Creating A Bird Sanctuary In Your Yard

March 5, 2005 | sweetliberty

[leadpenny]

Thank you, sweetliberty.

[GodBlessUSA]

Excellent shot of Hummer rustbucket!

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi MamaTexan!
LOL! Elvis. How cute!
How is the weather by you. Has it cooled down at all yet?
Good luck with your new job!

All of a sudden so many Goldfinches have returned with their juveniles. For the longest time they were gone with only one or two visiting at time. I stopped counting last evening when I got close to 20. It was great fun, they were everywhere.

[GodBlessUSA]

I'm so glad you saw that Juvenile Mocker. That would have been awful finding him later. Whew! Great going Dysart. Hmm, watermelon. I'll have to pick some up today. Great shot of Redbelly!

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi All,
I enjoyed reading the updates in your yards. :)

I thought the Male Hummer that was visiting had left. Good thing I've been maintaining feeder. Last evening, I looked out the window and the tiniest female Hummer was perched drinking.

I went outside and the female Hummer returned. All of a sudden a male darted at the female. It was kind of funny watching these two. She kept coming back and drinking fast and looking around and sure enough he would be back trying to push her out of his feeding territory. What amazing birds to watch. I'm assuming this male, must be the original bird at the feeder. :)

[Dysart]

Yes, it was fortunate and I've been short-filling the birdbath since. And watermelon is a big hit at the feeders I've found. I think that WPs, whom I've never seen at the birdbath, obtain most or all of their water via food sources. I'm just going on observation, though.

[sweetliberty]

I tried watermelon earlier in the year and didn't have any takers except a couple of mockers. Perhaps I should try it again. What I have the most of right now are Cardinals, Bluejays, Chickadees and Hummers. I expect that will change again before long. Different species come and go.

[sweetliberty]

So glad you got to experience a taste of the hummer humor. They carry on so, but it is all very good-natured, like a game. Perhaps next year they will tell their friends about your yard and you will have a larger population. They are such fun to watch. They always make me smile.

[Dysart]

Funny story about the watermelon. I'd been noticing that the wedges were vanishing in a couple of hours time. My suspicions were confirmed when I caught a squirrel redhanded! I watched him as he knocked the watermelon off the feeder (with little paws) to the ground and then dragged it off to the shade and pigged out! I've added a second, larger baffle to stop this little thief. I hope.

[rustbucket]

My Texas Gulf Coast ruby throated hummers chase each other away from my feeders, but out in Arizona last spring hummers seemed to accept other hummers at the same feeder at the same time.

Here's a broadbilled male and a blackchinned male at the same feeder. I have a shot of three females of different species sitting at this feeder at the same time.

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi SweetLiberty,

They are funny. I can't believe how tiny the female is. Maybe she isn't too much smaller but thinner. I'm so glad that I didn't bring the feeder in, when I didn't see the male for a week. I hope they talk and I have more next year. I will be happy to buy more feeders for them. :)

[GodBlessUSA]

How neat to have them all visit! What a sight. What a picture. After seeing your picture yesterday, I tried to get a shot to show you all today. Very difficult. They are camera shy. Interesting that they accept it in AZ. I wonder why.

Excellent photos Rustbucket! If you ever get a chance, post the photo of the three.:)

[MamaTexan]

It was pretty hot until today. We have brief showers rolling through the area.

Glad to hear the hummers are back!

I've got a pot of nectar cooling on the stove right now.... the little buggers have already drained the front feeder.

Cool hummer fact:
Humming birds don't actually sleep.... they lightly hibernate.

If they didn't, their high-speed metabolisms would literally cause them to starve to death before morning.

[sweetliberty]

LOL! You have to admire the squirrels for their resourcefulness.

[rustbucket]

Here is the shot I was thinking about. I've been staring at my Peterson Field Guide, "Hummingbirds of North America" trying to determine what the birds are.

I suspect now that the two birds on the right are female broadbilleds. The one on the left appears to be a female blackchinned, but I'm not sure. The beak on the left bird appears to be thinner, blacker, and less curved than those on the other two birds. Blackchinned females also have white tips on the underside of their tail feathers, but so do broadbilled females. I only know what I read in the bird books, so I can't say for sure.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get a good shot of one of the male birds in the full sun showing their dazzling colors. The only shot that picked up some of that sparkle was this one, but the feeder got in the way:

[rustbucket]

Here's an odd bird for you. Not your typical backyard resident. See if you can figure out what it is.

While we were waiting most of an hour for it to pop its head out of this nest, a tour bus from a nature center 50 miles away arrived and offloaded a bunch of tourists. Most came over and stood by the tree looking up, but they left after 10 minutes and before the bird stuck its head out.

[GodBlessUSA]

Rustbucket, Again, Fantastic shots! Thanks for posting it. Smart, I wouldn't of noticed the difference in beak unless you pointed it out. The iridescent color of that bird is just incredibly beautiful.

I only saw the one Hummer leaving this morning. I know it won't be long until they start migrating. I hope I get a couple of more weeks of them visiting. I'm still trying to get a picture. It's difficult.

Give me some time to try to ID that bird in the nest, I'll give it a shot by looking in my field guide. A good challenge. ;) How lovely.

You really get awesome shots! I use to like my camera but I think it's not focusing properly any longer. I'll have to look into getting another eventually.

[GodBlessUSA]

Hi Mama Texan

I keep trying to get a picture of those little Hummers but it's almost futile. :) They are camera shy. I hope they stick around for another week or two.

That is a cool Hummer fact. ;)

I went out and put up another feeder for the Gold Finches. I have three up. There weren't as many tonight. Isn't that always the way. I see some Gold Finches, I'm not sure if they are juveniles or already changed plumage for fall.

I love the fall. I hope to see birds migrating through again.

I hope you have a great Labor Day Weekend. :)

[RightWhale]

Large bird here in Fairbanks. Not as big as a raven. About 50% black and 50% white, no other colors. Kind of a swallow tail. What is it? Never saw one of those here before.

[RightWhale]

Possibly Australian magpie, but there was more white.