I managed to get a picture of the Yellow-Rumped Warbler this morning. Yesterday I thought we might have had three here but now I don’t think so….just the one. Its been busy working the suet and peanuts again.
I was wrong….there are at least two here. A breeding pair maybe.
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The downy’s are hammering the cakes.. they look in the door at me like “this is bullshi7”
Our Downys don’t seem to care for company while on the suet or peanuts but today the Juncos are on one side and Downys are on the other. lol
With all the rain and freezing rain we had at the front of this storm I’m thinking the birds are stressed right now and are more tolerant than they usually are. This has to be a tough storm for wildlife.
My feeders have been busy all morning. The pheasents are laying low also. I might need to put some corn out for them soon.
Here’s an unusual one…..a Piebald Robin. Lots of white on this one. This is the second Piebald Robin we’ve seen in our yard in the last few years. Unusual looking bird for sure.
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I managed to get a picture of the Yellow-Rumped Warbler this morning. Yesterday I thought we might have had three here but now I don’t think so….just the one. Its been busy working the suet and peanuts again.
I was wrong….there are at least two here. A breeding pair maybe.
I had one of those thump our window Sunday, helped him get up on a lawn chair to recompose himself and he flew off 20 minutes or so later. Then came to work monday and one had thumped our front door and didn’t make it. Doubt it was the same one as it’s 25 miles apart.
The songbirds have really pounded the feeders with this weather the last week too, I’ve had to refill every day, 3 times last sunday.
Honest question:
How do people who constantly feed birds deal with their $hit everywhere? I’ve got a neighbor who is big into it – therefore my driveway, car, boat, shingles, windows, wife, or anything else I leave outside are constantly covered. Now when the neighbors are gone, I’ve been known to accidentally hit the air horn outside the garage to scare them off. I had an old beater pickup for running out hunting that never made it into the garage and you could see what the acidic crap would do to the paint.
Here’s an unusual one…..a Piebald Robin. Lots of white on this one. This is the second Piebald Robin we’ve seen in our yard in the last few years. Unusual looking bird for sure.
Tom,from what I understand that robin has leucism,it is a disruption of the dna and it affects the pigment in feathers,skin,etc.it can affect about any living thing.
I have had two of them here last year alone and one this year.
sure have been a large number of waterfowl sticking around here longer than usual.
my bet is because there is no open water up your way,I have never seen this many ducks at this time of year here before.
I never really heard what the fancy term or affliction was, always piebald. Sure makes a wild looking bird though.
Bucky….Most of my feeders are hanging in a pine tree on the north side of the house where the house and tree shade the yard so much grass doesn’t ever get “nice”, so the droppings aren’t an issue there. The other area I have feeders is next to the driveway along a garden edge. Again, droppings are in the garden there and no issue.
Crows and blackbirds/starlings are another matter and I have some small firecrackers in the garage that I’ll light to move them along. If the neighbors” trees are full of them I use a bottle rocket gentling aimed in that direction. If they don’t take the hint my very accurate pellet rifle comes out and….well.
Our Downys don’t seem to care for company while on the suet or peanuts but today the Juncos are on one side and Downys are on the other. lol
With all the rain and freezing rain we had at the front of this storm I’m thinking the birds are stressed right now and are more tolerant than they usually are. This has to be a tough storm for wildlife.
The downys that I get are very friendly. I can be on my deck doing stuff and they just fly up to the suet and go to town. I think the woodpeckers are my favorite of the birds that I get. Get a lot of downys and a red bellied every now and then and the rare pileated.
In with my 4 thistle feeders I have two double and one single block suet feeders and two peanut cages for shelled peanuts. The Gold Finches hammer the thistle seed and those need filling every day. The peanut and suet feeders see the downys, the red-bellied, and the hairy woodpeckers. I’ve seen the same with the downy’s mahtofire….being there filling the thistle tubes and having a downy or two working the suet only a couple feet away. Chickadees are probably my favorite at the feeders and in the woods. While on my deer stand I’ll put on a cap that has double faced tape across the top front edge of the bill and has black sunflower seed stuck to it. Chickadees will come freely to that and keep me entertained. I hang a thistle feeder right next to the stand too that the chickadees like.
Ma and I took a walk yesterday and came back on the walking path behind us and found a dead Great Horned Owl laying right next to the heavy welded steel rail fencing used to keep bikers out of the water. I suppose it swooped down for some critter to chew on and either hit a tree or the fencing. I’ve picked up two dead Sharp=Shinned Hawks in the yard near the feeders this winter too that apparently failed to make the necessary turns.
I never really heard what the fancy term or affliction was, always piebald. Sure makes a wild looking bird though.
Bucky….Most of my feeders are hanging in a pine tree on the north side of the house where the house and tree shade the yard so much grass doesn’t ever get “nice”, so the droppings aren’t an issue there. The other area I have feeders is next to the driveway along a garden edge. Again, droppings are in the garden there and no issue.
Crows and blackbirds/starlings are another matter and I have some small firecrackers in the garage that I’ll light to move them along. If the neighbors” trees are full of them I use a bottle rocket gentling aimed in that direction. If they don’t take the hint my very accurate pellet rifle comes out and….well.
That makes sense. I truly enjoy watching birds, but don’t have a spot that’s visible where the influx of birds won’t make a mess where it’s not a problem.
Chickadees are probably my favorite at the feeders and in the woods. While on my deer stand I’ll put on a cap that has double faced tape across the top front edge of the bill and has black sunflower seed stuck to it. Chickadees will come freely to that and keep me entertained. I hang a thistle feeder right next to the stand too that the chickadees like.
^Love this^
I’m a huge fan of the chickadees too. We live in NE Mpls and maintain a few feeders. Lately its been mostly dees, juncos (also a favorite), house finches, cardinals and the occasional downy or red bellied woodpecker. We also have ducks in the spring and turkeys that scavenge under the feeders. And a million squirrels and rabbits which attract foxes and sharp shinned hawks. Pretty cool to have all these guests right in the city!
tg
Just saw my first bluebird in Cottage Grove. After last weekend, I know why they are called “the bluebird of happiness “!
Carole and I have been scrambling to get yard and garden stuff done. Yesterday she put out the oriole and hummer feeders and today we have a pair of orioles already. Last year we had three pairs working out yard so hopefully they’ll all be back.
Had 3 Thrashers fighting in the back yard and singing all day. Incredibly awesome singers. Some of their sounds are mind blowing.
Five yellow-headed blackbirds with a group of grackles at Osakis. I can’t remember ever seeing that many together. Neighbor said they’re here every year.
Pair of western grebes on Lake Osakis. Nick-named swan grebe. I read that Osakis has the largest nesting population in MN. Neighbor said the only nesting population. Anyway they are elegant!
Heard a wren last evening and again this morning. Got buzzed by a hummingbird yesterday too
Wrens showed up at our home too yesterday. No hummers yet though.
Had a couple Hummers show up here last Wed. and a Baltimore Oriole Friday. Still hanging around. Usually have Hummers all summer but Orioles only for a couple days.
Looking for suggestions. How do you keep the finches from flying into your picture window?
You may need to out up some kind of decorations that stick to windows.
Seen the first bluebird and hummingbird tonight. Cardinals are going crazy.
Looking for suggestions. How do you keep the finches from flying into your picture window?
Glue your cat to the inside of the window. 
LOL DB. I suggested a cat silhouette to the wife and she thought I was nuts.
Finches are terribly territorial and if they see even their own reflection on a window they’ll try to chase it off. My finch feeders are right outside the computer room window and when the males are bright yellow its all out war all day. The little monsters are wacko.
About the time a normal winter would have expired I found some suet blocks on sale at a pretty good price in Ace Hardware. I bought ten and figured they’d be great since the white wasn’t wanting to leave and the birds were really working the suet cages. Wrong! I have no idea why these blocks aren’t being hit like the others I had in cages but the birds simply don’t seem to care for then food.
Fast forward to yesterday. A pair of catbirds have been seen going to town on these new junk suet cakes. I have a single cake and a double cake cage out that have these cakes in them and the catbirds are all over them. I try not to put stuff out that catbirds like but in this case if they can eat all ten of those blocks of funky suet this summer I’ll happily feed it to them.
I fished yesterday morning for a while and watched gold crown kinglets working nearby trees. Man, are those some nervous birds. I wanted to get a picture but they proved to be faster than me. Pretty little birds though.
how where the sunfish biting Tom ???????? 
Upside Down Finch Feeder
Put up a new finch feeder (presesnt) with openings below the perches… Darn finches haven’t figured it out after a week and have left the premises….
Surprised they can’t figure it out….
Pete
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