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Post by Caseysmom on Mar 14, 2017 18:08:46 GMT -5
We got lots of snow, last night and during the day today, plus it was cold and windy out, so other than shovelling the driveway we stayed inside and warm. I missed my hikes but bird watched with Casey from our livingroom window Lots of hungry birds showed up    Casey had fun hanging out with me watching and at one point stole my camera cap 
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Post by cnyguy on Mar 14, 2017 20:17:55 GMT -5
Looks like Casey is also your photographer's assistant.  Nice photos. I often see the same varieties of birds at my feeder. The first place I ever saw a black squirrel was in Ottawa (Canada), many years ago on a family vacation; a few years later, I learned that they're here in the Syracuse area. There were lots of them on the Syracuse University campus, and now I see them at my apartment complex too, along with the more common gray squirrels.
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Post by biteybird on Mar 15, 2017 3:37:04 GMT -5
They're great shots!  I wonder how the poor birds survive when there's snow? I guess a few of them just don't make it. Lucky for these ones that you had food out for them.
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Post by easttex on Mar 15, 2017 4:47:05 GMT -5
I've never seen a black squirrel! Pretty. I get throngs at my feeders when it's cold, too. I don't get starlings or English sparrows, as a rule. They tend to stay closer to town here. We get lots of cowbirds this time of year. I kind of hate to see them, as they lay their eggs in smaller birds' nests for others to raise. The larger chicks sometimes push the smaller ones out of the nest, and they get fed more. A brilliant strategy, really, but I'd rather feed the birds who are actually putting in the serious labor. What are you gonna do? Everyone is just trying to survive.
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Post by biteybird on Mar 15, 2017 5:42:19 GMT -5
It's been hot here the last couple of months (just started Autumn here in Australia, but we are still getting 32C days). Well, the other day we saw a Noisy Mynah - a 'pest' bird that steals other birds' nests and basically tries to kill any other bird - trying in vain to get water from the nozzle of our garden watering system. We felt so sorry for it that we put out a bowl of water right next to the sprinkler nozzle. We think several birds are drinking from the water bowl, as I fill it nearly every day.
...Just goes to show you that it's a tough world out there.
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Post by Caseysmom on Mar 15, 2017 9:24:41 GMT -5
I would say there are more black than grey squirrels in our yard. I think there were five at my door one morning. There are a couple of grey ones too, and some small noisy red ones in the back. Yes the birds were very hungry yesterday. The coolest one to me was the Carolina wren, it appeared a few weeks ago and has stayed. I was worried about the robins and had fruit down for them too but I never saw them. They arrived last week.... a little too early as it turns out. Most birds manage in the snow, one thing I learned is that I never cut down my flower garden in the fall. I leave the old plants up so the wild birds can eat them during the winter.
That nice of you to put out water, I have a bird bath I fill daily in the summer too.
The cowbirds haven't arrived here yet, I've seen pictures of the tiniest prettiest birds feeding giant hungry cow bird babies... it seems so unfair but I guess you are right that is nature
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Post by julianna on Mar 15, 2017 12:43:59 GMT -5
Those are great pictures Caseysmom.... Yeah you guys sure did get hit with a lot of snow I hear. We have been lucky up North as most of the storms have passed us by. We just have freezing cold but lately lots of sunshine. It rained early this month so that made for lots of ice.
I do not put out bird feeders anymore because the huge Ravens come and dump them and steal all the food from the little birds. I end up with nothing but a huge mess on my lawn which I had to vacuum to get the seeds off. lol... neighbours thought I was crazy.
I got a beautiful pictures of Oscar which I am going to try and post. Hope it comes through.
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Post by cnyguy on Mar 15, 2017 20:10:25 GMT -5
We get lots of cowbirds this time of year. I kind of hate to see them, as they lay their eggs in smaller birds' nests for others to raise. I had a pair of cardinals nesting in my yard who raised two baby cowbirds along with their own three children. I think our recent spell of warmer weather fooled a lot of the wild birds into thinking it was time to head north. I don't imagine they've been too happy with the single-digit (F) temperatures last week (it was in the high 60's to low 70's a few days earlier), or the nearly two feet of snow we got yesterday.
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Post by Caseysmom on Mar 16, 2017 22:34:57 GMT -5
Wow, good for the cardinals! They all survived! My feeders were so busy, I've had to refill everything. It was sunny today here and the snow has started to melt.
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Post by easttex on Mar 17, 2017 3:55:51 GMT -5
The cardinals are close enough in size to stand a chance with cowbirds, but wren and chickadee babies are at a real disadvantage. I try to do welfare checks on the local nests of the chickadees, wrens, phoebes and bluebirds before they start sitting on their eggs. Surprisingly, I haven't found any foreigners so far.
Has anyone seen that photo of a cardinal feeding a koi? That large open mouth looked just like a big baby bird's gape to that cardinal.
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Post by Caseysmom on Mar 18, 2017 22:50:37 GMT -5
Lol. No I haven't. Now I gave to google! 😀
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Post by biteybird on Mar 19, 2017 1:45:36 GMT -5
These bird species you guys have in the US and Canada really intrigue me. I've never heard of a cowbird before, let alone a cardinal, phoebe or koi - will have to look them up. Caseysmom, I forgot to mention that we were amazed to see the lumps of ice amongst the bird seed in your photos, something we've never seen here.
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Post by Caseysmom on Mar 21, 2017 21:30:19 GMT -5
These bird species you guys have in the US and Canada really intrigue me. I've never heard of a cowbird before, let alone a cardinal, phoebe or koi - will have to look them up. Caseysmom, I forgot to mention that we were amazed to see the lumps of ice amongst the bird seed in your photos, something we've never seen here. Lol. I could send you ice ouctures! I guess our birds learn to adapt to the cold but you guys have all the neat parrots! They would be fun to see in the wild!
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Post by easttex on Mar 22, 2017 8:48:25 GMT -5
Most of them manage okay in the low temps. Besides all their insulation, in the worst of it you can often see them huddled up on a branch, close to the trunk and on the lee side. They get into real trouble when their food sources are frozen over for days at a time.
My only copy of the cardinal feeding the fish photo is a grainy black and white. I did find this video of the same situation. What is called a black headed cardinal is just a regular northern cardinal who has lost all his head feathers at once. It's not all that rare.
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Post by Caseysmom on Mar 22, 2017 18:04:20 GMT -5
lol, that's the video I watched... I didn't realise he had lost his feathers... I wondered where there were black headed cardinals.... I have seen them going through big moults though... think I have a pic of a funny one from last year
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