Calico's Nest

Project FeederWatch Kicks off 25th Season Today!

2011-11-12T08:01:00.001-08:00

....and I made a little movie to pay tribute. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afms284xnig

Water Wiggler

2011-11-05T08:12:00.001-07:00

I found an interesting gadget at my local bird store called the Water Wiggler. It's main purpose is to discourage mosquitoes from laying eggs in the bird bath but that's not why I bought it. I bought it because the rippling water effect is supposed to attract more birds to your yard. Since winter is approaching, I now have my bird bath heater going at night and rippling water. I'm hoping that winter birds will visit my yard while searching for a refreshing drink or a nice warm bath.
I would eventually like to get a larger birdbath since this gadget doesn't really leave room for bigger birds to bathe, but for now I would say most of the birds that visit my bath drink from it rather than bathe. It took about 7 days for the birds to get used to it...but I think they've finally accepted it as something safe to go near and are starting to visit the bath again!

Here's a little video:

Blue Jay

2011-10-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

This isn't the first time I've seen these vibrant Blue Jays in my backyard, but I see them so rarely that I welcome their beautiful blue color!

Bushtits!

2011-10-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

This was a first sighting for me! I thought they were baby Chickadees until I learned that they were, in fact a group of Bushtits! Cute little things and I've only had them visit this one time that I'm aware of. Sort of a "now you see us, now you don't" kind of visit!!

Molting Northern Flicker

2011-10-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

Birds can look so scraggly when they molt! I just want to go pluck all those feathers out for her!

Chipping Sparrow

2011-10-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken in my backyard on Sept. 30, 2011. About the same time every afternoon for about a week, a fairly good size group of Chipping Sparrows fluttered to and fro amongst the trees, chittering and chattering a happy tune. Little buggers were difficult to get a photo of, though. This was the best I could do, considering the rapid movement of my target. Not a great focus but at least enough I could figure out what kinds of birds I was listening to!

Common Grackle

2011-10-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

About mid September, I had a whole large flock of common Grackles race through my yard like a motorcycle gang! There must have been a hundred of them. In that last photo above, I can count over 20 and the rest were in my trees. They didn't stay long but they sure made a lot of noise while they were here!

American Robin with Crossed Beak

2011-10-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

I noticed this little fella amongst my Elderberry bushes. I didn't notice his crossed beak until I got close look at him. I sure hope he can learn to grab worms with that beak. He seemed to be able to eat the berries and he certainly looks like a well-fed bird. He may still be getting food from his parents at this point but I'll keep an eye out for him next summer to see if he makes it through the winter.

Unfortunate House Finch with Avian Pox?

2011-10-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Howdy!!! If you still follow this blog, you're in for a treat because I have lots of pics to post ans will be getting to it very soon I promise!!! I will start with the most recent and eventually work my way through them all for you to enjoy.
This unfortunate female House Finch showed up at my feeder a couple of days ago (Oct 4th) and I immediately noticed something different about her behavior. First, she was alone and this time of year the finches are starting to really gather in flocks for protection but this gal was sitting on my feeder, not eating, just sitting. OK, she did eat a seed or two but not much. I sat and watched her for the longest time. I got out my camera to see if I could see signs of eye disease but I think her eyes look fine (maybe not? ). Eventually, I moved a little closer and she flew to the fence where I spotted her ailment...a bad foot. She then flew up into the tree where she stayed, perched with one foot and sleeping at times, for at least another half-hour. I had to leave for a bit and when I cam back she was gone. In general, just by her behavior, I don't think she was a well bird. She seemed to be in pain but there was nothing I could do. I called a bird rehab and they said if she can fly away, there's nothing they could do and the hope it that she will eventually heal. I hope so!!!!
Edited to add that according to some opinions on my Flickr page, this bird seems to be suffering from Avian Pox. The best thing for me to do is disinfect my feeders to discourage spreading of this contagious disease.

On another note....the squirrell is still trying to figure out how to get the seed out of that feeder. He gets his fair share of dropped seed and suet plus the corn and apples I give him. He's a well fed squirrel!!!

House Finch Nest and Farewell To a Tree

2011-07-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

Looking out my front window, I used to see a tree. A little pine tree that was planted by me in a poor spot. We received a free pine tree many years ago (maybe 12-15) from TCI Cable Co. I transplanted it into a coffee can and had it on my kitchen windowsill for awhile. I finally transplanted it into a whiskey barrel in front of this window. There it stayed for the next many years. It's roots eventually busted through the bottom and this little tree thrived and became quite large. To my enjoyment, the birds came to love this tree. In the picture above, a wintering bird (House Sparrow I think) stopped by for a nibble on the pine cones.

In May of this year, this House Finch built a nest in our little tree. I wondered if this was the same House Finch that made a nest in this tree 2 years ago.

I really enjoyed watching her work on her nest for a few days from inside my window!

I decided not to invade the nest with my camera to see how many eggs were laid but after I heard nestlings, I snuck this photo from a distance with my zoom lens. Eventually the nest was empty and we had to make the tough decision to remove the tree for our landscaping project.

We had the hardest time parting with this tree, but because of the roots being in the whiskey barrel, it had a low chance of being transplanted and it was smashed up against our house. After waiting a few weeks to make sure the nest wasn't going to be re-used, we said farewell to our tree.

And a few days later, we went to the nursery, bought a new tree and planted it (further from our house this time). This Autumn Blaze Maple will turn red in the fall and it will be a joy to watch it grow. I hope the birds find some enjoyment from it, also!

Cooper's Hawk Nest was Successful!

2011-07-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

Back in early April, I posted about a Cooper's Hawk building a nest on the greenbelt where I walk everyday. Well, turns out it was a very successful nest this year! After the nest was built there wasn't much activity so I thought it was abandoned. Then one day I walked by and saw mama hawk sitting on it so I knew there must be eggs!
I kept my eye on it and eventually I saw a little head poking up. This nest is very high but with my Sigma 50-500mm I got some decent shots!
I walked around to the other side of the nest and saw another head and even had the pleasure of seeing mama feed it!
I apparently overstayed my welcome under the nest because shortly after mama fed them she stood on the edge of the nest, looked right at me and proceeded to dive-bomb me. I kid you not, I thought she was going to hit me so I ducked. It made my heart race and I quickly made my exit. If I wasn't so busy fearing for my safety, it would've made some great photos :0)
I waited a few days before returning and to my surprise noticed there were more than two babies in the nest...
there were 4 ! In the above photo you will see 3 in the nest and one already making it's way onto a nearby branch!
On my next visit, 2 of them were on branches with 2 still in the nest.

I continue to see them near the nest on my walks...calling out to mom and dad and learning all their hunting tricks!

Birds By The Lake

2011-07-17T06:17:00.000-07:00

Snowy Egret

Western Meadowlark

Red-winged Blackbird

American White Pelican

Mourning Dove

2011-07-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

An appropriate bird for this post. Around the time of my last post, my pup Kayla had to have an emergency surgery to remove her spleen. Long story short, turns out she had cancer and we had to say goodbye to her on June 21...5 1/2 weeks after her surgery. Words cannot express how much I miss that girl :(
During the time of Kayla's last weeks, I continued to follow a couple of nests that I will soon be blogging about. Also I have some misc photos of the ever-present House Finches in my yard and a couple photos from our camping trip. Stay tuned while I get caught up...

Colorful New Visitor!

2011-05-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was a bit down about the House Finch nest being abandon this morning but was quickly cheered up when I looked out my kitchen window and saw a very colorful new bird at my feeder! A Western Tanager!!! A first sighting for me and even more exciting that all I had to do to see him was look out my window. He was a welcome sight on this dreary, rainy, cold spring day! So far he has been hanging around all day coming and going to my feeder and the nearby trees. I hope he decides to stay.

Abandon Nest

2011-05-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

It's been 2 days since I last checked on the nest (when I took a picture of the eggs) and it seems mom is no longer sitting at the nest :( It has been a cold and rainy 2 days so I think any time off the eggs would be detrimental and since she hasn't been there any of the times I've checked today I can assume she has moved on. I don't understand why she would leave and I can only hope it wasn't because I climbed up there to take a picture. I did it quick and then high-tailed it out of there so she would be left alone. I guess I will not ever know why. Now, I'm not sure what to do with the eggs or nest so for now I will leave it be and see what happens.

New House Finch Nest, Old Location

2011-05-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

May 3, 2011

May 5, 2011

May 7, 2011

May 13, 2011
I knew mom had finally laid an egg when I checked on the nest and saw her sitting on it. When she left, I just had to know (for Nestwatch as well as for myself). I was wrong, there was not one egg...

There were 5 !!!

And here is the proud papa watching from a nearby tree making sure I don't harm the eggs!
I won't do too many updates so mom can have some privacy but I will be keeping an eye on them from a hidden spot in the garage!
This location was used by (I believe) this same pair two summers ago for 2 successful broods in a row. I left the nest up last summer thinking they would re-use it but they didn't. Last fall, I removed that old nest and I am happy to see they are using this piece of prime real estate again!

Cooper's Hawk Building a Nest!

2011-04-07T15:12:00.000-07:00

There have been a pair of Cooper's Hawks nesting in the same vicinity for at least the last 2 summers and I noticed yesterday, they're at it again! On my daily walk on the greenbelt near my house I noticed a hawk on the ground grabbing a stick. Of course I hung around so she would lead me to her nest. All I had was my iPhone so I went back today and go some better shots! It will be fun to see it progress. Enjoy!

Decorah Eaglets!

2011-04-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm still a bit obsessed with the Decorah Eagle nest cam! In case you've been living under a rock and have not heard...the third hatchling arrived yesterday (April 6) and all 3 are doing well so far. I grabbed this screen shot this morning but the cam was having some technical difficulties so it's not real clear. Clear enough to see all 3 cuties, though!

Live Eagles Nestcam (Decorah, Iowa)!

2011-04-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

I started watching this nest yesterday and the eagles had their first hatch over night! The next two eggs are due to hatch anytime! Enjoy!

If you want to watch a great PBS documentary about the history of this nest and American Eagles in general, you can watch it online HERE!

Live Broadcast by Ustream.TV

New Visitor! Hairy Woodpecker!

2011-03-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

I looked out my window and instead of my little Downy Woodpecker visitor I saw this extra large looking Downy and knew immediately it must be a Hairy Woodpecker! This is a first sighting for me but I had read about them and knew they are larger and also have longer beaks than the Downy. It was the male I saw first but he didn't stick around long enough for me to swap lenses on my camera. 20 minutes later, this female showed up and I was ready with my camera. After she left, I put more suet out but I haven't seen them again. They know I've got the goods so I'm sure they'll be back!

GBBC 2011

2011-02-27T07:42:00.000-08:00

The Great Backyard Bird Count has come and gone again. Time sure flies doesn't it? I have my counts written down but have not entered them on the website yet. I wanted to go out and visit some local parks but I ended up literally counting in my backyard only. Well, I guess that's not exactly true since I did count the Mallards and Canada Geese at a small pond near my house while walking my dog.
I saw a nice variety for my count but not very many of each variety. Here they are if you're interested:
Canada Geese---------------- 50
Mallard Ducks----------------18
House Finch------------------12
Black-capped Chickadee-------2
Northern Flicker-------------- 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch------- 1
White-breasted Nuthatch----- 1
Downy Woodpecker----------- 1
Dark-eyed Junco-------------- 1
Black-billed Magpie----------- 1
American Robin--------------- 1
Blue Jay----------------------- 1
Brown-headed cowbird-------- 1

Sorry for the lack of photos lately. I'm in the midst of an online photography workshop until April 10th so I've been taking loads of photos for my assignments just not of birds. I need more cooperative subjects than birds for now. I'm learning tons about photography so it's been fun!

What else...I'm still doing Project Feederwatch and getting pretty much the same count each week from my regulars...and I'm ready for spring!

Coming in for a Landing!

2011-01-25T21:06:00.000-08:00

Birds on a Fence

2011-01-25T21:02:00.001-08:00

Dark-eyed Junco

House Finch

There's just something I love about photographing birds on a wood fence. Maybe it's because when they land on a fence they usually stay there long enough for me to get a decent photo of them. Plus there's no branches in the way like there is when they're in a tree!

Downy Woodpecker in Winter

2011-01-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

Yellow House Finch!

2011-01-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I forgot about these photos I took in December of the less common yellow House Finch. I found them on my camera and thought I'd better share! This fella was visiting quite regularly the last couple of months and I finally got some pictures of him. When I found these pictures I realized I haven't seen him since the day I took these. I hope he returns...

Bird-related Christmas Gifts

2011-01-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, the holidays have come and gone since I last posted and the new year has begun! I don't have any bird photos to share at the moment but thought I'd share some bird-related Christmas gifts I received. First, the cute little owl pictured above was a Build-a-Bear gift given to me by my two sons (ages 6 and 8). They gave her to me un-stuffed and after Christmas we headed to our nearest Build-a-Bear store to stuff her with hugs and good wishes, give her a name (Emma), birth certificate and of course...accessories!!!
I also got the book American Robin by Roland Wauer. It's a sweet little book about my favorite bird that was written some time ago (so the statistical data has probably changed some). I haven't quite read the entire book even though it's pretty short but I'm enjoying it so far. Right near the beginning the author mentions a statistic that I can relate to. He states that 27% of all birders ignite their interest from an encounter with a single bird...a "spark bird". Like the author, my spark bird was the American Robin!
Last, but certainly not least I got 4 new cross-stitching kits and all of them are patterns of...birds!!! I will keep very busy this coming year working on these :)

Speaking of cross stitching, I had mentioned awhile ago about one I had started last spring called 'Bird Seasons' (you can read about it here). Well, I finished it on Christmas eve and it has been sent off to be framed as we speak! I can't wait to see it! Here's a photo of it un-framed...

some close-ups...

Snow Goose and Red-Tailed Hawk!

2010-12-14T21:46:00.000-08:00

Nearly everyday, I take my dog (and 2 boys) for a walk on Ralston Creek Trail. We walk by a little pond with the usual Mallard ducks and Canada Geese. Every once in awhile we have a new visitor passing through. On this day, it was a Snow Goose! He was brought to my attention by a couple of neighborhood birders. I can't say I would've noticed him among the Canada Geese because I really don't pay a whole lot of attention to them as there are so many of them. This was earlier in the day and I didn't have my camera with me. I didn't get back to get photos of him until evening. Luckily he was still there and I had just enough light to get some photos. The next day he was gone so I'm glad I went back. The Red-tailed Hawk was hanging around this same pond pretty much all day, too. He was still there the next day :)

European Starling and Other Thirsty Birds!

2010-12-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

It has been sooo dry her this fall and water must be hard to come by for the birds. The word got out that I had water so the Robins came back with more friends and this time they brought with them a European Starling. It was the first time I had one of these in my yard and boy was it thirsty!!!

Squirrels like Cornbread!

2010-12-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

I had a few pieces of cornbread leftover so I threw them out on the grass to see which critters would go for it. Turns out the squirrel snatched the pieces right up and didn't share any with the birds!

Robins in December and Other Birds!

2010-12-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

We've been having a very mild December here in Colorado this year and I think the birds are really enjoying it! I know I am! On my walk last weekend (Dec 5th) I was welcomed by a flock of at least 20 or 30 Robins just fluttering about and singing like it was spring. It really made me wish for spring but it will be here soon enough, I suppose. I used to think Robins flew away to warmer climates for the winter but I recently found out they just flock together and hide away from urban lawns and live on berries during the winter months. When I returned home from my walk, I noticed a couple of Robins in my yard so I had to grab my camera. While I had it out there, I also got a shot of a 2 American Goldfinches, a Blue Jay and a first sighting of a Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker(in addition to my regular visitors)! What fun to see so much activity in my yard in December!

Northern Flicker and House Finch!

2010-12-10T15:20:00.000-08:00

Project Feederwatch started in November so I've been keeping track of my visitors every Tuesday and Wednesday. Other than that, I've been so busy with holiday preparation, cross-stitching ( a post about that coming soon) and just life that I haven't had much time to get my camera out to the bird feeder. However, I did manage this shot of one of 'my' Flickers. I think I can call him mine since he and his female are on my suet just about every time I look out my window, lol! Enjoy!

Glass Hummingbird

2010-12-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

I forgot to share this cute hummingbird my son got at the bird festival this past summer. There is Colorado artist named Dan Crump that makes these beautiful hand-blown hummingbirds. He made this one for my son while we watched! I have always LOVED watching glass blowers!

Baby Hummingbird video!

2010-11-09T14:43:00.001-08:00

This video was sent to me and I just had to share. Enjoy!

http://www.wimp.com/babyhummingbird/

House Sparrows!

2010-10-31T08:28:00.001-07:00

For a short period of time, maybe an hour or so, a flock of House Sparrows came to visit my feeder. At one point I counted 17 of them! I know there are an (over) abundance of these birds but surprisingly, they rarely visit my feeder. Last summer I had a family of them nesting in my neighbors roof but since they had a new roof put on, the sparrows had to find a new home and I haven't seen them since. They fed mostly on the ground while visiting but I did notice a few of them on my feeder. The House Finches gave them a run for their money! There was definitely some bird bantering going on as my regulars did not give them a warm welcome. Then they left and haven't been back since.

Goldfinch, Nuthatch, House Finch

2010-10-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

I found these few photos that I took at the beginning of the month and I'm just now getting around to posting them. Remember when I took photos of my first Goldfinch visitor? Well this one briefly appeared the next day and I haven't seen them since. He was much yellower than the one from the previous day so I'm guessing he was a male. I really hope they return again, maybe in the spring! The Nuthatch and House Finch are just my old regulars!

Denver Zoo Birds!

2010-10-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of going on an "Early Morning Photo Safari" at the Denver zoo! I've often wanted to spend some time taking photos of the animals so when I saw this opportunity in the Zoo newsletter, I signed right up. I often take my boys to the zoo and have lots of snapshots of the animals and the boys but I wanted to try out my new Sigma 50-500mm OS lens and get up close and personal with the animals. It was just me with 24 other people and we had the zoo to ourselves for 2 hours before it opened to the public with that golden morning light! I was hoping to come home with a lot more bird photos than I ended up with but 6 hours and 600 photos later I was too exhausted (and starving) by the time I got to Bird World. I WILL go back again and the next time I will hit the birds first! I did come across a few birds on my tour that I'd like to share. That Emu up there at the top....what a face huh? He literally ran right over to me and was very intrigued with my lens I guess. I just love how this photo turned out! Below are the rest of the birds I captured but since I was so busy taking pictures, I forgot to get their names. I'll have to write them down next time I go to the zoo. Feel free to leave a comment if you know any of the names of the birds below that I don't have labeled.

Flamingos

Some type of swan

The following photos were taken when the zoo staff brought out a few special animals just for us to photograph!

Barn Owl

Red-tail Hawk

Thanks for looking! If by chance you would like to see the rest of the animals I photographed that day, here's the link to my gallery Denver Zoo Animals BTW, I pruned it down from 600 to my top 65 :)

My Flicker was Featured!

2010-10-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

I was excited to get an e-mail today from Project Feederwatch informing me that the Northern Flicker photo I submitted last year is currently being featured in their online gallery! I'm feeling pretty excited about that :) National Geographic here I come, lol! You can view it HERE...it's the one from Arvada, Colorado :)

American Goldfinch! Fianlly!

2010-10-07T06:37:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a couple of times in previous posts my desire to have an American Goldfinch show up at my feeders and I finally did!
That was the whole reason I started buying finch socks last spring. I was just thinking the other day about being unsuccessful in attracting any this year, that next year I'm going to plant some sunflowers in my backyard, also. Well, as luck would have it, I was sitting on my back deck listening to the birds and I heard a bird I didn't recognize. I grabbed my camera and started aiming it in the direction of the sound to see what it was. Then this American Goldfinch landed on the finch sock and then took a drink from the bird bath! I was so excited not only to finally see one for the first time but to also get some photos of it! This one returned again later and the next day there were two so I'm hoping the word gets out!

Happy Squirrel!

2010-10-02T15:19:00.001-07:00

I got to feeling bad for the squirrels again as I watched one desperately trying (without success) to get to the birdfeeder and suet feeder. So.....while I was at Walmart, they were having a sale on a large bag of "corn for critters" so I bought one. It took about 3 days for the 2 squirrels to go near it but they're clearly enjoying it now!

Birds NOT in my Backyard!

2010-10-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

Black-billed Magpie

Mallard Duck

Double-crested Cormorant

Belted Kinfisher

I found myself with a couple unexpected hours to myself this week and instead of running much-needed errands (like going to the bank and grocery store) I picked up a Starbuck's coffee and took my camera and new lens out into the neighborhood to see what birds I could photograph! The above pictures where the best of the bunch! I thoroughly enjoyed my time shirking my responsibilities (homeschooling my children, for one) even though I did feel a bit guilty about it :)

Turkey Vulture

2010-10-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

I often see these birds hovering over my neighborhood in fairly large groups. I think they're keep an eye on some fields nearby! This one flew over my front yard pretty low and allowed me to get this shot.

More Photos From Yesterday

2010-09-25T13:35:00.000-07:00

If you've ever taken photos of birds you know that for every good picture you take, you get 20 bad ones. After going through all the pics I took yesterday (9-24-10) I found a few more gems in the bunch! Enjoy! Oh, the Downy above is NOT eating black sunflower seeds! He perched there bridfly to see what was offered than flew right over to the suet!

Same birds, New Day, New Photos!

2010-09-24T20:48:00.001-07:00

For those of you enjoying my blog, I do wish to apologize for the lack of variety in the birds I blog about. Since I do 99% of my birding in my backyard, I'm limited to photographing the birds that come to me since I rarely go searching elsewhere for them (at least not with my camera, anyway)!
I must admit, my visitors are getting used to me and my camera. They don't even seemed to be bothered by my new, rather threatening looking new lens, lol! I am grateful for the nice variety I do have in my yard but I still wish I would get an American Goldfinch or maybe a Blue Jay again. I hear the Jays in the trees but can't ever see them. I had a goldfinch land in my tree long enough for me to snap a photo through my (dirty) window with my point-and-shoot camera but it showed up a a yellow blob only! That was two weeks ago and not even a hint of it showing up again :( I even heard a Magpie nearby but couldn't locate it either. On another note, while sitting on my deck this evening I heard an American Robin and I soaked in it's song as I feel it will be the last time I hear it until the spring. I already miss them! The photos above were taken this morning. I had two female and on male Downy hang around for quite awhile. The White and Red-breasted Nuthatches showed up again along with the Flickers and Finches but no Chickadees today!

Birds Galore...What A Treat!

2010-09-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

Black Capped Chickadee

Black Capped Chickadee...again.

White-breasted Nuthatch

All of the birds pictured above (plus many House Finches) were all in my backyard this morning at roughly the same time! You should've heard all the chattering going on between them! It was a treat indeed!!! I took all these photos (plus MANY more that didn't turn out too great) within about a 30 min time span. It was a much cooler, overcast day today with rain in the forecast on this last day of summer. It seems the birds can sense Autumn is near. They are more than welcome to visit my backyard anytime...I will do my best to keep food plentiful!!!

Molting House Finch!

2010-09-18T09:24:00.001-07:00

This fella is looking a bit shabby!

I'm excited to say that the above photograph was taken with my new lens...a Sigma 50-500mm!!!!!! Before this lens, I mainly used myCanon 70-200mm (L) lens which can get close but not as close as 500mm! When photographing birds you can never be too close. The downside to this lens is it's quite heavy so my arms get tired easily. I have signed up for a local photo shoot at the Denver Zoo on October 9th and I'm hoping to come back with my CF card loaded with all sorts of great bird and other wildlife photos. With my new lens I can really get up close and personal!

Bird-related Craft Projects!

2010-09-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

When I saw these Crocheted Birds...I just had to make one for myself!!! I rarely crochet anymore but I whipped one of these out in just a couple of hours. It was fun to make something tangible with my hands again as it seems everything I make these days is virtual with my digital scrapbooking, digital photography, digital greeting cards....you get the idea!
While I was on my crafting kick, I remembered when I was a young girl in the 70's my mom did a ton of macrame projects. I especially remember the owls! I did a search and found the pattern and whipped one of these adorable retro Macrame Owls out, too! Here's the pattern I used but there are many variations floating around the web.

Cooper's Hawk in my backyard!

2010-09-18T08:14:00.001-07:00

I got to witness some predator vs prey action right in my backyard. Luckily for the Flicker, things ended well but the Copper's Hawk was left hungry. It was dinnertime and we were getting ready to have dinner on the deck when I saw the action. As I stepped out on my deck, I ducked because I thought a Flicker was going to dive-bomb me. Then I realized there was this Cooper's Hawk right on it tail and very close to nabbing it mid-air! They both zoomed around to the side of my house and as I poked my head around the corner, the hawk had landed on my fence and the Flicker was nowhere in sight. I quickly grabbed my camera but unfortunately didn't have my DSLR and had to resort to using my point and shoot thus resulting in a less-than-desirable image. I was able to get it to look a bit decent with some post-processing. I thought it was odd that the hawk stopped dead in it's tracks to land on my fence and since it stayed there for a bit I thought sure it may have caught the Flicker as it turned the corner, dropped it and was waiting for it's audience to leave so it could return to it's prey. It finally flew away and I surveyed the area around my house and didn't find any evidence that the Flicker had been caught. I'm sure glad I didn't have to witness that! Bird world is harsh!

House Finch Fledgling is Growing Up!

2010-07-25T22:02:00.001-07:00

I took these at the beginning of July and I'm just now getting around to posting them. This little fledgling showed up with his dad again but he was eating and drinking by himself this time! I believe it's the same one I've been seeing but who knows for sure. My neighbor has a nest in her yard that I can hear has new nestlings in it! I hear them being fed about every half hour so I'll be seeing more fledglings soon! I also had a Robin show up in my yard feeding her youngster on my lawn. I wish I would've had my camera handy! That's about all I have for now!

Perfect Harmony!

2010-07-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ever since I got my new squirrel-proof feeder, the squirrels leave it alone so my seed lasts such a long time now!
However, I know the squirrels get hungry too so I give them treats of their own, especially apples!
I'll bet these two squirrels have a family to feed...and I'm sure they have a well stocked stash building up for the long winter ahead!

So, the House Finches get their fair share of sunflower seed and Nyger seed, the Flickers and Downys munch on the suet cakes and drop plenty of it on the ground for the squirrels and Mourning Doves. My feeding station is a well-oiled machine now!

Northern Flicker

2010-07-03T21:14:00.000-07:00

Just one of my regulars! I still have the same male and female Flickers visit my yard on a regular basis and they eat through my suet rather quickly! Probably feeding a family somewhere!

Male House Finch Feeding Fledgling!

2010-05-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hungry fledgling chirping impatiently...

for dad to fill up on food.

Dad hops up to hungry fledgling...

...Chow time!

I watched this dedicated dad do this 3 times before the youngster was satisfied. I suspect mom was off somewhere doing the same. What a job!

House Finch Fledgling!

2010-05-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bummed that there are no nests in my yard so far this spring :( For those that haven't read my archives, last spring I had 4 different nesting sites in my yard (2 unsuccessful and 2 successful). It was all very exciting and stressful watching and worrying about all the little eggs, nestling and fledglings but so fun! I signed up for NESTWATCH and so far have nothing to watch. I was hoping the two nests used last year that produced two successful broods each, would be used again this year but nope! I saw a female House Finch rustling around in the 'satellite dish' nest early this spring but she must have decided it's unusable this season. It is really in poor shape so I will remove it in hopes that they will build a new one from scratch in this location someday. Same goes for the 'juniper' nest. Such a great location but the little nest is all filled with pine needles and is of no interest this season. However, even though there are no nests in my yard, there must be some nearby as I had this youngster, fresh from the nest flutter around in my yard for a bit last week! No parents were around that I could see but he sat for the longest time on this branch before hopping over the fence into the yard behind mine.

Mourning Dove Visitor!

2010-05-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

I had this visitor show up briefly on my fence. Once again, I lucked out that he stayed there long enough for me to grab my camera...then he was gone. This is one of my favorite birds to listen to although not my favorite to look at, lol!

Update on the Squirrel Buster Feeder!

2010-05-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

My new Squirrel Buster Plus just arrived from Amazon and I have to say I'm VERY impressed! Sure it was a bit pricey but the quality is outstanding! It holds a ton of seed (something like 3 qts) and it comes apart easily with all parts being dishwasher safe! As for the squirrels...they can jump right to the perches from the ground but the ports close right down and the squirrels get nothing and give up. I haven't seen them try anymore 4 days after hanging it. The squirrels are going to have to be happy with the dropped seeds and the apple cores I throw out in the yard. They were getting a little too fat, anyway ;)

Shortly after hanging it, one of my House Finch regulars went right to it and tried it out.

Here's a picture of my current set-up. The finches really like the Finch Sock so I may just look into purchasing the Squirrel Buster Finch Feeder from this same company (Brome) because the quality is so impressive.

Western Meadowlark and Red-Tailed Hawk!

2010-05-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

I actually ventured out of my backyard for a change and took my camera (and heavy lens) to a nearby lake. There is a Bald Eagle's nest in a protective area of this lake that has been there for quite a few years. I doubt I will be able to get any photos, and didn't even try on this day, as you cannot get very close during this critical nesting time. There are two nestlings that hatched in March I believe. I really didn't spend a lot of time at the lake on the day I took these photos (April 19th) but I did get two shots of a Western Meadowlark when I first arrived and as I was leaving I got a few great shots of this Red-Tailed Hawk with his lunch!

Blue Jay Visitor!

2010-05-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

This Blue-Jay landed on my fence near my feeder for a brief moment then off he went. I actually heard him from inside my house and he was loud enough I figured he had to be in my yard. I grabbed my camera and was able to get two shots. As I moved to get a better view without the branches, he was gone. I guess he didn't like what I had to offer...no peanuts!

Argh...Squirrels!

2010-05-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

As long as there have been bird feeders, there have been issues with squirrels. I thought I had it good because right after I put up my feeder, I made this post about my Squirrel baffle. That was almost a year ago. It worked like a charm all through the winter months with the two squirrels being content with the dropped seed and the apple cores(I gave them almost daily). Well, my luck ran out. Just about a month ago, I noticed a squirrel on my feeder. I have a suspicion that this is a new squirrel because about the time I saw him on the feeder, I started noticing 3 instead of 2 squirrels in my yard. Regardless of that, there is now a squirrel on my feeder about 85% of the time emptying it at a rapid pace. I finally reached my limit when I saw him carry off almost a whole suet cake!!!
During this time, I decided I wanted to try to attract some Goldfinches to my yard so I bought a 2-pack of Finch socks try. Well, I never did see any Goldfinches but I did see this...

He loved the stuff!

I decided that I would try a new tactic. I kept some loaded mega-squirt rods on the deck and whenever I saw the squirrel I sent the boys out to give him a squirt. That worked well for a few days. He got wise and it got to that and as soon as the boys came back inside, he was back on, minutes later.
So, down went the bird feeder with the suet cages on the side, down came the torn finch sock, up went just my tube feeder with a new baffle on top and a suet cage with 'Hot pepper' flavor. It wasn't even a day before I witnessed this horrific scene....lol! ;)He's actually using the baffle to his advantage!!! Argh!

So, now I have another plan (this squirrel is really starting to cost some money!). We have on order from Amazon THIS FEEDER. It got some great reviews so we'll see. It should arrive tomorrow so I'll post an update....

Bird Seasons Cross-stitching Project!

2010-05-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

As I was working on this cross-stitching project I thought it might be fun to share my progress on this blog, after all it IS bird-related! This is only the third cross-stitching project I've ever worked on. The first one was one in a series of 12 projects featuring a different quilt for each month of the year. I only did one of them, lol! That was over 7 years ago before I had kids. A couple of years ago, I started another project but never finished it. Now, as for this one, the boys wanted to buy me a craft project for my birthday last month so we headed to the craft store an I chose this project that features birds in all 4 seasons. This is what it will look like when I'm done! So far I've been working on it since April 20th and still going strong when I have a few minutes to myself. I'm hoping that by posting it here, I will remain faithful to my goal of finishing it completely and getting it framed!!!!

International Migratory Bird Day Festival!

2010-05-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

On May 1st, a local bird store near me was hosting a day of events in celebration of International Migratory Bird Day! In addition to local artisan's, live music, food and such, HawkQuest was there with some bird's of prey to see up close! First was this beautiful Great Horned Owl. It had been hit by a car and is unable to survive in the wild due to a defective wing. Beautiful, huh? I know for a fact there is a nest near my house with some newly hatched owlettes and one of these evening I will get around to photographing them!

Next up is this Peregrine Falcon! We learned all sorts of interesting facts about this bird including the fact that when in a dive, it's the fastest animal on earth! They are truly built for speed!

There were a few other hawks in the room with this Bald Eagle but the photographs were not great because I didn't want to use my flash. I accidentally had it on for this one photo and it's the only one that turned out. This adorable eagle has been with HawkQuest for 11 years ever since it fell out of the nest and was rescued, barely surviving.

Finally, there was a charity Dove Race! A portion of the proceeds went to the Jason Dahl Foundation. We sponsored 2 birds and when they opened the cages, the doves raced back to their lofts in a nearby suburb with the winning dove (or his sponsor that is) won a $200 pair of binoculars! These are the 100 doves waiting to be released...

Here's a little video of the release of the Doves! Unfortunately neither of the two doves we sponsored made it back home first and we didn't win :( At least our donation went to a good cause and it was fun to watch!

Red-Tailed Hawk!

2010-04-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

There has been hardly any new excitiment in my backyard this early spring but I'm patiently waiting for signs of new nests. I did see a couple of House Finches 'checking out' and staking their claim on the existing nest under the saltellite dish a couple of weeks ago but haven't seen then there again. Since it was used successfully twice last year, (I'm guessing by the same couple), I figured they are back and will use it again.
About the Hawk. I was just sitting in my backyard when I heard an in-air scuffle between a Crow and this Hawk. As soon as the parted ways, this fella flew over my yard and I just happened to have my camera. He was way up there so not the clearest picture. You can, however see he is a Red-Tailed Hawk!

Spring Is Near!

2010-03-07T19:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a bit since I've posted and that's mainly because I just haven't had any interesting bird photos (well not any good enough to share, that is!). However...I'm just a little excited because as I was opening my blinds Saturday morning what did I see??? The first American Robin of the season! I thought by the time I grabbed my camera it would be gone. Well, it just so happened this Robin hung out on the grass for about 3o minutes. I truly think it was just enjoying the sun as it wasn't really doing much but just sitting there soaking it all in! It was kind enough to hop up on the fence long enough for me to get a couple (slightly out of focus) shots. Good enough for me...Spring is near :) I sure missed their song over the winter!

Great Backyard Bird Count!

2010-02-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

The GBBC is this weekend and I'm doing my part, along with my two young helpers! Whether they realize it or not, they're becoming knowledgeable about birds :) My two sons, Hunter(7) and Riley(5) each got me a bird book for Christmas and get excited every time I open one of them! My husband even installed an app for me on his ipod called ChirpUSA!
The count started yesterday(Friday Feb 12th) and goes through Monday(Feb 15th). I'll be counting in my backyard all 4 days and also at the park pond near my house. Yesterday the boys and I counted 65 Mallards and 5 Canada Geese at the park. In my yard there was not as much activity as usual...I only had 2 House Finches, 4 Juncos,1 Northern Flicker and 1 B.C.Chickadee! It's not too late to get your count in!!!!

White-Breasted Nuthatch!

2010-02-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

I noticed a new bird at my feeder several days ago and quickly snapped a few photos through the window. They were terrible pictures but enough that I could post them to the FeederWatch forum for identification. Turns out it's a White-Breasted Nuthatch. I've been waiting patiently for him to return and he finally did! This time I was waiting for him with my camera ready! I was lucky to catch the Downy in the same shot!!!

Female Downy Woodpecker!

2010-01-29T19:23:00.000-08:00

I always see the male but on this day I noticed he had a friend!!!!

Variety of Birds at my Feeder!

2010-01-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

I noticed my feeder was getting a lot of attention and decided to take a quick video. Turns out this short video captured 4 variety of birds. First a Downy Woodpecker and House Finch then a Dark-eyed Junco at the tube feeder followed by two Red-brested Nuthatches and more House Finches at the end! I've muted the sound as it was taken through my kitchen window while the boys were eating lunch and making a ruckus, lol!

Hooded Merganser!

2010-01-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

I spotted this fellow amongst the Mallards at my local pond. I wish I would've had my better camera. I always have my point-and-shoot just in case I spot something interesting.

Female House Finch

2010-01-21T20:51:00.001-08:00

I usually take pictures of the male House Finch because of his beautiful red color but I thought I'd give this female the spotlight today!

Female Northern Flicker

2010-01-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

I've gotten many pictures of the male Northern Flicker that visits my backyard but today I got a photo of the female who comes around less often!

Feeding Frenzy!

2010-01-11T11:34:00.001-08:00

Just a couple of action shots of the feeder!

Project Feederwatch and new photos!

2010-01-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

I guess it's been awhile since I've updated this blog! I was excited to see this new visitor to my feeder and turns out he's now become a regular! I decided to sign up for Project Feederwatch and last week was my first week counting. I suspect my count will be pretty much the same everytime because lately I have the same visitors everyday. 6 House Finches, roughly 6 Juncos(maybe more), 2 Black-capped Chickadees, 2 Flickers and 1 Downy Woodpecker. On rare occasions I see a Red-breasted Nuthatch but not often.

Black-capped Chickadee!

2009-11-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

I've seen and heard lots of these little guys at and around my feeder but they're so quick I can never get a good photo of one. I was finally determined to sit in my yard until I did!

I was also lucky enough to get this shot of a male House Finch and a Chickadee sharing a tree!

And... a couple more of the male House Finch just because... :)

New bird feeder!

2009-11-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about offering seut in addition to the black oil sunflower seeds so I bought this functional feeder! It holds 5 lbs of seed and 2 suet blocks. It's been about a week now and the birds have barely touched the suet. They took to the feeder right away, though.

Northern Flicker at my feeder!

2009-11-19T21:04:00.001-08:00

For several weeks now I suspected this Flicker was emptying my feeder just about everyday! I saw him at my feeder on occasion but it didn't seem like he was there long enough to eat a whole feeder of seed in one day. Then I noticed tons of uncracked seeds on the ground below the feeder. I Finally caught him in the act. He was at my feeder just pecking at all the seeds and throwing them all to the ground like he was looking for something better. Can you see all the seeds piled up under his feet??? Of course I have two squirrels that are dining very well right below the feeder these days. I'm not sure what to do to deter him from doing this because it's getting expensive having to fill it everyday. I was thinking about getting a Suet feeder so he'll go there instead.

Chipping Sparrow (I think) and Bird Bath De-icer!

2009-11-08T15:23:00.001-08:00

My latest backyard visitor! In my quest to identify this bird I found that a Brewer's Sparrow and a Chipping Sparrow(winter plumage) are hard to distinguish. After looking at many pictures of both, I'm pretty sure this is a winter-plumage Chipping Sparrow! Frame created by KimB! Next topic...

My new Bird Bath De-Icer!

Greg mounted a nice bracket and ran an extension cord out to the shed, getting it all hooked up safely to last the winter months. A closer look at his handywork of slicone and electrical tape....

You can never be too safe when it comes to electricity AND water!

Me, filling it up to test it out!

It needed to be weighted down with a rock so it wouldn't float but seems to be working nicely. All we neednow is some sub-zero weather to test it :)

Dark-Eyed Junco (pink-sided)

2009-10-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

It's only October 28th and we our in the midst of our first major snowstorm here in Colorado! With the snow came a new species to my feeder today! I happened to glance out my window and had to take a double-take at these incredibly fat birds (like little Robins on steroids!). I grabbed my camera and didn't get the most colorful pictures but I'm glad I at least got these as they didn't stay long.
This evening I tried to identify the bird type but wasn't having much luck. Suddenly, I received a comment from Cynthia on an older post stating that she saw two Black-eyed Juncos at her feeder just after the snow started. Being rather new to all this bird identification, I did a search to see what Juncos looked like. Low and behold there was my bird! Thanks Cynthia for helping me out! :) They are cute little things, that's for sure!

Finch at the Feeder!

2009-10-23T23:25:00.000-07:00

I thought my house finches all left for the winter but now I'm starting to see a few of them at my feeder again. I don't know much about their migration patterns but maybe they stay around through the winter in Colorado. I guess I shall see! I didn't realize until I zoomed in on the photo after I took it that I captured the sunflower seed mid flight! Cool!

Some new visitors to my feeder!

2009-09-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

A Blue Jay grabbing a peanut from my feeder! I think this is the first time I've actually seen a Blue Jay although I've heard their unmistakable call my whole life:)

Now this bird I had to research to identify. Turns out it is a Red-breasted Nuthatch! I only saw it at my feeder two times one day and luckily the second time I had my camera! In the picture below, I like how the finch is peeking around the corner watching the other bird with interest :)

All summer long the only birds I saw at my feeder were house finches and the occasional house sparrow so I was thrilled to have a chance to photograph some birds with a little color for a change! I recently bought some bird food with peanuts in it so that may be the reason for the new visitors. I hope to see more but with winter approaching I really have no idea what kind of birds I'll see as I never watched birds in the winter before :)

Update on the baby birds!

2009-09-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

I just realized I forgot to come back on here to update my last post! Well, all wen well with the babies at least until they were out of my sight, lol! I took this first photo as they started peeking their heads up This photo I took just minutes before the 3rd one flew out of the nest! 2 had already left when I wasn't around and the final one left about a day after this one after constant coaxing and fly-by's from mama bird!

That will be about it for the nests this season and I'm already looking forward to next spring!

Second brood of finches have hatched!

2009-08-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics of mama bird checking in to feed them! They started hatching around July 28th!

I took this right after they hatched. Not the greatest pic but the little fluffballs (or should I say fluff-lessballs ) are in there!

A Crow Grabbing A Snack!

2009-07-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

I don't know what he's got in his mouth (not sure I want to) but he stole it from another crow on one roof, carried it to another roof (pics above) and ate it in peace. It was quite comical watching him try to keep it from rolling off the roof while pecking away at it. I think a lot of people hate crows (along with pigeons) but I find them interesting and quite beautiful! I really don't know if this is a Raven or not but I think because of his size, maybe it was.

A Visitor To My Backyard!

2009-07-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

This hawk landed in the tree and I just happened to have my camera on hand. He was making all kinds of noise and was very close to the eggs in the satellite dish. He finally flew away hopefully before spotting them. The eggs are due to hatch any day now!

What Bird Is This?

2009-07-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to identify this bird. If anyone knows, please leave me a comment and let me know :)

New Eggs In An Old Nest!

2009-07-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

Remember this nest?? Well, it has 4 new eggs in it! I wasn't sure if house finches re-use old nests but I guess they do. Of course I don't know if it's the same mom or a different one that happened upon a good nest but it's exciting to have them around. In the following picture, I reached a mirror up there to see how many eggs!

Empty Nest, Fledglings & Unfortunate Incident...

2009-06-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

After the babies left the satellite dish(see previous post), I checked the pine tree in the front yard to see if any of those babies have left the nest and it looked like 2 had left and the two in the photo above were still there. I checked on them again yesterday morning and noticed one was perched on the edge of the nest so I knew it was going to leave soon, too. I just happened to look out my window and see the first one fly out and land in my front yard.
One of my neighbors lets her cat roam the neighborhood so I didn't want to take my eyes off this little guy until he was in a safe spot.

He stayed her for about an hour...

and then he fell asleep! Finally he flew up but landed in the same spot and stayed there for quite some time again. Then he flew again and made it to the roof!

I was thrilled he was now a bit safer from the cat but I feared a hawk would snatch him up as he was right out in the open. Then it flew to a safe spot in my backyard tree! Yay, I was thrilled. I finally got to witness a successful journey from egg to flight!

Warning! Sad story ahead :(

I peaked in the nest and noticed the little guy left was quite a bit smaller than his sibling and didn't quite look ready to leave the nest so I thought he might stay in there a little longer. Well, he had other ideas! Not even an hour later, I checked on him and this is what I saw...

He stayed her for a looooong time trying to work up the nerve to leave...

He finally did it and hopped into a shady spot on the side of the house. Once again, being a prime target for the cat...

The little guy was trying so hard to fly up and over my fence to get into the backyard and so I opened the gate for him and coaxed him through it.

He quickly found another hiding spot and stayed there awhile.

As an aside, it may not look like it but during this whole ordeal I tried to give this little guy his space so mom and dad could watch over him, feed him and know where he was. I was just keeping an eye out for the cat!

After he left this spot, his mom came down and tried to show him how to fly in this short video.

After flight school with mom, he hopped himself to a nice shady, hidden spot between a fence and our shed. Once there, he slept for a few hours. As it started getting darker, he nestled down in the rocks but kept chirping. The rest of his family had all bedded down for the evening somewhere else and I felt so bad leaving this guy all alone for the night. I just had a feeling he wasn't going to make it with that cat prowling around...and fox and racoons, etc. When the sun went down, he was sleeping quietly so we didn't interfere.

Morning came and to my relief he was still there! Yay! He was still staying in the same area behind the shed but was moving around a bit and chirping away. I didn't take any pictures of him this morning but I took this little video of him looking up at his dad on the fence...

I checked on him very frequently as I wanted to keep track of where he might go. I went inside for about 10 minutes and when I came back out I saw my neighbor's black cat dart from behind the shed, scurry under the bushes and hop the fence. The baby bird has not bee seen since :(

Now a bit of a vent from me: I know the period of time after a bird leaves the nest and before it learns to fly is a very vulnerable time because of the multitude of predators but what angers me is the cat that killed this baby bird is someones pet and doesn't need to hunt for food to survive, it does it purely for the sport of it (yes, I know, that's what cats do yada-yada, blah, blah). It came into MY yard as it does on a regular basis. I choose not to own a cat yet I have to deal with someone else's cat coming into my yard using my sandbox and grass as a litterbox! It irks me quite a bit to say the least. If you choose to own a cat, keep it indoors...your cat-less neighbors will thank you for it! There, done venting!

Empty Nest!

2009-06-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

The babies under the satellite dish have left the nest!
I took this photo on the the 17th...

I took this photo on the 18th...

and this photo was taken on the 19th!

I didn't actually see them leave the nest but I hope they made it to safety and are enjoying life as a bird! They left quite a messy nest under my dish but it was worth it! It really was a choice spot for a nest!

The nestlings in the pine tree...

2009-06-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist getting a photo of these cuties. I don't usually check on them now that they're getting bigger because I don't want to scare them. I saw some babies hopping around in my yard and I thought they might have been the ones in my pine tree so I just had to know by carefully taking a look. There, staring back at me were 4 nestlings still snuggled together not quite ready to leave the nest just yet. Of course I had to take a quick video too, and as you can see they didn't even care that I was there. The mother and father were squawking at me a bit, so I quickly left and gave them some space. Enjoy!

Another update on the baby birds!

2009-06-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

I have to be careful when I go near the nest as they are aware of me now. If I get too close they duck down in the nest and hide but this one kept it's head poked up long enough for me to take a picture. They are really getting big quick! Enjoy!

Updated pic of the baby finches!

2009-06-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

They are getting bigger and starting to look a little more like birds now! I expect they will leave the nest sometime this week.

Another squirrel deflector...

2009-06-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

The squirrel deflector under the bird feeder has been working like a charm but they still like to hang out under it catching all the droped seeds. It doesn't bother me and it's fun to watch Kayla stalk them! Most of the time she just intimidates them by staring them down but every once in awhile she actually darts toward them and gives them a scare. In her younger days she would've been able to catch them but her arthritis has slowed her down :)

Baby birds! Updated pics and videos!

2009-06-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

I was sure the nest under my satellite dish was abandoned the other day. I just stopped seeing the mom at the nest and it was really chilly out. I took a mirror and looked in the nest and didn't see any movement so I thought the babies had died. Well, I kept checking and I finally saw both the mom and dad show up just to feed the babies. I watched and realized that there just isn't enough room for mom on the nest now so she and dad just perch themselves on a nearby tree and stand guard from there. So, I'm happy to report the babies (there were 5 eggs) are well and good. Enjoy the pics and videos!

Below is a video of the hungry birds. Dad is on top of the satellite dish watching as mom attempts to feed them. You can't see her but if you look closely to the left, you can see the tip of her tail sticking out.

This next video is the nest in my juniper bush...the sleeping birds didn't even know I was there!

The baby finches have hatched!

2009-06-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of the nest in my juniper bush and below is a little video...

Zoo Peacock!

2009-06-04T15:08:00.000-07:00

I'm always amazed at how beutiful the peacock's tail is. I don't get to see it open very often!

Keeping the pesky squirrels out of my bird feeder!

2009-05-28T16:41:00.000-07:00

I've never noticed too many squirrels in my yard but when I put up the bird feeder, they showed up. On the first day, a squirrel just sat on the fence and starred at it most of the day then left and I didn't see him for a few days. I figured he gave up. I was wrong because when he came back he went right over to the feeder and climbed right up the pole and sat on my birdfeeder and helped himself. I wish I would've had my camera handy for that shot! Off I went to search the net for a solution. When I was about to head off to the local garden shop to buy one, my husband, being the craftsman that he is informed me he had all the supplies he needed to whip up a quick baffler himself. This is how he did it...

Cut some sheet metal...

Bent the edges in so they wouldn't be sharp...

Crimped the edges together to form a cone...

Formed a piece of wood to fit snuggly under the cone, around the pole...

Some screws to make it adjustable...

The finshed baffler looks like this...

So far it works like charm!

Grabbing some nesting material

2009-05-27T06:34:00.000-07:00

I was sitting under my tree and a little house finch and her mate stopped by to grab some nesting material from the old robin's nest. I'd like to think it was the finch couple from my gutter making a new, hopefully better located nest :)

So sad, the nest is gone :(

2009-05-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I was really hoping the rain would hold off until the nestlings fledged but no such luck. We had a fairly heavy rainstorm Saturday night while I wasn't home and I was worried how the nest would hold up. To my surprise, she was still sitting up there the next day. This picture was taken to show how her nest is damming up our downspout and all the water is spilling over the edge.
Unfortunately later in the afternoon we had extremely heavy thunderstorms move across the state. Again, I wasn't home but was very concerned about how the nest was holding up. When I got home late that evening, I shined a flashlight up there and there was no mama bird so I knew it wasn't a good sign. I didn't see her at all the next day, either. At one point I saw the male finch land on the gutter about a foot away and look around as if he were wondering what had happened (maybe he knew) and it was sad. That evening we got more heavy rain and since we were sure the nest had been abandoned, we had no choice but to clean the nest out of our gutter before damage was done to our roof (if it hadn't already). Sure enough, 2 nestlings and one egg had perished. It is so heartbreaking and I'm hoping mama has found a safer place to build her next nest. :(

Easing my concern for the nestlings

2009-05-23T08:26:00.000-07:00

Although I can't see them, I think I can hear them but I know they're up there! The nestlings in my gutter have hatched! I see mama finch feeding something and dad finch feeds mom. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I'm a little concerned that if a nestling falls out of the nest pre-maturely, it is a long fall to a concrete patio. To ease my concerns, I keep my umbrella underneath just in case. I figure it will at least break the fall halfway down. Now if I can just keep it from raining too hard and drowning them :)

Here's dad after he stopped by to feed mom...

I found two more House Finch nests!

2009-05-22T10:44:00.001-07:00

I saw some twigs up in my satellite dish a few days ago and thought a bird had tried to make a nest but didn't finish. When I checked again, the nest was complete and you can see the mama house finch sitting in it :)

I have a little pine tree, more like a pine bush in my front yard. When I was doing some yard work a bird flew out of it. I took a peak behind the branches and this is what I found! Now I have a total of 3 house finch nests in my yard that I'm keeping an eye on!

As I was taking a picture of this nest, the mom and dad were on my neighbor's roof keeping and eye on me. I took this picture of them and then I was lucky enough to get a photo of the dad feeding mom!

Recent fascination with birdwatching!

2009-05-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

I decided that my recent fascination with watching the birds of my backyard warranted a blog all of it's own. I love taking pictures of birds and wanted to share them in a place other than my digital scrapbooking blog because I realize not everyone enjoys reading about birds or looking at pictures of them. For those that follow my Project-365, you may have seen a few of these pictures before but with less of a story with them.
A little history about my encounter with birdwatching or birding as it is also known...Up until this spring I spent my whole life (42 years) not really paying any attention to birds and never understood why anyone would want to birdwatch as a hobby or even have a bird as a pet...I'm a dog person all the way! One day in late April I was in my backyard and I noticed a nest in my tree. I thought this was kind of exciting because this is the first time this tree has ever had a nest and it's the only tree in my yard. I watched for awhile to see if the nest was being used. Sure enough, I photographed this American Robin putting the finishing touches on her work of art. Just to give you and example of how much I didn't know about birds a few weeks ago, I didn't even know this bird was a Robin!

I can't remember if this is the male or female Robin but I couldn't resist taking this photo complete with dirt on his/her beak from grabbing worms!It didn't take long after finding this nest for me to become obsessed with the idea of watching this bird raise a family right in my yard. I envisioned all the great photo opportunities I would get as the nestlings beame fledglings and took their first flight. I immediatley got online and learned all there was to learn about American Robins. I could tell when she was laying her eggs and I knew when she was done because she rarely left the nest and when she did it was for a very short time. I became very curious to see how many eggs she had so I waited patiently for her to fly a safe distance away and I climbed on the shed roof and quickly took this photo on May 7, 2009 ...

I watched this robin sit on these eggs for 3 more days and on Mother's day I didn't see the robin anymore. I was so worried something may have happened to her and I kept an eye on the nest most of the day and still no robin. Finally, my husband went out to investigate. Much to our disappointment, the eggs were gone and there were a few blue eggshells scattered on the ground beneath. I was heartbroken over this and immediately needed to know what happened so I could prevent it from happening again...was it a cat, raccoon, squirrel? I'll never know for sure but I have an idea about what may have happened. I still need to do more research but I feel strongly that maybe it has something to do with this male House Sparrow that's guarding a nest on my neighbor's roof...I noticed as the robin was building her nest, when she would leave this sparrow would come and steal nesting material from her. I also noticed that after her eggs were gone he was at her nest quite a bit. I climebed up ther one day and noticed the nest is all filled in with twigs and grass as to make it unusable for another bird. Well, I guess it's one of those mysteries that will never be solved.
As I was missing my robin, I quckly noticed a little bird fly up into my gutter. After watching this little bird for awhile, I realized she had a nest up there. At the time I first noticed her, I had no idea what kind of bird she was as I'm so new to this stuff. She was fast and I could never get a good look at her. This is the picture I took the day I noticed her...

At first I was thinking she was a House Wren but it seemed that her beak was too short. After spending some time watching her I noticed her mate and he was more identifiable due to his coloring. I did a search to find common birds for my area and came to the conclusion that thay are House Finches. Here a pic of the male and I fianally got a better pic of the girl when she landed on my neighbor's roof...

Here's another peak at her watching me. She's getting use to all the time we spend in the yard and doesn't seem quite as skittish as she first did.
Although it's way to high for me to see, I know she has eggs in there as she hardly ever leaves the nest and I saw the male come and feed her once.As I was sitting on my patio one morning, I saw that house sparrow from next door come and try to get in her nest twice but she (and I) scared him away. I'm a little concerned about her choice of a nest sight. As you can see it's in a gutter and right above it is a downspout. As if that's not bad enough, it's about a 15 feet drop to my concrete patio. I fear the thought of a heavy downpour and if they survive that, it will be a long drop if a nestling falls out or when the fledglings try to take their first flight. We shall see!
I decided now that I enjoy watching the birds in my yard, I may as well get a bird feeder and a birdbath so they will stay around awhile. Here are some pics I took:

So that's about it for now. I'm hoping to have some exciting pictures in the coming weeks as the eggs hatch and hopefully there will be some successful fledglings taking flight! Thanks for stopping by!