Wildlife

My wife and I live 35 miles South of Houston. We live on Dickenson Bayou. In the winter we have many migratory birds. It is very wet here.
My wife likes to use me as a bird feeder, placing Almond slivers on my cap for the Jay's to eat.
We have thousands of trees of many varieties. Also hundreds of flowers, wild and otherwise.
We like it here but it is raining again as I write.
We have 3 ponds, 2 for water lilies and a large one for fish.
Our year round birds are Cardinals, Mocking birds, 4 kinds of doves, Woodpeckers, thousands of Ibis around the area, Great Blue Herrons, Little Blue Herrons, Roseate Spoonbills, Great Egrets, Snowey Egrets, Cattle Egrets, and more.

Very cool. When I am gardening the jays come and screech at me until I go into the house and get peanuts and place them on the platform feeder. I have never tried on my hat, however. I have watched them and they bury the peanuts just like squirrels. I find them all over the garden when I am planting. I've never tried almonds. They must love that.

Nice to meet you, trois! That's a great picture. You outta send it into Birds & Blooms... I bet they'd put it in the magazine!

Thanks. The birds are fun, but we have other things. My son pets a Possum. Squirrls eat from our hand. The Cardinals peck on the window when the feeder gets low.

Thanks. The birds are fun, but we have other things. My son pets a Possum. Squirrls eat from our hand. The Cardinals peck on the window when the feeder gets low.

A juvie cardinal sunbathes on the feed platform.

Such great pictures!!! I just "liberated" two Jay babies,lol. They are a real hoot! God must have a sense of humor to have made a bluejay!

We just discovered a Red Bellied Woodpecker is nesting in the dead Tallow tree we left for the woodpeckers. We can hear her pecking while on the nest, just slow. When we were getting a little closer to check it out, she stuck her head out and watched us. We did not get closer.

How sweet!! LOL- Y'all take some great pictures!

trois, you live in a bird watchers paradise, how do you get anything else done? the baby is a delight? He could fly? Looks so helpless.

The Jays used to bang on the porch rail to let me know the feeder I had there (piece of board) was empty of sunflower seeds, wasn't interested in the flaxseed I'd put out for the wee ones.

You keep going to the same spot [not often] no closer and she will let you get more of these great pics. pls post em.

I got weekends off when I was working. I get no time off now that I have retired. We have hacked a small homestead out of the jungle here. leaving most of it intact for the critters.

It is busy, but fun.

Trois

Looks like you make a *great* birdfeeder ! LOL

Great photos, troix... and Welcome to DG!

Enjoyed the photo's! And 'Welcome' to DG!

The young Cardinal can fly. It is a male. Their feathers are colored like a female until they mature, otherwise,the male beats them up.

The following is a nighttime visitor operating in stealth mode.
We call him Pogo for some reason.

This Cardinal follows me around when I go on my morning walk. He stays about 20 feet away.

Sad but sort of funny, he and his lady just weaned a couple of Brown Headed Cowbirds.

They proudly brought them to our window box for about half a day yesterday. Then the Cowbirds left.

Our other regular nightime visitor is this racoon. He will eat anything, and kill any of our feathered friends left unprotected.

The plus side, he also eats all Yellow Jacket nests, pulling it off so fast they jackets don't know what happened. We have watched this a couple of times. He eats paper and all.

Great pictures! The Cardinals are very timid here. I had a rose breasted grossbeak stop by yesterday. I never see them here... I hope he'll come back.

These are great photos..just love the birds.. you do make one great birdfeeder. We have lots of birds here, but I can't tell you one from the other. There have been a couple of wild parrots and wild parakeets around here. Anyway, just wanted to say your pictures are nice.

Are cowbirds like our Cuckoos? Great pictures!

We have Cuckoos also and they also kick out other birds eggs and get their own raised by other birds. The Cuckoos are about twice the size of a cowbird. I guess they are self limiting or they would run out of foster parents.

Great thread - thanks trois - and WELCOME TO DG :D

Thanks. Will seek out more wildlife photos and post. I have over 4000 photos in my computer so it takes a while.

Trois

You'd get a faster download time if you archived them with a storage medium. CD-roms, or a portable hard disk probably. Good thread!

My problem is poor phone lines. We live at the end of a bad line. No high speed is available here yet. I may have to go StarBand.

This morning the woodpeckers were talking to each other (trilling). The one on the outside was not as worried by me as before.

Trois

This is a second picture I was able to get. They continued trilling inside, answered by outside.

Welcome to DG, Trois. I've enjoyed these pictures!

I pushed my luck one more time. I am starting to think he is a ham.
Trois

This message was edited May 19, 2004 4:12 PM

Thank you Gardenwife. It is nice to have people to share things with, and to ask information from.
Trois

TROIS, These are amazing pictures. Thank you so much for shareing them. By the way, wasn't POGO a Possum in a cartoon strip some years back? He lived in the Okeefenokee Swamp. Best I can remember he always sang a Christmas carol: "Deck the halls with Boston Charlie, fa la la la la, la la la la" Oh dear, guess I'm telling my age...AGAIN! LOL
Pati

Glad I'm not the only one who remembers Pogo!

Am I old, or what? It seems like yesterday to me.
Trois

This message was edited May 19, 2004 4:44 PM

Life's sure funny. I can remember the words to Pogo's Christmas carol and what I had at my fifth birthday party, but I walk into the next room and have to stop and wonder what I went there for! Ah, those senior moments. LOL
Pati

I know those Senior moments well.

Trois

What fabulous pictures of your woodpecker. For a few more woodpecker pictures, take a look at the thread http://davesgarden.com/t/430682/ ignoring the (no pix) in the title.

The Woodpeckers have taken their young one and left. I was not sure how many they would have, but at least this time, just one.

Trois