Feeding Wild Birds

[sourland]

For the past several months four turkey hens have been feeding around my bird feeders. Today they brought five friends - one of them a bearded hen. Thanksgiving dinner on the hoof ?

 

[sourland]

Turkeys did not show up today. Think they heard about my 'Thanksgiving dinner on the hoof?' post ? There was a fat squirrel sitting out there this morning. I asked the Princess if she would like him for dinner. She deferred.

 

[sourland]

Today must have been Thanksgiving Day for the robins. We have a couple large Madrona trees on the edge of the woods and they have the most beautiful red berries. They have been red for Weeks but I have a theory that they need a frost or two to get them conditioned somehow and start fermenting. They disappear almost overnight. There was a feeding frenzy today, I wish I’d taken some video.

Did a search on Madrona trees - neat Pacific coast species. Interesting shape/limbs and brilliant colors. Actually found several videos featuring them.

 

[sourland]

Haven't seen the turkey hens in a while. This morning there is a yearling deer feeding on the spilled grains. Alone and very nervous. I'm guessing that her mother has been recently killed.

 

[R2elk]

Official BYC poll.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...at-poultry-are-you-currently-raising.1432168/

 

[Sequel]

Did a search on Madrona trees - neat Pacific coast species. Interesting shape/limbs and brilliant colors. Actually found several videos featuring them.

We love ‘em! They are succumbing to I believe anthracnose in alarming numbers. We have them sprout right next to the house, DH tries to move them but so far no luck.

 

[sourland]

Over 50 years ago my son and I transplanted a maple from the back of the property to the back lawn. It has a relatively large dead limb. Yesterday there was a Pileated woodpecker working it over for the carpenter ant colony that has taken up residence. I caught movement off to the back, and there was another Pileated working on a dead ash tree. Around her woodpecker populations of all species jumped after Hurricane Sandy, and now the dying ash trees are providing another source of food. 'My' turkeys have moved on - haven't seen them in weeks. Did see a fairly large flock outside of the beagle club. They may be flocking together for the winter.

 

[R2elk]

I spotted some Dark-eyed Juncos this morning.

 

[Sequel]

I saw a red breasted sapsucker a few days ago. Our native big leaf maples tend to have lots of dead branches and in fact the whole trunks can hollow out. We see pileated woodpeckers frequently.
A few years ago I hung a suet feeder on my clothesline for the little winter birds. I saw the whole clothesline violently whipping around so I yelled thinking a crow was helping himself. Nope! It was a very large pileated! If I hang those feeders on a post the squirrels (and probably rats) decimate them and the little guys don’t stand a chance.

 

[R2elk]

I have a little Downy woodpecker here. He is the only bird that will stay on the feeder when I walk by. The Northern Flickers rarely hit the suet cakes.