Feeding Wild Birds

[shawluvsbirds]

Yesterday there was an all out war going on in one of my martin houses. A starling was trying to invade and I'm not sure if the starling was pulling out a martin nest or vice versa.. but all the squaking and dive bombing was making quite the commotion. I think the martins won. Nesting materiel was flying through the air and the barn swallows and bluebirds were swooping in and gathering it for themselves and taking off with it

 

[sourland]

So far this morning the two 'transmitter' hens, lame tom, and five jakes have shown up looking for food.

 

[R2elk]

Yesterday there was an all out war going on in one of my martin houses. A starling was trying to invade and I'm not sure if the starling was pulling out a martin nest or vice versa.. but all the squaking and dive bombing was making quite the commotion. I think the martins won. Nesting materiel was flying through the air and the barn swallows and bluebirds were swooping in and gathering it for themselves and taking off with it

I have a neighbor that put up a Martin house. There have never been any Martins around here so he raised lots and lots of Starlings.

He finally gave up on the Martin house and put up a Bluebird house. He is still raising lots of Starlings.

 

[fuzzi]

This morning I saw a flash of orange in the birdbath...an oriole!

 

[R2elk]

The robins have left the nest.

 

[Finchbreeder]

We have a lot more birds in our trees this year. Thanks to the council "bushfire proofing" the surrounding land last year.
That's their term for almost clearfelling. I wish they would hire 2 Horticultrilists who know their job instead of 5 jobbing gardeners who don't.
They left the feral lantana and removed the native trees.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Had to refill the hummingbird feeder today! The little birds are voracious this year. I hope it’s for good reasons (lots of hungry babies) and not bad ones (cold weather messing with their wild food sources).

 

[ValerieJ]

Not the best photos. I was in the house trying to capture the first bird at the new feeders. I think i need one just a little bigger, but still too small for pigeons. I'll check out the choices at the Farm Store and Wilco this week, but these will totally work for the wrens.

I couldnt tell from my vantage point, but this might be the Western Tanager we saw a couple days ago. That was the bird that inspired the new feeders.

 

[R2elk]

Not the best photos. I was in the house trying to capture the first bird at the new feeders. I think i need one just a little bigger, but still too small for pigeons. I'll check out the choices at the Farm Store and Wilco this week, but these will totally work for the wrens.

I couldnt tell from my vantage point, but this might be the Western Tanager we saw a couple days ago. That was the bird that inspired the new feeders.
View attachment 4133602View attachment 4133603View attachment 4133604

Both Google Lens and Merlin say it is a Black-headed Grosbeak.

It is definitely not a Western Tanager.

 

[ValerieJ]

Both Google Lens and Merlin say it is a Black-headed Grosbeak.

It is definitely not a Western Tanager.

I remember having those here when we first came here. So nice to have them coming back. Thanks for the info!!!

And now I know your secret. I thought you just knew every bird on the planet.