I am a big lover of birds, songbirds, finches, parrots, swallows, dove (the dove of peace often released at a memorial services), etc. Too bad the seagull has gone off track.
What are your favorite birds?Chicken. With barbecue sauce.
I love hummingbirds, chickadees, finches and mourning doves. I have a lot of them in my yard. The little finches nest in my grapefruit tree. It's a big tree and sometimes, if they get startled, it looks like the tree just comes alive as they all fly out at once.
[QUOTE=SnowOwl]I adore hummingbirds! And love all songbirds, the sweet warbling at dawn is one of the great joys of my day. We have a lot of cardinals around here, goldfinches, orioles, robins. Pheasants are beautiful birds and also plentiful out here in the boonies, we've seen wild turkeys (they're sleek and bronze, not fat and white like their domesticated relatives), large hawks abound, fierce and gorgeous. And if you want to go tropical, birds of paradise are astonishing in their variety of colors and stunning mating displays.[/QUOTE]
Yes, but how do they taste?I love the colors of the peacock, but not the sound! A friend had a neighbor with one and it was nice to look at but not to hear. Oh well.
[QUOTE=Jan Lucinda]I love the colors of the peacock, but not the sound! A friend had a neighbor with one and it was nice to look at but not to hear. Oh well.[/QUOTE]
My grandfather had peacocks on his "farm" (really a 200-acre playland for the grandkids) in Arkansas when I was little. They were pretty, but they were MEAN!
Aside from the aforementioned BBQ chicken and all the songbirds and hummers, my favourites include roadrunners and quail (especially in the spring when the
aunties shepherd large assemblages of infants and juveniles through the front yard, along the side yard and then all around the back yard to eventually find their dust bathing arena just outside the vegetable garden gate). There are also Mexican condors, golden eagles, and Russel's hawks to provide aeronautical displays and feats of daring. My all-time favourite, if forced to make that choice, would be cactus wrens: bold, rowdy, clownish, highly social, with a nicely rounded repetoire of clicks, clacks, whistles, and lovely melodies.
Each year we have two pairs of spotted Inca doves build nests just outside RBT's office window and brood three or four clutches of eggs. They are wondrously coloured little birds with spotted epaulettes and pink legs.
Then there are the
Elegant Trogans, casual visitors to our bird bath, whose turkey-like crackles precedes the appearance of its coppery-green headdress and cape and its brilliant rest waistcoat.
Living in a what is called a "premier birding destination" has its advantages.
I love feeding the birds and seeing who shows up, right now it's Redpole season. I have a big bowl on the deck railing to feed the wild birds. My favorites are the Red Breasted Nuthatch, they sound like a forklift backing up, beep, beep beep. I used to like the Steller Jays, they look like a Cardinal only deep blue down to the wings and black, but they're really aggressive and chase away the other birds. We had a hummingbird one summer, I thought it was a giant bug buzzing around the Fuchsia, it was amazing, I didn't know they came this far north. A bird hunter was raising pheasants and some got loose and now we have them running around, my husband hit one on the highway, it broke his grill. When DD was about 5, I covered her with seeds and told her to stand really still and pretty soon she was covered with wild birds trying to pick the seeds off her hat and arms and gloves. Same DD brought peacock feathers all the way back from England, seems like she got them at Chatsworth. Okay, for all you nature lovers out there, I have a great way to waste hours out of your day - I know I do!!!
Go to
www.ustream.tv In the search box at the upper right search on NEST.
You will get a link to several different webcams with birds nests at various stages. There is a bluebird nest just being built, there are hummingbirds, eagles, hawks, owls. I'm particularly enjoying the owl nest right now, the babies are soo cute.
Of course you might also enjoy some of the other webcasts available on there. There are religious webcasts, talk radio, tech talk, puppy and kitten cams, etc. It's a great place to go when you're bored!
I love the site. Right now I'm watching baby barn swallows, and the mom keeps coming back and feeding them!My blue jays get quite indignant if I don't have the peanuts set out on the front porch railing by 7 am. Its so funny, they will come right up to the front living room window and peck at it to remind me.
so there I am outside in my robe feeding them while getting Ally and Mark ready for school.
we have tons of finches, doves, flickers, titmice, cardinals, and some hummers. And of course the squirrel including the one who likes to hang upside down on my squirrel proof feeder eating nonchalantly as I yell at him.
unfortunately we also have billions of pigeons including a nestling in the attic. sigh... we cant finish the repairs to the fascia until he can fly.
I also love love love Hawks, Somehow my eyes seem to be especially attuned to hawks and I spot them all the time. I like all birds of prey.. We have eagles and ospreys around here and its so wonderful to see them.. Somehow when I watch a hawk its almost like I can breathe better.. isnt that weird?
kathy_in_wlsv2009-04-08 11:52:25I asked DH to make me swallow houses for my birthday one year, he made 6 and put them up in trees. Big mistake, they know if a squirrel can get in and won't nest there. The one outside the dining room window had a face sticking out of it one day, I was thrilled, until I looked closer and it was a squirrel! The swallows will swoop around for a day or so and then move on, we aren't a safe house, and swallows are supposed to be so good at catching mosquitoes.I love egrets and herons.......... water birds.
My dad lives on a lagoon in the bay area of NJ.... and they are always around.... I could watch them forever
I so enjoyed our air boat ride through the saw grass of FL because they were EVERYWHERE... so regal..... so elegant.... so beautiful.
I am fond of the wild turkeys that are making their comeback here. The hens are such great mothers, several will form a band and all will take care of their combined families. People will say they are dumb, but just try to get close to them. When on rare occasion they get scared enough to fly, it's like a volkswagen roaring through the air. No matter how far you are from them you want to duck.
I also love wood ducks because they are gorgeous and polite, unlike the mallards who will gang up and attack a female, practically drowning her in their attempts to be the one to mate. I have red bellied woodpeckers all winter who are amazingly beautiful, and who could resist the bluebirds and the song of the wood thrush? Cooper's hawks hang around on occasion and grab a bird at the feeder, which is always thrilling. Of course I love hummingbirds, we only have one kind here. They are bossy, bitchy little birds who are territorial and feisty.
You may be able to tell that I spend a lot of time with my binoculars, staring into the woods.
Hill-
Interesting site. Will view when I have time.
You just gotta love these guys, so graceful and yet can look so clumsy.
"You lookin at me"
That picture is so cute and the caption is perfect.
My favorite has, up until this year, been the robin. One has decided that he loves looking and playing with the other robin in the side mirror of my little car. There was "you know what" all down the side of the car plus on the mirror. I had to cover the mirror so he would get lost. Around here the robin is the first sign that spring has sprung but this year I watched a robin trying to find some worms while it was snowing on him. We have wild turkeys at the golf course and they are fun to watch. Everyone says they're going to get one for Thanksgiving but every year in the spring we count and there are still 6. The eagles are nice to watch too...so graceful.
Pat
TeedOff2009-04-09 13:42:58Bodak-
LOVE the picture.
the Pic is perfect!1 Love it
Teed!! My son is having an issue w/ a robin who keeps running into the side window of his truck! My son takes great pride in keeping his vehicle clean and waxed and in it's best shape mechanically and this bird is ruining his days!!
I think he need to put a pillow case over the mirror to avoid this!!
thanks for the good idea!
Jas-
French fries or ANYTHING else they can scavage!!!!!
[QUOTE=JasmineRain] The Diet of a Seagull[/QUOTE]
Where did you find graph.com
[QUOTE=Jan Lucinda]
Jas-
Where did you find graph.com
[/QUOTE]
www.graphjam.comlots of silly stuffI adore birds....but so far this year all I'm getting on the deck feeder is squirrels! I like to watch them too but the birds won't come around until the squirrels are gone and they rarely leave before the food is gone! lolSquirrels are cute but they can also be aggressive! I was at Yosemite and a squirrel came up my leg!!!!I love watching squirrels. My dad has a whole gang of them that he feeds from his back deck. Some have been regular visitors for years, and every year they bring their "kids" to Grampa's Buffet. They can definitely be pesky though - he had one regular patron who was no longer satisfied with deckside service and managed to squeeze in the house through the chimney. What a little $%#* he was! Another one made a nest inside the engine compartment of my stepmom's car when it sat parked for several months. What a mess...
This thread is so much more beneficial to the human spirit than what is going on in other threads.
Sometimes curiosity overwhelms common sense as has now happened and out of curiosity I am going to ask:
[QUOTE=Jan Lucinda]A friend had trouble with pigeons and the business put a net around it.I too love birds.... all of them.
--songbirds, herons, hummingbirds, raptors, sandpipers, plain little birds... all of them.
Pelicans make me laugh when they dive for fish. Peacocks scream "Help Help!" like a human woman; alarming until someone reassures you what is out there in the bushes. Blackbirds(or was it crows?) were challenging when we had fruit trees so we put shiny pie tins in them to keep them off, then I could just listen to their racous concert from afar. Ducks are fun but geese bite. We saved an abandoned sparrow once, took it the next day to Bird Rescue and my 14yr old ended up volunteering there for awhile.
My own little caged birds (that spend a lot of time outside of cage) are so sweet and friendly and entertaining with their own little personal antics. At one time we had 4 birds here, parakeet, cockatiels, lovebird... each had his own home but plenty of time outside it for socializing. The lovebird was the funniest with a whole dance routine that signaled she would be laying eggs soon. Everybody loved their toys and bells. One by one they left me... my daughters grew up and moved away (leaving me their birds) and the birds died, in old age. Now I have one funny old cockatiel left, age 19. He's still active, friendly and a great companion in my quilting/computer room. I spend an hour here, off and on, throughout the day, which makes him a happy little guy.
Feathers are so soft!
My husband likes photography especially of birds from his kayak.
CathyMarie
[QUOTE=babs10]the Pic is perfect!1 Love it
Teed!! My son is having an issue w/ a robin who keeps running into the side window of his truck! My son takes great pride in keeping his vehicle clean and waxed and in it's best shape mechanically and this bird is ruining his days!!
I think he need to put a pillow case over the mirror to avoid this!!
thanks for the good idea!
[/QUOTE]
We have tried everything to keep this bird off of the mirrors even to putting some old bathroom mats over each mirror but he pooped on the mats. The only thing we can do when we catch him is use the remote to honk the horn but as of this morning he was back again while we weren't watching. I think I will buy one of those platic hawks or owls.
[QUOTE=Bodak]This thread is so much more beneficial to the human spirit than what is going on in other threads. [/QUOTE]
I concur!
I haven't been posting because of the strife, but wanted to say we feed the birds, squirrels and watch the deer year round...great entertainment...love the mornings with my coffee.
Take care everyone!
Tink
All this bird talk reminds me of one of my favorite stories from my grandmother on my father's side. When my dad was 8 years old, he got a BB gun for his birthday. Back in those days, young boys could go out with a BB gun and not get arrested, so off he went. My grandmother caught him shooting sqirrels and blackbirds (crows??) out of the tree in their wooded back yard. Gramma got pretty upset by this and she decided to teach my dad a lesson. She gathered up a couple of the carcasses, got as much meat as she could from them, cooked it up, and served it to dear old dad for dinner. He said it was quite nasty - while she was a great cook and could do wonders with jut about any cut of meat, I suspect this particular supper was not a gourmet meal.
Bodak-
We need some more bird pictures!!!
[QUOTE=Jan Lucinda]Bodak-We need some more bird pictures!!![/QUOTE]
Ok, while all the chooks have been losing some feathers I decided to get out and do something constructive. Could not find any chooks but a couple of ducks wandered into my sight, so I shot them.BOdak-
Gorgeous. You have outdone yourself!!!!!
Rather than begin another OT, I am posting this OT link here...
Snow Rollers
arent' they an amazing phenonmenon!! Neat topic -- I am IN LOVE with birds since getting a little quaker parrot when I turned 40 almost 2 yrs ago. One quaker needed a friend, and I got an Eclectus parrot...then a second quaker (more of a rescue situation...) Every day my house is full of laughs, tweets, helloooos, peek-a-boos, and other hilarious talks from my fids. I had no idea that parrots were so amazing as pets and look forward to living with them for the rest of my life. Definitely high on the cheerful scale, should anyone need to make a quiet house feel like more of a home! Quaker parrot!!! That is a new one. Where are they found?[QUOTE=aropple]Neat topic -- I am IN LOVE with birds since getting a little quaker parrot when I turned 40 almost 2 yrs ago. One quaker needed a friend, and I got an Eclectus parrot...then a second quaker (more of a rescue situation...) Every day my house is full of laughs, tweets, helloooos, peek-a-boos, and other hilarious talks from my fids. I had no idea that parrots were so amazing as pets and look forward to living with them for the rest of my life. Definitely high on the cheerful scale, should anyone need to make a quiet house feel like more of a home! [/QUOTE]
I'll trade you a dirty old robin for one of your parrots. We have a neighbour who has built an aviary and I keep promising myself I am going to go down to see what all they have now.
Pat
TeedOff2009-04-25 10:38:57Just look at these webcasts! The beauty of springtime in nature:
When momma flies off you can see two little eggs in this nest, and they are about the size of jellybeans! I can't wait til they hatch, they will be so tiny. The nest is made with spider webs, so that it will stretch and expand as the babies grow! Truly marvelous:
This is an upclose view of a robin's nest: Mom and Dad take turns sitting on the eggs.
This is a camera watching a miniature horse that is due to give birth. The owner of the horse is so wonderful, keeping the stall spotless and staying nearby in case she is needed.
Ever wonder what it looks like inside a bluebird house?
Thanks for those!
Hi Hill
The stall is empty so I was wondering if she had her baby yet?
it says to the right that she's exercising?[QUOTE=babs10]it says to the right that she's exercising?[/QUOTE]
Thanks. I'll check back on her later.
she's back
if anyone sees her delivering.. post it? okay?
Nothing yet but she looks awfully close.Sounds good.It looks to me like Becca just may be delivering tonight. I have seen her acting a bit like my dog does before she gives birth!
By the way, I forgot to tell everyone, if you click on the four arrows on the right under the picture (near the menu and sound buttons) you can watch full screen! Then when you want to go back to regular view, use your escape key.
I gonna keep watching, I think there's a foal coming soon!
She looks quite content right now.
Pat
It is now 10:30 and still nothing but the owner says when she is in labor she scratches her mane a lot and she was doing that when I was watching. I think maybe by morning we might see a new baby...hope so for this poor baby's sake. She is so small.
TeedOff2009-04-26 22:34:26BABY IS COMING!!!!!
IT"S A BOY!!!
Thanks Hill. I just made it in time. He is a cute little guy. He looks like he is wearing a white onesy!!
TeedOff2009-04-27 10:42:36
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-becca-showIt's a boy!
ETA: better late...
Spelunker2009-04-27 10:38:59LOL, all clear Snow! Now just waiting for him to figure out how to nurse. He wants to, just hasn't found the faucet!I know! He is so frisky and playful and only a few hours old. Mother Nature truly is amazing!Just snuck a peek at the little guy and he is giving Momma a bad time...too rough while trying to feed so she has cut him off. He sure is cute.If anyone missed the birth and wants to see it, there is a video of it you can watch. Just click on the videos tab down below.So cute.A pony? How did you get there from birds?I'm dragging this back to birds because my favorite birds are back. I heard them this morning when I was getting up and at first thought, what the heck, it was the Sand Hill Cranes. Then I saw a big flock when I was driving to town. They fly in these incredibly long v shape lines and have the stangest voice, like a creaking door. Spring is here!Wow Deidre, that's not something I would see in my neighborhood! How exciting!THe songbirds were out this morning. Woo Hoo!
Regarding the seagulls, several people have put bottles or scarecrows on their cars to keep away the seagulls. Seem to have worked!!!!This morning I had blue jays and cardinals on my front porch and back yard. also red headed woodpeckers, finches, chickadees, titmice, and a few I don't recognize.
I have binoculars that I hate because I cant get them adjusted no matter what.
and bird books that annoy the heck out of me since they are always talking about identifying birds by their calls.. well I'm very deaf, the only bird call I've ever heard is crows and once a hawk and another bird having a huge fight right above my head..
sigh..
I want decent binoculars
We've been visited daily by a flock of wild turkeys recently, which freaks out our poor dogs. They don't know how to comprehend birds that large.
The other day my hubby opened our sliding glass door and startled them, and they tried to fly into the large pine trees at the side of our yard, and the boughs of the trees were really too small to support them so they were sliding off. He said it was really pretty funny to watch!
I just peeked into this thread today and want to join the bird chat.
I have an orange tree in blossom outside my kitchen window that is being visited by several bitty hummingbirds. Its raining lightly, and they are still out there flitting about.
Also, saw a solitary turkey hen (I think) strolling through my neighbor's property.
No sandhill cranes up here, but they are in the area where I grew up. Saw a flock in a field once -- they are big birds! The town of Lodi, California has a sandhill crane festival.
Okay, that's all I got.
Hi Joie, glad you joined us!
If you have turkeys in your neighborhood, you can attract them to your yard by spreading bird seed or cracked corn on the ground in your yard and they will eventually find it. The flock in our neighborhood seems to have a daily route they make, hitting all the yards around us.
A lot of times you can track turkeys and their movement by listening to the crows. Crows follow the turkeys and squawk and chatter. (That's actually one of the ways turkey hunters find them, but I'm not suggesting that!) You often can hear the turkey's clucking (or gobbling) as they walk around. It is a distictive sound you'll immediately recognize once you've heard it.
I'm so jealous of your orange tree in bloom. It must be so beautiful and fragrant. My crab apple is about bloom, probably tomorrow or the next day. I look forward to it every year, and that is immediately followed by my rhodedendrons bursting out in bloom.
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