Window Tapping

Today is a cool off and on rainy day. I am sitting at my computer room window watching the birds come to the same feeder I was watching outside the other day.

Now this feeder is a duel feeder. The feeder holds sunflower seeds but we rigged up a suet feeder to it. Both hang from a wire that is hung from the roof rain spouts. About 3 feet from the window.

I get a good view of the birds. Today I have an unusual amount of pest birds. They are House Sparrows and House Finches. I am sitting here with a back scratcher banging on the window to scare them away. They are an awful nuisance. There is an over abundance of these type of birds and they ruin the natural plant and animal ecosystem. They also can empty a feeder of seed in a day. Two days at the most. They are right up there with how I feel about Fox Squirrels.

That is why I am sitting here like a fool banging on the window with a back scratcher.

House Sparrow Male

House Finch Male

 But I do have some exciting news. Today there was a Red Breasted Nut Hatch  at the suet feeder. I never have seen one at the feeder. Either they are new to my feeders or I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and missed them. These little birds are so cute. The Red Breasted is smaller then it's cousin the White Breasted by 1 1/2 inches. The only thing is the White Breasted is more aggessive then the little Red Breasted and chases it away when it feeds. 

Red Breasted Nuthatch

The only problem with chasing off the unwanted birds you scare away the pretty ones too. Now none are at the feeder. It is pretty tricky scaring away birds you don't want at the feeder....Birds attract other birds. Good and bad ones. The House Finch is pretty smart. It sat watching in the Lilac Bush. It saw some birds were eating. No loud noises when they ate so it wouldn't leave. It hung around in the bush. Sneak a seed and fly back to the bush limb, sneak a seed and back and forth it would go. No reason to get riled up up. 

If you stop and think about it animals are very smart and resourceful. They are so fascinating to observe.  And if you really pay attention you also learn something from them. Like how to out smart them. One way is hanging up squirrel buffers on feeder polls or banging on windows.

This is the type of buffer I have. Some squirrels are VERY smart and can jump over these and even know how to climb a metal pole. I have even sprayed oil on the pole so they couldn't get a grip.

The Juncos have arrived. I have been gone for two days so I don't know exactly when they arrived. But I just now saw a male fly into the Lilac Bush. When these birds arrive you know winter is around the corner. They arrive late Fall and leave early Spring right at the time the Robins appear.

Male Junco

I see the Male Black Squirrel is busy foraging in our side yard. It is rare I see two together but on occasion I have.

Also at the feeder has been male and female Cardinals, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Titmice, Fox Sparrows, and some others.

This is a Fox Sparrow

A cute little bird. They are timid and usually feed when they are alone at the feeder.

I usually see Hairy Woodpeckers and a few Downy's. Today a female Downy is coming quite a bit to the suet feeder. They are the smallest woodpecker in my area.

Female Downy Woodpecker

The Grebe's are diving. I see them swimming all about. But other then that I haven't seen much life on the water. But then again, I am inside. You have to get down by the water to see everything.

The wind has picked up and blowing the Lilac Bush all around. No birds right now so it's a good time to close.

Lilac Bushes

 UPDATE:
Just saw a female Downy Woodpecker and a Male Downy Woodpecker fly to the feeder at the same time. The male scolded her for having the nerve to go to the feeder when he was heading that way. She waited in the Lilac Bush. Then he went the Lilac Bush and she went to the feeder where he again chased her back to the bush. Not a husband I would want







I am so excited. I just saw a Yellow-Rumped Warbler at my feeder. This is so exciting. Another bird I have not seen at my feeder before. Maybe I am not as observant as I think I am?

Stay tuned!

 

Roadside Ramblings

Turkey Vultures....not a pretty bird. Some call them Buzzards. What ever you choose to call them you can't get around it. They are one ugly bird. I was driving to my parents today when I had to stop and let 5 cross the road. As I watched them cross in front of me I got a good look at them. One actually turned and looked my way. Made me shudder and look away. I looked up and saw more flying around. I wondered if there were many dead animals near by or something big. Perhaps it was just a Vulture gathering to prepare to go South.

Continuing down the road I saw a Gray Fox. Unfortunately for the fox it wouldn't be running across the road anymore. It had been run over. One thing that stood out to me was it had a beautiful tail.

Just one country block down the road there were two goats that escaped their pen. They were running along the outside of the fence while other goat friends were still inside the pen running along the fence with the escaped rascals. I hope they didn't cross the road and meet the same fate as the fox.

A  Red Shoulder Hawk sitting on a telephone wire caught my eye. I wondered what would catch it's eye.

By this time I was reaching the residential area and leaving the country area I live in. Now I saw the usual road kill which I won't go into detail. Speaking of road kill tho, that reminds me of a cook book I saw in a Southern State once while on vacation. Delicious recipes especially for that road kill we see everywhere.

I had now reached my destination, my parents house where I was going to stay for a couple of days.
More to come........

Passersby and Ponderings

Sitting on our over turned row boat today pondering how it got to be the middle of Autumn so fast movement caught my eye. I live on a lake channel and if you are quiet and watch closely you will catch nature at it's finest. Swimming toward me was a very busy muskrat. I don't know why he or she was so busy but back and forth it would go. From one side of the shore to the other and then under our pier and back it would go. During the summer I saw it often swimming back and forth but always over to a patch of weeds and what I call muck about 6 feet from our pier. He would always bite off a branch of the weeds or plants at the lower stem of the plant and swim back to his house. Several times he would bite off a water lily leaf and carry it back to his little house in the water bank. But today I saw nothing in it's mouth just swimming across the lake and back. Maybe he just can't stop moving back and forth.

While watching this busy fellow I heard a Flicker but could not see it. It had something urgent to say it seemed.  It was making a racket and then flew out from the trees from the same side of the lake bank that the muskrat lives. Maybe it was scolding the muskrat. It screeched as it flew over the water landing in a neighbors Oak tree. It must have found what it was looking for because I no longer heard it.

Swimming by was also two Grebe's. These small ducks only show up in the fall. Now these cute ducks are small compared to other ducks and dive like a Loon. They can dive in one spot and come up 20 feet away in no time. I don't really know why they aren't around here all summer. I should look that up. But I do know when they do show up winter is around the corner.

The phone rang,  I was carrying it in my pocket because I was expecting an important call. Or I would not bother with the phone sitting outside. Later I came back outside and was sitting on the bench under the Blue Spruce watching one of the bird feeders. This feeder has sunflower seeds and suet block. Such activity!

Cardinals, Blue Jays,  Tufted Titmice, White Breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch's, Lincoln's Sparrow's, House Sparrows, House Finches, Hairy Woodpecker is what I can remember. Then the racket started again. In flew the Flicker. Not to the feeders but to the Lilac Bushes next to them. He, and it was a male, was busy going up and down the branches pecking here and there.

 The Hairy Woodpecker

The Hairy Woodpecker minds it's own business staying out of the other birds way. I can't even remember if I have ever heard one. Oh yes, they make a low peeping type sound I think. Nothing like the Flicker which sounds almost prehistoric.

Over in the neighbors yard were two Black Squirrels. The male is black and the female is greyish black. They were running from the neighbors yard to our side yard burying the nuts from the neighbors Oak tree. I watched them for awhile and then got up to see the damage they did in the yard. Not to bad. They make a small hole about the size of a 50 cent coin. Course they make these holes everywhere!

But nothing like last year when the Fox Squirrels dug up half the back yard and ruined the yard.

Fox Squirrels and I do not get along. They get into everything and ruin many a bird feeder. At least when the Black Squirrels come to the yard they climb the Lilac Bush and sit and watch the feeders  and then run back to the neighbor's nuts.

After dinner hubby and I were sitting in the garage just starring when here comes our other household member.....Cheeky Chipmunk. Now it does not share the inside of our house (thankfully) but does share our front porch. Or rather under the front porch. Every day for hours it runs all the way around the house to the neighbors Walnut and Oak trees I am guessing and fills it's pouches and runs back, around our back yard, across the driveway, under the car in the driveway and across half the front yard to his house under the front porch. All this in a matter of minutes. And then back to the neighbors again. What I don't get is if he (or she) went the other way around the house it would be a quicker run to the front porch. I pulled up a chair a few days ago in the driveway behind the car to watch for it. He runs under the front of the car and did not see me sitting there. I watched it to see where it's destination was. Under our porch.

Just what he looks like...stuffed cheeks of cuteness. Hubby doesn't think he is as cute as I do. He says this winter it will get into our garage and do damage. I told him no, he has his own house.  We will see!

It started to get cooler so we went in. Now it is gently raining. Good night

Other birds at the feeder today:

Blue Jay

Cardinal both male and female plus a juvenile female that kept insisting it's mother feed it. It was almost the mother's size and color. (this is a male)

White Breasted Nuthatch

Tufted Titmouse

Female Goldfinch

I am not posting the common sparrows. I chase them away whenever I can