redambrosia Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 I would say so, since that is really all crow is good for It's good for feeding to politician. Every time I see a murder I have a good day or something positive happens. Lets take that out of context shall we? bwuhahahaha! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unruly Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Birds? PAH! Now, a bat house on the other hand... Seriously, if I had a spot that was both shady and generally undisturbed I would put in a big old bat house. Like, 200-ish bats capacity big. I wonder how my neighbors would react, since I basically live on about a half-acre plot in the middle of town. But I guarantee you'd see a decrease in the number of moths and mosquitoes at night if that bat house got populated. Neighbors are pretty much the only reason I haven't tried beekeeping. Despite the fact that the common honeybee is generally very docile I think my neighbors would take issue with it. My cousin had a hive for a few years, and it was amazing. I watched it split twice, and I got to harvest some honey from it a few times too. Didn't even have to wear a beekeeping suit or use a smoker either. They just didn't care so long as I wasn't rough about it. Pulled out a frame, gently brushed the bees off, broke a small piece of the comb out, and popped it right into my mouth. And it was delicious, waxy goodness. Anyways, as a bird-related story, about five years back my mom had some robins build a nest right outside her basement door, on the support for her deck. I was still living with her at the time, and she wanted me to tear it down, but I refused since I was the only person to ever use the basement door anyways. They ended up laying 4 or 5 eggs, can't remember exactly, and I pretty much watched over the nest the whole time. Eventually they must have learned that I wasn't a threat to them because they stopped flying off and chirping angrily at me when I came in and out of the house. Instead they'd just sit there and look at me. When the chicks finally hatched, it was great. They were just little gray balls of fluff. Sadly, none of them made it to adulthood. I dunno if they were trying to fly or what, but, once they lost most of their down, over the course of about two weeks I found each and every one of them dead just beneath the nest. It looked like they had just fallen and the impact with the concrete below was a bit much. Then my mom yelled at me and told me that I needed to clean the concrete because there was bird poop all over it. And since I was the one who let the robins build their nest, I had to clean it up. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buglips*the*goblin Posted May 1, 2013 Author Share Posted May 1, 2013 Prospective tenants! I spotted a fine-looking couple out looking for real estate and got a nice long-distance shot (after several tries!) Circled in yellow is the primo habitat I set up with the red Folgers can. Circled in red are Jack and Judy Junco. I think Jack is on the right, looks like he's got nice white tail feathers. And a closer view: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buglips*the*goblin Posted May 2, 2013 Author Share Posted May 2, 2013 Also, I found the Starlings. They were building a nest in a spot on the neighbour's upper siding where it had pulled away. As they represent a threat to my Juncos, being notorious nest raiders, I've assisted him in removing it. No eggs were laid yet, just nest material jammed in. Hopefully that'll scare 'em far enough away that they won't spy on my Juncos to find out where they are. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadcubed Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 (edited) I'm sure that I remember you talking about the Junco's in a thread somewhere last year. Crows, magpies and rooks are all birds that decrease by eating young and eggs of the smaller bird populations in he UK. .22 air rifle neck shots sort them out. And tree rats (squirrels) they're evil vermin too, again neck or head shot. Natural predators aka birds of prey are vastly reduced so we got to be the natural predators for the blue tits, robins, great tits, wrens etc etc. Edited May 2, 2013 by Dadcubed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowRaven Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Ah, so I am not the only one who calls Squires 'tree rats' eh? You know they get really really mad at you when you shoot off half their tail with a .22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unruly Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 I may not be Buglips, but apparently I'm a birdman of a sort. I came home today and found this guy being chased around my house by my cat. My cat can't do any harm to it other than stress it out like crazy, so I tried to be as gentle as possible in catching him and releasing him outside. Little bugger grabbed onto my drapes and wouldn't let go though, so I had to take the whole thing down. Also, now I have to flea bomb my house because that thing was loaded with them. I have no clue what kind of bird it was though. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingo Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Wow. It looks like a nightjar to me. We hear 'em all the time, but they're so well camouflaged I don't think I've ever knowingly seen one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klawzie Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Goodness, but that is a pretty birdie. It has a head shape that wants to be replicated as an art deco ornament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thes Hunter Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 I love Junco's Bugclips. I've only seen them a couple of times. Not regulars on feeders/areas I have watched. I did see an Oriole yesterday when we were doing some local tourism at the Edsel Ford house on Lake St. Claire. Beautiful creature. I still haven't convinced my husband yet of how nice it is to sip your coffee and watch/ listen to the birds come to the feeder. It's not spring until I hear the robins singing in the morning. I hope your nesting goes well Bugclips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator TaleSpinner Posted May 21, 2013 Moderator Share Posted May 21, 2013 I have no clue what kind of bird it was though. It is a swift, probably a Chimney Swift (but I'd need to know where you live to be sure). @Pingo: Close call, but nightjars and night hawks are much larger and more mottled. They are, however, related to the swift family. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unruly Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Well, I live right smack in the middle of Chimney Swift breeding territory, according to Wikipedia. And, it would make sense given that I know exactly how the bird got into my house. I have an old chimney that is no longer in use for a furnace, but is still used by my water heater's exhaust, and I've had birds come down through it before and get into my house through the not-quite-filled hole. That guy had to have done the same thing. I wouldn't be surprised to find that they had built a nest in it, which would be bad for them. I need to redo the mortar on my chimney bricks this year, and I really would prefer not to disturb their nest. But it's something that I have to do, otherwise I risk bricks falling off of my roof and onto my neighbor, his car, his dog, etc. Can't be having that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowRaven Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 when you're up there, Might want to consider a animal proof cap for it, just to be on the safe side of things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unruly Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Well, it's supposed to have one on it already, and it was there when I checked my roof and cleaned my gutters last summer, but it was basically just a wire cage around the top. I'm guessing that when it finally stops raining and I get a chance to climb up there that I'm going to find a brick or two missing, which will be how they're getting into the chimney. The first time I had a bird get into my house was last fall, and then this spring I've had 3 so far. So something must have changed since I was up there last. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buglips*the*goblin Posted May 21, 2013 Author Share Posted May 21, 2013 Call wildlife for removal if you find an active nest. They're listed as "near threatened". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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