Feeding Wild Birds

[sourland]

Lots of turkey activity at the home feeder. Put out water, and everything - squirrels included are drinking it. A group of 4 shows up routinely, solo bearded hen, perhaps another smaller bearded hen with a companion, and today a small hen with one poult.

 

[fuzzi]

No more painted metal birdbaths for me. I've tried scraping and sanding and repainting but they quickly peel and bubble, and rust.

 

[R2elk]

 

[R2elk]

Common Grackle

 

[R2elk]

Walked through the field to the mailbox. Looks like a pair of Phallaropes are nesting at the sump. One came running out doing the broken wing dance. By the time I got the phone ready they had taken to the air.

 

[R2elk]

 

[R2elk]

Found another one.

 

[sourland]

59 years ago when we moved here a colony of grackles used to nest in the white pines along the drive. The surge in Cooper's hawks has eliminated that.

 

[R2elk]

59 years ago when we moved here a colony of grackles used to nest in the white pines along the drive. The surge in Cooper's hawks has eliminated that.

They used to stop by here for a day or two until I put in my goldfish pond. Ever since then they have come in, nested, produced new ones and then left. The last couple of years there have been a few that stayed around for the whole summer.

 

[sourland]

The Tartarian Honeysuckle at the club is loaded with fruit, and the robins and catbirds are gorging on it.