WINTER BIRD WATCHING * MY PASSION
Birds in the winter .......Mine..Mama CARDINAL. Show your winter birds ..
SHOW ME YOURS.
Comments (208)
10 years ago- 10 years agolast modified: 10 years ago
The chipmunk came yesterday. :)
Robin pictures from last week.
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bird watching with a telescope?
Comments (6)Heehee, yes, that's what we were afraid of - the "still too close" ! We might be able to count the feathers but what good is it if we can't see the bird... Yes, we're recovering nicely. And the baby was born two and a half week ago! She is absolutely adorable. Yet another thing going on in life that keeps me away from the dust cloth and the vacuum cleaner! (Yeay!) It's so lovely to be an Oma and Opa (dutch grammy and grampy) again. And this one is so much closer than California! Sandy, we checked them out online. Easier than going to a store. We were not impressed by the price range, in other words, if we were going to buy one of these ourselves we would spend more. We can't choose something that's not in their fancy folder, and we thing it's an overstock kind of thing. I have my eye on a good looking bird scope, but I don't think it's in the budget for this Christmas... They also have very nice cutlery. Maybe we'll get that instead and keep our eye on the bird scope instead. :) Mary...See MoreWinter Sowing Passion Flowers
Comments (4)I plan to winter sow 2 varieties of passion flower this coming january. I read somewhere that soaking them in orange juice a few days prior will help. One of the passion flowers I plan on growing is actually a native to my area. Per trudi's faqs page natives are great candidates for winter sowing. The other one I actually got in a trade and it is not labeled so it is going to be one that I will have to grow and find out later what it is. Out of everything I have read there are 2 ways suggested to grow passion flowers. First is a heating mat and to start in April. Second is to grow during the winter months. I do not care for starting annuals or tropicals in april. So for me January seems ideal for these plants. This is my plan, though this will be the first time I am growing passionflower so hopefully someone will direct us both if I am mistaken in my thought process. Come January I plan to maybe soak the seeds overnight to maybe 2 days before planting. I plan on planting my seeds as normal per winter sowing. Then just wait and watch. Pretty simple lol no major plan there. Someone did mention that the germination rates are extremely slow, especially with older seeds. I personally do not believe that the age of the seed effects germination rates if a seed is stored properly. Another thought I have is that maybe allowing the seed to soak a few days more may help with the germination speed. Though I will totally be honest, I am hoping myself that soaking a seed prior then winter sowing it is an acceptable process. Hopefully one of the veterans on the site will confirm or knock that idea. Anywho good luck, and I do not know about you but this is one plant I am EXTREMELY excited about growing!! Maybe we can get some Gulf Fritillary and zebra longwing, to feast on our passifloras. I am excited, I am excited!!...See MoreHow Do We Watch Birds?
Comments (5)Yeah, I've often thought that many (but not all) of the so-called "serious" birdwatchers I have known are deluded when they style themselves as "scientists". The vast majority wouldn't recognize true experimental design if it jumped up and bit them. Many (again not all) of these folks have encyclopedic knowledge when it comes to bird identification, which is no small thing - but that doesn't make one a scientist. Nor does it give one carte blanche to become a bird-botherer. I prefer to do my watching in my own yard, and my listening, and all other birdly activities. Mostly from behind my patio door. I like to plant bird-friendly (and butterfly-and-bee friendly) plants where possible - which is no excuse for my backyard neighbor who planted trumpet vine along the fence, very far up a steep slope from HIS lawn, but leaving me to have to constantly root up the invasive vines all through MY back yard. Has he never heard of cardinal climber??? *sigh* As for feeding the birds - according to actual ornithologists, given that you are feeding appropriately (eg sunflower seeds, not bread crumbs, kind of thing) it does no harm and may do a bit of good in times of stress. Clean water is equally and sometimes more important. I'll not argue about the ecological soundness or lack thereof of the bird seed industry as a whole - but frankly, unless you're cobbling your own shoes from leather-providing animals that you raised on your native pasture; and are weaving your own cloth from the fiber you spun from your own flock of sheep or from the flax you grew and retted yourself, then wove that on the loom you built from wood you cut down on your own wood lot; AND you are making your own pottery cookware from clay you dug yourself - I don't think there's really all that much to say on this issue. The environmental impact of manufacturing the computers we are all using to access this forum on the Internet, and the network of manufacturing, mining, and transportation that supports all that (not to mention terrible working conditions for the workers who assemble the things) almost doesn't bear thinking about - but in any case, the use of birdseed pales in comparison. OK, I'm being a bit facetious - but in the general scheme of things there are far worse things we do on a daily basis than buy a 50 lb bag of BOSS to feed the birds. Most of them involve our ubiquitous use of cars. The number one thing you can do to save the environment (and improve your health) is to leave the car home at every opportunity and walk or ride a bike to get around as much as is possible. This will, btw, also go a long way towards improving the general health of the birds as well. Cleaner air is good for us all!...See MoreBirds, Birds, Birds, oh my!
Comments (17)I'm glad your bird problem turned out to be seasonal but just in case you ever face this problem again (or any bird infestation problem) I thought it might be helpful to just mention a different angle on this. The problem is not that the birds are pooping (or whatever they're doing) in your pool. That is simply a symptom of your real problem: that your environment is attractive to birds. If you really want to keep birds from being destructive to your property you have to make it so that your land is a place they don't want to hang out on in the first place. There are a lot of different approaches to this but yes, stopping the food supply is one of them. Another would be the mylar balloons someone else mentioned up above. There are also specialized bird scare balloons with 'eyes' that follow the birds wherever they fly as well as holographic tape. These incorporate movement so they are usually more affective than static decoys. There are other senses to attack as well: taste/smell, touch, and hearing. Birds hate methyl anthranilate (a chemical derived from concord grapes that has long been used for grape flavoring)--it gives them a similar sensation to what we feel when we encounter bleach. This comes in commercially available sprays. Also, there are sticky gels, netting, or spike strips that keep birds from roosting on certain surfaces. Lastly, there are sound devices that utilize recordings of predators/distress calls that scare birds away. For a partially or fully enclosed area you could use an ultrasonic device as well (one that can't be heard by humans but is annoying to birds and bats). Make sure that you switch up whatever you use from time to time. If you use balloons, move the location (but always keep it near where the birds are nesting). If you're using a sound device change the interval between effects, try to randomize the effects being used. Also, using the products together in a synergistic way will create a more effective and longer-lasting reaction. I'm glad to hear that no one has mentioned killing or injuring the birds...don't do that. As mentioned before that would be reacting to the symptoms rather than truly solving the problem. Furthermore, it would be very easy to accidentally tamper with one of the MANY birds protected by the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 (and then you'd be in big trouble). Just a side note: be careful when cleaning up the bird poop. Birds can transmit over 60 diseases to humans. Some of them are fatal. Bird dropping particles can be unknowingly inhaled and lead to serious health problems. Good luck in your future bird encounters! Here is a link that might be useful: click for examples, case studies and FAQs about bird pest control...See More- 9 years ago
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You are very welcome, Pat. :)
Do you feed the birds the whole year? I usually feed them from November to April. In May I put my Hummingbird feeder out.
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First day of spring and I woke up to huge snow flakes! Crazy weather here in St. Louis, MO.
I took these pics this morning. I wanted to show some views from my kitchen table. I couldn't believe how many birds visited already today.
Cardinals and finches everywhere!!! I'm so excited to see the goldfinches back :)
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Today the male and female Cardinal came to the hanging teacup feeder and to the seed wreath. They also checked out my pot with pansies. :)
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Hello Royals fan, if you have pics, please show them here.
Royals fan and mrsshayne, funny, how your husbands feel neglected because of the birds. :)
Here are two of my favorite things - Pansies and Cardinals.
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Nice view.. but..
What's behind the jay????Closer look-
Blue jay flies away...
Ah, the lovely squirrel...
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Andrea Ontario, Canada - I finally got a picture of the bird bath lady my hubby brought me home a while back. When it's not raining, I fill it with a premium mix and BOSS. The blue jays love eating off this.
Hope all is well :)
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Mrsshayne, thank you for the pic of the bird bath lady. She is more beautiful than I imagined. :)
Photos from this week.
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Andrea - lovely pics, as always :)
Chickadees and goldfinches are my favorite smaller birds. I rarely see chickadees at my deck rail feeder so I have yet to get any decent pics :(
Here are a couple new ones. Not the greatest but you can see the bluejays enjoying the birdbath/feeder along with a Carolina wren on the deck.
Blurry pic below but one has a peanut
wren below
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Pat, I love mrsshayne's bird bath lady. She is more beautiful than I imagined.
mrsshayne, you are lucky to get so many Blue Jays. I only had a Blue Jay coming twice. The Wren is cute.
The Cardinals - male and female - come four or five times a day and the Black-capped Chickadees come very often too. The Chickadees even come when I'm outside - they are not shy at all.
Male and female Cardinal
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Andrea Ontario, Canada - great photos! Gosh, you really get some nice close ups. I just love how the bright red cardinal stands out in your pretty surroundings.
This morning I saw a northern flicker!!! Not the greatest pic but I was excited to see it :)
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mrsshayne, I never saw a Northern Flicker here. I, too, would be very excited to see one. :) Two weeks ago a Woodpecker came, but I was too slow to get the camera.
Today the Chickadees and the male and female Cardinal came. I was outside, and the male Cardinal was only 5 feet away. I could take photos of him being this close.
The other pics I took through my kitchen window.
I hope these are not too many pics - I can never decide which ones to show. :)
racetowin, thank you for starting this thread.
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You can never share too many pics Andrea ... well, unless Gardenweb stops you hahaha
I love seeing your pics so keep them coming.
I broke down and bought another caged feeder. These keep the blackbirds out. I'm hoping the small birds will appreciate it. When I buy sunflower hearts and peanuts - I buy the full sizes, so this morning I put a mix in a ziploc bag and took a hammer to it LOL.. My thought was, the little birds need smaller pieces so again, hopefully they appreciate my efforts. Below are some pics. I thought I would share some other aspects of "backyard birding" lol
After breaking down the bigger pieces then I added some millet and BOSS.
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I forgot to share these other pics!! I went to Seattle a couple weeks ago and I stressed about who'd feed the birds, so I did what any normal "birder" would do - I "bird prepped" lol... I made my mixes in advance, had bird feeders prefilled (ready to be swapped out when the others went empty) and then I made small daily mixes for my deck rail feeder. It all worked out great :)
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mrsshayne, what a great idea and also lots of work to prepare the bird food in advance. :)
The chipmunk discovered the plate and the jar with the sunflower seed.
The Robin came today.
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Our orioles and hummingbirds showed up this week. I don't have a hummingbird picture yet.
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Royals fan, I love the Oriole photo. He is the same orange color than the oranges. :)
The Hummingbirds will be here soon. I put my Hummingbird feeder out today.
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More Goldfinch photos. I have a nijer feeder, but the Goldfinches prefer to come to the teacup feeder with the sunflower seed.
The female jumped into the teacup. :)
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Today a Song Sparrow came.
The male and female Cardinals came too.
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catherinet, great idea, to give seed mix in a jar like mrsshayne makes for Christmas presents.
I make seed wreaths in December and give them to my friends for Christmas. They love them. Here is one I made last Christmas for a friend.
The Goldfinch jumped into the teacup feeder. :)
Male and female Goldfinches
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catherinet, I also made mini seed wreaths for Christmas presents and for me. :)
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Man, I have been MIA for a while. You guys posted some great pics!!
Andrea, I love seeing the chipmunk and bright yellow finches. I finally saw some yellow finches the other day, but they haven't been staying around for long. My thistle feeder barely gets touched and I bought fresh seed too.
Ok, it's time for me to make some wreaths or suet - Yours have inspired me!!!! Hopefully soon! The birds are eating like crazy right now so I know they would be a huge hit!
Andrea, I almost bought that same looking hummingbird feeder the other day. I just wasn't sure if I was ready for "hummingbirds" though lol - I feel like I have so much going on feeding the other birds.. I just don't know if I should take on more...
PLUS>>>> yesterday was my birthday and my dad surprised me with a HUGE bird house that is anchored to a tree!!! Now, I love feeding the birds, but I don't know if I want to house them too!!! LOL.. But I have to put this bird house in the backyard.. This will be a new journey. I'll try to post pics. My hubby has to dig a hole and pour concrete because the birdhouse is so big!!! YIKES!! My dad was driving one day and saw this thing on the side of the road - some guy makes them locally.
Royals fan-MO6a - I love the Oriole pics!! Thanks for sharing!
catherinet - hahaha yes I like the idea of giving out bird seed mixes around Christmas.. it's cold out and the birds will certainly enjoy it!! Oh, and we'll save some calories ourselves hahaha
---------------------------------------------------------okay here's a sneak peak of the bird house.. I'm telling you this sucker is huge.
Hubby carrying it in-
Below is a different bird house that the same guy made. This isn't the one I have. It's just an example of his work. My bird house has a lot brighter colors.. I may tweak that some day hahahaha...
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Chipmunk at teacup feeder. :)
Robin having a bath. :)
Goldfinch collecting nest material from my hanging basket's coco liner.
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Andrea, your pictures are always so great. Here are my hummers...a very blurry male and a clearer female. Meg
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