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| Time for a new, shorter thread. I've been holding off, expecting to get photos of a passel of cute baby turkeys, but this doesn't seem to have been a good breeding season. It started out with a great mating show, but I've only seen one poult, and that only a few times at a distance. Maybe the unseasonably cold spring doomed the nesting, or maybe the fact that fisher cats are moving into the area had an effect.
This thread is intended to give people a place to post photos and/or talk about birds, critters, wildlife, fish, whatever - topics you might not want to start a whole thread on, but are still garden-related. You can see the range of possible topics in the previous threads: Birds and other mobile features in the garden Birds and other mobile features in the garden #2 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2009 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2010 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2010 #2 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2010 #3 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2010 #4 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2010 #5 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2010 #6 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2011 #1 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2011 #2 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2011 #3 Birds and other mobile features in the garden 2011 #4
In lieu of cute baby turkeys, I'll post pics of cute fledgling House Sparrows resting on a nyjer feeder. I'd rather not get into the discussion (sometimes rabid) of whether House Sparrows belong in this country. You've got to admit they're cute.
Claire |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Oh Claire they are just adorable. They look so content. |
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| Wish you had turkeys, Claire, but, as you know, I am fond of little brown birds too. They are cute. After all the waiting for hummers to arrive, I swear the same chap who claimed the feeder last year has returned. The behavioral patterns are identical, and obviously, his plumage is as well, lol. From my kitchen window (me with camera on the inside)he knows I'm watching: But almost nothing disturbs slurping: And here's the familiar: this guy dozes on the perch for half hour at a time. Haven't seen him go into the torper state yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to find him upside down some morning. So does anyone else have a hummer who hangs out most of the day? |
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| I haven't seen a male hummer act like that, but the females will often perch at the end of the day and just gaze out over the farm. I've noticed that they almost always perch with their back to me. They know I'm watching but don't seem to consider me to be dangerous. My second hummer feeder is on the deck at the front of the house and I had to take it down to move the houseplants out. I was delayed putting it back up - had to move the hanger and I borrowed a piece of the feeder because of the raccoon dismantling the oriole feeder (another story). Anyway, it got warm enough to sit out on the deck with the computer and a hummer started buzzing me "WHERE'S MY FEEDER!" The first time he just zoomed by, the second time he was right up a few feet from my face. I rigged up a new oriole feeder and the hummer feeder is back in place. Claire |
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- Posted by capecodder z6 MA (My Page) on Sat, Jun 25, 11 at 12:26
| The day before yesterday my husband saw 11 baby turkeys with 3 adults in our yard...he said the babies were about the size of quail! Last night during dinner a beautiful doe strolled through the yard...I kept expecting her to demolish my roses, but she strolled through, with our lab roaring at her from the slider the whole time. Wish I'd had a camera handy. We had house sparrows nest and rear young in two birdhouses...don't get me started on sparrows but they are cute! Baby cardinals and robins this a.m., and a real bumper crop of catbirds, one of my absolute favorites. Now, if I could get rid of the rabbits... |
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| You have a nice wildlife collection, capecodder. A few years ago I had a dozen baby turkeys with two adults. They grew up here and at least some of the current adults are probably from that batch. They seem to recognize me (the food lady) and they lounge around in my yard and next door, casually lying down in the shade. No deer (I'm at the top of a hill and they seem to stay down in the valley area). No rabbits either, maybe because of coyotes and fisher cats. Claire |
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- Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Sun, Jun 26, 11 at 5:28
| Very cute fledgling photo Claire, and I'm pretty jealous of that hummingbird, Jane! :-) We bought a new feeder to replace an old one and the birds are emptying all our feeders so fast! Friday we filled two small feeders and they were empty by end of the day. Then the new feeder, which holds 10 pounds of seed, was almost full in the morning and was almost empty by 5pm. I can't imagine how they can go through it so fast. We do have two chipmunks that I was hoping couldn't get into the feeders this year. We put a squirrel baffle on the poles and I keep watching to see if they are getting on the feeder, but I've yet to see them. I hope not! We also have been seeing what I think are a pair of Rose Breasted Grosbeak at the feeder, is that possible? |
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| PM2: Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are certainly possible at your feeder. Wonderful birds to see! This morning I saw the first Baltimore Oriole fledgling at the latest version of a jelly feeder (a raccoon demolished the last one and I rigged up a temporary feeder out of a hanging flower pot apparatus). I think that's a fledgling in front with the mother in the back watching over the baby.
This feeder was meant to be a stopgap until I rigged up a better one, but I'll leave it up as long as it lasts. I plopped a few spoonfuls of grape and apricot preserves in the saucer. Claire |
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- Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Wed, Jun 29, 11 at 14:36
| Claire, that is quite the creative bird feeder. (g) Well, I just noticed that I have a pair of baltimore orioles with a fledgling this year too. I'm just not good at getting photos, darn. I am so pleased! I do normally see a pair fly through a few times early in the season, but this year, they seem to be here every day. Yesterday they were hanging around inside one of the azleas that is near the feeder and feeding the fledgling. They are such a bright shot of color! My garden is starting to mature and this year I will finally have a decent crop of berries on some of the shrubs. I'm wondering if that might be part of why they are sticking around. Thanks for the photo of the fledgling. Mine doesn't have as much orange color yet, yours are really getting there! |
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| pm2: Did your hummingbird ever come back? Mine were gone for a while during nesting, but now they're back at the feeders. Usually there are dramatic territorial battles, with tiny birds chasing each other away. I almost never see more than one hummer on a feeder, but lately I've seen a few events where two will feed at the same time, although with apparent tension. I caught this sequence where one hummer female was quietly perched at the feeder when another hummer appeared opposite her. It was another female or maybe a juvenile male. There might be a hint of color on its neck. First hummer stayed, but the tail feathers are all spread out, ready to fly? and her neck is stretched way out. Both still there, but first hummer has feathers raised on the back of her neck. Note the black patch. Tail feathers are relaxing a bit. First hummer stayed her ground, but kept looking at the second hummer, who was very subdued. Great sigh of relief, it's gone! I'm guessing that the second hummer was a juvenile from this year's nesting, and maybe the first hummer was its mother (or another adult female tht didn't want to attack a juvenile). Just my guess, but the encounter fascinated me. I haven't seen any males allowing another male at the feeder, although it looks like the female wins if there's a male-female encounter. Claire |
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| My temporary hanging saucer feeder is holding up fine, and I'm getting a lot of oriole fledglings practicing their feeding moves and looking around at this brand new world.
Claire |
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| Claire, you've got jelly in that saucer, right? How do you keep the ants away...or are they part of the feast, too? Emily |
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- Posted by capecodder z6 MA (My Page) on Mon, Jul 11, 11 at 13:03
| We've had occasional sightings of baby orioles too on our oranges and grape jelly, baby titmice daily But the big news here is we had a bear in the yard recently...we didn't get the pleasure (or the fright) of seeing it, but others did. This bear's been all over s.e. MA, who knows where it is now. Claire, I love the hummingbird pics! We have battles over our feeder too... |
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| Emily: I have various fruit preserves (apricot and/or grape and/or cherry) in the saucer. Whatever's on sale. I see an occasional ant and some wasps, but they don't overrun the saucer. Maybe it's too hard to get up there, or maybe they're being eaten. The catbirds also use the feeder. Each night something empties the feeder, maybe a raccoon, so there's a fresh start each morning. Later in the season the insects may get more desperate. Capecodder: Last year or the year before a black bear was seen in Cedarville, a few miles from here, and there were other sightings then in southeast MA. I've read that the young males set out looking for new territory away from the mother's range. You sort of wonder how they get over the bridges to the Cape - trot over in breaks of the tourist traffic? and is the mother and other litter mates still hanging around somewhere? Claire |
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- Posted by diggingthedirt CapeCod Zone7ish (My Page) on Mon, Jul 11, 11 at 22:04
| I wish I had a photo of this, but I can't seem to find my camera when there's anything to see. DH left his swim trunks tossed over the clothesline a little too long, and an adventurous bird took advantage of the situation and built a nest inside. It took me a long time to realize it, but every now and then when I'm out in that corner of the yard I see a small, very fast bird appear and then disappear. This evening I stood and watched for about 15 minutes, and noticed that the trunks were definitely moving, somebody was poking around inside the fabric. Hope to get an ID, or better yet, a photo soon. |
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| DTD, I sure hope you get a picture of that soon too! What a riot! Emily |
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| DtD: A video of the moving trunks might be even better, but it could have to be X-rated unless the bird is clearly visible... Carolina Wrens have the reputation of building their nests in hanging bags if available. Claire (giggling) |
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I've had hundreds of these little orange butterflies flying around the yard lately.  And hundreds, if not thousands, of bull frogs in the pond. |
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- Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Wed, Aug 3, 11 at 6:37
| Haven't been paying much attention to the birds of late. I think that is a riot about the bird building a nest in the swimming trunks, DTD! About all we have going on is two chipmunks that continue to gorge themselves on the birdfeeders. I put up baffles on the poles, but I still think they are finding a way into them because the feeders are just emptying too quickly. I do see a ton of berries developing on our Cornus racemosa that is in the ground about 5 years now. Last year we had a few, but there is a good crop this year. I'm not sure when they ripen but I expect I should see some new visitors for that. Claire, no, that hummingbird never did come back and I put away the hummingbird feeder and will try it again next year. Thanks for asking. |
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- Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Wed, Aug 3, 11 at 6:45
| BTW, Claire, that was a neat sequence of photos showing the reaction of the hummingbird to a visitor. Also love the color of those fledgling orioles. We did have a pair in the yard for awhile this year with a fledgling, but I haven't seen any in awhile. I think I need to spend some time in the yard before the summer is over.. (g) Nice to have a pond pixie lou, must be lots of activity all year. Our butterfly bushes got off to a slow start this year due to cool weather in the spring and I do see a few Monarchs around but not nearly as much as usual. |
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| Pixie_lou: In spring we delight in seeing just one of whatever; it's so nice in mid-summer to see hundreds of them - a reminder that nature is still working in spite of humanity's clumsy meddling with the system. PM2: Sorry about your hummer, but berries should help with other birds. My pokeweeds are about to bear fruit and they're well received by the birds. I was amazed the other day to realize that I'd cleared one path in late June, but it's now blocked by pokeberries four or five feet tall. The path goes to a feeder but I have another path I can use. I want to let the pokeberries fruit and then I'll rip them out after the berries are eaten. Of course that means that I'll have another crop next year, but they're easy to remove if they haven't been established very long. I haven't been watching the birds out my computer window much lately because I can take my laptop out to the deck in good weather. I have a hummer feeder there too, but the hummers are more wary without a protective layer of glass between us and they tend to huddle down on the farthest side of the feeder. I did get a photo of this female a few days ago. She just looked so proud perching there.
Claire |
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- Posted by prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Wed, Aug 3, 11 at 13:20
| Nice photo, Claire. I see you are still enjoying your new camera. I have barely taken a photo since June. You seem to be so consistent, which is great. Yes, I will be interested to see who shows up for the berries. They aren't ripe yet. You can use your laptop outside? I also find there's too much glare. |
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| PM2: Part of my deck is under an overhang, so I can use the laptop in shade. Glare is a problem in the morning and I have to move around to get a good position. The deck is on the east side of the house so it's in shade all afternoon. It's 4:25 PM now and there's no glare at all. I've noticed that if I have to use my sunglasses when I'm at the computer then I can't read well. Claire |
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| Take the laptop anywhere you want, Claire, just don't forgot to take the camera too. Nice hummer shots. Thought for sure only the male hummer frequented the feeder, then the other day there was a female as well! No camera in hand, but I know I saw them! lol. The mid-summer point is well taken. The other day, a perfect Eastern Swallowtail on buddleia: Jane |
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Mama turkey was in the yard today, hanging out with her 4 poults. I feel bad - I hadn't even noticed them hanging out in our wood shed. Apparently I didn't scare them - since they hung around long enough for me to go get my camera. Here's one of the turkeys going to explore the brush pile.  Later on I saw a pretty big water spider just hanging out in the pond. |
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| Great photos, Jane; I particularly like the Eastern Swallowtail looking elegant, and the bullfrog looking, um, remarkable. pixie_lou: I don't have any turkey poults hanging around this year, but a few hens still come around. They seem to be much more trusting than the males. I hope yours will stay; it's such fun to watch the babies grow up, and they'll remember you next year. I wish I could walk on water like that spider! Claire |
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| Not my photos, but an absolutely delightful series on the Bird Watching Forum. Summer birds - fledglings and more (image heavy) Claire |
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| I've never thought of sedums as being plants to attract pollinators, but the flowerheads are just beginning to turn pink and suddenly the bees are all over them.
And then there's the jam feeder for the orioles and the catbirds. The birds still come, but as soon as they leave the insects fly in. I've seen bees, wasps, flies and a bald-faced hornet there. Interestingly, the birds much prefer the peach or apricot jam over the grape jam, and so do the insects. I think I'll stop buying the grape jam. I put some yellow watermelon pieces with seeds in the feeder but there wasn't any great enthusiasm. Sometimes a cardinal will stop by and eat the seeds. Claire |
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| Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene is gone and I haven't seen any orioles or catbirds since last week. I don't know if they migrated, got swept away by the winds, or if they abandoned the jam feeder to the bees. This was the feeder yesterday: Today there were even more bees, so concentrated that I couldn't see the remaining jam/watermelon. I very very carefully carried the feeder to an out of the way spot in the yard where there's a shepherd's hook I only use in the winter and hung it there. The bees were so busy they didn't even react to me. I did have on long pants, gloves and long sleeves so only my head was exposed, but I was a little nervous. No more jam this season, unless I relent and add some to the out of the way feeder when the weather gets much colder. Claire |
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| Oh, I'm assuming these are bumblebees, I'm not good at bee identification. A great native pollinator, known for a placid, non-threatening behavior (otherwise I wouldn't have tried to carry them around). Claire |
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| Claire, I see a couple of yellow jackets in there too, who are not nearly as placid as the bumblebees! Glad you didn't get stung! Speaking of bumblebees, has anyone else noticed how they seem to "go to sleep" in flowers at night? They pick one, hang on, and become seemingly immobile until the day warms up the next morning. Emily |
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| I've read about that, Emily, but I haven't seen it myself. It sounds like a nice idea; I'd like to do it myself (so long as it wasn't a man-eating flower). Waking up in a lily would be a lovely way to start the day. I saw the yellow jackets but decided to ignore them. After all, they were vastly outnumbered and had no swarm to protect. There was also a bald-faced hornet a few days ago - a very dramatic-looking hornet. I had to move the bumblebee feeder because it was just too close to several birdbaths that I flush out each day. I didn't want the bees to feel threatened and overreact when I slogged by with a hose and spray. Some of them are still hanging around the pole, waiting for me to bring them breakfast, and I swear a couple of them were buzzing me as a reminder. I put some jam in the far away feeder this morning hoping to lure them away. Just an indication of how placid the bumbles are; a few days ago when I took a photo a bumble apparently landed on me and rode into the house still on me. I didn't notice until I got inside and the bee panicked and started buzzing around looking for a way out. I waited until it landed on a screen and I let it out. Claire |
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| The turkeys were back.
How does a turkey cross the road??? DD chased a frog out of the pond. The poor guy was too scared to do anything while I photographed him! |
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| I love the way turkeys cross the road single file, pixie_lou; as if the crossing guard is holding traffic for them. Did anyone else wear those white harnesses (I don't what to call them) when assisting the police officer at the entrance in elementary school? I don't remember if we were assigned the duty or if we volunteered; I just remember helping the traffic cop funnel the kids across the road. I hope the frog made it safely back too. Claire |
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| I've been doing tons of yard work, so I've been seeing the turkeys quite a bit lately - though I hardly ever have the camera available. It's funny how I've kinda gotten to know there personalities - those 2 are always pulling up the rear, 10 feet behind mama! I bought a peanut butter feeder a few weeks ago. Today I finally saw whose been eating the peanut butter!
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| I've noticed that too, that some of the youngsters hang back from the family flock. I wonder if those are young males - the males supposedly leave first and head off to join the other boys, while the females hang together with mom. I looked out today when some turkeys dropped by and I noticed that the turkey necks matched the sedums nicely. After I took this pic I realized that I could see bees on the sedums too. That fence is protecting the remains of the phlox paniculatas that the woodchuck defoliated. Claire |
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It appears that the male hummers left after the storm. As of this morning, the females are still here.  Jane |
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| Last night at dinner time, there were still at least two male hummers buzzing around my deck feeder. So far today I've only seen females, but it's too soon for me to say that the boys have left. Another female there now. It's getting near time for the fall migration - I'll really miss the little buzz birds. Nice late summer mix of flowers and fruit there. Claire |
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Tonight a juvenile hawk landed in a nearby maple then I followed him to a neighbor's dead tree. I think it is Sharp-shinned Hawk, if not, then probably a juvi Cooper's. Handsome bird. 
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| Emily: It's been raining on and off for two days now, and I hadn't seen many bees on the sedums. I just looked out the window and saw an odd artificial looking green structure on one sedum. I couldn't identify it with my field glasses so I put the shoes on and went out. The structure is a bent blade of grass and it has a bee sheltering inside it! I saw it at about 5:30 pm and the bee didn't react to me, so maybe it's there for the night. I think it's a bumblebee.
The bumbles pretty much ignore me now; there's a sedum right by my water faucet/hose bib and I keep sticking my face in it when I turn the water on and off, forgetting that the sedum is covered with bees (buzz, buzz). Claire |
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| Jane: I forgot to mention your hawk - sharpie sounds good, but juvenile hawks are confusing. It seems to have a redder head than most. I have no idea what that means. Claire |
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| Claire, what a great tent the bumblebee found for himself! And, those sedum blooms are quite stunning. Right now, I've got a lot of flowers that are lying down, from the weight of the water. I am now looking forward to the end of the rain, so I can go out and see who is in my garden these days...maybe snap some pictures to share... Emily |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Thu, Sep 8, 11 at 8:47
| I have really enjoyed looking at all your photos on this thread--thanks for all the great bees/birds, etc. pictures! I shot a bumble on my pink turtlehead one day it wasn't raining out of the past week or so. I posted these on the winter sowing forum but will add them here as well.
While the bees like my 'Autumn Joy' sedum, there are five times as many on the 'Black Jack' at any given time. I've also seen the bumblebees spend the night on sedum & agastache. A really huge one spent a night clinging to the very end of a gaura stem which must have been like sleeping in a hammock! |
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| Great bumblebee pics, gardenweed! It looks so furry you want to pat it (at least I do). Emily: the bee was still there this morning when I went out to deal with bird feeders. It's stopped raining for a while here, but the weather map shows another band on the way. Claire |
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| One more bumblebee pic. This bee appeared right after a female hummer left the feeder. It made the hummer look huge.
I still have a few hummingbirds here, but apparently only female and not as many as earlier in the season. Claire |
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| This evening I was blessed with a visit from a very tame, probably juvenile hummingbird. At first I was standing on my deck, and just had that "sense" of movement out of the corner of my eye. This "kid" was hovering right in front of me, checking me out. Then, he/she went on to feed. I was able to go in and get my camera, and follow him around the yard. After feeding from the black and blue salvia, he perched and rested for a bit, while I snapped photo after photo. Such a cool way to end the week! What are YOU looking at?
Emily (and it finally stopped raining in Western MA) |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Fri, Sep 9, 11 at 19:20
| Thanks Claire! I've been watching them all summer on various blooms but the turtlehead gave me the opportunity to get really close with camera in hand. As fuzzy as he is, I had no urge to pet him. I just kept thinking in the back of my mind, he's busy with bee business and doesn't need me distracting him. I got stung last year too when I disturbed them (on my thumb knuckle...ouch!!!) so I give them a wide berth when they're "busy as bees." mskee - those are great shots of the hummingbird! The ones I see move so fast I wouldn't have time to turn the camera on, much less point, shoot & get anything other than a blur! I'm growing lots more lobelia cardinalis/cardinal flower via winter sowing this year since the hummers love it so much. Maybe I'll have a better chance to take photos if they stick around the cardinal flower patch I've got planned. |
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| Gardenweed, you got stung by a bumblebee? (love your pictures, by the way. The one of the "barely visible rear" made me smile!) Emily |
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| Oh, Emily, those pics are delightful! It looks like the hummer was enjoying the attention (Hey, Lady! Look at me!) Claire |
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| I still have a few hummers here, but I think some of them are transients migrating through. The birds will buzz up and down trying to figure out the dome on the feeder and looking at the bottom, maybe wondering why the solution isn't red. I'm going to start a new thread, #6, to lighten the download. Claire: |
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