Backyard bird watching

[PRBuzz]

Sharp shined just dined on what looked like a junko. Video cam was out but not looking in right direction.

[2na]

Anyone else ever see one like this? She made it through her 1st winter, probably blended in!

[Chris in Mass]

Wonderbread...

[mekcotuit]

Originally Posted by 2na

Anyone else ever see one like this? She made it through her 1st winter, probably blended in!

I showed these photo to a friend of mine who is a professor of biology at UMaine and her specialty is birds. (she travels world over studying different kinds) here is what she said:

wow! no, actually, I think it is a male...the bills seems too red to be a female. It may be a 'mosaic' of male and female parts (gynandromorph!)- a genetic/developmental condition where parts of the body develop one way or the other. Usually if birds have white feathers where they should'nt, they tend to have much more of it than this bird! And the non-white parts look like a mix of male and female. Where were photos taken?? good spotting on the photographers part!

[2na]

Mek, thanks for the 411. Come to think of it, it was whiter and more female looking up to a couple of weeks ago.

Johnny, Ocean State is a good place for cheep seed (and those 'squirrel proof' feeders are $10 a pop, good deal), but watch out for thistle. As a kid my mom had thistle feeders and some of the seed took. Stepping barefoot on a thistle is not something you'll forget. I mix black sunflower with millet, Ocean State is/was somewhere around $20 for 50 lbs of black sun.

For your suet, the best holders are those lobster trap bait bags that litter the beach. I've got a stash, want me to drop some by Dan's? I'm headed down this week (and only 3 weekends until I open the cottage and get my feeders there going!)

[Big D]

Mike what have you been feeding that bird. I hope its part of your genetic research to rid of us those f****** seals. Its really cool to see freaks of nature, plus get a picture.

[FishermanTim]

I wouldn't be too concerned about any seed taking hold unless they fall into an area where the birds can't get to it.
I agree with tube feeders (squirrel-proof if possible) and suet feeders.
As for seeds, I only put out two kinds. Black oil sunflower seeds for the larger birds and thistle for the smaller.
I would stay away from the "seed mixes" because those contain weed seeds. No,, the company isn't trying to put one over on you, it's just that one of the seeds included in these blends is millet, which is a weed in these parts.

I get a variety of suet mixes to see what they like best, but they like EVERYTHING, so it doesn't really matter.

A few more things to consider:
If you plan on putting up a few birdhouses, don't put them in the same tree as the feeders. Birds won't nest where they feed.
They may start a nest, but will abandon it once the area gets crowded with birds traffic.
As the weather gets warmer, you can also put out fresh fruit for the birds. Apple and orange halves speared on a small branch will do.
It works well for orioles when they arrive in a month or so.

One last suggestion would be to think about water, either a drinking or bathing setup. If you have a man-made pond, you would already know that birds NEED water as much as food.
Even a small bowl will do for thirty birds.

Good luck!

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by FishermanTim

I wouldn't be too concerned about any seed taking hold unless they fall into an area where the birds can't get to it.
I agree with tube feeders (squirrel-proof if possible) and suet feeders.
As for seeds, I only put out two kinds. Black oil sunflower seeds for the larger birds and thistle for the smaller.
I would stay away from the "seed mixes" because those contain weed seeds. No,, the company isn't trying to put one over on you, it's just that one of the seeds included in these blends is millet, which is a weed in these parts.

I get a variety of suet mixes to see what they like best, but they like EVERYTHING, so it doesn't really matter.

A few more things to consider:
If you plan on putting up a few birdhouses, don't put them in the same tree as the feeders. Birds won't nest where they feed.
They may start a nest, but will abandon it once the area gets crowded with birds traffic.
As the weather gets warmer, you can also put out fresh fruit for the birds. Apple and orange halves speared on a small branch will do.
It works well for orioles when they arrive in a month or so.

One last suggestion would be to think about water, either a drinking or bathing setup. If you have a man-made pond, you would already know that birds NEED water as much as food.
Even a small bowl will do for thirty birds.

Good luck!

Wow! Awesome tips. Thank you and everyone for the advice.

With the weather creeping a bit warmer, I think I'm going to head out to the shop this week and build some bird houses. We only have one or two trees in the yard and they're in the far back corner. Going to head to Home Depot and see what I can fasten up with steel poles to hold the feeders.

I'd like to put some water out for them but I'm concerned about standing water and mosquitoes.

[gone fishin]

Here is my resident hawk. He hangs around all winter.

[redcrbbr]

had a good size flight or redwings with a couple of grackles mixed in at the feeders this morning. may have one or two stragglers during the winter, a sign of spring to me when they start showing up in numbers.