YardCrap BIRDS

Bird Count

 

What have I seen from the porch today?

It is cloudy and 65 degrees. Most Winter birds have migrated out, but stragglers remain.

1 -Turkey Vulture
2 -Black Vulture
3 -Gold Finch
4 -Purple Finch
5 -House Finch
6 -Pine Warbler
7 -Yellow-rumped Warbler
8 -Chickadee
9 -Titmouse
10 -White-throated Sparrow
11 -Chipping Sparrow
12 -Field Sparrow
13 -Cardinal
14 -Indigo Bunting
15 -Cowbird
16 -White-breasted Nuthatch
17 -Carolina Wren
18 -Canada Goose
19 - Blue Heron
20 -Downy Woodpecker
21 -Red-bellied Woodpecker
22 -Blue Jay
23 -Pine Siskin
23 -Fishing Crow

Beaver
Squirrel
Chipmunk
Frog
Turtle
Fish
Cat

Not too bad for just a 6-pack and Bill Evans playing too loud on the stereo system.

Indigo Bunting and ?

I have several Indigo Buntings today. They are here all Summer, but come to my feeders sporadically and not often.

Here is a young one.

So who is this?

Post a guess in the comments blow.

Killing Cow Birds

Every year I am positive I will wipe out Cow Birds that infect my yard.
Every year I wimp out.


In Spring I have them, then they are gone.
It is brood parasite.  There are millions of them and they don't raise the young.  They lay an egg here and there in the nests of other birds.  The Cowbird hatching is stronger and gets all the food as the other hatching's die.  The nest parents in most cases cannot ell the difference.  If you want your back yard birds to produce more like themselves to entertain you, Cow Birds are your enemy.  They have at times nearly wiped out a few species.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown-headed_cowbird

In my defense today in the rain is that Percy is on my lap and I don't want to disturb his happy sleep.  So I sit watching a few eat my feeder food and my brain burns.

I have a couple air soft guns that are excellent at scaring them off.  They hit hard, but I am unlikely to hit a bird with one.  In the plus, they don't tear up my bird feeders and scare the hell out of Cow Birds as they are loud and spit out plastic BBs at a high rate.

I have this $150 pistol that some military and police units use to train new people with:

It is very good, accurate, and not a complete toy at  350ft/sec.  Right now it is on loan to Chuck.

This year I got this one in:

It is expensive, but over the top.  It fires 900 rounds a minute at 430ft/sec.  It has a real "WOW" factor as to going after Cow Birds as they fly off.  It sounds like I am in the middle of a war zone.

I have this real BB gun (and some others) that is fun and very good:


It fires 6 round burst as fast as you can pull the trigger.  It holds 300 BBs, 30 in chamber.  It spits out metal BBs at 430ft/sec and can chew up bottles, cans, my bird feeders, Cow Birds, etc.  It is serious.

On the porch these are great fun as I plink at targets all year.   Can I hit a Cow Bird or maybe you with one?
You I can hit, a Cow Bird at 50 foot, not so easy.  I may not have it in me to harm a critter, even a Cow Bird.  I have been trying to hit one for decades as I hate them, but just shoot close and scare them off.

I could hit one easy with this gun I have:


It launches a lead pellet at 520ft/sec and is spot on accurate.  I could hit a Cow Bird in my feeders easy with this.  It is not a toy.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Also known as Myrtle Warbler (which this one is).
These are around in Winter and are migrating now.
This one was high up in the Elm tree, but I got a couple photos that are good enough quality to ID it.

 

Out here today are still Pine Siskins, Pine Warblers, and Chipping Sparrows  that have not yet left.  An Indigo Bunting is here who has migrated in.  Good fun in the yard.

 

 

Winter Birds

This Winter, sitting on my ass watching birds has been very interesting -> even captivating. If I had to rank this Winter with another, could not as they are all good.
It is closing down now, and migration has many birds foolishly headed north.
There is no need to leave, plenty of food and water here. Nature rules, but ??
Many Canada Geese no longer leave because - why do that?

As I live in the Blue Ridge foothills, some birds that leave, will occasionally have cousins show here any time of year. I like my Pine Warblers and see no reason for them to leave. Occasionally one will show in Summer as some just migrate up the mountain. This is my favorite Winter bird.

Most years my most numerous Winter bird is the Chipping Sparrow. I normally get a million. They only eat millet which is cheap at the feed store in 50# bags. They keep my yard active with energy. That draws in other birds. This Winter I only had about 50. I don't know why. Some have not yet left on migration. I hope next year they arrive with lots of kids and friends.

On the flip side Pine Siskins came. This is a bird with an extremely sporadic winter range. All I can say is -- yea for that. I might not see one again for a few years. It is the size of a Gold Finch and is a Finch. It is called "irruptive" due to migration habits. It eats every type seed and also my peanuts. This Winter about a billion moved in. It is a beautiful bird, active and fun - but sooo... many!! They have dominated my feeders. Everyday I see fewer. I hope to see them again in maybe 5 years.

Many Winter birds I see daily such as Kinglets, Hermit Thrush, Sap-sucker, White-throated, Song Sparrow, Junco -- > seem to be gone. Many Chipping Sparrows and a few Pine Siskins remain.