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Osprey
Posted on 08/13/2011 3:56:45 PM PDT by EveningStar
It sure has!
And it's great to know there are other FReepers out there who admire these beautiful winged creatures as much as we do.
A world without birds is a world without grace or beauty.
Someone has to tell this bird there are fishing limits.
Thank You....
I subscribe to about every birding magazine there is, and, yes, they do have articles about bird house dimensions, but since they have no URL, I can't direct you to these sources. Here is something you should know, though:
The dimension of the hole is CRUCIAL in determining which bird species will use the house. If it's too big, some cavity nesters won't use it. And for good reason. Some predatory birds, such as American kestrels, will slide into a too-big hole and eat the chicks.
It's a tough question, though, because all the books list PRECISE dimensions for each cavity-nesting species.
My best advice to you is to try a few different hole dimensions and see which cavity-nesters explore it. Don't be discouraged if no birds use it for a year or two. It often takes them awhile before they decide to give it a go.
As for your jays, you live right on the border between two jay species: the western scrub-jay and the Steller's jay (which looks like a blue jay but wth a black head and crest).
As much as I love jays, both these species are notorious nest robbers. They will kill and eat nestlings of other species when given an opportunity. That said, I would make sure the hole dimension on your bird house is TOO SMALL for a jay to enter.
Say what you will, but it's just not a pretty sight to watch a jay kill and devour a songbird nestling.
Good luck and keep me posted!
YEAH!
Flycatcher, Carolina Wrens are just starting to venture this far up over the past few years. I have a pair that live nearby that come to my yard and they bring their young. I LOVE their spunk. Such funny birds.
I would love to see an Annas. The only thing we get this far north is the Ruby-throated. LOVE them though but envious of those who get a better variety as I find all hummingbirds to be gorgeous and not at all timid despite their size. I’ve seen one go after a cardinal before and the cardinal flew off out of fear.
LOL regarding the robins and democrats!! HA. I find robins to be clumsy and awkward too. I have to admit that I love seeing them in the winter and eating the neighbors crab apple tree though because they are so rare this far up in the middle of January.
So glad to hear you are building houses for the Black-capped Chickadee’s. They are such friendly little birds and so tame. In the winter, they will sit right on top of the perch where I feed them and wait for me to fill up the bird feeder. They are so close I could pet them if I wanted to but don’t as I know they just want to eat to stay alive so I just enjoy them from my window
Thanks for the ping, Fly.
Beautiful video of ospreys. I’m not a birder but would say they are a majestic bird as I say elk are majestic animals.
When we lived in So OR we were fortunate enough to take a couple trips on the Rogue River below Grants Pass, there are osprey nests along the river. If I remember correctly they were in the tops of snags along the river, quite high but we could see some of them.
Down where I live, we have two seasons:
In winter, I survey count the bald eagles visiting the southwestern waterways. But in about late February/early March, the bald eagles skedaddle and the ospreys come in.
It's almost like tag team wrestling. Ha ha!
And by the way, if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna turn you into a birder!
Mark my words!
Love this thread! And so nice to see so many Freepers are birders!!
Altho, I wondered how the cameraman knew where to have his camera when the Osprey dove to get his catch. And the film must have been spliced as the Osprey was seen carrying his fish by the belly in one scene, then on the back and then back to the belly. But I am just being picky here. Amazing flic — as you are able to see how the osprey uses individual sets of feathers to manage his/her movements.
I guess my interest started when I was feeding 2nd son (now 52) at about 4 in the morning in July. I thought I heard an owl, but the next day was told it was a Mourning Dove. I bought a bird book, looked up the dove and that was the start of many happy years of birdwatching.
Probably my fav has to be Chickadees, too. I’ve fed them by hand and sometimes they have landed on my shoulder when I’m filling the feeder. (I live in NJ) One time in the Rockies, I saw my first Mountain Chickaee. I had some cheese in my pocket, so I put come in my hand and lifted it up. Sure enought, one came down to my hand, took a bite, spit it out and was off again! I should have had some crackers to go with that cheese!
When I went to China for the first time, I was so excited about seeing my first bird in the land of so many of my passions. And what was the first bird I saw? A pigeon!! LOL!
Probably my most exciting first sight was off the Maine coast. The Atlantic Puffin gathers in large colonies off the Northern Atlantic. We were sailing off Matinicus Rock, about 18 miles off the coast, and my youngest son and I got into a litle skiff and rowed towards the Puffins, as my DH and the other kids sailed aroung the other side of the rock. I was watching the floating Puffins with my binoculars (and all excited seeing my first Puffins), when a humpback whale surfaced, ‘blew his hole’ and then dove again -— about 100 feet from us! Talk about shocked! We saw about 5 or 6 of them, but only one that close. Needless to say, I was happy when DH and the boat came back around to us!!
My birding now is mostly in my back yard and the best thing that has happened there is that great invention — the wire ring with the hanging wires that sits on top of the feeder— that scare off the pesky English Sparrows. I don’t mind them eating from the ground, but I use good seed and want it for birds who enjoy it and not just gobble it down.
Didn’t mean to go on and on, but I’m looking forward to others and their experiences with all that is flying out there. The one thing about being a Birder, is that where ever you go, you will find birds. I’m always equipted with my glasses — just in case.
Osprey
So envious of your Puffins!! I’ve always wanted to see one.
Yes, when I first started getting the birding itch I too thought a Mourning Dove was an owl and spent a good amount of time trying to find the darn bird. I also thought Turkey Vultures were hawks and I had about 6 of them kettling around my yard. It alarmed me so much I told my neighbor that he should bring his little dog inside as there were hawks nearby and it appeared as if they were trying to zero in on something. The poor man was petrified and brought his dog in in a hurry. HA
I would LOVE to see a Mountain Chickadee but we don’t get them here. One of my goals before my time is over on this earth is to travel to the west to see the birds there and I also want to get to the bird show in Texas and spend some time getting the raptors there that we don’t have here. Dreams at this point in my life as I am still raising my family, but one of these days I’ll have the funds and the time to do it I’m hoping.
Beautiful post, thank you.
And where you find birds, you will find God's manifestation of grace and beauty.
It's in front of our eyes every day. We need only watch.
Thanks.
They are fun to watch
Raptors are really the only birds I care much about. I’ve seen Peregrines do pretty much what that osprey did down on Padre Island, diving into the surf and in a couple of strokes they are airborne, shaking off the water, and then back into full flight.
About the only hawks I can easily identify are red-tails, I’ve never figured out how to know what the rest of them are. And harriers, they are pretty easy to ID. Kestrels and Merlins are sweet to watch when they are in the area, typically in winter.
Can’t put my finger on why exactly, but I love birds of prey. They live at the top of the food chain on such a thin margin of superiority, but I love them. The little woman and I will be out doing errands and I’ll see a pair, way up in the sky, and Susan will say “what are you looking at?”
I see birds.
In one of the houses I built for the chickadees, I noticed that a bird had begun to build a nest in it. Strange tho, the nesting material was all twigs which is indicative of a dove nest. However, the hole is too small for a dove...and I’ve never heard of a dove using a birdhouse. I think the hole is only about 1 3/8” in diameter. Any thoughts on what may have started the nest?
See my post #57
We have Red Tail Hawks in my area. It’s amazing to watch them dive bomb a dove in mid air. They’ll perch on my roof to eat squirrel and leave a completely empty squirrel suit in my driveway. I get nervous when they look a little too closely at my Yorkie Poo.
Nature can indeed be cruel. Just ask that guy that studied grizzlies to his detriment.
Thanks for the reply, I guess the library is my next stop for plans. It's good that I have the time. I'll let you know how it goes.
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