YardCrap BIRDS

BUILD A BIRD FEEDER

Here is a method I use to make a feeder. It is simple and easy. I don't worry as to it being perfect, just efficient.
These type feeders mimic eating on the ground, but of course much safer for the birds as they are on a pole.
These things are expensive to purchase, but not if you make them. You can save a bundle to spend on bird food and beer. As a plus you can size them to fit your needs.

Here is a nice store bought one that is getting too much traffic and needs to be larger.
One thing as to most store bought is they don't have enough roof overhang to keep the food more dry. Another is some do not drain from the bottom. If we make our own, we can correct all that.

I believe one 12X18 inches would be about right for this spot. You can adjust what I do here to any size you need.
I prefer cedar due to it being very light. Lowes sells it cheap. This feeder will weigh little. That can be important if you are on a ladder at my age.

You will need some roof boards. Mine are tongue and groove cut to 30". No caulk or sealing will be needed with these, so buy "tongue and groove".

You will need 8 frame boards. I used 1/2X1. Four are cut to 20" and four to 12".

You will need 4 roof supports. Two I cut at 12" and two at 10" so the roof will slant.

You will need 3 roof braces, cut to ever how wide your roof is.

You will need a piece of hardware cloth and a piece of fiberglass screen cut to what ever size your floor is. You will know that size after "step one".

--Step1 -- tack (I use deck screws) the lower frame together.

--Step2 -- attach the hardware cloth. I use a few staples to hold it in place.

--Step3 -- attach the fiberglass screen.

--Step4 -- tack on the upper frame.

--Step5 -- attach the roof supports.

--Step6 -- tack a middle support to the roof.

--Step7 -- use the other two supports to attach the roof to the frame.

I painted this one, but you might prefer natural or a clear stain.

Here it is mounted, need to paint the mounts. I think it is a big upgrade from the store bought one in the first photo and cost about a third of that one.

 

Beer, Birds, and Music

Here are a few fun photos taken last week as I sat on my ass with excellent beer and good music.

Check my Yardcrap Forum for info and discussion.

http://yardcraphome.com/showthread.php?4434-More-Birds

Song Sparrow

I have better but these are a few snaps today of one guy:

This is said to be the most abundant Sparrow in North America.
I get a couple to a few each Winter. If so abundant, would think I would get many, but nope, just a few. They live around 11 years, so maybe I just get a visit from the same family.

"These birds forage on the ground, in shrubs or in very shallow water." Mine hang out around the frog pond and no matter how cold, like to splash around in my branch. They dig around in the leaf clutter for bugs and spilled feeder seeds. Sometimes they hit the feeders, but not often. They are ground birds. They tend to migrate here with my White-throats and Juncos who have the same eating habits and styles. All kinda jump and rake back leaves.
Quick identification is the black spot on the chest.

In Summer don't see sparrows much, occasional the Field Sparrow who begins to show before the Chipping Sparrows migrate away. Maybe because Winter seeds are becoming less? The Field Sparrow might show on any day of the year, but not daily or weekly.
In Winter the main ones here are the Chipping Sparrow in large numbers and several White-throated.
During migrations, I get to see some others.

Maybe odd is a House Sparrow is rare here. I go a few miles to Lowes and they are inside at the feed, in my old home in Matthews had them nesting, but here - rare.

Birds I see Everyday

 

Seasons change things.
Late January is a great time to be a bird watcher.
Here are some I see everyday all year from my yard, not most days, but everyday:

- Chickadee
- Titmouse
- Carolina Wren
- Gold Finch
- House Finch
- Purple Finch
- Blue Jay
- White-breasted Nut Hatch
- Downy Woodpecker
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Fishing Crow
- Cardinal
- Brown-headed Nuthatch
- Dove

These Winter days, everyday I also see:
- Red-breasted Nuthatch
- Ruby Kinglet
- Pine Warbler
- Chipping Sparrow
- White-throated Sparrow
- Song Sparrow
- Pine Siskin
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

I am sure I missed naming some, but that is a lot.
Others may appear or not, but the above are here all day.

Also likely to be seen are:
- Pileated Woodpecker
- Mockingbird
- Hermit Thrush
- Robin
- Cedar Waxwing
- different lake birds
- Red-headed Vulture
- Black-headed Vulture
- Screech Owl
- Golden Flicker
- Golden Kinglet
- Field Sparrow

In addition to the regulars, anybody might drop by including Eagles. Life on the porch is exciting. My list is over 120 with photos.

Spend an hour on my porch and seeing 20+ different birds is 100%, and at all times there are a hundred birds here, not a dozen, a hundred. It can get kinda like that Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Birds Today

46 degrees - 3PM to 4PM

Pine Warbler
Titmouse
Carolina Wren
House Finch
Chickadee
Cardinal
Towhee
Blue Jay
Downy Woodpecker
Gold Finch
Mockingbird
Purple Finch
Red-bellied Nuthatch
White-bellied Nuthatch
Dove
Red-headed Woodpecker
Ruby Kinglet
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Robin

All seen from my porch chair.
I now have many Winter birds, and the yard is always active. One odd thing is the last several days a couple of Blue Jays are often at the sunflower feeders. I have them all year, but over my 17 years here, have not had them regular at the feeders, mostly getting water or just having fun raising hell.

I have yet to see a Song Sparrow or a Junco. I believe I saw a Creeper a couple days back. Some birds (Thrush, Thrasher, Catbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler) that are normally here are so far missing today.

My Chipping Sparrow population was low last year at just a couple dozen as opposed to the normal hundred. So far I have maybe ten, but suspect the numbers will swell. They are fun birds and just eat millet which is cheap at $25 for 50 pounds. Most people put out "bird seed" from the supermarket which is mostly red and white millet. That mix is a waste of money. Birds eat the white, so go to a feed store. Millet is not a favorite of many year-round birds. The Cardinals like to nibble on it, so I keep some out all year. Come Winter it is the choice of all types of Sparrows.

Pine Siskins came by a couple weeks back but moved on. I am kinda glad as I had them last Winter. They can break the feeder budget. Unlike most birds, they migrate to a different area each year. They like sunflower as do my many, many Finches and most birds.

Here is a Maine Coon Cat at the Branch (The Devil) looking for a bird to jump. He is a loner as my cats refuse to be his friend. My experience is well fed cats rarely get serious enough to actually catch a bird, especially a mature one.

 

Bird Hunting

I hunt birds.
Here is a link to some regulations in my area.
Kill Birds

Some say I spent too much time hunting them, but I am easily amused due to my low IQ. Being alone with one's thoughts or maybe with excellent music while having a goal makes it "not" seem like being lazy and wasting one's life away. Fishing is the same. If I sit on the dock with good beer and ? I am lazy. If I put a line in the water I am not lazy, I am fishing.

As untold millions look often to see what I post on the web, I am not lazy, just doing my job.

All my bird friends are legally safe right now.
I shot a few birds today, but all I have ever use is a camera.
It is not hard work, but it can be difficult.

Most birds do not come to bird feeders.  As I seldom leave my porch chair, anyone can see the problem.

I just now took dozens of photos chasing a Kinglet in an Elm Tree and all are a second late.
Gaining focus before he flies maybe a foot away is hard. His job is not to pose for me, but to glean tiny bugs from the branches.
I sit up high in the tree tops. From the ground chasing this bird today would be useless. Actually it was useless from my vantage point - but fun! Here are the best shots:

Make no mistake, I will hunt this bird again. I already have great photos of him from hunting days past. It is not about photos, but about "hunting". I know as Winter arrives and bugs are less he will be eating my suet mix less than ten foot away and an easy target. He might even land on my leg. No matter, today he has just arrived for this season, and I am hunting him. Many migrants will just pass by on their way to the tropics, but this guy is home.
I am excited to see he made it back.

I understand the concept that hunting birds and killing them helps all.
I understand the concept of killing birds to eat.
I understand I eat chickens that are killed in a cage and have no "sporting chance".
I am not logical.
Anytime one of my birds is harmed, it pisses me off.
Soon just yards from my porch many exciting breeds of ducks will arrive.
I will hunt them with my boat and camera. It pisses me off that anyone would find "sport" and "thrills" in killing them.

While stalking the Kinglet, accidentally got a photo of the Green Warbler from the last post and this Nuthatch about a thousand feet up.

My eyes are old.  Often I don't know what I shot until i can see the photo.

I have some decent camera crap and some decent guns.  The cameras are for birds and the guns are for Zombies.

Easy hunting is this Grosbeak on a feeder. That is not the mature male I have posted here as to waiting on, but WTF, good looking bird (and photo).  This kid believes he is a man (bird man)!

Black-throated Green

On the porch killing some time before the Clemson Tigers crush NCS.
My Red-bellied Sapsucker has arrived for the Winter and maybe saw a Kinglet. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are still around after several days, wish they would stay. I finally had a male in full color show, but got no photos.

I did get photos of two Warblers, but one is not a Warbler.
This female Summer Tanager was playing in the water:

This Black-throated Green Warbler also went in for a dip.

I know she has no black throat, but that is why Warblers are so tough to ID if you don't get a photo. Getting a Warbler photo can be hard, another reason to have some water in your yard.

Yellow Warbler

Sitting on the porch hunting birds.
The usual suspects are out here plus a few Grosbeaks. Leaves are still thick, so finding a Warbler is not easy. I can do best with my binoculars, then before I can switch to the camera, the bird moves or disappears.

I watch for movement, but when I get the binos on it, most times discover a Cardinal or a Finch. Also leaves are beginning to fall which creates movement.  I like to hunt.

No matter as I did get photos good enough to ID a couple migrants.
First up is this Yellow Warbler on the way to Mexico:

This photo is not as good, but good enough to ID this Red-eyed Vireo headed to South America.

The Grosbeaks took a bath in the sprinklers

New 2018 Migrant

I got a $40 guitar and am on the porch trying to pick it. My fingers are spastic, and I can't read music. No matter as I got it mostly as decoration for my RedNeck Bar. Pilsner Urquell is my favorite, so how could I refuse this at auction?

As I was picking and grinning, saw some birds.


(I am better with camera than guitar)

A Rose-breasted Grosbeak has been by.
A Mockingbird dropped by for some water.

I love these guys, but they seldom visit me until the berries ripen in mid Winter. I don't know why.

Making my day was this beautiful Hermit Thrush. Once this guy arrives, I know everything will be fun this Fall and Winter. He will hang out around my Frog pond till Spring, and even come up here in the CatBird House for suet.

I was told if I practice ten minutes a day, can learn guitar. I don't know. At 72 my fingers don't jump around as "individuals" as my brain has dulled.
Now if I had started young like Keith - ?

MIGRATION 2018

One of the best times of the year for a back yard birder is Fall.
Anybody might drop by.
Last week I saw a Pine Warbler and another I did not ID.
Also this Yellow-throated Vireo dropped by:

It is hard to catch a good photos as the leaves are thick and these Warbler types flit branch to branch.

Most likely many birds have already dropped by and I missed them. No one can just sit on the porch all the time because ??

Yesterday a couple young Rose-breasted Grosbeaks showed. Maybe their parents will arrive soon?

Today is a rare sighting of a snapping turtle. I believe there are at least two in my pond. I did not put them there. They mostly stay underwater so are not good pond turtles like my Sliders who bask in the Sun.

The weather is cooler today at 84, the beer is too cold, and I have Charles Aznavour (R.I.P. today at 94) on the porch stereo.

Life on the porch is exciting and fun!