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Birds (ARCHIVES)

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: 2005 Dec. ~ 2006 Feb.: Hairball Haven: Birds (ARCHIVES) users admin

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Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Wednesday, August 03, 2005 - 11:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yankee_in_ca a private message Print Post    
Still 9 cheepies today.

Saxywildcat
Member

05-30-2005

Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 4:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Saxywildcat a private message Print Post    
Yankee, those duck photos are awesome!

My mom has several birds that come to feed at her feeders.. I may have to try to get some shots sometime.

Seamonkey
Member

09-07-2000

Thursday, August 04, 2005 - 11:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Love the pics of the ducke, Yankee!!

Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 8:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yankee_in_ca a private message Print Post    
OK, here's a new picture of 6 of the cheepies that my dh took:

cheepies on a rock

Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Saturday, August 06, 2005 - 8:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yankee_in_ca a private message Print Post    
AND, I've been delaying an announcement (partly because I didn't think anyone would care), but there are actually 10 ducklings. We noticed it a few days ago -- we had been mis-counting. And there are still 10 as of today.

Ddr
Member

08-19-2001

Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 4:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ddr a private message Print Post    
I care! Yay for 10 duckies!!! Your hubby takes the best pics!

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Sunday, August 07, 2005 - 8:49 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
How cute...I love the baby ducks!


Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 6:59 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Look at those sweet little faces. Thanks for the pictures, Yank. Your husband does some fantastic work.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 10:49 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
So cute and yes, he takes great pictures!!

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Wednesday, August 10, 2005 - 6:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Yank, I'm looking closer at the picture of the six sweet-peas, did your DH edit it? The composition and clarity are just amazing, with the reflection in the pool and the position of the ducklings. Does he do nature photography for a living? If not, he needs to consider adding it as a sideline. Truly, that's a beautiful, beautiful picture. If you don't mind my asking, what kind of camera and lens did he use for the pictures?

Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Saturday, September 03, 2005 - 8:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yankee_in_ca a private message Print Post    
Oh, GAL, I just now saw your note above. No, that was a raw photo taken by DH on the spur of the moment -- just a quick hand-held shot. He doesn't do nature photography for a living, but as you know, he is a photographer -- all documentary-style. He's just very talented, is all! :-)

He has two professional camera bodies -- one is a Nikon D2X and a D1X. I just asked him, and he took the photo with a 70-200 F2.8 Nikon lens.

He's good, isn't he?! :-)

And by the way, ALL TEN CHEEPIES are still here and around!!!!!

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - 9:01 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    


This guy (or his cousin) just came up, held onto the window sill and looked in at me. He and some of his relatives are still cavorting about outside.

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - 12:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
He - or she - is beautiful! Is that a Steller's Jay? We don't have them here, only Blue Jays (of whom I am very fond and have never understood why so many people consider them to be nuisances).

I've had a few unfamiliar migrating birds pass through my yard already this season.

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - 12:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Yes, Calamity, it is a Steller. We used to have all scrubs, but over the last couple of years these guys have moved in.

I feed several neighborhood cats outside. These blue robbers are a hoot to watch sideling up to the cat bowl and stealing the food. They are ultra-cautious and even spook themselves by their own reflections in the patio doors. However, they still manage to get away with all the left over cat food.

Cinnamongirl
Member

01-10-2001

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - 1:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cinnamongirl a private message Print Post    
We get alot of Stellar Jays for the summer....They are so beautiful AND very very smart. Fun to watch.

blue robbers! hehe

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - 11:53 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
I get a kick out of watching how Blue Jays pick up peanuts-in-the-shell, shaking each one. I'm sure they're testing to find the freshest and heaviest peanuts!

I used to take my hummingbird feeder down on the first of September but I read that wasn't necessary and it fact it would be helpful to migrating hummers to leave it out. So far, still having visitors here.

I love watching & listening to migrating flocks of birds.

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - 6:03 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
We are very fortunate to have the yellow finches here. My husband has about 4 of the feeders up for them. He takes my old pantyhose and fills full of thistle and hangs on hooks. There will be 5 or 6 hanging on that nylon digging out the thistle. This is the 2nd year we have been here so we did not see this happen the first year...but this year we saw the parents bringing the young ones and showing them where the table was set. They are so cute, an olive color right now and huge big eyes. Anyhow now we are not seeing the adults, but the babies are still here. If the food is running low they will come up on the deck and look at us. My question is? Are we going to be stuck babysitting all winter? How can we go South for a couple of months if we are responsible for feeding these guys?

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Thursday, September 15, 2005 - 1:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    


Just for sweet. This is a black neck baby swan hitching a ride on his daddy's back.

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Thursday, September 15, 2005 - 1:15 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
Supergranny: Are they babies, for sure? Male goldfinches will lose their warm weather bright yellow feathers in the fall and winter so that they more closely resemble females and fledglings.

If they are young ones, it's a bit late in the year for them! I hope the parents are okay because most northern goldfinches migrate south for the winter. Although I do sometimes see one or a few at my feeders during the cold months.

Do you have any neighbors who put out stuff for the birds (and/or wild critters)? The birds who stay will find their feeders so they should be okay.

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Thursday, September 15, 2005 - 1:17 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
OG: Gorgeous!!! Our company's namesake/emblem is a swan.

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Thursday, September 15, 2005 - 8:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
We have been watching the parents bring the babies to the feeders all summer, sometimes the babies would just flutter from branch to branch. They are full sized but you can still tell they are the young ones. We do have some finches stay the winter here too. and it looks like these younguns' are not going south! Also the adults have always been skittish when people are on the deck but not these young ones...they stay right on the feeders! They are so precious..

Urgrace
Member

08-19-2000

Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 7:27 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Urgrace a private message Print Post    
Thanks Owl and Sea! Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. The Hummingbirds finally started using the feeder and now we have at least five that use it. One shiny green male is very aggressive and likes chasing the others, but while he is busy there is at least one female, one other darker green male and a tiny (juvenile perhaps or different breed) one that sneaks over while the aggressive one is busy. We've been busy keeping up with filling the bottle now.

Since we are in the south below the snow line, does anybody know if these hummers might here for the winter or just cruising through?

Urgrace
Member

08-19-2000

Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 11:01 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Urgrace a private message Print Post    
Well my curosity got me and so I looked up the hummers that feed here. Turns out one kind is from Mexico and south except for a small portion of south Texas and North Carolina. It is the green-breasted-mango (like this one) and we have males and green..mango

females. The juvenile one, about 2 3/4 inches long, is a ruby-
throat (like these)
ruby-humhumruby

We have had a lot of fun watching them the past two weeks!

Theowl
Member

09-28-2000

Saturday, September 17, 2005 - 11:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Theowl a private message Print Post    
Wow Gracie!! I finally got my nose out of the BB thread, and here you are!! I owe you a BIG e-mail, and I'll do it soon.

I wish I could see better to tell you what colors my hummingbirds are. They are the most entertaining critters I've ever watched. We still have about 20-25, sometimes all at the same time and I love washing dishes (I think I'm the only person in the world without a dishwasher) and watch them fight and come to my window to say "HI". There were a few day when I thought they were slowing down, but I just gave them fresh "food", and they came back with a vengence. Maybe somehow it wasn't sweet enough for them. I am looking for them to start slowing down in the next couple of weeks, but with our temp staying in the mid 80's, maybe it'll be a longer season.

I bet Kip is really loving it. Give him a big hug for me, and I'll get back to you soon!!

Urgrace
Member

08-19-2000

Friday, October 07, 2005 - 5:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Urgrace a private message Print Post    
Our green breasted mangos flew the coop just before Hurricane Rita hit the coast, but we now have three of the ruby throated hummers. One is very tiny, I think it may be the same one as before. One is slightly larger - longer, and one has a very thin body, neck and tiny head and is duller in color, probably a female. They all come very close and hover in while I am hanging a new batch of nectar, then must test every flower!