird Watching Forum and to see you holding your own 13 threads on it where it does not belong is so disappointing!!

I ask that you please stop posting these bird watching threads!

Pelle

huh....

I had to give this some thought...Truly, without meaning to offend you...we had to do quite a bit of lobbying to get a salvia forum also and yet, I would imagine that they are mentioned on the perennials forum and maybe others also. I'm sure there must be overlap elsewhere on other subjects. I do not know if you would have the same birds back East...I'm assuming not, but I haven't looked on the birds forum nor many others. I pretty much stay on the Ca forum and salvias forum, but this just happens to be a group of friends with many of the same local birds and quite a few in the group are very close in geographical terms...so I don't know that this takes anything away from the bird forum. We could d-mail or e-mail privately, I suppose, but I doubt if anyone here thought that others might stand up and say "Don't talk about that here....."

You know, actually...I've never looked at the bird watching forum, but I have checked it just now. I see that a couple of people who regularly post on our Ca forum have also posted their pics on the bird forum...so, what you're saying is yes, you've posted your photos here, but I don't want you to post them anywhere else? Am I misreading this?

WCGypsy is right about there being overlap in many of the forums here. I highly doubt that the originator of this thread started it with the intention of taking away from the bird watching forum.

This thread has been going on for several months now, and I'm sure the admins. would have said something by now if they felt it was infringing on or otherwise detracting from the bird watching forum.

Is that what overlapping means.... 13 volumes on birds? I think not!

Your more than welcome to D mail me but you have made this a public matter by restarting these threads.

That is why the other 2 threads were pulled over to the Bird Watching forum; this is completely off topic for your forum.

I don't think we realized how much this meant to you...I'm sure we'll make sure that we don't mention birds here again.....Is there any other subject that is yours?

Listen It is not such a big deal to click on another forum and go to that subject.

Okay, nice zinger on the last one. Nothing is mine at all. I just like us to respect one another.

I appreciate your cooperation on this matter.

Again: If the admins. think this topic should be moved, then they'll do so and make it known.

Until then, we can continue to discuss it.

People in the Calif. forum discuss roses, too, and no one on the rose forum seems to mind...

Please...just stop for a moment and consider this....
On the salvias forum we have international members. We have active, knowledgeable members in England, in Australia, California, North Carolina, etc. Now, I do not frequent the Australia forum, nor the European forum, nor the North Carolina forum so I don't know if they happen to have threads back and forth with others in their locales about salvias but I'm assuming they might. There are probably issues relating to salvias in Europe that would not have to be mentioned on the salvias forum, same for Australia or anywhere else. We are not telling them that they can only speak on this subject where we will all see it. If they want to share it on the salvias forum, that's good, but not required. Birdwatching is not a prime interest for me so I'm not going to be looking in on that forum..I do however, communicate daily with all of our group in tha Ca forum and we're intersted in what's going on in each others lives, so if they want to show us some photos of birds...where exactly is the harm in that?

The harm is when it turns into a 2nd Forum within a Forum.

I have to continue this later, I have to get up in 4 hours for work.

There's no continuing from my side....if admin wants to move birds elsewhere, they'll do so.