The birds in my yard need body guards
Posted By: MT4eight on 2007-11-15
In Reply to:
I have a few birdfeeders out in front of my office window for something to enjoy while I'm working. The squirrels come and the birds visit. Lately there has been a hawk (for lack of knowledge I'll just call it a hawk, it's some kind of big predator), swooping through and picking off birds right off the feeders, and now it has even tried to fly off with the squirrels. He sits up in my trees and waits to attack. Now I fully know this is the way of nature and he needs to eat to, but does he have to do it while I'm watching. Is there anything I can do to get rid of him (keep him away, not kill him or anything)?
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birds
Your Goffin found a perfect home! That's EXACTLY what they want and need!!
I had a pink Mollucan (like a Goffin but bigger) who was my "baby" and she too had to be held all the time with her head resting on my chest or she'd scream so loud you could hear her houses down the block from me. Sometimes only the hard of hearing can find them to be acceptable pets because of this but they are SO affectionate!!! They are said to have the intelligence and demanding nature of a toddler. Your former Macaw comes in at around a 5- to 7-year-old. Greys are rated at 9 years old intelligence-wise but I disagree and think Macaws and Greys rate higher based on owning many and seeing what they can do. I've bred/owned many kinds of birds for many years. If you want a small parrot who just pretty much sits and thinks and keeps quiet but is company, get an Eclectus. They are affectionate but quiet and pretty much trouble free, not obsessed with curiosity like a Grey! Pionus are good too.
Just watch whatever you use around the house that has an odor or scent. Birds can die in a matter of minutes before you realize what is happening. Reptiles react too so be careful with them. And never use Lysol around a rabbit, especially to clean the cage.
Feel free to e-mail me if I can ever be of any help. I'm posting this here in case others watching this thread have birds, use candles and self-cleaning ovens and Teflon, especially this time of the year.
birds
I am originally from NY/NJ and am fairly new to NC but last week saw a whole bunch of robins in the yard. I thought it was early for them. Then, we had snow. Does anyone know what is going on? Also, have what I think is a hawk that I see all the time on the roof top across the street. He has a tail with strips. I think it is a hawk. Amazing..
Birds of a feather....
well you get the idea. I just saw a picture of them in my weekly dirt magazines so guess they are still hanging out.
Cats eat birds.
I no longer put feeders anywhere near my yard but I'm not going to punish my cat for eating a bird.
Watching birds
That is so cool. I know there are lots of beautiful birds around here (N FL), including woodpeckers (have pecked trees to prove it lol), but I never thought to actually watch and document them.
The other night around 1 a.m. I was walking my dogs and there were probably 4 or 5 owls (I counted 4 for sure) situated within may a 100-yard radius. They kept 'talking' to each other. Each would repeat the previous 'chant.' It was really interesting to listen to them. They really had a rhythm goin'!
My son's GF said she saw a hawk on the fence a couple days ago. Wish I could have seen that!
But... shameless confession... my favorite bird is the vulture. They are magnificent... I know many people don't like them because of what they do for a livelihood, but I love them.
Anyhow... happy bird-watching. And thanks for sparking a potential hobby over here :-)
Complaints about birds sm
Have one of those neighbors who complains about everything, dogs, cats, and birds. I have a few feeders, do not feed from the ground, etc. Anyway, even in this cold northeast weather, I can hear the birds chirping away. I tell my husband they are saying "thanks for keeping up the feeding," as many must be totally confused with the on-off weather we had this winter. Week after Christmas it was near 70 one day. I love the cardinals and we have one what we call "crazy bird" who loves to make noise in the dark. I will not stop feeding my feathered friends, use squirrel-proof feeders but find some, along with cats, will sit under the feeders just hoping to get themselves a bird who happens to be within reach. Haven't seen a "capture" yet. How can people complain about birds? Geez, I love to hear them sing and I love it in the summer when they keep the bugs off my flowers. I guess I'm just venting. I don't understand how people can hate animals, birds included. BTW I have 3 feeders, one back, front and side, not an over-abundance.They say they like to keep pristine cars and property. In my mind, they may as well be dead.
Because wild birds are not usually fed
grain that has been tampered with by man and has all kinds of questionable additives, and even usually contains dead chicken waste. I grew up in the poultry capital of the US and it's a wonder I even still eat chicken!
feed the birds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Eye_Is_on_the_Sparrow
Snakes mean one thing to birds......
xx
Speaking of cats getting birds...sm
We have 2 feral cats that we feed (they've been trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, then released, as the feral cat groups advise). They're actually very tame with us now. We've named them Isabelle and Nigel.
We have a covered patio area, almost entirely enclosed, where we feed them and have beds for them, so our dogs can't get to them (we call it the *cat house* LOL).
About a month ago, we went out to feed the cats at night, as usual, when what should fly into the cat house but a baby/young bird! It caught Isabelle's eye *immediately* (Nigel didn't seem to notice/care) but it was up high and she didn't move towards it. She seemed to be more focused on my husband as he prepared her food. I thought about trying to shoo the bird away with a broom, but I didn't want to startle it and send it right towards the cats.
Well, next thing you know, the baby bird decides it's time to fly away. As soon as it did, Isabelle took off after it at warp speed. It was amazing, really. She was up and over the fence after it in the blink of an eye. We stood there in shock, thinking there's *no way* she could have caught it. She was too far away from it when it took off. But then a few seconds later she jumped over the fence back into the cat house with it in her mouth, already dead.
Poor little thing. I wonder whatever possessed it to come in the cat house with 2 humans and 2 cats, at night. So sad, but that's the circle of life, I guess. ;o(
You were surprised she got it? A cat's instincts for birds, especially, are sm
great. They keep their eyes on it and it's over. Especially a young one. So sad. I hate the circle of life. All of our goats were attacked and killed by neighborhood dogs a few weeks ago and people are telling me, "Oh well, that's what dogs do!" I wanted to slap them.
I feed birds on the lake
quite often and really enjoyed doing it. I have seen others do as well and I do not see them becoming aggressive as a result of this. I also see the geeze and ducks feeding on their own when not being fed by humans. I have deer in my neighborhood and as much as I would love to feed, know this is not a good idea and should not so I don’t. I think that other mother is a total jerk for her reaction, though.
Not nice to insult birds like that. nm
!
Birds and Mother Nature sm
The birds tell us a lot. The morning of the Great Blizzard of ྊ I could not hear myself think for the noise of the birds everywhere. I live in the NE, I had a feeling they were trying to tell us something. I packed up everything I had that day and left for home and stocked up. I was not able to get out for the whole next week and my husband could not get home. I was fully prepared, but did not know for what. They do warn us! Lots of acorns here this year as well which means it is supposed to be a bad winter. The same thing happened in 1978 with the acorns. We shall see!!
I have been noticing birds at night
also. I did find out some owls don't sound like owls at all, so that might be one explanation, but it is very strange to be walking the dogs and having birds calling out. Or being in the house and coming outside at midnight to see why birds are squawking.
Used to have one at Wild Birds Unlimited
think there is a web site - that was mirrored on the other side. It has been a while but they had one at their store where I shopped and the goldfinches were right there outside the window totally oblivious.
Fun, huh? I love watching the birds
and I have my desk set up by the picture window so I can watch them and the squirrels, too. I have a pair of red-breasted nuthatches that are regular visitors to my back yard. They are new here this year and they are just adorable. We also have a few Cooper hawks that cause trouble from time to time. My favorite bird is a Carolina wren. The bird I would like to see most is a pileated woodpecker. Do you have a back yard list or just a life list? I only have the back yard list.
The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock.
x
Small birds keep nesting in my ferns on the
xx
Have seen lots of birds do this with those fake bird-like
sdf
Just something so soothing about watching birds. BTW, one of my cats
defintely knows there is a new bird in the house. Don't worry, it is impossible for him to get to them. Still working on a name, my daughter went to the site suggested above and has a list for me.
My kitty has her own video, with birds, squirrels, etc. - sm
She gets a real kick out of it, especially the moths and the chipmunks. She always trys to reach out and grab the chipmunk!
Now that it's summer, though, I've got bird seed and hummingbird feeders outside the window, so she can watch the REAL THING all day long.
global warming...I'm in S. Florida and birds
this is NOT normal......been in Florida 30 years and never heard birds in the middle of the night unless one is in the Everglades....and I'm not located there.
Been going on for almost a year.........it's very bizarre to me.
I'm in SoFla, but have my air conditioner on to sleep. Birds
xx
things that kill birds and their care
You have to be careful what is in the candles. I don't burn them with birds around. Self-cleaning ovens will also immediately kill birds, as will a Teflon-coated pan that overheats. Also be careful with home permanent solutions, room deodorizers, and DO NOT USE FEBREZE (yes, I am shouting because so many people use this and it is a KILLER for birds). Just be careful with any of these types of things. Birds are ultra sensative to inhalants. Better not to use them at all.
Regarding the eggs, if you remove them she will just lay more before she's had a proper rest and that will deplete her of calcium. While she's sitting on her eggs, her body is rebuiding for the next clutch. Try to find things that resemble the eggs in size and color, like marbles, beads, etc. Put them in place of the eggs. Don't let her see you doing this. Warm them in your hands first (NOT HOT) and sneak them in one at a time when she's not looking. She should sit on them and you can pitch the eggs. But let her sit until SHE abandons them so that she maintains proper calcium.
Also, if the eggs aren't fertile, there is no problem in letting her sit on them. Take them out and hold them up to a light, like a light bulb or a flashlight, and look into the egg. If you see red lines or a solid dark mass, you've got babies. If you see just space and yolk, you've got a dud. She can sit on duds and get her rest and you won't have to worry about babies. Not all eggs are duds, though. You have to look at each one. Date them lightly in PENCIL and then you can tell when you last looked and keep checking until you're sure they are duds.
Keep plenty of cuttlebone around for her calcium and sprinkle baby bird handfeeding formula on her food to give her extra supplements for the egg laying whether duds or not. It's good for her. Even if you don't want babies, her body needs to be replenished with this stuff to keep her healthy. This is a good treat anytime for a bird.
I'm sorry to hear about your experience with babies before. Many times the youngest die in the next because the larger ones get on top of them and they don't get the food. Finches are tricky. I'm crazy about them but they do need careful watching. Parrots are SO much easier to raise!!! Guess you don't want to suggest that to your kids, though LOL!!!
Feel free to e-mail if you have questions!
Love birds, too, but once you get hit on the head or in your eye with a plop of poop,
s
I feel like I am in an Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds.
I am sitting here at home, at my desk, and a bunch of black birds are flying past my window. When I got up to look out my window, and my front entire front lawn and side lawn are covered with black birds. Glad I am not in a phone booth. Very strange to have so many of them in one place. Guess they are getting ready to go south for the winter, but today it feels like a muggy summer day, 70 degrees at 9 a.m. in northern NJ.
Only the 2nd one if I had the body......nm
sss
so, did you bring the dog to your yard?
nm
yard sale
It's not junk.....They're treasures! Trying to gear up, wash, tag and display it all is quite a task....But, you'll have cleaned out your garage and/or storage unit, enriched someone else's life with your old treasures and made a neat profit.
ps-.Watch out for the earlybirds in their fancy cars,,,,they're ruthless. Cat
Maybe the dog got out of the yard by accident. You don't know
all of the facts, so I would think it would be hard to blame the owners right off the bat.
Yes you definitely MUST have a fenced in yard....sm
They are the absolute worst to wander off because they just want to sniff and sniff for rabbits. I have a fenced in back yard so she can't wander off.
at a yard sale
met my fiance when my daughter and his niece were having a yard sale in his front yard - they called me to come and bring them blizzards from DQ - they had a feeling we would hit it off - been together ever since - almost 4 years. .
Having my first ever yard sale..
//
at a yard sale! nm
x
Have you mowed your yard yet?
We haven't, but it needs to be. DH has a new mower, well, new to us; his dad bought a new one and gave him the old one. It needs a belt or something, so he has to get that done before he mows. The old mowers are junk! We mowed them to death!!
Lots of people mowing around here already though, and the air has the nicest smell in the evenings! When we go anywhere, I roll the window down so that I can smell the cut grass throughout town. Such a fresh springy smell in the air!
it is called a yard
wait until a common pay day and haul your stuff in the front yard!
With a body like that, hmmm you could also do
porno but just not the way I would want others to see me. Sorry, I have family that I just would not want to shame them much less myself. Just not an exhibitionist here.
Bath and Body sm
My DH got me some B/B red leather collection stuff, makeup bag, manicure/pedicure set (awesome) and a little purse which came with Moonlight Path shower gel and body lotion. I already had the overnight bag and the tote. I just can't get enough of that red - I'm a bling, bling girl all the way!!!
Well maybe the body but NO WAY that face.
I'd rather be fat and pretty. LOL
you should really do that...keeps a body busy. NM
..
Body aches
I've been transcribing for 5 years, and my body hurts all the time, seems like.
How do some of you girls do this for 10, 20, 30 years and still function? I have back aches, shoulder aches, neck pain, headaches, forearm aches. I've tried different chairs, keyboards, body posiiton, and it's the same.
Currently, I'm going to school, and I just can't wait.
I have my office at the end of the hall, and it's like Hell is at the end of the hall. Sometimes, I just hate this room. I don't even come in here on my days off, even if I have to use the PC. I look around this room, and just think, "How can I dislike a room so much?"
HOW do you girls do it for so long?
Neutrogena body oil
Works really well for me. I put it on after taking a shower and towel drying. I use it every day when it first starts, then taper it down to every other day, etc. as tolerated and use regular lotion on the inbetween days.
I find Mary Kay and Avon products are great for sensitive dry skin too. I like Mary Kay lotions and the Avon Skin So Soft is nice too but prefer Neutrogena or the Wal-Mart brand body oil because it seems to soak in faster and not leave me feeling greasy.
I think it is her body, her choice, and
her business. In the same category with men donating sperm or couples going to a fertility clinic.
first trimester that is.
And how is it your business what I put in to my body, if I sm
do not drive, use in the privacy of my own home? You are a self-righteous prig. MYOB. Live your life.
Alcohol and cigs should be illegal?? Wow, what a repressive person. Just b/c you don't like something doesn't give you the right to take it away from everyone else.
Did my fall yard work!
I took out three evergreen bushes that for some reason developed fungus. I replaced two with the round Little Giant arbivortae bushes - so cute. I couldn't do three because the third would have died from too much shade. I did put a Japanese iris in that spot. I put in a cute ornamental pepper plant. It has tiny peppers on it that are purple, red, orange, and yellow, so it's pretty funny. I surrounded it with purple pansies and orange pansies. I had to remove some sod to make room for these in my central bed. (Stupid Bermuda grass). I tidied up some other bushes, but was afraid to prune the azalea because I think it might be the wrong time. Besides, it is guarded by a huge yellow and black spider. I allow her to live because she never moves since DH explained to her that she can't live by the light at the front door. She is HUGE.
I'm very tired now and I think I have a sore throat, but hopefully the yard will look good when the kids and parents come trick or treating.
Anybody else do some good yard work? I suppose leaves are already falling up North.
Boy, I bet DH hopes it's the yard work! LOL
x
My community demands that we keep our yard
free of the bugs and weeds and we were infested with grubs this past year. We have spent a lot of time trying to rid our yard because they do so much damage. The management came by while this was going on and sent letter that we try to remedy the problem. I have to use these, sorry but I do like a nice lawn.
My community does not allow yard burials but
i have like a flower place in my back, no one can see from either side and if my pet dies, would definitely bury there and then have some flowers also there. No one can see into the back of my place, wooden area between me and the others!!
Had our neighborhood yard sale on Sat.
and while one Mom had her back turned her daughter sold a $118 Lee Middleton doll for $2. Guess the person knew what a find they had becuase they high-tailed it out of the neighborhood. What a rotten person!
Don't yard sale the Bakelite.
Bakelite is very popular and expensive to buy (unless things have changed in the last year). My husband got $500 for 4 bracelets and 2 pins.
There is a way to test the items without harming them using an everyday household product, but I can't remember what it is...I know, no help. Maybe you can Google and find it.
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