May 2011 + , Mid Atlantic Birds

Coming from here
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1163452/#new
we'll continue to entertain and educate each other with our bird observations.
This is my fabulous new birdhouse, given by sister and BIL.
I was very close to a wren in the shrubs yesterday but no camera on hand. Despite the house wrens bad reputation for nest savagery, I can't help but be entertained by their loud burbling call every spring. I also get the Carolina wren with the three syllable, three repeat kind of "teakettle, teakettle, teakettle" call.

Thanks for the new thread

Sure thing Crit!

I will "lurk" and post as needed.....Just have to keep on track....
Have NO bird photos to post.....at this time.

I mainly just lurk here. I am quite the amateur when it comes to birds. I like seeing all that you all post, and learning something. That way if one does show up in my yard, I know what it is. ^_^

Gita, if you want to chat, just holler at me. We'll scare up a room somewhere that is a hoot. (no pun intended)

Well yesterday I showed Lily and JR the house finch nest. There were 5 little eggs in there. Today there aren't 5 eggs anymore. There are 3 eggs and 2 tiny little baby birds.

Aw fun for the kidds!

Jamie came over tonight, Deb and JR came a bit later. Jamie was the first to notice and he also realized that I have a Wren nest. I have a cute little bird house on a post that Jamie gave me more than 10 years ago. I have never had a bird nest in it before. I just have it as a decoration in one of the flower beds. Not sure how many baby wrens are in the nest but at least 3 of them. Jamie put up my wood pecker box that he built for me as a Christmas present. I will have to post pics later.

Ain't Mother Nature grand????

My Gold Finches have stopped feeding at the Thistle Seed feeder....
They were so ravenous all early Spring.....What's up???? It just sits there....
Are they too busy with all the nesting and brooding????

I am going to just dump the Thistle Seed from the feeder in with the rest of my seed
and let it all go as needed....I "may" set up a small seed station during the summer...

I DO NOT generally feed the birds once Spring has sprung !
There is enough bugs and worms etc...for them to thrive on...

Gita

New pic's of baby birds.

There are 3 of them now.

Gita, I have had that happen, too. Finches all over the feeders and then gone. Not really sure why but it happens.
I think they are looking for mommy.

The Wren has it's nest in this bird box. I just hope that the cats that hang out in the yard don't find any of these nests.

new bird in my yard last three weeks. Now there are two. Best way to describe is dark navy blue/purple about size of cardinal. Best match so far is "Shiny cowbird" but never see them on the ground,,,

Hi, great threads on the birds, sallyg!! I "lurk" mostly, too. We have a lot of birds around here but I am not fast enough to get a good shot and they are usually flying back and forth. They also gather at the pond but their visits at this time are very short.

I'm hoping to see some of those big hawks again, and the hummers that flutter around the fragrant tall white hostas. I'll stalk them this summer

Coleup--that's a stunning bird. I don't know what it could be, either. I'll check my book.

coleup, compared to a grackle? sometimes they are very shiny. Haven't seen one THAT shiny blue tho.

Sally, the main characteristics of this bird I have seen eight times no is the deep navy blue color,(not black) not the "shiny", although there is a reflective quality to the feathers...

Definitely not a grackle smaller than a grackle. Also bill is not finch-like and along with the legs and feet are black. Eye is dark and intense. Flies in low and perches in trees 3 to 10 feet up. The second "companion" bird is also quite dark but more charcoal than blue/purple and a little lighter underneathe.

The shiny cow bird is a S American bird that is eratically making its way into Florida and northward as individuals not typical cowbird flocks.

Here's the best link I have found so far

http://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/identification?p_p_spp=672716

I keep thinking I won't see them again but then I do...Will be studying their songs and calls to see if that helps...

The pic I posted above was the first one googled and shows to my minds eye the colors I see upon sighting.

Well that's really interesting! Who knows what might blow up with all the wind we've had. It sounds like a 'pair' Great sighting!

Two years ago I kept hearing an unusual bird song. I did glimpse the bird go from one tree to another and confirmed that was the singer. I though it was an oriole but it didn't match any oriole songs I could find. Still not sure what it was.

I have a simple question----

My Gold Finches have totally stopped feeding on my Thistle seed....
I have both a Thistle feeder--and also a "sock" .

Both are still half-filled with seed--but no more takers....They have DISAPPEARED!
What's up? Is this normal? Busy with raising a family????

Do they only feed at the "hot" mating time? I sure had plenty of them feeding lately!!

If no finches are interested any more--I will just mix the remaining seed into my regular
Bird seed and I know someone will woof it down...

ALSO!!!! BRRRR....UGH!!!
The other day I saw a Rabbit carcase in one of my beds,
There was nothing but fur all over the place--and also sections of legs--with NO
meat on them....I am happy--as I have seen 4 mature rabbits running around here...
One less--may mean 10 less for the season...

What do you think got it???? A Hawk? Another meat-eater? like---who???
I think I will go for the Hawk--but can a hawk tackle a full-sized rabbit?

Thanks--Gita

I saw a young rabbit carcass yesterday--in my kitty's mouth.

AH, Poor baby bunny. That's nature for you. Kitty just doing what comes naturally. DD Jen has a bunny nest in her yard and her dog found it the other day. She found one in his mouth, too. She said it looked OK but the second one they took from him didn't.

I just figure my kitty took the place of a fox that probably lived here before all the houses.
OOPS! this wasn't birds! And I probably shouldn't defend my predator kitty on a birds thread...

Gita, not sure what happened to your gold finches. Mine also disappeared from the thistle feeder. There used to loads of them, but they stopped coming about a 10 days ago. I still saw a few last weekend, but the large crowd is gone :-(

Donner---

Perhaps their frenzied feeding coincides with the mating/nesting period....
That is all I can think about....

I am sure it will resume in late fall/winter, when they need to put on some fat...

Glad it is NOT just me!!! SO! It must be happening all over....???

Gita

Nope- my goldfinches still love me

Sally, maybe our birds went to a party at your feeder and decided to stay :-)

Here is a pic of a blue jay. They are beautiful birds, but they do scare away small birds. I wish they would just eat and leave so that smaller birders can feed, but they don't. They normally come in a small group. They hang around for a long time. Even when they are not eating, they swoop around the feeder. I think they are scaring off other birds intentionally.

Let's continue our bird adventures over here

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1186472/