Feeding Wild Birds

[swampfox440]

Has anyone saw a Scarlet Tanager yet this year?

 

[sourland]

Haven't seen either a Scarlet Tanager or Indigo Bunting in years. They are both truly striking looking birds.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I saw this flock on the Roanoke River while i was rock collecting.

 

[sourland]

The Phoebes at the club have fledged, and the parents are building a new nest. This is the first time that they have raised two broods, but it is also the first time that a brood only consisted of 2 young.

 

[swampfox440]

The Phoebes at the club have fledged, and the parents are building a new nest. This is the first time that they have raised two broods, but it is also the first time that a brood only consisted of 2 young.

Hi sour, I have bluebirds that have fledged. I am waiting on a second nest I pulled the old one and cleaned the box. I do it every time I have a batch fledge. I make the rounds every other day because I have 5 boxes out. Tree swallows in one ready to fledge, wrens in two. The wild wood ducks are going to hatch today, I think. The mother will call them out and they will take to the swamp. I hope some will live to return next year.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Has anyone saw a Scarlet Tanager yet this year?

I think I've only ever seen one male ever.

The Phoebes at the club have fledged, and the parents are building a new nest. This is the first time that they have raised two broods, but it is also the first time that a brood only consisted of 2 young.

I have a fair of barn swallows at the house now. I think they are all on their second clutches. I'm hoping they don't go for three this year. It gets too hot for that and they fledge early and then the poodles spend all day catching babies. There are some other swallows that are nesting with them also. They make a different sort of nest but I'm not sure what they are. Almost look like hybrids between barn and cliff swallows.

 

[Cheekimama]

Yeah, I have taken down the bird feeders for this year because of the bird flu. I don't want to contribute to more birds getting it. Hummer feeders are still up, though. I think they are safe, but not sure. Anyone know?

They poo as well ..so theres a chance i would guess..but my feeder is rarely touched now. They've moved on.

 

[swampfox440]

Wood duck update. @sourland. The wood ducks hatched today. I was wrong with my assumption that they would hatch on Memorial Day. I thought I would check on them to make sure everything went ok and I'm glad I did. As it turns out I forgot to rough up the inside of the box so the ducklings could grip the front and climb out. The momma was on the back pond with one little one calling to the rest of the brood, so I had to grab them and put them in the pond for her. They went swimming to as fast as they could, like a magnet was pulling them as she called. I had two handfuls of ducklings 6 in one hand 5 in the other I had to make another trip for the last one. They all 12 made it to Mom and out of nowhere the pappy came flying in to join the family. Three eggs were rotten, I removed them, one duckling DOA. It was a good hatch and quite a sight to see. I hope some will return next year I had coon traps all around the area of the wood duck house and had to check them every day, no more of that. The other wood duck nest turned out to be a dump box. How I tell if it's a dump box is I put two green reeds in an x shape across the eggs if the female does not return to lay another egg for three days the reeds will go undisturbed and most Likely you have a dump nest.

 

[sourland]

@swampfox440 tell me more about 'dump nests'. I know nothing about them.

 

[swampfox440]

@swampfox440 tell me more about 'dump nests'. I know nothing about them.

Sometimes several pairs will pass through when the are returning form migration, they often go from pond to pond checking out nesting sites. They can lay on an average of 24 eggs per mating season. Some of the young birds don't know what's going on and will take the first nest they come to and lay an egg or two then desert them. Maybe a day or two later another pair passes through and does the same thing. Sometimes another pair will lay more eggs in this nest and then set on all the eggs. If a nest goes three to four days without a dumper they are done, and the eggs will be left to rot. I put the boxes up in threes. And sure enough I had a dump nest. I had one nest not excepted by even the egg dumpers, It has been relocated. We didn't have enough pairs pass through for any one to sit on the dump nest. I'm hoping to re-establish a returning flock in this area where I live now. I think they do this to keep diversity in their breeding population. You see when one pair sets on all those unrelated eggs the family group can pair up and not risk interbreeding. Just mother natures way of protecting the species. I think the eggs in the dump nest were from the female that was in the back nest. It was when she started setting that the front nest got deserted. I'm so happy for the family group that was able to survive. Where I used to live I established quite a returning flock over the years. I had a couple pair I purchased from Stromberg's years ago. At one time I had several different kinds of wild duck pairs. Now that they are all gone I can do repairs and empty the successful nest and disperse some of the down into all three nests I have noticed over the years that the ducks will take nests that have old duck feathers in it. You can always tell when they are going to start setting because a day or two before they pull the down and cover the eggs. All I can do now is pray for the family that took to the swampy woods.