MyFishFinder Forum
The Fisherman's Wharf => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Doubles Shooter on Nov 30, 2020, 05:24 AM
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I was working out in the back yard yesterday getting the last of the winterization projects finished when 5 bluebirds showed up. They were checking out the bird house and hung out for near 20 minutes. I'm thinking it was the last family to fledge this year just stopping by. I thought they would have left a long time ago. Is this normal for them to be here this late? Never seen them this late. I live by Letchworth State park in WNY.
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Im still hearing and seeing them around here .
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I took our bluebird house down for the winter. They’ve been around and battling with the sparrows. I covered the entrance to keep the sparrows out and then a woodpecker put a good sized hole in the side of the house. I’ll build a new one for spring.
Rg
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I took our bluebird house down for the winter. They’ve been around and battling with the sparrows. I covered the entrance to keep the sparrows out and then a woodpecker put a good sized hole in the side of the house. I’ll build a new one for spring.
Rg
I've been leaving mine up. When the weather gets cold, I've had up to 5 Downey woodpeckers gathering in it for the night. The sparrows will not be a problem. My RWS 45 will take care of them. ::)
I'm also going to build new houses with my grandson too.
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A lot of birds will spend a wintery night in an empty house...
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A lot of birds will spend a wintery night in an empty house...
Yes. Nature is truly amazing if a person takes the time to look.
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I’m in the coast of NH, but seems like ours stay here year round?
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yes I have bluebirds around here clyde ny
also they are coming to bird feeder from time to time
I have never removed bird houses should I ?
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Bluebirds stick around here all winter too. Put out some dried mealworms for them near your feeders or birdhouses, a welocome treat for them on a cold winters day (chickadees too ;))
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Bluebirds stick around here all winter too. Put out some dried mealworms for them near your feeders or birdhouses, a welocome treat for them on a cold winters day (chickadees too ;))
And squirrels and nuthatches too! If you guys like blue birds make one of these and throw some mealy works in there:
(https://i.postimg.cc/kDXHCNLR/0-E022283-66-D6-4-D71-9-BC8-626-DA1219031.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/kDXHCNLR)
We regularly have a dozen blue birds fighting over it at lunch time. Really neat to see them so close, we have had 8 on that feeder at one time before.
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Here’s the inside view:
(https://i.postimg.cc/HrDr1wTD/F6-B062-BE-B4-C4-4-F6-B-ABC5-49-CC20-BFD112.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/HrDr1wTD)
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That particular house is only one of a dozen we have out. It was very old and pretty much destroyed by the woodpecker. Normally I’d leave it up year round. Theres plenty of rooms available for our feathered friends.
Rg
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Thanks for the education all. In my 68 years I've never seen one late fall, early winter.
It took 35 years for them to use the house in my yard, but they fledged 6 litters in the last 5 years.
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yup nice only problem is DAMM sparrow keeping them out of boxes
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I've seen small groups of bluebirds here in northeastern Indiana in winter too. I don't recall if it was early, middle, or late though.
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You guys keep talking about sparrows, sure there not house wrens. Or like what my son use to call them. Check Mark Birds... Because thats what they look like... ;D
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No..these are English Sparrows. We have House Wrens around. I’m pretty sure they’re responsible for dispatching the last clutch of bluebird eggs this past summer. Nasty little birds for sure. The sparrows fight for nesting rights. The bluebirds are serious about defending their nest box and their territory.
Fun that we’re ’re sharing bluebird scenarios going into winter.
That’s what I like about this site. Lots of common interests.
Rg
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I saw a flock of 8 last week while hunting. They too were going house to house checking them out. I thought it strange but my friend said they're in that area year round. I don't see them at my place but I don't have houses up for them. THey'd just be snack shacks for the coons around here.
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yup nice only problem is DAMM sparrow keeping them out of boxes
Same here
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It took years for a pair of bluebirds to use our nest. Usually house wrens which were fun to watch. Then one year a pair finally moved in. One morning all 4 eggs were on the ground with holes in them. Sparrows. Well, I set up a snipers hide and the pellet gun made them go away. It was ten years before another pair of bluebirds moved in. Sparrows are definitely not welcome in my yard.
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Try a slot entrance with a shallow cavity. No more than 5” inside. The sparrows dont like the shallow box and prefer a round hole entrance. Also, if the slot is full width it gives the bluebirds the advantage in chasing sparrows our of the box prior to nesting. Our best breeding pair are very aggressive and defend against all interlopers. W’ve seen them attack squirrels, crows even the neighbor’s cat. (Got to it before I could).
The other big thing is ....dont put out anything sparrows will eat. No millet, cracked corn, shelled sunflower or such. Only sunflower seeds. Sparrows have a hard time eating them.
Rg
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feeding blue birds
I used to set out live meal worms in a small Custer bowl (clear)
once they knew that they are there
they would be on them before I could get back inside my house
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I get round blocks of a combination of dried meal worms and shelled sunflowe seeds. They love them.
Rg
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Yup....that’s the one.
A couple years ago I ran into this style house. I altered the nest box entrance and the bluebirds had their first successful clutch. I’m going for a Peterson style box with a slot entrance. Sparrows have a hard time landing on a sloped front box with an overhanging roof. Bluebirds just dive right in.
Lots of time to get that ready before spring.
I’ve been looking at songbird roost boxes. Might make one and see who makes use of it.
Rg
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'Dacker, Thanks for the vids. My grandson and I are planning on making some houses over the winter and I like the idea.. I need to get out more. I've never heard of the slot style boxes.
RG, That Peterson style should work at my daughter's place. they have 5 acres of open land in farm country with a bunch of sparrows. It's had to defend.
I also found plans for a Carolina Wren house. We have them in the back yard too.
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I’m not putting out any wren houses next year. They’re nasty little birds. Have a feeling they did in the last bluebird clutch as well as another wren family in a different house. Watched the parents feeding chicks for a couple weeks and all of a sudden they abandoned the nest box. Opened it up and found 5 dead chicks..
Started on a roosting box today.
(https://i.postimg.cc/cgK3VkKW/34-BC2-A47-7-F24-40-C7-A915-1-C00134122-C4.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/cgK3VkKW)
(https://i.postimg.cc/y3cZNJXr/9-E7-C77-D1-3-ACC-40-B4-96-BB-72481-A080773.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/y3cZNJXr)
Decided to shingle it with little cedar shingles. I made some shingled houses a couple years ago and have a bunch of them from that project. Think I’m going to figure out a way to re-saw some on the band saw.
Lots to do to complete the box. Perches, latch, entrance hole, stain and finish. A bit of a break from Christmas gifts. Guess it’s kind of a Christmas gift for our feathered friends.
Rg
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(https://i.postimg.cc/8j5H5scC/20180620-200245.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/8j5H5scC)
Here is a set of 5 bluebirds in one of my houses 2 years ago. I think 3 survived
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I wonder if that would work to keep sparrows out of a Martin house?
Why does this work?
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Sparrows don’t seem to like the extra light in the box. They like a dark cavity to nest in. Bluebirds are pretty adaptable. They don’t seem to mind. It’s another reason the slot type box seems better. More light in the nest cavity. Don’t know what the Martins would think of it.
Worth a shot though.
Woke up thinking about how to make more little cedar shingles for the roosting box. Worked out a fixture for the band saw...I think. I’ll give it a try when I get home this afternoon. I’m thinking I might put a temporary feed tray near the opening to help encourage them to investigate the roost.
Rg
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So...my Bride doesn’t get out much these days and takes a lot of pleasure watching the birds at the feeders and bath. They love our bird bath.
I’ve been pondering how to make a heated bird bath so they can use it all winter long. Looked around at heaters made for bird baths and they were way overpriced. Thought about an aquarium heater but they were too low a wattage. Had a few other ideas but they all ended up in the $40-50 range.
In my search I bumped into a YouTube video of a bath that used a heated pet water bowl.
Voila!
(https://i.postimg.cc/wtdcrw84/FB76-B5-EA-A695-4-EFA-A151-E3062-B5618-D5.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/wtdcrw84)
Tractor Supply....$20. Holds 1 1/2 gallons of water so I filled it with rocks to give the birds something to stand on. I think they’ll appreciate me.
Rg
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That's a great idea..
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I'm going to do the same thing. I Have one for my chickens , why not put out another one for my other feathered friends .
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The cashier at TS told me she used one for her chickens. When I told her what I was going todo she said she was going to buy another for the song birds.
28 out and its not frozen at all.
Rg
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Didn’t take long for the birds and squirrels to find the water. They were in and out quite a few times yesterday. Just drinking. Too cold out for a bath I guess.
Rg
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Stupid question RG. What if they do the bird bath in really fridgid temps like below zero? Could it be harmful or do they immediately shake off the water?
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I doubt they’d take any serious dip in really cold weather, but the back of my house is white and faces due south. It’s always 10-20 degrees warmer back there.
My Bride is my observer. She says the birds are drinking a lot but not jumping in for a bath. They’re probably smarter than I think.
Rg
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I doubt they’d take any serious dip in really cold weather, but the back of my house is white and faces due south. It’s always 10-20 degrees warmer back there.
My Bride is my observer. She says the birds are drinking a lot but not jumping in for a bath. They’re probably smarter than I think.
Rg
;D
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i still have Blue birds here coming to bird feeder every day
bird feeder for blue jays sparrows juncos red breasted rose finch
mostly has sunflowers bits, crushed peanuts pistachios
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We have a wide variety of birds at our feeders. We only feed black oil sunflower. It limits the English sparrows and starlings. Our suet feeders attract all kinds of clingers. We have house finches, purple finches, gold finches, Nuthatch, juncos, titmice,grosbeaks, cardinals, downys, hairy woodpeckers, chickadees and even the occasional pileated woodpecker.
We seldom see the bluebirds at the feeders. I’ll probably put out a couple of mealworm blocks for them when I mount the roost box. I’m thinking of incorporating feeding stations on the sides of the box to get them to investigate it.
All the songbirds have been enjoying the water dish. Glad we put that out.
Rg
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The bluebirds found the roost box with their meal worm goodies.
2 eating on the seed platform
(https://i.postimg.cc/KK2QGN0Q/230-D4-E61-8-FDC-4-F2-F-82-C5-E3-B1-AFA1-F940.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/KK2QGN0Q)
2 more coming in for a landing.
(https://i.postimg.cc/MMZDRG2Q/C826-C4-C6-3-B79-485-A-8-B5-E-71-DD57-B834-B5.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/MMZDRG2Q)
There were 5 or 6 out there just a minute ago.
We’re thrilled to help them in this fridgid weather.
Rg
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Nothing like complete success ..... :thumbup_smilie: :thumbup_smilie: :thumbup_smilie: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:
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Almost...haven’t seen them go inside yet. But now they know where it is and I’ll keep their platform supplied.
By the way, the heated water dish is absolutely a complete success. All the birds drink. Even the bluebirds and squirrels.
Rg
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Great job. Got it done just in time.
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We have a wide variety of birds at our feeders. We only feed black oil sunflower. It limits the English sparrows and starlings. Our suet feeders attract all kinds of clingers. We have house finches, purple finches, gold finches, Nuthatch, juncos, titmice,grosbeaks, cardinals, downys, hairy woodpeckers, chickadees and even the occasional pileated woodpecker.
We seldom see the bluebirds at the feeders. I’ll probably put out a couple of mealworm blocks for them when I mount the roost box. I’m thinking of incorporating feeding stations on the sides of the box to get them to investigate it.
All the songbirds have been enjoying the water dish. Glad we put that out.
Rg
Try putting some mealworms closer to you windows in the house, or the feeders. Our bluebirds are totally territorial with the mealworms, and hang out around the feeders and bath simply because of how close they are. Although perhaps your songbirds are a bit more competitive then ours.
And the water is awesome this time of year. I’m confident our heated bath is the reason we have so many here year round.
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There’s a mealworm block on out feeder outside the kitchen picture window. They visit it but not like the way they went after the block I put out on the roost box. They were there several times yesterday. The song birds and jays haven’t gone near that spot. They’re much happier with the feeders. I don’t thing the jays can get at the food on the roost box. I purposely made the platform small and deeper. The bluebirds are more than content getting right in there.
The nuthatches and chickadees like the meal worm block too. The finches will go after the sunflower hearts but like the seed better. Can’t believe how many birds we had out there yesterday.
Rg
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No less than 5 bluebirds in my yard right now. They’re feeding on the meal worm blocks at the roost house and feeder station. Really cool to see that many around. They appreciate the heated water dish as well.
Rg
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How high does a bluebird house have to be off the ground .saw a bluebird yesterday and built a house, want to put it out in an open area. Want to now how high to make the post for it.
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Height around 6-7’ but make sure it’s away from your feeders. Also make sure it’s pointed in the direction of some trees within a short flying distance. They teach the young to fly back and forth.
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Right! Audubon Society says 6-8’. Mine is around 7’. Away from roosting areas like bushes and dense trees is important. They don’t like company when they’re nesting or claiming a territory. I’ve watched ours go after anything in the general area of their box. Squirrels, cats, other birds...even saw the pair harass a couple crows on the ground enough that they left.
Ours have big trees with low branches around our yard. They use the low branches to hunt insects on the ground and to keep watch on the nest box.
Putting out the meal worm blocks has successfully given them a food source. We’re thrilled to see them around. Of course the downside is we have to chase the starlings off the feeders , but we do that anyway.
Rg
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Zwiggles and Rg thanks for the reply will put it on 7ft. Pole.
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An idea to keep sparrows out of nest boxes is use heavy monofilament line. Hang the line in front of the entrance hole.
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Here is a picture.
(https://i.postimg.cc/qhgDJRjy/20190419-060155.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qhgDJRjy)
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Not recommended by any of the bluebird societies. Too great a chance of the bluebirds getting caught. I’ve read many accounts of finding dead bluebirds strangled in line.
Just saying....
Slot entrance on a Petersen style box is the most recommended. Some folks seem to think skylights help as well. For us, we don’t feed anything sparrows will eat. Greatly reduces the population in our yard.
Rg
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My Bride called me out to the kitchen yesterday to see a Coopers Hawk perched on our feeder pole that’s not 10’ from our kitchen picture window. Pretty cool to see. It hung out for a minute or so and then took off. Too quick to get a picture.
Rg
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I had one in my pine tree just after Christmas as I was out grilling a steak on the deck. Was perched on a limb watching me cook and seemed content just hanging with me.
On the subject of birds, my oldest son decided to have a family bird watching contest to help pass the winter, running from New Year's Day through the end of March. We have 8 family teams and we're having fun with it. You get a point for each unique sighting and 2 points if, at the end of the contest, you were the only ones to see that species. Last night, my wife and I were sitting next to a field at dusk up in in Washington County, waiting for groups of short-eared owls to emerge from their burrows to feed. Sure enough, here they all come out at about 5pm like the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz, screeching and feeding. I've never seen that many owls (about a dozen) at once. My youngest son and his fiancée are leading with 42 points.
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Not a blue -bird , on my walk the other day
saw my first robin on path way,
today snow!!
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What a great idea Bart.
Rg
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What a great idea Bart.
Rg
X2! In suitors to here if some of the birds in the list if you don’t mind? Unless I missed something with the scoring 42, is a lot of birds!
Also very cool story of the owls. I used to go every night and have a drink/smoke on a trail in the woods by my house we’re the bats would pour out of my neighbors barn, down the trail, and out in the fields to feast.
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Ya know.......we could do something like that here. There’s a few of us, but not that many. I’d be willing to keep score and donate some of my handiwork stuff. Might be good for these dreary days of winter. Heck, it would give me a reason to go for a walk when I’m really not inclined to.
I’d be interested in how your son framed this contest Bart. What species count etc.
Rg
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Look up back yard bird count.
Audubon use to send me a poster of birds in North America. Mom use to do it...
But we can start our own....... ;D
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We’ve done that many years. Just thought something for our small group might be fun.
Rg
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I'm in.......
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Let me give it a think. I’m off tomorrow and sure I can come up with something cooperative and fun to do.
Any suggestions are very welcome.
Bob
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I’m in. That sounds like fun!
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Ya know.......we could do something like that here. There’s a few of us, but not that many. I’d be willing to keep score and donate some of my handiwork stuff. Might be good for these dreary days of winter. Heck, it would give me a reason to go for a walk when I’m really not inclined to.
I’d be interested in how your son framed this contest Bart. What species count etc.
Rg
My son created a group "Birdwatching" Excel spreadsheet that's housed in Google. Everyone playing needs a Google account. If you have Gmail you already have an account. You go into your account and go to "sheets" then open it up. The spreadsheet has a summary page showing each teams' totals and then tabs for each team. You select your tab, find the bird you viewed (all the birds are preloaded), then add the date and location and you are done. It updates in real time so you can check the summary page to see how the others are doing. I can check with my son to see what list he uploaded into the spreadsheet but it's eastern birds for sure, maybe even birds of NY. There are about 500 species preloaded to choose from. It is also programmed to give you 2 points if you are the only one currently 2 have found the bird and 1 point for all others. Another rule of our contest is that the bird must be viewed in NY so pink flamingos don't count.
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X2! In suitors to here if some of the birds in the list if you don’t mind? Unless I missed something with the scoring 42, is a lot of birds!
Also very cool story of the owls. I used to go every night and have a drink/smoke on a trail in the woods by my house we’re the bats would pour out of my neighbors barn, down the trail, and out in the fields to feast.
42 is good but there are many, many sub species, lots of types sparrow, gull, ducks, etc. there's about 500 species on the list. Here's what the wife and I compiled since the first of the year. Some obvious ones still to get but many are tough to identify without good binoculars or camera zoom lens. I've dusted off my old SLR camera for this and it's fun to be taking photos again with something other than a smart phone.
Here's my "2 point" barred owl from last week.
(https://i.postimg.cc/CR7Js07w/o1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/CR7Js07w)
(https://i.postimg.cc/cggmWnSJ/list-1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/cggmWnSJ)
(https://i.postimg.cc/Kk6588GD/list-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Kk6588GD)
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My son created a group "Birdwatching" Excel spreadsheet that's housed in Google. Everyone playing needs a Google account. If you have Gmail you already have an account. You go into your account and go to "sheets" then open it up. The spreadsheet has a summary page showing each teams' totals and then tabs for each team. You select your tab, find the bird you viewed (all the birds are preloaded), then add the date and location and you are done. It updates in real time so you can check the summary page to see how the others are doing. I can check with my son to see what list he uploaded into the spreadsheet but it's eastern birds for sure, maybe even birds of NY. There are about 500 species preloaded to choose from. It is also programmed to give you 2 points if you are the only one currently 2 have found the bird and 1 point for all others. Another rule of our contest is that the bird must be viewed in NY so pink flamingos don't count.
Went into my Google account and looked in “sheets” . Didn’t find the spreadsheet you describe. Maybe it has to be shared somehow?
Bob
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I think he needs to share it. I am also not able to find it.
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Birds have been really mowing the feed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/T5qgNdjp/EAD8973-D-2715-4-D0-F-B5-BD-E683-B35-DDAED.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/T5qgNdjp)
Rg
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Sorry you didn't find it RG. I come from a time where the greatest technological invention was a 100 lb. tube color TV that got three channels. My oldest son is super busy at work so I asked my youngest son today and after talking to him, it may be too complicated for a guy like me to go build shared Excel files.
Maybe everyone can just keep a record of their sightings in their own Word document and then take a picture of the doc then post in the thread every time they have an update.
I looked for NY bird listings and came up with a few
https://nybirds.org/RecordsChecklists.htm (https://nybirds.org/RecordsChecklists.htm)
https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=USny&list=howardmoore (https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=USny&list=howardmoore)
Last, We've been using e-bird to check on recent sightings. You need to set up an account to see all the sightings (and post yours). We find the bar charts useful in the "explore section."
https://ebird.org/home (https://ebird.org/home)
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Birds have been really mowing the feed.
(https://i.postimg.cc/T5qgNdjp/EAD8973-D-2715-4-D0-F-B5-BD-E683-B35-DDAED.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/T5qgNdjp)
Rg
I'm going through 50 pounds of black oil seed in a week. It isn't the tree rats either. I discourage them from coming in.
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Can we claim them as dependents on our taxes? :w00t:
Rg
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Not a blue bird came across this plowing snow today, pretty neat.
(https://i.postimg.cc/t7btQr0J/IMG-0582-1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/t7btQr0J)
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Either a coppers hawk or a sharp shinned hawk..
Pretty cool.
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Could be a Broad Winged adult morph.
Pretty cool!
Back when I was driving the bucket truck, I had a juvenile barred owl land on the hood of my truck. It was obviously misplaced and confused. It wouldn’t fly. I ended up putting it in a cardboard box and driving it to a rehab home after calling the DEC to locate someone local. The lady there said it probably just fell out of the nest although I couldn’t locate one nearby. She called me a couple weeks later to say it was successfully released.
Rg
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Great picture. We have been sitting out back watching the feeders before when there will be a brown streak from the woods and a puff of feathers where a tweety bird was as a Kestrel nailed one for lunch. It happens so quick my wife and I just look at each other saying WOW! Nature is entertaining.
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He didn't want to leave his kill,I got within 6ft. Of him he finally flew off with the rabbit, he is a beautiful bird. Nature is both beautiful and cruel.
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Probably a hard earned meal for him....or her.
We have a Kestrel and a Coopers that keep an eye on our feeders too. The Coopers is bold enough to have landed on the feeder pole several times. It’s only 10’ from our kitchen picture window. My Bride loves watching them. Especially since she’s been pretty much confined to home since last March.
It’ll be nice when we can go sit outside in the afternoon and watch the critters.
Rg
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Still bird watching, it's getting me out of the house. It's getting harder to find new species as I've checked off many of the usual winter birds. Having fun with the camera too.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Ffxr9hR0/bb1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Ffxr9hR0)
(https://i.postimg.cc/qgFkBbkD/bb2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qgFkBbkD)
(https://i.postimg.cc/DJy20RJH/bb3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/DJy20RJH)
(https://i.postimg.cc/N2KB7Txx/bb4.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/N2KB7Txx)
(https://i.postimg.cc/DSknLS4q/bb5.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/DSknLS4q)
(https://i.postimg.cc/ft2M95YL/bb6.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/ft2M95YL)
(https://i.postimg.cc/jLJRDH2x/bb7.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/jLJRDH2x)
(https://i.postimg.cc/6TqWXJNG/bb8.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/6TqWXJNG)
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Very nice Bart. Like the upside down suet feeder. I made a couple a few years ago. It deters the starlings for the most part. They can’t hang on long upside down. The woodpeckers, flicker and nuthatches have no problem with them.
Rg
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Very nice Bart. Like the upside down suet feeder. I made a couple a few years ago. It deters the starlings for the most part. They can’t hang on long upside down. The woodpeckers, flicker and nuthatches have no problem with them.
Rg
Great idea. That is defiantly something I'm going to do. Those starlings mob my suet and will clean out a two pound feeder in a few hours. They were so thick last summer, I actually got 4 with one shot off the top of my big feeder.
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Glad I don’t have starlings up here.
But I might have to buy a new pellet gun and make some squirrel gumbo.. ;D ;D ;D
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Haven’t had any squirrel problems yet this winter. They eat off the ground and don’t seem interested in trying to get on the feeders.
I keep the pellet pistol in my upstairs hobby room. I need to figure out how to skin those starlings for fly tying material.
Rg
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We had a bluebird and a grackle (I think) face off at lunch today. The grackle would chase 5-6 off the box each time until this one blue bird decided he was hungry.
It was a fun back and forth at lunch watching them chase each other.
(https://i.postimg.cc/TKGYGJNY/68-B40845-4-FAB-444-B-AEE3-DDE314-D10-E57.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/TKGYGJNY)
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European starling. Just ordered 3 skins for fly tying.
Rg
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Z do you have any problems with birds bouncing off the window?
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Z do you have any problems with birds bouncing off the window?
For whatever reason, no not that much. Only a few of the species seem to go for the mealworms on the window, and the main set of feeders is 15’ from the house.
The bluebird/mealworm feeder is new this year, but the main feeder has been there for 15 years. Maybe they are more used to it? I have seen a few over the years bonk the windows, but only handful. When a predator or blue Jay comes in they all tend to bounce to the forest on the other side of the lawn.
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What exactly is the obsession with Bluebirds guys?
There is zero meat on them.
8)
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Z do you have any problems with birds bouncing off the window?
Mostly doves. They’re not very smart from what I can tell. Every once in a while we can see a perfect dove shadow on the picture window in the kitchen.
No obsession Mac. Just enjoyment.
Rg
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Well this could go in the “little wood shop” thread, but it’s for the Bluebirds.
“Our Bluebird buffet”
I got tired of chasing the starlings off the platform feeder. They devour the mealworms and suet pellets. So, I made a bluebird feeder. The entrance is only 1 1/2” so the starlings can’t get in. The smaller birds like the wrens might make use of it too.
(https://i.postimg.cc/v1t9L9Py/95586990-453-D-4021-BF31-A4-CDC7-C46764.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/v1t9L9Py)
One side of the roof is removable for filling and cleaning. The house should be pretty water and snow proof.
(https://i.postimg.cc/7b6705Sv/8-F8-A2104-8-F67-45-D3-A175-56-C06-BCB2881.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/7b6705Sv)
(https://i.postimg.cc/yDqSMntB/ADF7-A54-B-3-C44-4-F0-D-B89-C-A9856-EC92-C11.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/yDqSMntB)
(https://i.postimg.cc/7bWzVqN5/5-FF66666-7-E63-48-CD-87-D6-C91-AA28-C41-B6.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/7bWzVqN5)
There’s a pan of mealworms, sunflower chips, chopped dried cherries and mealworm suet pellets for them. We’ve had up to 7 bluebirds at out feeders and water dish this last week. We’ll see if they get used to it.
Giving them a food source in the winter is helpful. We’ll take it down when spring and bugs arrive.
Rg
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Very nice feeding/water station..... :thumbup_smilie: :thumbup_smilie:
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I made the feeder completely out of stuff I had laying around. It was a challenge I set for myself.
We’ve been really happy with how much the birds use the water dish. Best item I’ve added to the winter feeders. Only thing I’ve found is that you need to clean it thoroughly about every 4-5 days. Man it gets pretty gross if you don’t.
$20 worth of enjoyment for my Bride and I. And....the birds love it.
Rg
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Well the bluebirds found the feeder. One went right in and chowed down. Only problem was it couldn’t find its way out. The entrance hole was too high and it couldn’t get to it. I had to go out and release it...which was kind of cool. I’ve never held a live bluebird before. It was remarkably calm.
Anyway I added a platform in the feeder to raise the floor so they can pretty much walk right out with ease.
We’ll see how they do with that.
Rg
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Put up a new nest box for the bluebirds yesterday.
(https://i.postimg.cc/w1fY06WQ/8-D8981-DD-8-FA1-4093-8492-EBD8-A4-FF5917.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/w1fY06WQ)
I decided to go with a Peterson style box this time. We were sitting out and within 2 hours there was a pair in and out of the house checking it out. I think they approved.
They’ve been using the feeder I put out
(https://i.postimg.cc/zbfsh4wP/645-EF649-90-EC-4-CBD-B894-7990927-AC19-D.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zbfsh4wP)
I removed the plexiglas from one side and installed some dowels to make 1.5 x 1.5” openings. They still weren’t too sure about it so I added a couple perches for them to land on. Now 2 of them use it regularly. I’ll sink a post near the nest box and move it over there sometime soon to give them a food source when they decide to take up residence. The only challenge then is to keep the damned starlings out of it.
Rg
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Nice job...👍
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Yeah, I like the blue birdhouse👍
Bob
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Very nice indeed!
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Saw my first flock of killdeers down by the canal this morning.
Rg
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I have a pair of bluebirds starting to build a nest. During the winter 5 to 8 bluebirds would come to my mealworm feeder every day. Once the pair started nesting they chased the others away.
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Yeah, the nesting pair have been chasing the others away for the last couple weeks. It’s normal territorial behavior. They seem to be more accommodating at the feeder box for some reason. We have 6 or 7 around .
They really like the heated water bowl as do all the other birds. Our best addition to our winter feeding stations. So far.
Rg
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Not a Bluebird , but I had a male Scarlet Tanger checking out a couple of my birdhouses. For some reason I dont see many of them. He was beautiful
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I see them sometimes along the canal when fishing in the summer.
They’re pretty special.
Rg
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My bluebirds didn't come back this year but my son has 2 nesting pairs in his back yard. Took this shot sitting on his deck. Cool bird, they're not shy.
(https://i.postimg.cc/yk01kZtF/BB1.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/yk01kZtF)
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Ours have moved into the new house and are defending it very well this year. I definitely think the Peterson style box has made a difference. The sparrows just don’t like it and the bluebirds are very happy about that.
We’re still plagued by the starlings trying to get at the mealworms in the bluebird feeder. But, I’ll be taking that down in a few weeks when the bug population is more accessible to the bluebirds. There’s only one pair around now. Our nesting pair has claimed the territory and run the others out of town.
Rg
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We have a pair checking out the house in the back yard. Also there is a Chickadee also going in and out of it. No nesting material in in yet.
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We’ve had chickadees in our houses before. One pair was using a wren box till the wrens kicked them out. I burned all the wren houses after figuring out they were responsible for destroying one of the bluebird clutches. Nasty little birds those house wrens.
Rg
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I almost built some some wren houses this winter until learned more about them. Cute, but.....
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Chickadees like some wood chips in there house., ;) ;).
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Wrens will fill a house up just so other birds don’t use it..
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Chickadees like some wood chips in there house., ;) ;).
I might be able to fins some wood chips around here ;)
Rg
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Not bluebirds but took my wind chimes down the other day because of the wind... This was on the back side of the top..
(https://i.postimg.cc/dLy8yDnR/30-EC984-E-0-B55-447-C-9868-AA8-D1857-C7-B3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/dLy8yDnR)
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We’ve had chickadees in our houses before. One pair was using a wren box till the wrens kicked them out. I burned all the wren houses after figuring out they were responsible for destroying one of the bluebird clutches. Nasty little birds those house wrens.
Rg
Are wrens the same species as sparrows? My neighbor has a chicken coop, and the population of sparrows has exploded! Any suggestions as to how to get rid of them?
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Are wrens the same species as sparrows? My neighbor has a chicken coop, and the population of sparrows has exploded! Any suggestions as to how to get rid of them?
No but sparrows will kill other nesting birds.. Glad I live in am higher elevation where they dont live.. ;D
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Not bluebirds but took my wind chimes down the other day because of the wind... This was on the back side of the top..
(https://i.postimg.cc/dLy8yDnR/30-EC984-E-0-B55-447-C-9868-AA8-D1857-C7-B3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/dLy8yDnR)
Someone thought it was home.
English sparrows can be trapped and disposed of. They’re an invasive. Check out sparrow traps.
Rg
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Are wrens the same species as sparrows? My neighbor has a chicken coop, and the population of sparrows has exploded! Any suggestions as to how to get rid of them?
If you can, They make for good hunting practice with a pellet or BB gun. Set up a sniper's hide and have fun. They are not a protected species.
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Our male bluebird is becoming extremely territorial. Pretty sure they have eggs in the nest already.We’ve seen him dive on squirrels, chase starlings from the bluebird feeder and yesterday a sparrow was trying to take a bath in the birdbath and he came out of nowhere to chase it away.
Rg
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Our male bluebird is becoming extremely territorial. Pretty sure they have eggs in the nest already.We’ve seen him dive on squirrels, chase starlings from the bluebird feeder and yesterday a sparrow was trying to take a bath in the birdbath and he came out of nowhere to chase it away.
Rg
I stopped at my son's last night to drop off some homemade chowder and have a beer on his deck and his bluebirds rule his yard. He's still putting out meal worms in the feeder and if any other birds come anywhere near the feeder he comes out of nowhere and pounces on the them. Fun show to watch.
(https://i.postimg.cc/Hr6fKJ7b/h2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/Hr6fKJ7b)
(https://i.postimg.cc/yD1MvhWV/h3.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/yD1MvhWV)
(https://i.postimg.cc/KRDXPpGq/h4.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/KRDXPpGq)
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Bart, great pictures. Good timing on the middle one....h2l
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Our pair do the same. Just watched them chase a couple starlings off the feeder and out of the yard. The best is watching them dive on the squirrels.
Rg
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Yeah that’s cool. Nice job 👍
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Out bluebirds have their first clutch of young chirping away now. Hopefully the cold weather coming up doesn’t ruin it.
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Saw my first mean ol little house wren when I got home today....
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We ate dinner watching our pair make trip after trip to the mealworm feeder. No doubt that they have chicks in the nest. It’s been a weird spring. Warm, cold, warm, cold,... not much for bugs.....hope they get this clutch reared successfully. If they do. There will be more this year.
Rg
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So far so good. The pair are feeding all day long. It’s a constant battle with the starlings.
The bluebirds are funny. If the feed tray is getting they’ll perch out there and stare in the kitchen window at us.
Rg
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One should fledge any day now. Maybe even today. Mom and Pop have basically stopped taking food to the box and are hanging outside. I think they’re trying to encourage them to take the plunge.
We can see them in the box opening.
Rg
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Finally getting action in my nest box. The nest is maybe half finished. I had to discourage a couple sparrows, but they got the message fast.
For some reason, our birds seem to nest later in the season. Last summer they raised 2 broods.
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Ours are out and in the trees. Mom and Pop have been hitting the feeder and flying off into the top of one of our big maples.
Haven’t spotted any of the chicks as yet. At this point they’re still really camouflaged.
I’ll clean out the nest box and give it a good scrub before they want to nest again.
Rg
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Well my son's didn't fair so well. He came home from a fishing trip the other night, noticed no activity, and found three little ones dead on the ground. He said a house sparrow invaded the nest, apparently they are deadly on bluebirds. We were saddened but nature is cruel. The good news is that his other pair are doing just fine.
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What type of house is he using?
The Petersen style I built this year foiled the sparrows completely. We’ve yet to find our chicks in the trees, but mom and pop have been running back and forth to the tree tops feeding them.hard to spot them.
Rg
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It looks like we have eggs in the nest. I've been stuck in the hospital that last 4 days with some heart problems and haven't been able to guard against sparrows. My wife thought she saw one on the nest box yesterday. I had her peek today to see what kind of nesting material was in it. She carefully opened it and saw that female hunkered down there. She closed it and backed off. I'm hoping to be released today or tomorrow so I can guard it.
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I hope you feel better Doubles...take it easy when you get out. A nice comfy spot in the shade with a pellet gun watching over the nesting area!!!
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I hope you feel better Doubles...take it easy when you get out. A nice comfy spot in the shade with a pellet gun watching over the nesting area!!!
That is the plan, however it will be a bit longer. I went in for atrial fibrillation which they fixed, but tests today have me scheduled for quadruple bypass next week. Still plan on guard duty when I get out. Thanks for the thoughts. Bob
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What type of house is he using?
The Petersen style I built this year foiled the sparrows completely. We’ve yet to find our chicks in the trees, but mom and pop have been running back and forth to the tree tops feeding them.hard to spot them.
Rg
Honestly don't know one from the other. The pictured boxes came with my son's house when he bought it. I'm sure he'd be willing to upgrade the box so I'll do some research on the Peterson style. Thanks.
(https://i.postimg.cc/9rHr7ncm/bb12.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/9rHr7ncm)
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DS, get well soon, you are in my thoughts...h2l
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DS get well soon thoughts are with you.
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Thanks everyone. My wife said she will guard the bluebirds till I get mobile. She's good with the pellet gun.
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This is a Peterson box.
(https://i.postimg.cc/5HMP0BZz/1-A0-E1-A88-304-C-4-A3-C-AF3-F-18-C66439-F75-A.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/5HMP0BZz)
Here’s mine.
Hope you get better soon. We’ll be thinking about you.
Rg
(https://i.postimg.cc/NKv87gpq/B1-CAADF2-F6-D9-4-ED1-908-E-5-F10-D3033-CDC.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/NKv87gpq)
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Heal quickly DS
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Just spotted the 4 bluebird chicks in the tree top. They all look very healthy and well fed.
Rg
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Took the bluebird house down. The sparrows were trying to nest in it. I’ll wait a few weeks and put it back up.
Rg
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Bluebirds are around but busy I guess.
Saw 2 bald eagles on my walk today. I knew there was one around. But 2 perched in a tree was exceptional. Gotta start taking my camera.
Rg
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We saw our bluebirds and their chicks at the feeders today. I had seen them up in the tree tops, but seeing them at the feeders was neat. Their brood and a couple of baby grackles seem to be all over the meal worms. It’s funny watching them ask to be fed even though the food is right in front of them.
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Our flock came through a bit ago. Chicks are still spotted but showing some blue on their backs.
Rg
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FEED ME !!
(https://i.postimg.cc/SjDKFtxq/blue-birds.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SjDKFtxq)
Busy mom there are 3 new ones all total
feeding them freeze dried and real meal worms
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Ours haven’t fledged yet. Dont even know if they’ve hatched yet!! But dads ever vigilant for danger.
(https://i.postimg.cc/K1B78hqq/586954-F5-6-E41-4-D55-8-DFF-94181-ADA869-B.png) (https://postimg.cc/K1B78hqq)
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I’ve been meaning to add a perch atop the bluebird house. Great idea.
Rg
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Was watering the gardens this morning and our nesting pair were perched on the fence near the post. So I put the house back up. 20 minutes later the female was taking in nesting material and the male was guarding the territory. Guess they’re ready!
Rg
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Very nice rg.
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I’ve been meaning to add a perch atop the bluebird house. Great idea.
Rg
X2!
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I have a pair nesting now. They got a late start. I checked the nest last weekend and she has laid four eggs but they aren't blue. She laid white ones.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/pyQ5q94Z/20210609-111148.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/pyQ5q94Z)
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Awesome. We’re waiting to see if our pair will nest again. They’re still tending the first clutch, but I saw the male chase one of the chicks the other day and he’s been defending the nest box every day.
Rg
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Nice! I think ours have moved nest boxes, but are starting their second clutch of the year. We also have a Carolina wren nesting in an impatient we have hanging on the front porch. They are neat birds to watch as well. Hopefully they can successfully hatch out theirs as well.
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Watch those wrens my friend. They’re nasty little birds and will kill the bluebird chicks if they don’t destroy the eggs first. When we had wren houses up ( all gone now) one pair killed 5 of the other pair’s chicks.
Pretty sure they were responsible for the demise of one clutch of bluebird eggs as well. Found them on the ground and in the nest box with little holes pecked in them.
Rg
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Bad news this morning. Went to check the nestbox and I tapped on the side but the female didn't move. I opened the box and the female was dead and two chicks dead. The other two eggs didn't hatch. I don't know what happened, there was no signs of injury. The female did have some kind of slime on her belly. That is the first time there's been a problem.
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That’s a shame. Personally I’d replace the box with a new one. Hard to say what kind of contamination might be in there.
Rg
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I cleaned up the Purple Martin house my dad built 5 years ago and made the openings smaller to keep out the sparrows and starlings that have been nesting in it. My dad just didn't have the time to deal with it due to the health issues of my mother and the constant supervision she needs.
Starling and English Sparrows have lost interest but a bluebird keeps checking it out. (No PM's yet). I believe the openings are too small for the bluebird also. The openings are now crescent shaped and only 1 3/16th inches high at the highest point.
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Watch those wrens my friend. They’re nasty little birds and will kill the bluebird chicks if they don’t destroy the eggs first. When we had wren houses up ( all gone now) one pair killed 5 of the other pair’s chicks.
Pretty sure they were responsible for the demise of one clutch of bluebird eggs as well. Found them on the ground and in the nest box with little holes pecked in them.
Rg
Hmm, I would be surprised if the Carolina wrens would mess with the bluebirds. I know house wrens do, but Carolina wrens are extremely poor fliers, and they actually seem to avoid the bluebirds overall.
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So the Carolina wrens have hatched out of our hanging flower pot in our farmers porch, and these might be my favorite encounter yet with birds. All 3 of the eggs/chicks turned into fledglings today in the heat and took out from the hanging flower plant we had on our farmers porch. 3 cute little fluff balls bombed around the porch all afternoon and I spent quite a bit of time watching them. Once I sat in a chair for a bit they didn’t even notice me.
The parents seemed to rip open the nest today (maybe because if the excessive afternoon heat?) and forced them out I would assume. I got out of work, and the little buggers were under my feet as I stepped out the door. They are really awful flying birds, and the chicks were incredibly entertaining to watch as they figured out how to fly. Eventually this evening mom and dad corralled them into the top of our hanging Katsura tree and I think they may survive day one, and hopefully continue the momentum.
(https://i.postimg.cc/0zv5NyFR/0-B31-FFC4-9-FC6-4-C41-A820-730-E4-DC8-D760.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/0zv5NyFR)
(https://i.postimg.cc/YGvMPGGg/C257-C056-26-F1-48-B2-80-E9-B72554-FCDEBA.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/YGvMPGGg)
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So a couple months ago after our bluebirds hatched out, the sparrows were trying to take over the house. The bluebirds were too busy with their little ones and couldn’t spend the time to defend their home.
So I took the front off the house. Put it back on yesterday and this morning, not only were they in the house, but defending it against a bunch of sparrows. Less than 24 hours since I put the front back on.
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Bluebirds are hanging around.
(https://i.postimg.cc/zbZYNFCd/F1-B5-EC64-5-A2-C-4754-8714-4-E583-D3-C18-FB.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/zbZYNFCd)
They like that mealworm block.