Amazing wild bird visitors!

[noodles123]

I just found this:

"Yellow-billed cuckoos occasionally lay eggs in the nests of other birds (most often the closely related black-billed cuckoo), but they are not obligate brood parasites of other birds as is the common cuckoo of Eurasia."


This is the documentary that first got me interested in the Eurasian variety [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mb0GOITRUU"]Nature of the Cuckoo Duck | David Attenborough | BBC Studios - YouTube[/ame] (what these birds do is sort of terrible but also hilarious for some reason...I feel bad, but also think it's just CRAZY and so dang clever/lazy (they literally are driven by instinct to do what they do).....also can't deny the ridiculousness of seeing a ting bird trying to feed a baby as bigger than the parent..I also think it's crazy how the babies instinctually push out other eggs!


I love the duck at the end.

 

[Laurasea]

Thank Noodles! She is on her own nest and I get to hear them.

I just had a black throated blue warbler, visit my bird bath!! A first for me and rare in this area as they just migrating through!!

Also the pair of American Red-start brought their babies to the burd bath!! So many! O think 4 or 5 babies plus parents!! They also played in my fountain! Its almost 100 here so they enjoyed cooling off.

 

[Birdboo]

That must have been amazing!

 

[Laurasea]

That must have been amazing!

It has been amazing! The Burd bath is getting a lot of action @ it placed under a shrub over hang nice and shaded.

I had to get a picture of the black throated blue warbler to identify. So fast and secretive, I kept trying to figure out! But I got the picture late afternoon, then searched for a match.

Anyway another resource for plants for burds
https://content.yardmap.org/learn/which-birds-which-plants/

" While lawns perform some important ecosystem functions, like storing carbon and carrying out photosynthesis, they are biodiversity barrens. "

" But, sometimes we have a lot of lawn. Around 60% of the average yard in America is lawn. Often when you move to a new property, lawn is the landscape you inherit. Be mindful. Do you really use all that lawn to its fullest capacity? Or, can you commit to transforming even just a bit?"

Personally I hate mowing! So I've slowly added shrubs next to the trees, then put large flowering plants next to the shrubs, ( like Salvia) then strip of milkweed, or pretty natives. Then a mulch line. I spread out several nest boxs on polls. Now I just have a few patches of lawn to mow. My yard stays cool, and full of life. ( yes I'm so excited how it has paid off!! Its inspired 3 of my neighbors!! They especially love tge blue birds and pollinators. One us going all out on monarch!!
https://content.yardmap.org/learn/removing-lawn-to-make-way-for-more-habitat/

" WATER: THE UNIVERSAL NEED
All living things need water to survive! Providing this habitat necessity is one of the quickest ways to attract birds to your property. If there is a water source in your yard, like a pond, creek, birdbath, or even a puddle, you’ve probably noticed birds using it. If you don’t have a water feature yet, a birdbath is an easy way to provide this habitat need"
https://content.yardmap.org/learn/water/

 

[Jen5200]

That must have been amazing!

It has been amazing! The Burd bath is getting a lot of action @ it placed under a shrub over hang nice and shaded.

I had to get a picture of the black throated blue warbler to identify. So fast and secretive, I kept trying to figure out! But I got the picture late afternoon, then searched for a match.

Anyway another resource for plants for burds
https://content.yardmap.org/learn/which-birds-which-plants/

" While lawns perform some important ecosystem functions, like storing carbon and carrying out photosynthesis, they are biodiversity barrens. "

" But, sometimes we have a lot of lawn. Around 60% of the average yard in America is lawn. Often when you move to a new property, lawn is the landscape you inherit. Be mindful. Do you really use all that lawn to its fullest capacity? Or, can you commit to transforming even just a bit?"

Personally I hate mowing! So I've slowly added shrubs next to the trees, then put large flowering plants next to the shrubs, ( like Salvia) then strip of milkweed, or pretty natives. Then a mulch line. I spread out several nest boxs on polls. Now I just have a few patches of lawn to mow. My yard stays cool, and full of life. ( yes I'm so excited how it has paid off!! Its inspired 3 of my neighbors!! They especially love tge blue birds and pollinators. One us going all out on monarch!!
https://content.yardmap.org/learn/removing-lawn-to-make-way-for-more-habitat/

" WATER: THE UNIVERSAL NEED
All living things need water to survive! Providing this habitat necessity is one of the quickest ways to attract birds to your property. If there is a water source in your yard, like a pond, creek, birdbath, or even a puddle, you’ve probably noticed birds using it. If you don’t have a water feature yet, a birdbath is an easy way to provide this habitat need"
https://content.yardmap.org/learn/water/

I love your philosophy - I feel the same way! Our property was 7 acres of grass (it had been cleared for agriculture many years ago). I’ve been adding trees every year and getting rid of grass. Our conservation district has an annual native plant and tree sale - and we can get native species for very reasonable prices. I buy lots every year....in another 20 years I’ll have a forest again lol.

I agree that adding the plants draws the birds in - we have way more birds than we did a few years ago. It’s so cool that you inspired your neighbors to do the same!

 

[Laurasea]

I'm very jealous of your property!

It has become a passion. Im on a curve, so the walkers see all the birds zoom to my yard. And are peak flowers i can have clouds of butterflies , I plant host plants. So people started to notice and ask. Plus I have the signs outfront.. and my bluebirds love to sit on the sign@ .
Sorry I can't catch thrm sitting on it. If I ever do i will frame it@"

I'm getting this one next. Audubon Plants for Birds
" Crow about your efforts to help birds!
You know that native plants help provide vital resources to birds, which is why you've decided to help birds by planting native species in your yard or garden.

Now you can spread the word about the importance of native plants by placing this beautiful sign in your yard. Your friends and neighbors will know that you are a bird champion!"

https://act.audubon.org/onlineactions/icNeR7XkDUCAdJpV3K0YVQ2

 

[Laurasea]

I've been so excited by my wild burd visitors this year! All I'm missing is a visitors from painted bunting! I used to have a pair visited every year. But the wild lot behind me has been cut down, and locally lots of pine forest cut down fir subdivisions ..

Anyway I got batteries and was able to get pictures of the summer Tanager!

Then a Common Yellow throat warbler showed up! It may be common but first time I have seen.

My burd bath is a hot spot for sure!

And native plants are providing grass hoppers, and caterpillar, ect for feasting.

 

[noodles123]

very cool! I love your native plants etc--- that's a bucket-list goal for me.



I will say, I woke up and found 2 mallard ducks in my yard eating amongst rabbits, squirrels and about 20 other birds lol! It was like an Easter parade!



I live more than a mile from water and it's the 2nd time I've seen them in my yard eating.

 

[Laurasea]

that's amazing! I miss rabbits, haven't seen any in my hood in years and years...

 

[Jen5200]

Every year I have a three week period when the hummingbirds disappear (nesting). It always feels amazing when they show back up after. I saw a couple yesterday and today I saw a bunch feeding. Once the babies fledge I will literally have hordes of them. I estimate that I feed around 200 hummingbirds daily between April and June. Made me very happy today to see them, it has been so quiet in the yard for the past few weeks . They do love the bubbler bird bath I bought for them.

[ame="https://youtu.be/qE2U50At9IY"]A few more hummingbirds - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Laurasea]

Look at all those humming birds!!! Wow! How are you getting so many? I only get a male and female, and only one at a feeder at a time?

Thank you for sharing thst video

Tell me more about tge bubbler!

And how yiu take these amazing pictures

 

[Jen5200]

Hummingbirds are funny, I have no idea why I have so many. I started out with one feeder and a couple of birds using it. 6 years later there are literally hundreds of them, and now I have 2 species. I have added a lot of plants to feed the hummers - and have things that bloom all through the summer for them, but I don’t know how the population exploded. Maybe I’m just a hummingbird hotspot lol? I think the more birds there are, the less territorial they can be about the feeders - takes way too much energy to fight off everyone in this neighborhood!

The bubbler is loved by many of the birds in the yard! I think because it has varying depths of water everyone can use it. I like this one because I can take this one apart, clean it and put it back together in about 20 mins. It’s an inexpensive one from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W5NGMM/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_D0B2E4BQYT3ZCMZAPKM9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[ame="https://youtu.be/beLcfj71k1I"]Bubbler - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Laurasea]

Amazing! What 2 species of humming bird? Incredible, so glad you are sharing, and these photos sbd vid clips come on!!!

My fountains and bath get lots of action, but I'm open to adding more.

My great aunt w as a hummingbird Hotspot. It was fascinating and Incredible to visit her yard.

I have Salvia, fire cracker plant, Cuphea ignea, the cigar plant, shrimp plant, coral honeysuckle, morning glory, and I see thrm at Ligustrum flowers. I have a red buckeye tree thst spring flowers bring in the humming bird, and us a gorgeous red flowering small dainty native tree!!@

What plants do you have? Telll!!!

How do you mix your humming bird food, list details! Or do you buy?

I've tried hanging out extra feeders, my neighbors next to me and across tge street also hang feeders. But we only get one at time st the feeder. Last year me got a mom snd baby.

I enjoy focusing on insect eaters. But my dream has always been to copy my great aunt and have hundreds of humming bird. Heck even 10 would make me happy!!!
I know I have a pregnant female, and non pregnant female, and one male visit at seperate times.

Anyway I hope to learn from you. I'm thrilled seeing yiur pictures. More!

 

[Jen5200]

Oh gosh - I’ve been surprised by the plants that hummers are attracted to. I have Anna’s year round, and Rufous from March to end of June roughly. My mix is 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water - and I now buy sugar in 25 lb bags lol. Last year I was putting out 25 cups of food per day and everything was consumed daily - I’m up to about 15 cups per day now, but haven’t seen any babies fledged and feeding yet so that will go up.

I suspect that my population came about because the babies come back each year to where they hatched if there’s a steady food supply and then they have offspring the next year (just a wild guess). My favorite early-summer “de-stress” activity is to lay on the grass in my front yard and look up into the trees. They literally hum and move because they are full of hummingbirds.

Hands-down their favorite flower is Lucifer crocosmia in my yard. But off the top of my head, the other stuff I have that they like is hosta flowers, wisteria, trumpet vine, bee balm, columbine, lupine, butterfly bush, fuschia (hardy and annual), rhododendron, salvia, phlox, weigela, yucca, rose of sharon (hardy hibiscus), honeysuckle, day lilies, sage, red hot poker, penstemon, azalea, flowering currant, coral bells, lilacs. They seem to like the fruit tree flowers in the spring - but those are pretty short-lived so I have lots of things that start blooming right around that time to keep them happy.

 

[Laurasea]

https://lafeber.com/pet-birds/building-a-legacy-one-nestbox-at-a-time/
Building A Legacy One Bluebird Nest Box At A Time
June 4, 2019 by Matt Rowe

Al Larson, “The Bluebird Man” Photo by Matthew Podolsky

Birth Of The Bluebird Nest Box Plan
Larson read a copy of “National Geographic” magazine with one particular article standing out. The article described how building nest houses could have a positive impact on the rapidly disappearing bluebird population. With a dependency on dead or near dead trees for nests due to easy access to previously made cavities in such trees, the bluebirds were finding that their nest locations of choice were disappearing for several reasons. With Larson’s fateful read of the article, he began to put together a plan of building nest boxes for the struggling species, at least in southern Idaho.

Bluebirds Benefit From Decades Of Nest Boxes
Almost 40 years ago, at the age of 60, Larson decided to help the bluebirds in his region by making and installing a small collection of basic, easy-to-produce, plain rectangular boxes on fence posts, trees, and other spots along travels routes he knew. Larson had already had a keen interest in birds, which only served to fuel his desire to help the bluebird thrive. The rest of his endeavors led to an expansion of his plan, and an historical interaction that deserved to be chronicled and remembered for ages.

Larson, now 97, is a tireless full-time protector and advocate of the bluebird. He admits to monitoring well over 300 assembled and installed nest boxes along what is known as miles and miles of “bluebird trails

 

[Laurasea]

Nest boxs can have a huge impact on cavity dwelling birds across the globe. They are even being used in parrot conservation projects. So research what nest boxs to use in your area.

I have put out at least 10 nest box on my less than half acre property. All are in use. I have blue birds, chickadee, Carolina wren, greater crested fly catchers in, abd tufted titmouse in them.

The chickadee just fledged hers, and what cute chaos!! She brought them to the bird bath late afternoon. Kids missed landings, were hanging upside down from shrubs, it was so funny. Only 2 managed to almost take baths, they made it to the bird bath and hopped around and fluttered wings

 

[Jen5200]

I’m so excited,I put out wood duck nest boxes about 6 years ago and I finally have someone nesting in them! I hope that I get to see baby wood ducks this year!! Most of my bird houses look to be occupied, fingers crossed to see lots of baby birds one of these days.

 

[Laurasea]

I’m so excited,I put out wood duck nest boxes about 6 years ago and I finally have someone nesting in them! I hope that I get to see baby wood ducks this year!! Most of my bird houses look to be occupied, fingers crossed to see lots of baby birds one of these days.

Yippee!!!!!!!! Thanks for helping wood ducks! Snd all the wild birds.

 

[noodles123]

I'm jealous of your wood ducks (although, oddly enough, my ex conservation biologist neighbor said there is a wood duck nest in a tree near my house--but I never see them).


A few years ago, someone from Australia posted tawny frogmouths in her backyard and I about LOST MY MIND, as I just love them the most and would die if I saw one in real life.



I think I will start a running list of birds I see...Typically, I see house sparrows, grackles, brewers blackbirds, white crowned sparrows, black-capped chikadees, a few dark eyed juncos,robins, the occasional blue jay, cardinals, red bellied and downy woodpeckers and 1 or 2 mocking birds. I have had a Cooper's hawk land in my yard a few times, but I haven't noticed him since feeding the birds (which actually is odd, as I would think he would take advantage...power in numbers??)


However, my mallard pair has started coming 2x daily most days (still odd, as I am not very close to any major water source), and I also saw a brown thrasher that has been coming around more often



Aside from the ducks, the most striking bird I have seen in my yard this spring is the indigo bunting and he's been coming around for a few days. I still love my mockingbirds a lot, but they aren't as visually stunning!


*EDIT!!! I misidentified a bird as a type of female blackbird, but apparently I have a ton of brown-headed cowbirds! *GULP* LOL--That's what I get for laughing about parasitic birds I guess- Hoping that my birds know better than to fall for their tricks..or maybe they will leech off of the starlings (as there are a ton of them and they are invasive).

 

[Jen5200]

My black-headed grosbeaks arrived from the south finally. Yesterday was a great party-day on the bubbler. Lots of finches and hummingbirds making use of it. They were quite grumpy when I took it apart for its weekly cleaning but got back on it as soon as it was up and running again