Don't use the front door

Silver Hilton · 04-14-2003, 06:24 AM

It's spring. The bird house that my son and I built for cub scouts has a pair of chickadees nesting in it, and we are using the garage door rather than the front door because an Oregon Junco has nested in the flowerpot next to the front door, and we want to avoid bothering her. Four tiny sky blue eggs about the size of your fingernail.

Pretty neat for the kids to see. Have to confess I kinda like it myself.

OceanBlue · 04-14-2003, 06:40 AM

SH - Very cool!

I have a pair of birds that nest in my attic every year. Every winter I resolve to go and put a screen over the vent they get into and every spring I'm kind of glad that I forgot to do it.

I know I'm going to have to, though. So I guess I'll plan to put a birdhouse in the tree that overhangs that part of the house when I do.

[ 04-14-2003, 07:40 AM: Message edited by: Pilar's Mate ]

GutshotApe · 04-14-2003, 06:44 AM

I seeded a new front lawn about a month ago and have been watching a few rufous-sided towhees eating my grass seed ever since. I used twice as much seed as was needed so what they take probably won't hurt...altho the grass sprouts seem to be a little sparser around the edges near the brushy cover. I like the towhees...but the towhees don't like each other, much. Yesterday I watched a male towhee fighting another male towhee and the dominant one had the other down and was pulling out feathers and obviously trying to kill it :shocked: . Then another towhee entered the fray and it was two against one...I couldn't watch :depressed: ...went inside.

Ain't nature grand?

Lucky Bamboo · 04-14-2003, 08:04 AM

We watched the Swallows building nests in our bird houses up at the lake this weekend...they don't get along very well, either! And, such a ruckus they put up, chasing each other clear out over the lake. The Red Winged Black Birds are my favorite! They have no fear of chasing a heron or hawk away from their territory. I'm really sad we have the place for sale

04-14-2003, 09:47 AM

I usualy have two or three mallard nests in my "Back Yard". There is a redtail hawk pair that had a nest in one of our poplar trees too. The nest blew down last year and I haven't seen them so far this year.

Miss B Haven · 04-14-2003, 10:09 AM

We have a neon Pacifico (as in the beer) sign on our porch. The wife got it for my B-day (talked Amigo's mgr out of it cause I was always threatening to steal it (it's the Blue Neon Marlin I wanted)!
Anywho -last year a pair of Finches (Male has scarlet red head and chest) started nesting behind the sign part on top of the transformer. We decided this was probably not a good idea (mixing bird poo and high voltage, Barbecue smoke goes up there too) so we took it down. I was really sad- poor guy had started the nest and had woven flowers(weed flowers, but still flowers) together. [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img] I hung a an open top box up under the eave but they didn't want anything to do with it.
Fast forward to this year...a couple of weeks ago I saw them back again. The wife pulled down the sign before I even had a chance. What do you suppose is so inviting about a Pacifico sign for them to be that persistant? You suppose they Winter in Baja? :grin:

OceanBlue · 04-14-2003, 10:13 AM

Miss B: Maybe it's the warmth from the light that attracted the birds. Maybe put a colored xmas type bulb in the box that you tried to provide them last year. Maybe that would attract them?

Miss B Haven · 04-14-2003, 10:22 AM

It wasn't even on! We really didn't think they would like the traffic once they got serious or the barbecue smoke either. The "keg-o-cue" was on the table right under it.
Squab anyone?

lost_sailor · 04-14-2003, 03:55 PM

We had Great Horned Owls two years in a row. They didn't come back this year :depressed:

Mad Mikey · 04-21-2003, 05:09 PM

Those chickadees are neat little birds. When I was a kid in NE OR we had a pair in a tree in our yard. They would actually come out and land on my arm to take some seeds. Thanks for the memories and let us know when the new family arrives!

STGRule · 04-21-2003, 06:49 PM

Take pics and keep us updated? Eggs, homely babies, pin feathers, big mouths, fledging, and off we go. :smile:

Silver Hilton · 04-21-2003, 07:31 PM

Well, much as I would like to take pictures, I'm going to be pretty cautious about disturbing momma. I am worried that if we pester her she'll abandon the babies. We'll see what we can do.