For the BIRDS ...

[luvmyb_b]

Any birding people out there looking for some place to talk about our fine-feathered-friends?

I am really hoping to have a board dedicated to those of us who enjoy feeding and watching birds, but in the meantime, I decided to start this to gauge any interest in the topic of birding.  I'd love to hear your stories or experiences ...

Right now, the hummingbirds are migrating and are a joy to watch at the feeders and flowers, not to mention squabble and chase each other through the yard.  That's my "bird highlight" for now.  What about you? 

[Angela]

Loving the hummingbirds too, Karen! Had a bit of a laugh this morning. While Ray was topping up the feeder this hummie was frantically trying to get to the feeder & was buzzing all around him. Very determined little one & it was pretty funny watching him act up! 😊

[janlochner]

Good morning Karen & Angela

I'm a 'mediocre' birder. I have my feeders right outside our dining room window year around. That way when I sit at the table I can watch the birds feed. Sometime even watch our house cats birdwatching at the same time.  That can be fun also.  There is a pair of mourning doves that come to the deck and our one cat looks watching them.  Allen will see they are out there so he will call the ct & tell her they are there.

During the winter it is even more fun watching all the birds.

[Angela]

Aug 14, 2016 11:35:29 GMT -5 janlochner said:

During the winter it is even more fun watching all the birds.

We only feed the birds in the winter & go through lots of bird seeds. I do love my birds! Bought new camera & tripod which I have handy & hopefully will catch some great pictures. 

This summer has been the absolute best for birds. There has been such a variety, even a couple I wasn't able to identify even after going through my bird book page by page.

[tasty]

Love to watch the antics of our feathered friends and this summer has been a good one.  We have a bird bath that we  can see from one of the kitchen windows.  It is located under a young maple tree and the birds, the robins especially, line up for their morning bath - no sharing.  I have seen as many as a dozen robins hanging around, waiting their turn.

[luvmyb_b]

Angela, I had a similar situation to your DH the last time I filled my feeders.  A hummer came from behind me when I was trying to set the feeder back in the window sill.  I heard a buzzzzz and thought it was a bee.  Instinctively, I took a swipe at it to shoo it away. We probably scared each other equally.  LOL!

Hi Jan!  I am sure it is quite amusing to watch your cat watch the birds, but then again, I can get a chuckle out of watching cats do many things.  Sadly, our bird population plummets in the winter.  I even have a heated bath out for them, but for some reason they go elsewhere.  

Your post, Tasty, reminds me of one of my favorite things in bird watching - watching robins in my yard hunt for worms.  I am fascinated by the way they can find worms absolutely anywhere! 

Thanks for the posts, ladies.  I hope they will keep coming.  I love a good bird story! 

[flowerpowerz5]

Hi Karen and all. I love watching the birds. I was just out at the back garden and mama hummingbird was perched on  a branch taking a break. Wish I had my camera but didn't. My cat loves to watch the birds but he doesn't go outside so needless to say he is a big mean hunter inside. (NOT!)

Love watching the birds in the winter it brightens up a dreary day.

I have 3 baby woodpeckers still coming to the hummingbird feeder. Now they chase each other off. I think it's because it is so dry out and they are looking for a drink.

[marnee]

I just love watching the birds.

In the spring I have a variety of birds visit my backyard. For several weeks I kept a list of the birds as they visited each day and usually within the first half hour after dawn I could see the following birds on my list.

American Goldfinch, American Bushtit, Chickadees, Crows, Downy Woodpecker, Hummingbirds, Junco, Northern Flicker, House Finch, Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Starling, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, & Varied Thrush

I’m now seeing Hummingbirds, Chickadees, Crows, Downy, Northern Flickers, House Finch, Sparrows, Western Scrub-Jays and from time to time the Bushtits.

I don’t really care to see the crows as from what I have read the hummingbirds are not safe around them.

[marnee]

I have read there are 340 kinds or species of hummingbirds throughout the world, but only 5 species are regular visitors or residents in Oregon. These are called the Allen’s, Anna’s, Black-chinned, Calliope, and Rufous Hummingbirds.


I’m fortunate we have Anna’s Hummingbirds year round in my backyard and for a couple of weeks in August the Rufous also visit. The Allen’s are extremely similar in appearance to the Rufous so it’s possible I could easily mistake an Allen’s hummer for a Rufous.


This year my resident Anna's chased off the Rufous Hummers.


 I took this photo around 9 A.M. this morning. I had just finished cleaning and making the hummers some fresh nectar.   As it's been really hot here I have been having to change the nectar almost daily.

[carross]

I too feed the birds year around, I have some favorites which are the orioles and the hummers. I'm glad the red wing black birds are gone, they eat so much. I like to watch the doves, they like to come and sit in my bird bath, just sit. I wish I could get a picture of them but so shy. Right now I have wrens nesting right outside my bedroom window, wakes me up (when the windows are open, too hot lately).

Yes my cat likes to watch the birds also.

[marnee]

I have only seen Doves a couple of times the Scrub Jays chased them away, wish they would chase the Crows away.

I have a birdbath and I also use a frying pan for water for the birds. I started using a frying pan one winter when the water in the birdbath froze and it was too heavy to lift. 

[Angela]

Aug 14, 2016 13:50:34 GMT -5 marnee said:

I have read there are 340 kinds or species of hummingbirds throughout the world, but only 5 species are regular visitors or residents in Oregon. These are called the Allen’s, Anna’s, Black-chinned, Calliope, and Rufous


 I took this photo around 9 A.M. this morning. I had just finished cleaning and making the hummers some fresh nectar.   As it's been really hot here I have been having to change the nectar almost daily.

We only see the ruby throated here as far as I am aware. Certainly they are the only ones we have seen.