The Uncaged Bird -Hummingbird feeder is up!
joanne said:
I can't remember - sometimes wild turkeys visit your area, don't they? So, it should be almost time for them to arrive now, yes? I'm guessing they'd frequent the Reservation, and sports fields more than back yards?
Ahh that this were true.
Oh no! Now I read the NZ Bird of the Year was hacked by Russians! 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/12/new-zealand-twitchy-amid-claims-of-russian-meddling-in-bird-of-the-year-contest
this is getting really serious - did their sweet Kiwi penguin truly win or not? All this cloak and dagger; twitching has become soooo exciting, hasn’t it? 
As suspected, clever and resilient water birds are relocating from the inland’s died waterways into the coastal strip’s major urban centres, and are demonstrating their clever use of tools
Not just ‘bin chickens’ (Australian ibis), the article names several other species as well.
I think I might vote for the Willy Wagtails this year. We have a very cheeky nesting pair under some bushes in our front garden, and they brighten my day. But really, I love them all.
A couple of welcome birds have nervously joined the early breakfast crowds, pecking at a seed block I’ve left in a hanging basket filled with a spider plant. They hang around for a couple of hours then go away until the next morning.
I present the winners of Bird of the Year 2019, the Black-throated Finch! See it while you can, before coal miners destroy the one small place on earth it calls home:
Morganna said:
What winged creatures are in your garden?
Please don't feed the birds. Feeding them unbalances their natural numbers. They end up in Spring and Summer with a larger population than the natural environment can sustain, and then many die terrible deaths in winter. No matter what you do, you cannot feed them all through the winter. And especially, no sugar water. Please. It is not a nutritional replacement for nectar. They starve without warning, and die, a terrible death. Plant trees, bushes, a flower garden, or do nothing. It's nice that you can see them at your feeders, but you are not helping them. If they cannot survive in our Garden State naturally, then you can not make them survive.
sac said:
Re earlier mention of groundhogs and woodchucks, I believe that they are two different names for the same animal.
yes
blackcat said:
I just refilled the feeder with the last of the food the other day. It is fairly warm here today. Hadn’t seen one for a few weeks.
Please don't feed the birds. Feeding them unbalances their natural numbers. They end up in Spring and Summer with a larger population than the natural environment can sustain, and then many die terrible deaths in winter. No matter what you do, you cannot feed them all through the winter. And especially, no sugar water. Please. It is not a nutritional replacement for nectar. They starve without warning, and die, a terrible death. Plant trees, bushes, a flower garden, or do nothing. It's nice that you can see them at your feeders, but you are not helping them. If they cannot survive in our Garden State naturally, then you can not make them survive.
Morganna said:
I just cleaned the feeder and put it away but I'll hang it out tomorrow. I felt pretty secure because my honeysuckle is blooming although not robustly. And my red salvia is still alive. The deer and the woodchuck don't care for it although now they are starting to eat almost anything. Thanks for the heads up!
Please don't feed the birds. Feeding them unbalances their natural numbers. They end up in Spring and Summer with a larger population than the natural environment can sustain, and then many die terrible deaths in winter. No matter what you do, you cannot feed them all through the winter. And especially, no sugar water. Please. It is not a nutritional replacement for nectar. They starve without warning, and die, a terrible death. Plant trees, bushes, a flower garden, or do nothing. It's nice that you can see them at your feeders, but you are not helping them. If they cannot survive in our Garden State naturally, then you can not make them survive.
Hummingbirds, goldfinches, every type of native bird, bug, and bee, and 3-4 types of butterflies visit my garden annually, which consists of bushes, trees, and flowers. I live in South Orange, Essex County, NJ.
Please don't feed the birds. Feeding them unbalances their natural numbers. They end up in Spring and Summer with a larger population than the natural environment can sustain, and then many die terrible deaths in winter. No matter what you do, you cannot feed them all through the winter. And especially, no sugar water. Please. It is not a nutritional replacement for nectar. They starve without warning, and die, a terrible death. Plant trees, bushes, a flower garden, or do nothing. It's nice that you can see them at your feeders, but you are not helping them. If they cannot survive in our Garden State naturally, then you can not make them survive.
Thanks for the timely message.
In this part of world, we've just lost horrendous amounts of water, foliage, topsoil, insects etc. wildlife recovery experts are, in fact, asking for our help throughout what will be an extended and scorching summer to responsibly help support the local wildlife we have around us.
Given that both hemispheres are losing record numbers of species at alarming rates at present, and given that we now know many 'wild' critters have in fact changed their foraging over thousands of years to encroach on human settlements to supplement natural diet, perhaps we can encourage knowledgeable support?
That article was updated after the 'refreshing' hail storms passed through here, and heightened the fire danger up north, and out west. Over 80 fires raging in my State today, more in NSW and something horrendous is coming over from Western Australia. More than 500 homes destroyed in NSW; no-one's counted the livestock yet or the wildlife.
More than land lost than in the last three fire seasons, and this season has barely begun.
Iconic Wollemi pines threatened with extinction, as their sanctuary faces fire. Iconic plant pickets elsewhere, insects, fauna -koala, wallaby, roo, gliders, skinks, spiders, birds - possibly down to last few tens or hundred injured/isolated members.
But no, there's no reliable climate change science.
reservationgirl said:
Hummingbirds, goldfinches, every type of native bird, bug, and bee, and 3-4 types of butterflies visit my garden annually, which consists of bushes, trees, and flowers. I live in South Orange, Essex County, NJ.
Please don't feed the birds. Feeding them unbalances their natural numbers. They end up in Spring and Summer with a larger population than the natural environment can sustain, and then many die terrible deaths in winter. No matter what you do, you cannot feed them all through the winter. And especially, no sugar water. Please. It is not a nutritional replacement for nectar. They starve without warning, and die, a terrible death. Plant trees, bushes, a flower garden, or do nothing. It's nice that you can see them at your feeders, but you are not helping them. If they cannot survive in our Garden State naturally, then you can not make them survive.
Not sure why you posted this 4 times but I just caught this. I've been busy with my cat rescue. We are trying to Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return feral cats in an effort to restrict the population and yes outdoor cats are a danger to birds. That said we remove friendlies and kittens and find them homes with the restriction that they be indoor only.
As to the feeding warning. I have planted trees, bushes and flowers to provide natural food. I have read a bit about feeding and I think there is another opinion. This from Audubon and HSUS has similar suggestions.
I also have argued with people about feeding feral cats. Happy to have that discussion as well.
Here is an Audubon piece on the topic.
11am today, 82 degrees your scale. And the duckies were desperately hot and sleepy.
This was taken from the grass below our little deck, looking towards our neighbour on the right.
Pic taken 10 minutes ago, a very young black cormorant sunning himself on a neighbour’s back lawn. This handsome tourist is just visiting the area for a few weeks on his way to finding a girlfriend, I believe.
I'm so glad the drought and bush fires haven’t put him off. This is our second day with blue skies since mid-September; we had less cloud cover yesterday morning until there was a little rain. (No, the drought hasn’t lifted)
(I’m trying to teach D how to use his phone camera; sorry for the weird orientation)
I’ve been told officially that our last cygnet of this year’s hatching has died, possibly because neighbours keep feeding bread to the birds. We regularly have bird sanctuary staff address residents’ meetings to explain that small amounts of plant matter and seeds is what they eat, not bread/sugary foods. It’s very sad.
joanne said:
Pic taken 10 minutes ago, a very young black cormorant sunning himself on a neighbour’s back lawn. This handsome tourist is just visiting the area for a few weeks on his way to finding a girlfriend, I believe.
I'm so glad the drought and bush fires haven’t put him off. This is our second day with blue skies since mid-September; we had less cloud cover yesterday morning until there was a little rain. (No, the drought hasn’t lifted)(I’m trying to teach D how to use his phone camera; sorry for the weird orientation)
I’ve been told officially that our last cygnet of this year’s hatching has died, possibly because neighbours keep feeding bread to the birds. We regularly have bird sanctuary staff address residents’ meetings to explain that small amounts of plant matter and seeds is what they eat, not bread/sugary foods. It’s very sad.
Sad to hear that. Maybe signs as a reminder?
There’s a huge sign as you drive in, and every monthly newsletter reminds us.
But residents think ‘these two crusts won’t matter’, or ‘ these slices of bread have seeds, and the bread’s stale’, so they think of the birds’ gullets and gizzards that can’t digest the flour and sugars. Very sad indeed.
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Just adding some feathered friends to this thread...
I've just returned from a tour through New South Wales.
In Cowra, in the central west of the state, there's a garden dedicated to the memory of the more-than 1100 Japanese prisoners-of-war who attempted to break of out a POW camp in the town in 1944.
I came upon these two near one of the ornamental lakes in the garden.
By the left... Quick march!