The Uncaged Bird - Ready for Spring!

Just found this on Wiki

Wrens have loud and often complex songs, sometimes given in duet by a pair. The song of members of the genera Cyphorhinus and Microcerculus have been considered especially pleasant to the human ear, leading to common names such as song wren, musician wren, flutist wren, and southern nightingale-wren.[1]


So I had a free concert with my coffee this morning.


Morganna said:
sac said:
eliz said:

Los Angeles.  
sac said:
eliz said:

I've been hearing woodpeckers but finally saw one today - Nutall's woodpecker.  Very cool.

In SOMA?

Ah, ok.  I was just googling and saw that they are only in CA.  (I thought I knew about all the woodpeckers around here, so I'm relieved that I wasn't totally ignorant on this.)

Found this picture of a Nuttal Woodpecker.

Looks a lot like the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers around here.  Is it similar sized to one of those?


I thought it looked a bit like both of them. I took this one of the Hairy Woodpecker and the 2nd one of a Downy.


Morganna said:

I thought it looked a bit like both of them. I took this one of the Hairy Woodpecker and the 2nd one of a Downy.

Well, I can't tell them apart other than their size.


The Downy is the smallest of our Woodpeckers, with a shorter bill. Not a great picture.


And I found this clash of civilizations on youtube!

https://youtu.be/ZkkJpsGOE08


Found this on keeping predators out of nesting boxes. After scaring away a raccoon a couple of weeks ago I thought the young starlings might be caught. Although I missed their first flight I did see 3 of them near the feeder. They are a taupe color and look very little like adult starlings.

http://bit.ly/297XJBl


Fireworks and birds. Bad in the winter, not so bad in the summer.

http://www.audubon.org/news/are-fireworks-dangerous-birds


Why would you want starlings around? They take over other birds nests and kill there young? There an invasive species.  If starlings decide to nest in your yard , more will likely come chasing the natural wildlife away? 


ace11 said:

Why would you want starlings around? They take over other birds nests and kill there young? There an invasive species.  If starlings decide to nest in your yard , more will likely come chasing the natural wildlife away? 

I bought a variety of nesting boxes and this one was technically for woodpeckers, but it is a size that this starling thought in the words of Goldilocks, was 'just right."

I waited for a couple of years for a homesteader and was very excited when this beautiful bird chose it for her very own. I did not grow up around all of these lovely birds so to me, each one is a jewel.

In her defense, she was a wonderful mother and her mate was an attentive father. They did not eat their young, maybe that is urban legend like alligators in the sewer. Instead he brought her food or guarded the nest while she bathed and sang and ate her breakfast. I listened every day until I heard the first chirps. Then I counted the days until I could get a glimpse of the first fledgling. I felt tremendous relief when I saw them finally perched near my feeder, surrounded by the primary colors of their neighbors:  red cardinals, blue jays,  and yellow goldfinches.

Now the nest is empty but the new little birdhouse in a nearby tree is sheltering a tiny taupe bird, no more than 3 inches long, but with a strong heartfelt song, and that reminds me that each creature is a treasure to behold.


lol, no they don't eat there own young. They take over nests of other birds, killing there young and forcing the native birds to find new homes. I guess starlings are now native to our area too kind of like Canadian geese.  


ace11 said:

lol, no they don't eat there own young. They take over nests of other birds, killing there young and forcing the native birds to find new homes. I guess starlings are now native to our area too kind of like Canadian geese.  

Ahhhhh, glad to clear that up!. Well, here's a way to look at it. All of my non-vegan friends are eating somebody's young.

That said, if someone had let me design the universe, I would have gone with a live and let live system. Well, maybe next time.


Home Tweet Home Photo contest NestWatch

http://bit.ly/29jafuz


Saw this bright yellow warbler and he looks to be a Pine Warbler. I saw a different yellow bird months ago, who looked more like a Yellow Warbler or a Prarie Warbler but I didn't get the picture. That bird had the darker streaks on his chest. The sky was getting dark so it does not show how bright he was and the yellow petunias appear more chromatic but he was sunshine yellow.


Morganna said:
ace11 said:

lol, no they don't eat there own young. They take over nests of other birds, killing there young and forcing the native birds to find new homes. I guess starlings are now native to our area too kind of like Canadian geese.  

Ahhhhh, glad to clear that up!. Well, here's a way to look at it. All of my non-vegan friends are eating somebody's young.

That said, if someone had let me design the universe, I would have gone with a live and let live system. Well, maybe next time.

Starlings were (accidentally?) imported from Europe.  (I think they stowed away on ships.)  Many birders are not very fond of their aggressive behavior toward other birds.

Canada Geese have "always" been resident and migratory throughout much of the US.  Not really the same thing.  What has changed in recent years with the geese is that some of them no longer migrate. They've found "the good life" in many areas and taken up permanent residence.  They are particularly fond of corporate campuses with ponds or other water supplies and tend to make a nuisance of themselves.


sac said:
Morganna said:
ace11 said:

lol, no they don't eat there own young. They take over nests of other birds, killing there young and forcing the native birds to find new homes. I guess starlings are now native to our area too kind of like Canadian geese.  

Ahhhhh, glad to clear that up!. Well, here's a way to look at it. All of my non-vegan friends are eating somebody's young.

That said, if someone had let me design the universe, I would have gone with a live and let live system. Well, maybe next time.

Starlings were (accidentally?) imported from Europe.  (I think they stowed away on ships.)  Many birders are not very fond of their aggressive behavior toward other birds.

Canada Geese have "always" been resident and migratory throughout much of the US.  Not really the same thing.  What has changed in recent years with the geese is that some of them no longer migrate. They've found "the good life" in many areas and taken up permanent residence.  They are particularly fond of corporate campuses with ponds or other water supplies and tend to make a nuisance of themselves.

The whole family of starlings seems to have moved away. I didn't find them more aggressive at the feeder. All of the birds even the rowdy small sparrows can get pretty cranky when there is a crowd at chow time. That's why I have several feeders with different food. The woodpeckers are very well armed with those long bills. I chose the thistle feeder for the finches and the only competition they have are the sparrows, but they are not overly fond of nyjer seed.

As to how they came here I had posted this earlier on the thread and thought it was intriguing.  

 "As well as some information from Scientific American which tells of Shakespeare's mention of the starling in Henry IV. Later a society in the 1900s called the American Acclimatization Society planned to release birds of every species mentioned in Shakespeare into the United States. They released some 100 starlings in Central Park between 1890 and 1891. This appeared in an article call Antigravity Call of the Reviled by Steve Mirsky."


Interesting article on the competition for bird nests.

http://bit.ly/29jfqt2


I wonder if this is the bird I saw this afternoon in our lilac over our birdbath.  Too many leaves blocked a good view as it performed an after bath grooming, but it caught my attention and didn't quite look like one of our regular bathers.

Morganna said:

Saw this bright yellow warbler and he looks to be a Pine Warbler. I saw a different yellow bird months ago, who looked more like a Yellow Warbler or a Prarie Warbler but I didn't get the picture. That bird had the darker streaks on his chest. The sky was getting dark so it does not show how bright he was and the yellow petunias appear more chromatic but he was sunshine yellow.

krnl said:

I wonder if this is the bird I saw this afternoon in our lilac over our birdbath.  Too many leaves blocked a good view as it performed an after bath grooming, but it caught my attention and didn't quite look like one of our regular bathers.

Morganna said:

Saw this bright yellow warbler and he looks to be a Pine Warbler. I saw a different yellow bird months ago, who looked more like a Yellow Warbler or a Prarie Warbler but I didn't get the picture. That bird had the darker streaks on his chest. The sky was getting dark so it does not show how bright he was and the yellow petunias appear more chromatic but he was sunshine yellow.

I get the occasional goldfinch which is smaller and marked differently. I posted one earlier.


About 5 PM this little Hummingbird was drinking from the yellow petunias! I had taken the feeder down a few weeks ago so back it went after the little bird flew off.


Nice picture!  I'm envious. I have not had any hummers' this year.  


CompassRose said:

Nice picture!  I'm envious. I have not had any hummers' this year.  

I've given up for this year, but plan to work on my plantings for next year.


CompassRose said:

Nice picture!  I'm envious. I have not had any hummers' this year.  

May 9th was my first sighting, followed by May 15th then nothing! So a full two months without a single hummingbird. Don't give up.


sac said:
CompassRose said:

Nice picture!  I'm envious. I have not had any hummers' this year.  

I've given up for this year, but plan to work on my plantings for next year.

There are a few lures that you can pick up inexpensively right now. Both Home Depot and Metropolitan Plants have petunias in hanging baskets as well as fuchsia for as low as $12. Lots of tasty nectar treats still left and at reduced prices. The birds will be here all summer! And the babies should be hatched and adding to the population!


When my feeders are empty, they hover by the window. Also love when one goes to the feeder and is chased off by its "owner". We have one in the front and one in the backoh oh 


blackcat said:

When my feeders are empty, they hover by the window. Also love when one goes to the feeder and is chased off by its "owner". We have one in the front and one in the backoh oh 

Do you have a lot of plantings that attract them? I'm wondering why there was a 2 month gap in my sightings, as I'm hummingbird flower central. Do you see them more at particular times of day?


Just got this link to hummingbird's in Texas!

https://youtu.be/pco9UhX3K4w


I don't really have any flowers that are attracting them in particular. My feeders are the small ones that hang in baskets. One basket has red geraniums and one has a mixture of other stuff- including petunias which are minimal. I think they remember the feeders- or show their offspringoh oh 


blackcat said:

I don't really have any flowers that are attracting them in particular. My feeders are the small ones that hang in baskets. One basket has red geraniums and one has a mixture of other stuff- including petunias which are minimal. I think they remember the feeders- or show their offspringoh oh 

Are you in our area?


Morris county...more woodsy. 


In order to add a comment – you must Join this community – Click here to do so.