Any bird feeders?

I saw a snowy egret

Tom Sawvell wrote:

Gold Finches like perch sticks if its a tube feeder yet will hang on those screen tube feeders as they do a sock type, but I suspect that the thistle seed got wet and birds won’t use thistle seed that’s gotten wet. The screen tube feeders are bad at letting rain and snow get to the seed. I use the clear plastic tube style feeders with <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>perch sticks and have all of them hung under pine boughs to help keep rain or wet snow from getting driven into them by wind. Its amazing how much rain can blow thru those little slots. Anyway, try dumping the seed out where other birds can find it and putting new seed in the feeder and re-hang it, maybe using a clear plastic cover?.

I bet this is what happened. I think I’ll try a new feeder with a cover and perches on it. Thanks for the info.

March 6th and today I have some male goldfinches on feeders that are starting to yellow up a little on the throats and upper breast areas and their lower backs between the wings. We had a ton of goldies here yesterday but with that ugly snow and wind about all I could see was that they were finches. I filled all of my thistle seed tubes yesterday before all this crazy weather descending down on us and today they need filling again. I have 4 thistle tubes out in front of the computer room window that have a total of 28 perches. Yesterday at the height of the storm every perch had a bird. How they stayed on the perches is beyond me. It blew so hard here that two of the tubes got hung up in pine boughs a foot above the tops of those feeders.

Its really fun and interesting to watch these colorful little birds go thru the color changes in the spring and again in the fall, especially when they are so close to the window. Chickadees don’t change much but they are tame and will hang on the window screen and catch bugs even if the window itself is open.

Mourning Doves have been hanging around all winter but Sunday we had maybe thirty of them working the feeders on the side of the driveway and Sunday also let us glimpse two male Red Winged Blackbirds that were hanging around by the stream banks behind the house. Early for them and this snow must be a rude change for them. lol They were both up on ,y peanuts feeders a short time ago. Spring must be a short ways off what with blackbirds here already and the finches doing the color change. Now if we could just get rid of this white stuff. Again.

I loved having a flock of brown goldfinches visiting the window feeder in the winter. Then in spring watching them turn gradually turn color and gradually get more territorial. After that it would be 2 pairs and it was on if they ever met at the feeder.

I wonder if redwings breed down here. I doubt it, but Jan – March on our walks it sounds like a pond in spring in Mn.

mid March
Going to get the bluebird houses closed up
and the duck boxes filled and closed this weekend.

eyekatcher wrote:

mid March
Going to get the bluebird houses closed up
and the duck boxes filled and closed this weekend.

Tiss the season! I think most, if not all, my Red-polls have started to leave the area. My thistle feeder hasn’t stayed this full in months. This week only about 1/3 of it has been eaten. All winter long they were eating a tube of thistle seed a day!! Of course, there were anywhere from 50-100 birds (red-polls) around each day to. Haven’t seen many this week. I also saw my first Robin in a while on Tuesday. Won’t be long and the pretty birds will be back and things will be greening up. I’m Ready!

We were on tour a bit on Tuesday and saw several bluebirds along the way.

The Downy, Hairy and Red-Breasted Woodpeckers keep me busy replacing suet blocks right now. I have two suet feeders in amongst the Thistle feeders, one a single cake and the other a two cake and both get fresh cakes of suet every other day. Thistle seed is being filled every day. We’ll start seeing transient birds any day now and that’s always fun seeing those that aren’t regulars.

The usual chickadees and finches today with some cardinals mixed today. Just picked up some suet for the woodpeckers so hopefully they’ll be back soon.

Finally got rid of the pesky red squirrel that has been knocking all my seed off the feeders to find whatever it is he likes. Won’t be living in my shed anymore either……

A gray one terminated his residence here today after absorbing some lead while hanging on a peanut feeder. That lead poisoning is tough on critters dining where they aren’t welcomed.

man wish i couls shoot here where i live……….there’d be rabbit stew! tree rats don’t bother me to much.

seen my first morning dove this morning!!!!!!!!

Couple of Roosters scratching around the Pine trees this morning.

I’m pretty certain I saw am Indigo Bunting this morning but couldn’t get to a camera fast enough. Very solid blue and definitely not a Blue Jay and not a Bluebird. I’m hoping it comes back around as I have things ready if it does.

glenn57 wrote:

man wish i couls shoot here where i live……….there’d be rabbit stew! tree rats don’t bother me to much.

seen my first morning dove this morning!!!!!!!!

I’m in the metro but I use a lower powered pellet gun. I also work nights so I can take them out when the neighbors are gone at work. I just sting the grey squirrels but I shoot to eliminate the reds. They try to get into everything…..

i know most you live way further south then me, but today i seen both a blue heron and killdeer!!!!! spring gotta be just around the corner.

saw the male a couple of days ago
saw the female hooded merganser leave the duck house today.
last year she hatched 11 of 12 eggs in the nest.

glenn57 wrote:

i know most you live way further south then me, but today i seen both a blue heron and killdeer!!!!! spring gotta be just around the corner.

That was probably just sunfish scales stuck on your eyeballs and after you’d had a few warm Phiefers or Hauensteins.

Tom Sawvell wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>glenn57 wrote:</div>
i know most you live way further south then me, but today i seen both a blue heron and killdeer!!!!! spring gotta be just around the corner.

That was probably just sunfish scales stuck on your eyeballs and after you’d had a few warm Phiefers or Hauensteins.

not while I was driving!!

Have a good Easter Glenn!

You to Tom!!

These guys know where you are keeping your bait. He followed me around surf fishing yesterday. By the way, I hate surf fishing.

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LOL Pug.

Ma and I did a winter trip to Pensacola a few years back and on one particular beach there was a blue heron that followed people begging for food. Guy fishing was using shrimp for bait and after landing a fish he’s switch out the shrimp and toss it up to the bird. That bird had learned that when he set the hook and began playing out a fish to run over and wait for his treat. It was hilarious.

I’ve never fished salt of any kind but I darned near rented an outfit for a morning just to try it. I didn’t but will the next time we get on the coast.

What kind or bird is that white one? I want to say a cattle egret but the bill looks too heavy.

It’s a snowy egret. Cattle egrets are similar but I think have shorter beaks and like a tan crown and near the top of the beak.

A lot of wading birds have it figured out. But they all are pretty harmless and actually are well behaved. Pelicans are another story. We fished cocoa peir several years ago and when a fish came over the rails, all of us fishing had to fend off the two pelicans.

Thanks for the ID Pug.

We see Snowy Egrets up here when its warm. They’re smaller and since you’re from this area originally I’m sure you’ve seen them too around the metro ponds. Ma has a thing for the white birds. I’ve have put more miles on our vehicle getting her close to the migrating swans along the Mississippi than a normal guy would put on going to work every day.

On another note…..I see the suet grabbing catbirds have returned now. This signals the end of the suet cakes en-masse. I’ll cut down to one suet cage now for the summer and fill it only when the feeder is totally empty. I’ve taken all the perches off our suet feeders because the catbirds will sit there until they’re too filled up to fly well and they chase the other “good” birds off. Catbirds have a tough time hanging on the cages, especially when the suet is have gone and the birds need to hang just about upside down to eat. Woodys can do that, nada on the catbirds. I might leave a couple suet cages out but cut the cakes in half so the catbirds start off having a tough time of it. I like to keep my Downies, Hairies and Red-Breasted friends happy and we do get some pretty transient birds in the spring. Catbirds are not pretty nor are they welcome.

#catbirdstoo!!!!!!

Reptiles and birds are related. Finally broke down and bought one of these.

Had a great wildlife watching day renting a pontoon on the st John’s. Saw several gators up close, oceola turkeys, all the wading birds and manatees including a mother and her calve.

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Tom Sawvell wrote:

I’ve never fished salt of any kind but I darned near rented an outfit for a morning just to try it. I didn’t but will the next time we get on the coast.

Surf fishing the gulf is better. You don’t have to deal with all the currents like you do on the Atlantic.

Throw out some shrimp and you are bound to catch something like dunking crawlers on the river.

Birds have been pretty much on the feeder all day. I don’t think they are to impressed with the snow.

Saw a great blue heron yesterday in Woodbury and turkey vultures today in Newport and Woodbury.

Ma and I took a drive on Thursday that took us along the Mississippi from Lake City to Wabasha. Saw tons of Bluebills, great blue herons, pelicans, a couple loons and one of the big white whatever the size of the Blue Herons.

Yesterday we had Yellow-Rumped Warblers show up at the feeders. These are obviously migrating and we’ve only had them stop twice before. They’re about the size of a Gold Finch and seem to like the suet blocks over thistle and other seeds, but then they are bug feeders so the suet probably meets their protein needs. The are nervous little birds and come in and feed for twenty seconds then its off they go.

With this ice and sleet today the Grey Juncos are thick on the ground under the thistle feeders picking up what the finches drop. The Hairy, Downy and Red-Breasted Woodpeckers are all over the peanut feeders, one of which is also a happy spot for the Robins and Cardinals. This ice is hard on the birds….imagine what the deer, turkeys and pheasants are faced with.

We had a Little Blue Heron visit our backyard looking for lizards. Scared him off. Also had an I is and he was friendly looking for a handout.