Birds are a lovely diversion, and it is very interesting to see the great many that just visit your birdfeeder. Well, I was greatly surprised.
What is truly amazing to me is that all these various lovely creatures have no doubt always been flying around my home, but I never took the time to notice until I began feeding them. What a waste that for all those years I was so unaware.
I've been enjoying the flashes of bright blue (jays) and red (cardinals) of late in this dim and dreary november.
The top fell off one of the feeders today (it's the one the squirrels dump all the time and I suspect they had something to do with it). So my sweet hubby is making me a new feeder. He knows how much I love feeding the 'kids' every morning. I actually feel guilty when I sleep late on the weekends -- they're all out there waiting for me.
aaawwww, that's cute bandylu!
I've vowed that once we retire and move, I'm not going to start feeding the birds -- afraid it will attract wildlife I don't want (around the doggy) and because it costs a small fortune. But...then I think of all the poor birds.
Just one or two lil bird feeders.... just in the winter....
Sounds like the way the mind is working, littlek. What harm can one or two feeders do and just in the winter?
I know the sounds that kind of mind makes... <grin>
I'm a birdwatcher who has recently discovered I need to learn a lot more. (Just came back from a class on "Why Birds Sing?" I also feed birds and squirrels, and have made my home and property as animal friendly as possible. We've kept all the trees we can, provide water and cover, plant native plants for food, do not use any poisons or chemicals. I've also found that having our horse (and its buddy) seem to make more birds and animals come around. We're avid watchers of the resident seal in our bay and when we go rowing, I've learned to row so quietly that the heron on the dock isn't disturbed.
We also contribute to Nature Conservancy and purchase the annual pass for our national parks... hoping that adds to their funding, I guess. I don't do much photography, but Mr. PFK does. There is nothing so peaceful to me as sitting quietly and watch wild animals and birds doing their thing. They're so perfect and beautiful!
My family does the National Parks passes as well, I think its a very nice thing to enjoy.
Piffka- You might enjoy getting a tape of bird calls. Often, when you don't have binoculars, or the birds are flying too high to see clearly, you can tell what they are by the calls.
I have a tape. One night, I was near a restaurant and I heard a peculiar call. I had never heard it before. I didn't know, so I checked the tape. It was a chuck-wills-widow, a mottled brown bird that stays in the underbrush. I never could have seen him in a million years, but I knew what he was by his call.
Thats fabulous Phoenix, a tape! And how nice was that for you to figure out the little guy?
So many bird calls can be related to very relaxing, enjoyable moments. Ive got quite a few down but, certainly not a great deal.
Must be nice to know exactly who it is thats calling out without ever seeing them.
Phoenix -- That is a great idea. I've been lethargically looking for some birding software that my sister has (Guess I should just call her!). It has lots and lots of birds with beautiful color photos and descriptions, plus there is a link to the typical songs and calls of the bird. Being a comput-o-holic, I'd like to have that software NOW!
We used her software once to figure out that I had been listening to a Spotted Owl.
I was just at a Bird Singing class... not quite what I expected, it was all about the brain activity related to bird songs (which are different from their calls and I still don't know how!!).
Birding software?
I thought I saw an ad in Mass Audobon magazine by Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Have you tried them?
Hmmm, no, but I think that it must be an Audubon product. I was expecting to be able to buy it at this class (offered by Seattle Audubon) but it was held at the Univ. of Wash. campus.
As I said, I'm a lethargic looker! But thanks... I'm gonna put it on my Christmas list!!
I used to make a living (barely) doing environmental assessment - birds/herps and plants - i had(have?) a series of tapes of birdcalls that we listened to in the car as we travelled between quadrants. they were very helpful when we were out at 3 a.m., doing our birding.
I'm a bit of a militant anti-bird feeder. I'll skip the rant here.
Birds were calling at 3am? Owls?
We were just talking and listening to the instructor talk about the "Dawn Chorus" -- he said nobody knows why EXACTLY they do it. Unfortunately if you ask a lot of questions, they go out, capture a bunch of birds, torture them a while, then kill them to find out... SOOOOOO I'm not too anxious to know. But I always thought it was a Roll Call, who has made it through the night. Least that's what it seems like here. The top bird of the territory wakes up, finds his spot (I've seen him do this) and calls and calls. Then he listens and they'll start singing out. I swear he is cocking his head and listening to each individual voice.
So the tapes have a short clip of bird song (or call) then identify the bird? It does sound good. I'd like that and the software.
I'm in an email group called "the Tweeters". It's a great way to learn about the birds of the area -- there's probably something like it wherever you are...
Here's the beginning of the most recent email:
Tweeters,
My first experience with ANCIENT MURRELETS was somewhat similar to Ruth Sullivan's. On a Christmas Bird Count in Victoria, BC, more than 30 years ago, I was allowed a quick look through someone else's scope at some little specks probably a half-mile away on the water. I didn't feel comfortable counting them on my life list until I saw some more, almost a year later, off Lighthouse Marine Park at Point Roberts in Whatcom County.
Most of the Tweeters are very concerned about their Life Lists.
