Backyard Bird Watchers

#26
#26
Indigo Bunting for the last couple days. I'm sure everyone is thrilled

indigo_bunting_glamor.jpg
 
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#27
#27
Watching the birds at my feeder this winter, I notice for the first time bluebirds scrounging for bits of sunflower seed meal in the dish below the feeder. Anyone else have bluebirds visiting their feeders in similar fashion?

The scarlet finches are plentiful. Goldfinches are visitors that come and go with the weather changes. Chickadees dart in and grab seeds to hammer open in the nearby trees, as do white breasted nuthatches. The brown headed nuthatches have become scarce with the colder weather. Every now and then, red bellied woodpeckers will dart in, grab a seed, and hammer it open against the trees.

A few years ago, a couple of blue jays would grab seeds and hammer these open on tree branches, but not this year.

Below the feeder, dark headed juncos and sparrows will work the yard for bits of seed meal. It seems these are taking advantage of the way the scarlet fiches feed (messy eaters?).

Of course, every bird scatters when the cardinals thump down to graze the seeds I pour out onto the dish for them. :)
 
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#28
#28
Huge flock of robins and blackbirds in the yard. Assuming they came south from the snow and cold north of here.
 
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#30
#30
This time of year I have around 200-400, maybe more, Canada geese that feed on the lacrosse field behind the house. When they take off in mass you have a tendency to duck because the sounds from all those wings at once is quite loud.

Year round I have, blue birds, finch's, Rufous hummingbirds and crows.

I occasionally get a few thrush's, mallard ducks, bald eagles, cooper hawks, and sea gulls. Had a pair of mallards in my small back yard pond last spring.

Crows are probably my favorites, they are smart and get to know you. They recognize people and pass it on to the offspring as to who treats them good or bad.

I live next to a bird sanctuary (Delta Ponds, Eugene, OR) where you can find,

Greater White-fronted Goose __ Ross's Goose __ Canada Goose __ Cackling Goose __ Wood Duck __ Gadwall __ Eurasian Wigeon __ American Wigeon __ Mallard __ Blue-winged Teal __ Cinnamon Teal __ Northern Shoveler __ Green-winged Teal __ Canvasback __ Redhead __ Ring-necked Duck __ Greater Scaup __ Lesser Scaup __ Bufflehead __ Common Goldeneye __ Hooded Merganser __ Common Merganser __ Ruddy Duck __ Ring-necked Pheasant __ California Quail __ Common Loon __ Pied-Billed Grebe __ Western Grebe __ Double-crested Cormorant __ American Bittern __ Great Blue Heron __ Great Egret __ Green Heron __ Turkey Vulture __ Osprey __ Bald Eagle __ Sharp-shinned Hawk __ Cooper's Hawk __ Red-shouldered Hawk __ Red-tailed Hawk __ American Kestrel __ Merlin __ Peregrine Falcon __ Virginia Rail __ Sora __ American Coot __ Killdeer __ Greater Yellowlegs __ Lesser Yellowlegs __ Solitary Sandpiper __ Spotted Sandpiper __ Western Sandpiper __ Least Sandpiper __ Dunlin __ Long-billed Dowitcher __ Wilson's Snipe __ Mew Gull __ Ring-billed Gull __ California Gull __ Herring Gull __ Glaucous-winged Gull __ Common Tern __ Rock Pigeon __ Mourning Dove __ Eurasian Collared-Dove __ Western Screech-Owl __ Great Horned Owl __ Common Nighthawk __ Vaux's Swift __ Anna's Hummingbird __ Rufous Hummingbird __ Belted Kingfisher __ Lewis' Woodpecker __ Acorn Woodpecker __ Red-breasted Sapsucker __ Downy Woodpecker __ Hairy Woodpecker __ Northern Flicker __ Pileated Woodpecker __ Olive-sided Flycatcher __ Western Wood-Pewee __ Willow Flycatcher __ Hammond's Flycatcher __ Dusky Flycatcher __ Pacific-slope Flycatcher __ Black Phoebe __ Western Kingbird __ Cassin's Vireo __ Hutton's Vireo __ Warbling Vireo __ Red-eyed Vireo __ Steller's Jay __ Western Scrub-Jay __ American Crow __ Tree Swallow __ Violet-green Swallow __ Northern Rough-winged Swallow __ Cliff Swallow __ Barn Swallow __ Black-capped Chickadee __ Chestnut-backed Chickadee __ Bushtit __ Red-breasted Nuthatch __ White-breasted Nuthatch __ Brown Creeper __ Bewick's Wren __ House Wren __ Pacific Wren __ Marsh Wren __ Golden-crowned Kinglet __ Ruby-crowned Kinglet __ Western Bluebird __ Swainson's Thrush __ Hermit Thrush __ American Robin __ Varied Thrush __ Wrentit __ European Starling __ Cedar Waxwing __ Orange-crowned Warbler __ Nashville Warbler __ Yellow Warbler __ Yellow-rumped Warbler __ Black-throated Gray Warbler __ Townsend's Warbler __ MacGillivray's Warbler __ Common Yellowthroat __ Wilson's Warbler __ Yellow-breasted Chat __ Western Tanager __ Spotted Towhee __ Chipping Sparrow __ Lark Sparrow __ Savannah Sparrow __ Fox Sparrow __ Song Sparrow __ Lincoln's Sparrow __ White-throated Sparrow __ White-crowned Sparrow __ Golden-crowned Sparrow __ Dark-eyed Junco __ Black-headed Grosbeak __ Lazuli Bunting __ Red-winged Blackbird __ Western Meadowlark __ Brewer's Blackbird __ Brown-headed Cowbird __ Bullock's Oriole __ Purple Finch __ House Finch __ Pine Siskin __ Lesser Goldfinch __ American Goldfinch __ Evening Grosbeak __ House Sparrow
 
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#33
#33
I had red-winged blackbirds at a previous house, but there’s not enough open water near here.

I don’t put out feeders because:
1) bears
2) we have enough squirrels already
3) bears
4) the cat patrols the back yard
5) bears

We did have hummingbirds last summer, and I plan to plant more things to attract them.
 
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#34
#34
VolNExile said:
I had red-winged blackbirds at a previous house, but there’s not enough open water near here.

I don’t put out feeders because:
1) bears
2) we have enough squirrels already
3) bears
4) the cat patrols the back yard
5) bears

We did have hummingbirds last summer, and I plan to plant more things to attract them.
Click to expand...

LOL, so you have bears.... they can be a problem. I'd recommend keeping them out of the house... and generally don't make eye contact.
Hummingbirds love crocosmia and it's easy to maintain. They also love trumpet vines.
 
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#35
#35
golfballs said:
I have a Cooper’s hawk that likes to murder small rodents in my yard. Has killed a couple birds too.
Click to expand...

Yea Coopers can be a big problem for small animals. I use to live up in the mountains and my cats loved to sit in sunny windows. One day I had a Cooper fly into the window twice trying to get to my cats. Honestly I thought the window was going to break.
 
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#36
#36
GoDucks349 said:
LOL, so you have bears.... they can be a problem. I'd recommend keeping them out of the house... and generally don't make eye contact.
Hummingbirds love crocosmia and it's easy to maintain. They also love trumpet vines.
Click to expand...
I love crocosmia! Perfect!

Unfortunately, trumpet vines are crazy invasive around here and a good way to earn the undying hatred of neighbors. Same with cypressvine/ hummingbird vine. I do have trumpet honeysuckle though, which I hope will take off this year.
 
#37
#37
VolNExile said:
I love crocosmia! Perfect!

Unfortunately, trumpet vines are crazy invasive around here and a good way to earn the undying hatred of neighbors. Same with cypressvine/ hummingbird vine. I do have trumpet honeysuckle though, which I hope will take off this year.
Click to expand...
Pineapple sage should be available at garden centers. It doesn't bloom until late summer, but humming birds love it. Annual, does not reseed. Honey bees will cover it until a freeze gets it.
1612570826544.png1612570826544.png
 
#38
#38
Go aeiou said:
Pineapple sage should be available at garden centers. It doesn't bloom until late summer, but humming birds love it. Annual, does not reseed. Honey bees will cover it until a freeze gets it.
View attachment 348697View attachment 348697
Click to expand...
* scribbles madly *

I’m especially looking for vines or anything tall. Our elderly cat is no longer with us. She was no danger to anything other than a sunny patch on the deck, but the young cat I sort of inherited could definitely pull down a hummer low to the ground.
 
#39
#39
VolNExile said:
* scribbles madly *

I’m especially looking for vines or anything tall. Our elderly cat is no longer with us. She was no danger to anything other than a sunny patch on the deck, but the young cat I sort of inherited could definitely pull down a hummer low to the ground.
Click to expand...
Pineapple sage gets about 3 ft tall and 5 ft wide and is covered with blooms, but from the ground up.
I think about any plant will have at least a few low flowers.
Looks like a feeder might be in your future,
 
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#40
#40
I have pineapple sage in my yard, but it’s not on the south facing. By the time it blooms, only rare stragglers hum by it. The plant has been perinnial the past three years. I grow cypress vine on the corner of my front porch in a pot. I harvest the seeds and pull up any volunteers. It’s controllable this way. Hummers hit the giant zinnias that I’ve planted two years in a row.
 
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#41
#41
Tin Man said:
I have pineapple sage in my yard, but it’s not on the south facing. By the time it blooms, only rare stragglers hum by it. The plant has been perinnial the past three years. I grow cypress vine on the corner of my front porch in a pot. I harvest the seeds and pull up any volunteers. It’s controllable this way. Hummers hit the giant zinnias that I’ve planted two years in a row.
Click to expand...
If you don't mind me asking but where do you live?
 
#42
#42
Tin Man said:
I have pineapple sage in my yard, but it’s not on the south facing. By the time it blooms, only rare stragglers hum by it. The plant has been perinnial the past three years. I grow cypress vine on the corner of my front porch in a pot. I harvest the seeds and pull up any volunteers. It’s controllable this way. Hummers hit the giant zinnias that I’ve planted two years in a row.
Click to expand...
Good to know. And I didn’t realize that hummers like zinnias too. I figured that they would be more of a bug pollinator attraction.
 
#45
#45
Tin Man said:
I have pineapple sage in my yard, but it’s not on the south facing. By the time it blooms, only rare stragglers hum by it. The plant has been perinnial the past three years. I grow cypress vine on the corner of my front porch in a pot. I harvest the seeds and pull up any volunteers. It’s controllable this way. Hummers hit the giant zinnias that I’ve planted two years in a row.
Click to expand...
I also grow tall zinnias and climbing nasturtiums for humming birds. The nasturtiums bloom better in poor soil(little or no fertilizer).
 
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#47
#47
VolNExile said:
I saw one once while driving on Neubert Springs Road.

It was flying through shadows and beams of sunlight. One of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
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If you're near Knoxville. During the summer head to seven island state park and you will see a lot of indigo buntings
 
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