Kathy's Bird Watching
On those quiet days, yes I do get a few, I love to sit back and watch the birds in our backyard. There is nothing more relaxing. We don't do anything fancy, I am far from an expert, having to look up many of the different birds, and we have very basic homemade feeders. Rick actually makes them using my large plastic pop bottles. They don't look pretty, but great for recycling and the birds don't seem to mind.
We've tried several types of specialty bird seed, nuts and fruit, but the only feed they like is the black oiled sunflower seed. Below are just some of the birds that drop by to visit, well maybe more drop by for a snack.
We had a new bird in our back yard this winter, just saw it a couple of times, and never seen one like that before. Not sure what it was, but will keep looking! LOL
Contents at a Glance
What Else is on Here?
- Bird-watching Myths
- Leaky Taps can be Beneficial
- And Speaking of Water......
- Our Bird Bath
- Don't throw out your Dog Hair!
- Cleaning your Hummingbird Feeder
- Cactus Creation
- Check out these unique bird houses!
- Video's of our Feather Friends
- Other Resources
- Add your favorite website!
- Bird Brain Feedback
American Goldfinch
Both Rick and I love watching these pretty birds. They are just so bright and fun to watch.Male is a small, noisy finch with a bright yellow body, black cap, wings, and tail, and white rump and undertail coverts. Wings have flashy white patches and bright yellow shoulder bar. Bill is pink and conical.
Female is duller with olive back and lacks black cap and yellow shoulder bars. Winter male has olive-gray to olive-brown upperparts, paler underparts, yellow shoulder bar, white wing bar, dark bill, and may show black on forehead and yellow on throat and face. Winter female is duller with buff wing and shoulder bars, and lacks yellow and black on face and head. Juvenile resembles winter female but has yellow wash on throat and breast.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from southern British Columbia east to Newfoundland and south to California, Utah, southern Colorado, central Oklahoma, Arkansas, and the Carolinas. Spends winters throughout much of U.S.; prefers brushy thickets, weedy grasslands, and nearby trees.
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Black Capped Chickadee
One of the most enjoyable birds to watch! I love how they will grab just one seed out of the feeder, and fly off to eat it.Medium-sized, stocky chickadee with pale gray upperparts and breast and pale olive-brown underparts. The black cap and bib and white cheeks are conspicuous. Black bill is short and thin. Wings are dark with broad white edges on feathers. Sexes are similar. State bird of Maine and Massachusetts.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from Alaska to Newfoundland, south to northern California, northern New Mexico, Missouri, and northern New Jersey; spends winters south to Maryland. Inhabits deciduous and mixed forests and open woodlands; often occurs in suburban areas during winter.
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Brown Thrasher
Medium-sized thrasher with rufous upperparts and black-streaked, pale brown underparts. Eyes are yellow and bill curves down. Wings have two white and black bars. Tail is long. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has dark eyes.Range and Habitat
Breeds from southeastern Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and northern New England south to the Gulf coast and Florida. Spends winters in southern part of breeding range.
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Cedar Waxwing
Small waxwing with red-brown upperparts, pale slate-gray rump, and buff underparts. Head is crested and has black mask. Tail is yellow-tipped with white undertail coverts. Wings have red bead-like tips on secondaries. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has smaller crest and gray-brown streaks on underparts.Range and Habitat
Breeds from southeastern Alaska east to Newfoundland and south to California, Illinois, and Virginia. Spends winters from British Columbia, the Great Lakes region, and New England southward. Preferred habitats include open woodlands, orchards, and residential areas.
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Eastern Bluebird
Male: Small thrush with bright blue upperparts, rust-brown throat and breast, and white belly and vent.Female is similar but much duller. Juvenile has gray-brown upperparts, white spots on back, brown breast with white scaling, white belly and eye ring, and blue-tinged wings and tail.
Range and Habitat
Breeds east of Rockies from southeast Canada to Gulf of Mexico; winters in southern portion of breeding range. Inhabits open woodlands, clearings, farmlands, parks, orchards, gardens, fields; often seen along roadsides on utility wires and fences.
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Evening Grosbeak
Another of our favourites. I think maybe we just really like yellow coloured birds!Large, stocky finch with bright yellow back, rump, and underparts. Head is brown with heavy, pale bill; bright yellow eyebrows extend onto forehead. Wings are dark with bold white secondary patches; tail is dark.
Female and juvenile female are similar but grayer and with white-tipped tails; secondary wing patch is gray and base of inner primaries are white. Juvenile male resembles female but has white secondaries.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from British Columbia east to Nova Scotia and south to northern New England, Minnesota, the mountains of Mexico, and California. Spends winters south to California, Texas, and South Carolina; nests in coniferous forests and visits deciduous woodlands and suburban areas in the winter.
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Hummingbird
I remember when I first started feeding and attracting hummingbirds many years ago, I was shocked at how vicious these adorable little wee birds were! Watching them spend more time fighting with each other is amazing! LOLWhat is disappointing is the decline in numbers we have seen over the years, and I have no idea why. When we first moved here almost 20 years ago, I used to have to keep 3-4 feeders going and had at least 30 hummingbirds. They have been slowly declining over the years and now we have at the very most, maybe 6 who feed here. We are thinking it is either a change in regional weather, just mother nature or a change in their own patterns.
Medium-sized hummingbird with iridescent green upperparts, head, and flanks. Underparts are pale gray with paler breast and green wash on sides and belly; throat is bright red with black chin. Tail is dark and forked.
Female and juvenile are duller with white throats and white-edged, rounded tails; subadult male is similar but has dark flecks on throat.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from southern Canada to the Gulf coast; only hummingbird that breeds east of the Mississippi River. Spends winters mainly in the tropics and rarely on the Gulf coast. Found in woodlands, orchards, and gardens.
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Indigo Bunting
This is such a pretty bird. We don't get these little fellas often or for long, it seems only for a week or two at the most each summer. This year they have arrived early, I just saw my first sighting on May 22, 2009!Small finch with brilliant, almost iridescent, blue plumage. Crown is darker blue with a purple tint.
Female and juvenile are brown with blurred wingbars, unstreaked backs, streaked breasts and bellies, and blue tinges on shoulders and tails. Winter and first spring males resemble juvenile but are sprinkled with blue feathers.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from southeastern Saskatchewan east to New Brunswick, and south to central Arizona, central Texas, the Gulf coast, and northern Florida. Spends winters in southern Florida and in the tropics. Preferred habitats include brushy slopes, abandoned farmlands, old pastures and fields grown to scrub, woodland clearings, and forest edges adjacent to fields.
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Mountain Bluebird
This one is not native to our area, and was only sighted in the summer of 2006. We believe this was due to extreme hot weather conditions here that summer along with the huge forest fires in the western US.Male: Small thrush with sky-blue back, head, and wings. Throat and breast are paler blue, and belly and undertail coverts are white.
Female is gray overall with blue wings, rump and tail, and has faint eye-ring. Juvenile resembles female but has spotted underparts.
Range and Habitat
Breeds in open habitats in southern Alaska, Mackenzie, and Manitoba south to western Nebraska, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. Spends winters in British Columbia and Montana south through western U.S. Inhabits high mountain meadows with scattered trees and bushes; in winter, descends to lower elevations in plains and grasslands.
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Northern Cardinal
We don't see these often, usually in spring and fall. But then I guess that makes it that I get more excited when I spot them. Not sure why, but always seem to see the female first.Northern Cardinal: Large, crested finch with vivid red body. Black mask and chin contrast with heavy, red bill. Forages on ground and in trees and bushes. Feeds on seeds, grains, fruits, insects and snails. Hops instead of walks on ground. Alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled to sides.
Range and Habitat
Northern Cardinal: Resident in eastern U.S. and much of Mexico. Preferred habitats include forest edges, lowlands, and suburban areas.
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Northern (Baltimore) Oriole
Small oriole, mostly bright orange with black hood and back. Wings are black with orange shoulder patches and strongly white-edged feathers that appear as bars. Black base and center form a T-shaped mark on orange tail.Female is similar but much duller, lacks black hood and back, orange shoulder patch, darker orange-brown head and back, pale chin, and gray wash on sides. Juvenile is paler overall and has gray belly; first year male has black throat patch.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia south through eastern Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia. Spends winters in Florida and southern Atlantic coast. Preferred habitats include open woods and shade trees.
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Pine Grosbeak
Large, robust finch with red-washed black back, gray sides and undertail coverts, and pink-red rump and underparts. Head and face are pink-red; bill is heavy and black. Wings are black with two pale bars. Tail is black and slightly notched.Female and juvenile are gray with variably orange or olive-brown heads, napes, and faces. Juvenile male resembles female but may have red wash on head.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from Alaska east to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and south in the western mountains to California and Arizona. Spends winters south to the Dakotas and New York but may go farther south to southern Canada and northern United States. Prefers open coniferous forests and forest edges. Winters in mixed coniferous-deciduous forests; also found in shade trees in villages and in suburbs where it looks for food.
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Purple Finch
Medium-sized finch with rose-red body and brown streaks on nape and back. Sides, flanks, and belly are dull white with red wash; sides show thick, faint streaks. Wings and notched tail are brown.Female has streaked brown upperparts, heavily streaked dull white underparts, pronounced pale stripe behind eye, dark jaw stripe, and two pale wing-bars. Juvenile resembles adult female.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from British Columbia east to Newfoundland, southward in the western mountains to California and from eastern Minnesota east to West Virginia. Spends winters south to the U.S.-Mexico border. Preferred habitats include mixed and coniferous woodlands and ornamental conifers located in gardens.
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Red Breasted Nuthatch
Medium-sized nuthatch with blue-gray upperparts and pale rust-brown underparts. Head has black cap, white eyebrow, and black eyestripe; throat is white. Bill is slightly upturned.Female is duller.
Range and Habitat
Breeds across Canada from southeastern Alaska, Manitoba, and Newfoundland south to southern California, Arizona, the Great Lakes region, and northern New England, and south in Appalachians to North Carolina. Spends winters in breeding range and irregularly south to the Gulf coast and northern Florida. Preferred habitats include coniferous forests.
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Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Black head, back, bright red breast, and white rump, sides, belly. The wings are black with white patches above and red, white, black below. Long, slightly notched black tail with white patches.The drab, striped female, however, is more of a challenge, resembling a large sparrow or finch.
Range and Habitat
Breeds from northeastern British Columbia, southern Manitoba, and Nova Scotia south to southern Alberta, central North Dakota, central Oklahoma, and New Jersey, and in the mountains as far south as northern Georgia; also a regular visitor on the west coast and winters from central Mexico through Central America and into northern South America. Preferred habitats include moist woodlands adjacent to open fields with tall shrubs and old, overgrown orchards.
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Bird Watching Books on Amazon
Bird-watching Myths
How do you separate the myth from the reality? It is not always easy. There are extraordinary and improbable stories about birds that are entirely true. The trick is to develop a silent alarm system, a little buzzer than goes off when the story is too good, too weird, too improbable. Don't reject it out of hand, but investigate. Ask other bird watchers. Post a question on the Internet. Go to the library.
The following are myths that are not true.
The following are myths that are not true.
- You should not throw rice at weddings because birds eat it and it swells up in their stomach and kills them
- Exploding gulls when given an Alka Seltzer tablet
- You should take down your bird feeders in the fall because they keep birds from migrating and these birds will freeze to death
- Hummingbirds migrate by riding on the back of geese
- Red dye (food coloring) in hummingbird nectar is good/bad
- Purple martins regularly eat 2,000 mosquitoes a day
- Small birds are carried long distances by powerful storms
- Parent birds will abandon a nestling if it has been touched by humans
- Some birds mate for life
Leaky Taps can be Beneficial
In the house, no way, once a tap starts to drip, if Rick can't fix it, it's replaced, immediately. I hate wasting water and the sound of the constant dripping.BUT, I always leave our outside tap on with a very, very slow drip. The birds just love it!
If you can, put a small bed of pine needles below the tap, I don't think tree leaves would work, they would probably get slimy or moldy. Doing this provides a nice source of fresh clean water for our feathered friends.
I have heard that by adding crumbs and bits of fruit to the pine needles, you can attract even more birds. I'm going to try that this summer.
And Speaking of Water......
We aren't one of those people who water their luscious lawns daily, to me that is a waste of water and face it, our lawn just ain't that nice! LOLBut I do water our lawn using one of those fan type sprinklers during those dry and hot periods. I keep it low and run it a couple of times a day for short periods.
No, I don't do it for the benefit of the lawn, I love watching the birds fly through the spray, they get a drink and a wee bath! :-)
Our Bird Bath
Now don't laugh, but we had a real hot spell here a few weeks back, and not being close to any stores, Rick made up a quick bird bath. He used the bottom half of a wood burning unit that had never been used, and hooked up a hose to it. The hose sprays up and then into it, and voila, instant bird bath. And see the birds were in it in no time! They really seem to love it!
Editors note: sorry, picture was taken through the livingroom screen , so it isn't the best
Bird Baths on eBay
Yup, I should take a closer look at these LOL
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Don't throw out your Dog Hair!
For years, just before spring, after a good doggie brushing, I would always throw her dog hair collected on her brush outside on the lawn.The birds absolutely love using hair to build their nests. It's light for them to carry, easy for them to use in their "engineering" (the flexibility of the hair) of the nest, and using hair builds very strong nests for their babies.
My sweet Ruger is no longer with us, so what I do each spring is when I clean out my brush, I throw my own hair out. They love it just as much!
Cleaning your Hummingbird Feeder
I keep my hummingbird feeder super clean (it's so important).It is a lot of work keeping them clean, especially during those hot and humid periods. I only use glass feeders as I believe those to be more sanitary.
It really bothers me when I see people with that yuckly black mold in their feeders! Most people tell me they find it too difficult always scrubbing their feeders. * gasp *
Here's a tip I learned:
When black mold forms inside a feeder, to clean it, simply break up a denture-cleaning tablet and add it to the reservoir with plain water. After it does it's thing, make sure and thoroughly rinse the feeder.
Bird Feeders on eBay
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byCactus Creation
My mother cut this out of a magazine and thought this was so inventive and cute.
Tom Krieg made this shapely feeder for his home in Arizona.
As a retired engineer, he took special care with the design, forming it from long-lasting PVC pipe and drilling slightly angled holes to prevent the seed from spilling out.
Tom has since passed away, but his wife continues to enjoy the birds this saguara cactus brings to their desert backyard.
Check out these unique bird houses!
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Gourd Birdhouses | Art | Plans | Seeds | Wooden
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There are two different categories of gourds. Ornamental gourds are the kind you would find in fall baskets and so forth. They are thin-skinned so they aren't good for long-term use. The other type is the hard-shell gourd, or the gourd birdhouse; it'...
Bird Houses on eBay
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Other Resources
There are so many great websites about birds, these are just a few
- Learn Bird Songs
- You've come to the right place to start learning bird sounds and songs. This site is dedicated to helping bird enthusiasts, who are used to looking for birds with binoculars and scopes, add to their expertise as birders by listening for them as well.
- Birdwatching
- Birdwatching Dot Com is about wild birds and the sport of birding. It's for everyone who's interested in birdwatching and enjoying nature.
- Wild Bird Watching
- For everyone who enjoys learning the feeding, nesting, and mating habits of backyard birds. We've also included some bird sounds for a few of our more popular backyard birds. Backyard birds capture our gaze more than any other type of wildlife which may explain why 60 million Americans are feeding and watching birds.
- National Audubon Society
- Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.
- Bird Watchers Digest
- Do It Yourself Projects
- Hummingbirds
- Your source for information on attracting, watching, feeding, and studying North American hummingbirds.
- The Owl Pages
- Owls have fascinated man from time immemorial - to some cultures they are symbols of wisdom, while to others they are harbingers of doom and death. Here, The Owl Pages sheds some light on these mysterious creatures.
- What Bird
- Identify birds of North America with a few clicks using our search engine. Build you own bird field guides. See the latest image technology at work:
- Backyard Bird Watching, How to Attract Birds
- Attracting backyard birds and butterflies for bird watching
- All About Birds - Cornell
- Comprehensive information on North American birds including a bird guide, identification tips, and conservation programs.
Add your favorite website!
About Birds, Bird Watching, Projects, Guides, Equipment, Seed, Feeders......
Birding Guide
For the love of birds and the great outdoors.0 points
Hummingbirds.net
The Web's premier place to learn about hummingbird more...0 points
Edible Bird Feeders
Feeding the birds is a wonderful thing to do and t more...0 points
Home Bazaar Birdhouses
Lets give those feathered friends a home they can more...0 points
Bird Brain Feedback
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- skhdesigns skhdesigns Feb 12, 2009 @ 2:16 am
- I love this lens! I got into bird watching a few years ago. You have some GREAT tips on here. Will definitely be back!
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- TheGreenerMe TheGreenerMe Feb 5, 2009 @ 5:58 pm
- I have a similar list of birds that visit my feeder regularly -- American Goldfinch (we had over 30 at one time the other day!), Mourning Dove, the occasional cardinal, Titmouse, Black Capped Chickadee, Nuthatch, occasionally a red breasted nuthatch, lots of Downy woodpeckers, and sometimes a Hairy Woodpecker. Great work on this lens, you have some incredible birds stopping by!
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- The_Party_Animal The_Party_Animal Dec 20, 2008 @ 5:56 pm
- What a great page full of great info - I love your bird bath - that is very cool.
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- Shelly Shelly Dec 18, 2008 @ 2:42 pm
- Hi, I'm Tipi's sister--you were just at her place and I followed you home, I'm her non-member sister with an anonymous picture. I love your innovation in the drought--we had drought for two years and the birds needed our help. What I did was dig hole and set 3 kidney shaped fountain bowl in at ground level and made them pretty with moss and rocks. The birds don't care about the pretty, but we had accidently discovered that most birds actually prefer this ground level bathing opportunity resulting in more birds that stick around much of the day. We never get tired of watching them. I'm a big hummingbird fan as well and am up to an even dozen hummingbird fan as well. I did learn last year that we should not boost the sugar when we make the nectar as increasing it can cause the hummingbirds to abandon much of their flower visitng and not get essential nutrients as well as causing a thinning of egg shells. Less is better.
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- marsha32 marsha32 Nov 21, 2008 @ 2:04 pm
- I like it! thanks for sharing the bird with us.
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