Backyard bird watching

[spence]

Originally Posted by basswipe

One of my pond pump hoses froze.Its damn good policy to run two smaller pumps in your filter than one larger one.

My guess is that when I plugged my deicer it was to much for the circuit and tripped the GFI and the more shallow of the two buried hoses froze.Can't figure out why this didn't happen the last two Winters.
Nothing new has been intro'd to the circuit.

A re-route of the heater cord fixes the heat issue.Hopefully we get some warmer weather soon.

Mine is still running, but I left my net over the pond which caused the entire thing to really ice up in this cold weather. Also, my heater died so I had to get another today before the storm.

Pump is still going. About 95% of the pond, stream and waterfall are covered with ice...but it's still cranking underneath...which is pretty cool.

When I unfroze the bad heater today a few fish swam up to say hello, the water underneath wasn't even that cold. Assuming a lot of snow will melt into it and chill the water down a lot this weekend.

-spence

[basswipe]

Originally Posted by spence

Mine is still running, but I left my net over the pond which caused the entire thing to really ice up in this cold weather. Also, my heater died so I had to get another today before the storm.

Pump is still going. About 95% of the pond, stream and waterfall are covered with ice...but it's still cranking underneath...which is pretty cool.

When I unfroze the bad heater today a few fish swam up to say hello, the water underneath wasn't even that cold. Assuming a lot of snow will melt into it and chill the water down a lot this weekend.

-spence

My boys are still pretty active considering the amount of ice.The deicer and moving water are huge in that respect.Having two pumps was the best advice I was given.

[basswipe]

Nice pics Prof.

Had a crap load of Chicadees today.They even hung out with me while I was screwing around with the pond.

[justplugit]

This is a pic of the one legged woodpecker I took this morning.
Right leg is missing, I'm sure he is happy having the suet to eat.
Pic not that clear as i had to take it through the window.

[Raven]

Originally Posted by justplugit

This is a pic of the one legged woodpecker I took this morning.
Right leg is missing, I'm sure he is happy having the suet to eat.
Pic not that clear as i had to take it through the window.

you should pop that suet outta the plastic tray because the softer
easier to eat side is on the bottom ....

and yeah that bird looks like it was born without it.

[basswipe]

With all the rain and warm temps the other pump is no longer frozen.

Now that the rain is done the birds are back with a vengeance today.

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Raven

you should pop that suet outta the plastic tray because the softer
easier to eat side is on the bottom ....

Rav, i only leave one side open as it prevents the sparrows from ploishing it off in a day.
The good guys know how to hang on the open side and it will last a week or more.

[Raven]

i don't have a single common Sparrow

i have several red finches
a couple of song sparrows
(with the white and black striped heads)
also known as fox sparrows
quite a few cardinals mostly female
a wolf pack of blue jays(man do they eat)
20 or so Juncos
two morning Doves
and a wild grey cat that wants to eat them

around fifteen wood Peckers-
Hairy, Downies and Red Bellies and Nut hatches

typically around 50 birds live on my deck
i have 1/2 round bark Quonset hut's shelters
taken from logs i burn as they peel and or fall off

the 4x4 cube of suet sits over an old bird house
with a slanted roof that catches the "droppings"
from the suet so the Juncos land there with GLEE

the house itself prolly an old bluebird design......
is stuffed with seed which when seed gets real low
entices only the most intelligent of the crew
to stick their head in the hole and feast away.

but my best idea is the thinly cut slab wood
screwed to the uprights attached to the railing
that gives the pecker heads a landing pad
where they line up for their turn at the suet.

the bark is what they love because its perfect traction!
one thin strip of bark (about 2 inches wide)
i have screwed to
the outside of the slider to the deck so i can
watch the smaller downies from just 16 inches away.

the Barn cat who's almost as fat as Garfield now
has a grand time watching the Action for hours on end.

[Raven]

i was rather Astonished to LEARN....

i was taking apart a bird house i had set up for
chickadees i had in there last year to clean it out

so i could re -use it ......at my new place...
anxiously wanting to see the type of nest they make

and what did i find... nothing but greenish yellow moss
the kind that grows on streamside rocks...

no grass or small sticks like a typical birds nest
it was as soft as a tempurpedic bed too.

[FishermanTim]

Certain birds prefer certain materials for nests.
I put out pieces of string, clumps of drier lint, cotton balls or anything that could be used to line a nest/birdhouse.
They will take whatever they can find.

As for Common Flickers, they are primarliy insect (ants) eaters.
Then again, ANY bird will eat suet during the winter because they ALL need fat/protein in their diet.

During the spring you should try sticking apple and/or orange halves in the same area where your feeders are. I stick mine on tree branches. These will attact the fruit eating birds. For me, it means Baltimore Orioles.

Nothing like hearing them fighting/squawking over nesting territory, an seeing those bright orange kamikazi's whizzing around the neighborhood. They are loud and fast, plain and simple.