Feeding Wild Birds

[pozees2]

@pozees2 'all gray, some chestnut, slight crest' probably nut hatches. I love meadowlarks, but have not seen one around here since I was a kid when they used to nest in the hayfield behind our house.

Sure could be. I thought for a long time it was some sort of Phoebe or Towhee but haven't done enough looking, and I need to try to get a couple of decent pictures of them so I have something to compare descriptions to. We get endless joy from watching them, and have been warned by them and the cottontails disappearing when birds of prey are around.

 

[R2elk]

A male redwing blackbird has been frequenting my home bird feeder - he's early. Generally the males show up sometime next month with the females arriving a couple of weeks later.

Here the males usually show up in a couple more weeks and the females don't show up until a month after the males.

 

[sourland]

Saw a male redwing at the beagle club feeder. We have a swampy area along the East side of the club where a lot of cattails grow. It is a favorite nesting area for the redwing blackbirds. He might be the same bird that has been at my home feeder as the club is only .4 miles away from my home.

 

[sourland]

Between the impact of Hurricane Sandy and the Emerald Ash borer there are a lot of dead trees around here. Saw a pileated woodpecker at the club today, and then on the 5 mile drive to a friend's house I saw 3 more. "It's an ill wind that blows no good."

 

[CapricornFarm]

We are having gigantic flocks of grackles roost here every evening. Seems like there are way too many of them.

 

[sourland]

Still only one male redwing working the home feeder. The flock at the beagle club has grown to approximately 20 males. No females have arrived yet.

 

[R2elk]

Still only one male redwing working the home feeder. The flock at the beagle club has grown to approximately 20 males. No females have arrived yet.

Here, the Red-wing females arrive about the same time as the male Yellow-heads do.

 

[sourland]

Here, the Red-wing females arrive about the same time as the male Yellow-heads do.

I've never seen a yellow head - I don't think their range brings them here.

 

[pozees2]

Our mockingbird came back last week, it is so delightful to hear him go on as he does

 

[R2elk]

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Female