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Archive through April 20, 2006

The TVClubHouse: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan. 2007 ~ Mar. 2007: Hairball Haven: Birds (ARCHIVES): Archive through April 20, 2006 users admin

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Urgrace
Member

08-19-2000

Saturday, October 08, 2005 - 5:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Urgrace a private message Print Post    
Phooey diddle, the ruby throats have disappeared today. It must be due to the cold front that came in. Glad I managed to get some pictures of the three regulars.

Urgrace
Member

08-19-2000

Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 4:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Urgrace a private message Print Post    
Finally uploaded the hummer pictures ~

rubyth

rubythroat

rubyfem

Kristylovesbb
Member

09-14-2000

Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 8:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kristylovesbb a private message Print Post    
Ugg preening Shanya

Ugg preening Shayna

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Friday, December 09, 2005 - 4:14 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
So many birds and animals coming to the feeders again now that it's cold and snowy. I love to watch and listen to them - although I feel bad knowing how shivery they must be!

Cablejockey
Member

12-27-2001

Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 5:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cablejockey a private message Print Post    
What do robins eat besides worms? I see the poor birds that wouldn't or couldn't fly south in the awful cold we've been having. I'd like to feed them something.

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 5:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
On tv they were suggesting you take your old apples and tie to tree for the birds to eat. Haven't tried it yet...we are really going thru the bird seed now. Poor little things sit in the trees all puffed up.

We are going to have to go get the cat traps again. The feral cats are trying to catch the birds. I love cats but I feel these poor wild cats are better off at PAWS.

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Friday, December 16, 2005 - 11:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
Cablejockey: Here's some info about robins -

~ Attracting Robins

Like the bluebird, the American robin is in the thrush family. The robin comes to our yards during the warmer months to build a nest and raise young. Often thirsty, it makes frequent use of bird baths for drinking and bathing.

Robins are not seed-eating birds. They feed on earthworms, their favorite food. They will eat from a bird table or at feeders with trays offering cut up raisins soaked in water, suet, suet mixtures, peanut butter mixtures, peanut hearts, cut up currants, pecan meats, sliced pears, strawberries, cherries, cottage cheese, and pieces of American cheese. They will also eat cooked plain spaghetti, doughnuts, white bread and cornbread.

If you have robins in your area and a sudden snowstorm comes up, the best thing you can do for them is to take a shovel and dig up a section of earth, turning over the soil to allow the robins to get worms. Raw hamburg, American cheese, and cooked spaghetti can also be offered at this time. Mealworms, available at pet stores and from the Duncraft catalog, are also appreciated.

Robins will use a nesting shelf in which to build their nest. This shelf can be attached to the side of a barn, garage, or under the eaves of a house, etc., but should be near a garden area or place where the birds can get mud, as the female lines the nest with mud by smearing it on the inner bowl with her breast. They breed from April to July in the Northern areas. They will have two or three broods.

Attracting Robins


~ Q: How can we help robins from starving when they first come back and there is still snow on the ground? What do they eat?

A: Robins follow the 37-degree isotherm, and so they have to be pretty sturdy, since in a great many places, there are ice storms and blizzards associated with early spring. Robins are large enough, and can have enough body fat in late winter, to easily survive a few days of very bad weather. When they first return, as the ground is just barely starting to thaw and may still be snow-covered, they head for old crabapples and any berries still remaining.

Robins are not usually feeder birds, and most of them don't have a clue that anyone would offer food in a bird feeder. But some do figure it out. I get robins at my feeders when I offer mealworms (I just put the mealworms in a bowl in my window feeder). They also sometimes figure out that feeders can have fruits. They particularly like grapes, raisins, strawberries and blueberries. If you buy frozen berries, don't heat them in the microwave to thaw them-simply set out the frozen fruits so they can thaw slowly (or stay frozen-if it's that cold outside, robins expect their food to be frozen!) and they won't lose all their juices. Don't feel bad if you can't get "your" robins to notice the feeders-they really do have enough fat to survive, and if they get hungry in a cold spell, they head back south again for a few days.

Answers from American Robin expert

~ Also, yesterday in the Christmas thread I posted some info about foods you can put out for birds and wildlife.

Cablejockey
Member

12-27-2001

Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 5:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cablejockey a private message Print Post    
Thanks for all those ideas Calamity--wow spaghetti, who would have thought, and frozen fruit, sounds good.

Calamity
Member

10-18-2001

Wednesday, March 08, 2006 - 12:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Calamity a private message Print Post    
Last winter was the snowiest on record in my area. This winter has been the warmest. We're definitely seeing more extreme weather patterns.

Sunday I spotted the first groundhog of the year at a ground feeder. Starting to see some migrating flocks too. So spring is coming.

I didn't know if anyone participated in this...
The Great Backyard Bird Count

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Thursday, March 23, 2006 - 8:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
Ocean Shores, WA where we live, is a wildlife sanctuary and a stopping place for thousands of migratory birds. Right now there are courting mallards where ever you go. They hardly move out of the way for people. If all these suckers produce progeny...we are going to be over run with ducks. But there are coyotes and bald eagles to keep the population down I guess.

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 9:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
We have dog teams going up and down the shoreline now to run off the Canadian geese. Which, why? They're not overruning the place or anything. The mallards ignore the dogs. The mallard hens are running the place right now, with the drakes jockeying for their attention. Looking forward to new babies to corn this spring. Hans, Gertrude and the boyfriend are back. She is the Marilyn Monroe of the lake. Colossus is considering renaming them Marilyn, Joe and Arthur. We had TWO great blue herrons fly overhead last night, which was very cool. The old herron nest across the lake is flooded right now though, I hope that doesn't drive them off. They are so much fun to watch fish in the summer. Anyway, slowly but surely spring is showing up on the lake.

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Saturday, March 25, 2006 - 9:42 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
There is a strict leash law for dogs here but there is an overpopulation of feral cats. They are horrible for the birds. There are even pheasants here...we just saw a gorgeous cockpheasant strutting along the road. But these wild cats will eat any thing they can catch. The coyotes and bald eagles are natural predators.

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Saturday, April 01, 2006 - 9:33 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
Our yard is full of yellow finches this morning. What a treat to look out our window and see them.
Two days ago there was a red and black hummingbird so DH got out the their feeders. Also a pair of mallards have moved into the back yard. When the girls (our dogs) go out the mallards just fly to the roof of the shed and wait for the dogs to go back in. They are eating the spillover seed out of the bird feeders. The red winged blackbirds are such messy feeders.

Spring is here!!

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Saturday, April 01, 2006 - 10:26 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Supergranny, have you named your mallard couple yet? We have a pair of cardinals that live in a bush right off our deck. I named the female Claudia Cardinale and Colossus named the male Cardinal Richelieu. A very continental pair, so it seems. Also, we saw one of the beavers that live under our dock for the first time this year - I think it was the redheaded floozy, it didn't appear to be big enough to be that volkswagon-sized male who's lived here for a couple of years. She was doing a very slow backstroke back and forth in front of us and basically giving us the finger. It would be nice if they left the trees alone this year. We have not seen the loons yet this year, I hope they come back. Otherwise, there's alot of very happy twittering going on outside.

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Saturday, April 01, 2006 - 11:10 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
Goddess, can I come visit. I just adore wildlife. Sounds like you live in Eden.

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Saturday, April 01, 2006 - 11:17 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Ophelias, you can come by anytime. We do have a little piece of paradise here and just turned down an opportunity to move to a much larger home because it wasn't on a lakefront. Believe me, it took some discussing because we really need the space and the new house is beautiful. But giving up the wildlife was impossible for both of us. It's very peaceful and there's always something interesting going on right outside our windows. We decided we'd rather keep our stuff in storage than give up the lake LOL.

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Saturday, April 01, 2006 - 11:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
I don't blame you one bit. Why have a bigger, newer, prettier house if you're bored to death in it. What price wildlife?

Supergranny
Member

02-03-2005

Sunday, April 02, 2006 - 8:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Supergranny a private message Print Post    
Goddess..what a great place you live at! We have not named our mallards and I am very impressed with your cardinals names. I can never think of ones that good. I know a frenchie female who the breeders named Wanda Fuca. After the Straits of Juan de Fuca. I thought that was so clever too.

There are lots of deer here. One big doe, that trims our bushes in front, looks like she is about to drop her fawn any time. I love it when they bring the babies around.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Friday, April 07, 2006 - 4:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
I'm in an urban area -- suburb of Chicago. What with the unusual winter weather we've had for a few years, seeing robins in the area all (?) winter.

Couple of years ago, robins built a nest in a tree just a little off my second floor condo balcony. I was able to see one of the babies take its first flight! Aaaaaaaaw!!!

My neighbor below me (ground level) used to put out seeds in a bucket. Have a pic of a mallard and a rabbit goin' at the seeds together on the cement patio. Don't see that often.

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 3:15 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Duckling alert!! Eleven little peepers came to see me with their mom last night. Colossus took pictures which I'll post when they're developed. I wasn't expecting ducklings for maybe another month. It was a real treat.

Lancecrossfire
Animoderator

07-13-2000

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 7:42 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lancecrossfire a private message Print Post    
Great news Goddess! Looking forward to the pictures. I hope you and Colossus have been doing well.

Grannyg
Member

05-28-2002

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 12:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Grannyg a private message Print Post    
Yay!!! New stories! Can't wait to read them and can't wait to see new babies! Give my man a great big hug and kiss!! Ya'll really need to come see me again. Anything happening that's close to me?

Goddessatlaw
Member

07-19-2002

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 12:36 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Goddessatlaw a private message Print Post    
Nothing soon, Grannyg, but we always look for opportunities. We're actually heading north to Mackinaw Island in the middle of May. We may have some new projects coming up in Tennessee - I'll keep you posted. Miss you much!! Hi, Lance - we've been doing great just busy out of our minds and having to cobble together a couple of days here and there that we can hope to travel. Hope you and Lottaluv are doing wonderfully, also.

PS a massive muskrat crawled out of the lake in front of my deck this morning and taunted me. Freaked me out and I've been cursing The Captain and Tennille ever since.

Native_texan
Member

08-24-2004

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 12:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Native_texan a private message Print Post    
For the last probably 3 years we've had a woodpecker that loves the utility pole across the street. The first time I heard him it took me almost all day to figure out where and what the sound was. He goes at it literally for hours at a time. I noticed he was back a couple of weeks ago. I had never realized they were so loud. My parents live a couple of streets over and while I realize there are several poles between our houses and probably more than one woodpecker, I swear it's our Woody that you can hear at their house.

Goddess, wasn't you that had a nest in your boat a while back? I thought about it when my sister showed me pics of their boat nest but I haven't heard if they have hatched yet.

Yankee_in_ca
Member

08-01-2000

Thursday, April 20, 2006 - 12:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Yankee_in_ca a private message Print Post    
Yay, Goddess!!! No ducklings up here in our lagoon yet, but I don't think we've hit spring up here yet...