Grampa Nuggies' Wildlife DisKushun

[Nuggler]

We feed birds, all year, and have quite a varied bunch coming to the feeders most winters; Cardinals, Chickadees, Nuthatches, House Sparrows, etc.

This year we have the same pair of Blue Jays (not the baseball players) every morning and evening. Didn't know this little nugget, so looked it up and sure enough:

From Wikipedia"

"Blue Jays typically form monogamous pair bonds for life. Both sexes build the nest and rear the young, though only the female broods them. The male feeds the female while she is brooding the eggs. "


Something like Canada Geese or swans......Pretty neat thinks I.


Apparently divorce is unheard of in bird world. But, they will take another mate should one die.



It goes on and on, as to range, different subspecies, etc.


OK, so it's wide open, like "nuggs fer the birds", and so on, but: Does anyone else feed the birds?
What kinds of birds do you get at the feeder?
What do you feed em?
What kind of feeder do you use?

This could be a very interesting thread, as I know we have members all across Canada and in the US, and the birds might vary as to type.

Fellow CC'ers . Show us yer birds........well tell us.

8O

 

[hermite]

I have those same birds but this summer I was visited by several Northern Flickers.

They eat bugs from the ground so don't visit the bird feeder, but they are quite a sight, with that flourescent vee on their necks. I also have some very handsome woodpeckers.

I luvs my little burds. :angel10:

 

[mabudon]

We get some pretty neat birds. There's a little eco-park nearby where I saw kingfishers for the first time ever last summer, that was pretty awesome.

We see Cedar waxwings and little yellow finches and red-winged black birds and barn swallows down by the creek along with blue and green herons, and RARELY a bald eagle.

Lots of vultures in spring.

We also see merlins (or maybe kestrels my eyes aren't too good for seeing small guys at a distance) and our neighborhood is obviously claimed by some perigrine falcons, we see them quite often.

I really dig birds, but my wife is the one who got me more interested in them (she also has perfect vision so she can see a lot more quality birds without actively seeking them, I have to be on alert to catch the "odd" ones)

 

[karrie]

From Wikipedia"

"Blue Jays typically form monogamous pair bonds for life. Both sexes build the nest and rear the young, though only the female broods them. The male feeds the female while she is brooding the eggs. "


Something like Canada Geese or swans......Pretty neat thinks I.

I can't remember if I was reading or watching a thing about bird monogamy. *scratches head trying to remember where it was*

But, long story short, researchers were looking into the notion of bird monogamy, and found that it really isn't as monogamous as we like to think. Sampling DNA from nests and parents, they found that while yes, they form life pairs, and breed together, after a while the momma bird does go get some extra DNA input from elsewhere. It seems to be the natural flow of things to add some genetic diversity to the mix. So what we previously thought were 'monogamous' bird pairs, are often times just life pairs getting a little action on the side.

 

[shadowshiv]

So what we previously thought were 'monogamous' bird pairs, are often times just life pairs getting a little action on the side.

So in other words, they think like us human beings.;-):lol:

The only birds that I have seen so far are crows. Hordes and hordes of crows. Our dumb-ass mayor will not allow a cull and they are everywhere. They are extremely overpopulated. The skies are literally black with them during the dusk hours. From time to time, we get a couple of people driving around shooting firecrackers and scaring them off. To another part of the city. And then they repeat the same thing at the new place, and the crows return to the original location.

We need a cull, but it doesn't look to be happening. I love birds, don't get me wrong. But with the threat of avian flu and flocks of thousands upon thousands of birds, a cull needs to happen.

Regarding other species of birds, I like watching out the window at my grandma's house. There are some bird feeders just outside and there are always a lot of different species that feed from it.:smile:

 

[#juan]

We've kept bird feeders for quite a few years now. Right now we get Chickadees, Nuthatches, Junkos, any number of Finches, and several species of Woodpecker, including Flickers. There were a couple Humingbirds around yesterday. We keep the Humingbird feeders going all year.

Here is a Woodpecker at one of the suet feeders:

 

[shadowshiv]

Nice looking bird.:smile: I heard one pecking at a tree around my house last summer, but I never saw it.

 

[#juan]

The Flicker that hermite showed us is actually one of a half dozen species of Woodpecker that we get in southwestern B.C.. The one I posted was a Pileated Woodpecker. These are both quite large birds, easily twice the size of a Robin which we also get year round.

 

[shadowshiv]

The Flicker that hermite showed us is actually one of a half dozen species of Woodpecker that we get in southwestern B.C.. The one I posted was a Pileated Woodpecker. These are both quite large birds, easily twice the size of a Robin which we also get year round.

LOL! It shows how much I know about birds. I thought that there was only the one species of woodpecker.:lol:

At my parents house I have seen cardinals, blue jays, and even an oriole or two! Very pretty birds!

 

[Lester]

We have a black cherry tree, and every year these birds(there grey and fat)come and eat the fermented fruit left over from the fall. for two days, it's a party there must be 200 birds in this tree. I swear, they get pissed make all kinds of racket they're like the worst neighbours youv'e ever had.

 

[#juan]

 

[shadowshiv]

It looks like you are not allowed to hotlink from there, juan.8O Perhaps you could Photobucket it?:smile:

 

[#juan]

It looks like you are not allowed to hotlink from there, juan.8O Perhaps you could Photobucket it?:smile:

I was afraid of that, The other photo was my own.

 

[mt_pockets1000]

I have those same birds but this summer I was visited by several Northern Flickers.

They eat bugs from the ground so don't visit the bird feeder, but they are quite a sight, with that flourescent vee on their necks. I also have some very handsome woodpeckers.

I luvs my little burds. :angel10:

Funny you should mention that. I too have a very handsome woodpecker.

While living in Ottawa my wife and I would sometimes drive down through Barrhaven and park near the Jock River to watch the wildlife along the banks. We would love to watch the heron or egret that fished on the opposite side of the river. He'd stand there on his long, skinny legs waiting for the next meal to swim by. What an awesome wingspan on that bird.

 

[Nuggler]

I can't remember if I was reading or watching a thing about bird monogamy. *scratches head trying to remember where it was*

But, long story short, researchers were looking into the notion of bird monogamy, and found that it really isn't as monogamous as we like to think. Sampling DNA from nests and parents, they found that while yes, they form life pairs, and breed together, after a while the momma bird does go get some extra DNA input from elsewhere. It seems to be the natural flow of things to add some genetic diversity to the mix. So what we previously thought were 'monogamous' bird pairs, are often times just life pairs getting a little action on the side.

ARGGGGGGGGGGH !!!8O

Karrie, you done gone a destroyed my faith in the Bluejays........(not the baseball team).

Guess birds are a lot like people after all. Eggzaktly.

Good part is, they all look alike so daddy wouldn't know he'd been a cuckold. Think the shape of the egg might give it away......? Or the blue hue ? Tweak of the beak?

 

[#juan]

We'll try that Downy Woodpecker again:

http://my.pclink.com/~rlovgren/nature9i.htm

 

[shadowshiv]

Yep. That worked, Juan.:smile:

 

[shadowshiv]

ARGGGGGGGGGGH !!!8O

Karrie, you done gone a destroyed my faith in the Bluejays........(not the baseball team).

Yeah, we have J.P. Ricardi for that.;-):lol:

 

[karrie]

ARGGGGGGGGGGH !!!8O

Karrie, you done gone a destroyed my faith in the Bluejays........(not the baseball team).

Guess birds are a lot like people after all. Eggzaktly.

Good part is, they all look alike so daddy wouldn't know he'd been a cuckold. Think the shape of the egg might give it away......? Or the blue hue ? Tweak of the beak?

Sorry sNuggles. I wonder though if the BlueJay cares? I doubt it. He's probably one of the ones contributing some varied DNA to another pair somewhere. They're just bored those BlueJays, that's all. They think it's the 70's ya know.