BIRD LIVES!!! (Ooh bop shebam!)
Posted on 09/21/2006 10:06:59 AM PDT by grellis
I'm posting this thread to see how much interest there is in having a bird lovers ping list--wild birds specifically, but I have no objection to domestic birders as well. I'm pretty lousy at finding threads that may be of interest, but I don't mind keeping the ping list.
While we're at it, why not take a few minutes to share bird-attracting tips with each other? This is a great time of year for watching and attracting birds to your yard--for me, at least. I always have better luck with fall migration than spring.
I'm going to catch a few more freepers from yesterday's thread, see if the interest is there. If you know of any freepers who might want to be on a bird-specific ping, call 'em over. It'll probably be pretty low-volume.
Put me on the list.
http://www.pbase.com/tsiya/root
http://photobucket.com/albums/v244/tsiya/
FYI--It'll probably be pretty low-volume.
Put me on the list as well :-)
What the heck, put me on. This is a right wing site, after all.
My folks live north of you on Jekyll Island, off the Georgia coast. There are some really incredible birds down south, especially waders, but my favorites are the brown pelicans--so fun to watch diving!
Starting in late January and going through July, I keep at least one suet feeder full of my dog's hair. Sparrows hog most of it, but just about every other visitor takes some when possible--blue jays, cardinals, chickadees, goldfinches. Only the woodpeckers don't show much interest.
Blue jays, red-bellied, red-headed, and downy woodpeckers all find whole peanuts irresistible, and starlings and sparrows leave them alone. I'm not sure if they just don't like peanuts or if they have trouble with the peanut holder (I use a 10" cylindrical cage, made just for peanuts).
In the summer, a bird bath is a must. I love watching the robins splashing around!
Here is a previous thread (sorry -- taking care of a two year old all day has left me momentarily unable to do html) on bird sanctuaries. Lots of pictures.
The Spoonbills seem to be extending their range north, there is a good breeding colony here at the alligator farm, and in the Guana River WMA.
Save some vacation time for next spring. Get a good camera ready, you ain't seen nothing yet!
http://www.alligatorfarm.us/
Luckily, here in Kansas we have a good variety.
Thanks for that link--it appears we may already have a bird ping. Is yours still active, SL? If so, there are some interested freepers on this thread.
Kansas must be a prime location for variety, compared to Michigan. You probably get a lot of western and southern birds that never find their way to the mitten.
BIRD LIVES!!! (Ooh bop shebam!)
i thought you might like this.. :)
Some of my most recent bird sightings (not in my yard though) have been Roadrunners and a Golden Eagle. That was the second time I had seen Golden Eagles in the last couple of years. In both cases, they flew close enough to be unmistakable. Roadrunners are very common here and I saw a couple of them last week on a dirt road. One of them was huge. I wanted to try and get a picture, as he stood very still on the side of the road for a several seconds, but I figured that as soon as I opened the car door, he would take off, so I just sat and watched him until he disappeared into the brush.
I do some birding, put purely amature for relaxation. Upstate NY, we get some good birds here that rest in our wetlands after the long flight over lake Onterio.
I'll take a spot on your bird ping list, too.
If you live in an area where it freezes in winter, provide a heated water bowl (and provide a reliable water source the rest of the year too). I have a little off-the-shelf "pond" with a fountain in it. In the winter when I have to take the fountain out to avoid freezing damage, I put the electric-heated water bowl very near the pond (it's bright red plastic, about one square foot, and keeps the water just above freezing). When all the other water in the vicinity is frozen solid, you'll be very popular with the birds, even if there's snow available, because it takes a lot of extra energy to melt the snow down to body temperature, and they're already using a lot of energy just to keep warm). And if they discover that you provide food too, and that your garden is nice and overgrown, many will make your garden their home base, and start building nests and raising little birds there.
Apparently there is a bird ping, which sweet liberty takes care of--I'll try to make sure that SL sees all the new names for the list.
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