Posted on 03/05/2005 8:07:37 AM PST by sweetliberty
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As it turned out, the previous thread on this topic generated a lot of interest and several people recommended doing it as a regular thread, so here is the second installment.
How you go about creating a bird sanctuary in your yard, or outdoor space, will depend on a number of givens, some which can modified, and others over which you have no control. One of these is geographical location or climate zone. If you live in the Colorado Rockies, you are not going to attract Cardinals, no matter how many black oil sunflower seeds you put out, and if you're on a beach in Florida, it's a pretty safe bet that there will be no snow buntings visiting your yard, the cornucopia of insects notwithstanding. Of course, if global warming keeps encroaching on us, we may soon find Alaska overrun with Parrots and Flamingos, but, I digress.
Within any given area, there are a variety of habitats, so no matter what your specific location, it is possible to vastly increase the types and numbers of birds in your immediate environment by modifying your habitat to make it more bird friendly to a wider array of birds native to your region.
Another "given" is your available space. If you live in a cottage in the woods by a stream, you will obviously have a lot more options available to you than if you live in an urban apartment with nothing more than a small porch or balcony. Of course, I think the majority of us live somewhere between those extremes. The point is, even if you have nothing more than a porch, you can still make it bird friendly, thereby increasing your enjoyment of these highly entertaining creatures. If you don't even have so much as a porch, I would suggest moving!
The purpose of this thread is to share ideas for maximizing our outdoor spaces to make them appealing to birds and butterflies, to share our experiences and knowledge or expertise, photos and resources. The discussion is pretty free-flowing and may expand to include gardening, landscaping and related topics. The direction the thread takes will really be up to the FReepers who post on it. We can focus on a different topic every week or two, or just keep it open and casual, updating the thread periodically. The main thing is that we learn and have fun.
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I've had a regular Blue Jay visiting. Noisy fellow...he scared me yesterday!
Mama Cardinal has been busy pushing the last of the fledglings out of the nest. She's had trouble with a particular male. She spent a whole two days forcing him off the ends of branches to make him fly! They're so clumsy at that stage. One morning, he almost landed in my lap. :)
Yippie! The Goldfinches are back, plus there's a new visitor. He's not a yellow Warbler or a yellow throated Vireo, but I STILL don't know what he is...so I'll keep looking :)
I just got up that early today. I can't do that everyday. I wish I could though, I love that time of day!
That must have been quite a surprise to see a Turkey at a window feeder! Your reaction must have been priceless, funny. Since your going to the same location, I hope you see them again and get another picture! I have had those picture mishaps as well. Very disappointing indeed.
I was sitting at the computer earlier and saw Mockingbird chasing a Crow out window. Very funny sight. I'm glad he/she is because all the Crows and Starlings are eating the fruit. I think the Mockingbird finally realized it wasn't me with holding. :)
You have Cardinal babies already? No sign of any babies here yet. I heard the strangest racket out back yesterday evening and went out with binoculars to try and figure out what it was. It was the Red-headed Woodpecker, and he was raising quite a fuss. No idea what it was about. He was busy working on a branch at the same time and there wasn't another woodpecker visible.
How funny, your client's reaction. Too bad you lost the pic. I hate when that happens. It's funny other people's reactions sometimes. I wonder how many times I've hollered in somebody's ear on the phone because there were Grackles in the feeder or because I saw some new bird while I was talking.
I haven't seen the mockers for a few days, but then, I've been so busy, I didn't even notice that my neighbor cut my grass a couple of days ago. The Grackles have been especially pesky lately though and are really making me angry because they run the other birds away, steal all the food and make a nasty mess in the birdbath. Why does there always have to be a glitch in everything enjoyable? *Sigh*
Well, she seemed pretty amused with me, but hey, she has a window feeder... Yep, I'm upset with my erasing the picture but maybe I'll get another chance.
I saw my Brown Thrashers in the backyard this evening for the first time since they abandoned their nest so they are still around-- somewhere. I have read recently that they will sometimes build practice nests as Blue Jays do. Nobody knows exactly why.
Decoys?
Sometimes I will have my neighbor across the way over for tea. She could care less about the birds. I'll be watching from the window as we talk. A group of starlings come start chowing down the suet, I open the slider clap my hands close it, continue talking, they come back on and on. She must think I'm nuts!
Interesting, they are smart birds, I bet a decoy is why. I saw Jays screaming at the crows last year because they raided their nest. I saw the baby Jay on the road.
Yeah, I've considered that. Also, maybe a backup nest if needed in the event of destruction of the primary one. Or possibly, one mate demonstrating his/her prowess in nest building. Cardinal males will feed the female during courtship to theoretically demonstrate his ability to care for the young. I saw this earlier in the week in my backyard. It's an impressive spectacle every time I see it.
I've seen that a few times with the Cardinals too. It is so sweet.
I live in a rural area of Joisey (yes-they exist) Niced sized yard with a ton of trees that backs up to miles of protected land. I love Cardinals but can't seem to keep the squirrels (whom I like too) to stop eating their food.
I'll come back when I have time to see if someone posted on this topic.
That is so cool!
Neat! They have wonderful songs, don't they? I hope you don't have any other birds nesting nearby, though. They have been known to kill the young of other birds in their territory.
I put a small birdhouse out in March for Chickadees or Wrens but no takers so far.
Did you place the house in a tree? I just nailed mine to a fencepost near some shrubs.
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