My Lovely Birds

[HuntressOfLight]

I, The Empress Regnant, hereby proclaim this thread to be designated for ALL birds, because

ALL BIRDS LIVES MATTER
​

My lovely bluebirds, my lovely geese, and my lovely hummingbirds are privileged; therefore, they have their individual threads. Please feel free to mention your own birds within this thread, unless they are the privileged few.

My lovely Red-bellied Woodpecker landed below the birdbath, sitting directly beside the driveway a few moments ago, grabbing himself some of the last bit of feed purchased during the February snowstorm. He was brave enough to do so within the midst of a few grackles, which even intimidate my bluejays. He grabbed some feed and flew with it but returned moments ago for more, after my skittish but persistent grackles had dispersed moments after Mr. Red-bellied had first appeared.

He has never gone for the driveway feed, always opting for that placed upon my deck's rails, but I stopped putting it there when the beast arrived, being that all birds but my doves are frightened by his presence; plus, that area is designated for my privileged hummingbirds soon to arrive.

 

[bowhunter269]

I have a bumper crop of blue jays this year.........never recall seeing so many.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

I have a bumper crop of blue jays this year.........never recall seeing so many.

Blue Jays Lives Matter!

I have only four blue jays, that I'm aware of, at least. I've always liked them but never bothered to read about them. Guess I shall, now that you mention them. I think they receive a bad rap.

Meanwhile, my doves appear to be growing in numbers, which is great, because I love doves and their relaxing coo'ings. I don't see the Eurasion doves every day, like I do my mourning doves, but I did see one come in and land beneath the birdbath for the feed today.

I would like to see them whop up on those grackles. I think that I may have the boat-tailed grackles, but I haven't bothered with ID photos of them yet. I did read that they kill English house sparrows; so, there is actually something beneficial about them. Didn't try it while feeding beside them today, though.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

Sad discovery. One of my lovely Eurasion Collared doves no longer has a mate. I found the feathers beneath one of my tall cedars and just identified them. The handiwork of Lord or Lady Red-tailed hawk for sure. I saw only one dove a few times come for the feed last week and wondered about it, because they were always together. I knew one had probably met its demise but wasn't sure, thinking perhaps it was simply out of view. Now I know. I really like those doves. Hopefully the other remains alive and finds a new mate.

Meanwhile, I saw my male Eastern Towhee, which cheers me up, because I figured that he had moved on, having not seen him in a while. He isn't too very skittish of me, I learned. He was hunting in the backyard an hour or two before dusk. He flew to the deck rail and landed, then over the roof on to the birdbath looking for feed. None did he find. His hunting style for insects is interesting.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

Morning chorus is only now beginning with the early birds, all others having yet to join. The darned rooster upon the subdivision outskirts is a mad hatter, crowing at a blooming 4AM. Something other than daylight obviously disturbed his sleep.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

Good news! One of my Eurasian collared doves visited the bird bath area today, thus remains alive. I placed the bird bath maybe 40' from my bedroom doors and even less distance from my breakfast nook out on the deck beside them last year; so, I frequently see with ease what is happening there. I was laid up in bed most of the day with an ice pack and remained very still upon its arrival, because they are much more skittish than my mourning doves. The least little movement frightens them, whereas not my mourning doves at all.

It was looking for the seed I had been dumping there. Once something scared it high up into an old oak tree, I scattered a small amount of what very little remains of the seed. It returned for some of it, but so did many greedy grackles having yet to kill the evil English sparrows. Once the dove had enough of them, I battled their persistent selves off and on for about an hour.

Such eventually resulted in the return of my favored Eurasion dove and other preferred birds. I ventured a few quick photographs of it through the glass doors, even though the Eurasions are highly sensitive to the lens reflection. I wished to try and determine its sex, because I had been wondering whether the male or female had been killed. I had been concerened about potential eggs or babies being abandoned and/or near impossible for only one dove to properly attend to them. I do not know exactly where they were nesting. It is difficult to determine their sex, even though I have read up on how to do so, and especially when only one is present.

Much to my surprise, a second Eurasian dove appeared upon the ground within ten feet of the first one, much later within the day. I don't know what is transpiring, because I know that I properly identified those feathers found at the edge of Bunnyville. The second dove was taller and thinner, as well as even more skittish. I saw yet another dove land, causing me to wonder whether it might be the new ones actual mate, but it was obscured by the edge of the house.

I only saw a brief flash of its wings during landing and know it was a dove, for it all, but perhaps it was a mourning dove. The two in which I did fully see paired off in scared flight only inches away from each other not long thereafter. The mystery thereby thickens.

I need to locate their nest(s). I intentionally covered the remaining feathers with leaves, so that its mate does not continue returning there, as I have read they will do whenever one dies. I kept the ones in which I had already gathered. I checked that cedar tree where all occurred and did not see a nest. They are rather sneaky about all.

My interesting Eastern Tohwee quickly appeared for the feed, as well. He must be nesting very close. My evil house sparrows could have easily been taken out there as well this morning, if I had already purchased a BBgun. They have overtaken Bluebird Box 2, having built a nest. I caught them red-handed in the process of building it yesterday, causing the female to drop the grass within her beak from a tree limb way above my head, the little b¡♤€||. I checked it today, confirming it was a sparrows nest. It shall vanish tomorrow and sparrow spookers will replace it

 

[HuntressOfLight]

So, three of my lovely mourning doves were just sitting below the birdbath 40' away, none of them moving and simply staring at me and my dogs quietly sitting here on the deck furniture. I guessed their mates may be on their eggs. When one of my dogs approached me for a ear rub, the doves went back to their business of eating seed tossed beneath the bath.

One of them began chasing another away from the feed, as it has consistently done all year. For the first time, it actually jumped on its back for a moment. That rude behavior angered me.

I then spotted Lady Red-tailed soaring just above the tree canopies, catching the sustained winds and various gusts while hunting. My thoughts immediately went to my lovely male bluebird beside there only moments ago, causing me to jump up in a panic and give chase. Such frightened my lovely doves directly toward her, panicking me even more so, but they safely made it to their tall evergreens, leaving me standing near the birdbath waving my hands within the air at Lady Red-tailed in exaggerated warning, as I yelled at her. Her huge self, fortunately, decided to catch an updraft to elsewhere across the street over other towering hardwoods of old, to where she vanished out of sight for now.

As for my lovely doves, I never knew they could be aggressive toward one another. I wasn't sure whether such was mating behavior, until I researched all earlier this morning, being that chase had earlier given way. I spread another handful of seed and stretched it in a longer line, so as to possibly prevent such rude behavior from occurring again. I have only two handful remaining to feed them and am tempted to purchase more, but the obnoxious grackles and evil English sparrows are a deterrent to that thought.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

Huge eagle, confirmed moments ago, soaring over my house!

I saw it yesterday afternoon but was unsure, due to the sun and its altimeter. Was a tad bit lower with yet another unfilled flight plan today, making confirmation possible. Neighbors best start watching their outdoor cats and little dogs, because that big mama is on the hunt. Should be interesting to see how she deals with Lord and Lady Red-tailed, being their territory. They are in for BIG trouble.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

Two just buzzed Tillville, NE toward Kelptos domain. One did the same last week. Same flight plan as last year. One was on the tail feathers of the other, both at high speed. I think of them as my airborne lemons.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

My little house wren has returned and has been trilling up a storm, while frequently investigating the east end of the deck, even though he rarely does so, being that his cute little house hangs upon the west end of the deck within an alclove.


House Wren Range Map

 

[HuntressOfLight]

Super loud bird chorus began around 5:30, if not before then. They know the temperature has finally changed. Turkey(s) confirmed this morning. Been hearing intermittent calls at night for a couple of weeks now but thought I might be mistaken and hearing humans briefly talking off in the distance. Kept straining my ears to discern such at night. Heard the calls again last night and was unsure, but not this morning. Just one call but unmistakable this morning while my eyes were still closed and the chorus of others wasn't as loud. No idea exactly where the darn thing(s) happens to be, but it was clear as a bell and close. One gobble, then nothing more.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

Peeked my head outside onto the deck, after hearing a new type of bird call. Baltimore Oriole was perched atop the deck's corner rail shepherd's hook holding one red hummingbird feeder. It saw me and flew off somewhere. First one of the year.

 

[HuntressOfLight]

SO, instead of tossing out my three pretty hummingbird feeders in need of replacement parts, I can simply use them for the Baltimore Orioles and hummingbirds, without the port covering.

For the Birds:
Why are we seeing orioles at hummingbird feeders?​

https://www.courierpress.com/story/...seeing-orioles-hummingbird-feeders/597286002/

 

[HuntressOfLight]

Some large raptor was just chased from the property by some black bird. No confirmed ID upon either, but it was probably Lord or Lady Red-tail. It was far from a short chase, encompassing many properties.

 

[bowhunter269]

Some large raptor was just chased from the property by some black bird. No confirmed ID upon either, but it was probably Lord or Lady Red-tail. It was far from a short chase, encompassing many properties.

I'd guess crow chasing the hawk.