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[Maude]

Oh, I thought you were an adult when it happened!!

[Maude]

I was just looking out my window and I have 7 little birds sitting on the fence! They look like they are babies but could they be at this time of year? They are so adorable.

[Manybooks]

Maude wrote: "I was just looking out my window and I have 7 little birds sitting on the fence! They look like they are babies but could they be at this time of year? They are so adorable."

They might be just learning to fly.

[Maude]

Maybe so, Gundula but I didn't think birds were born at this time of year but I don't really know that much about their reproduction habits. What a treat, tho!

[[deleted user]]

Maude wrote: "Maybe so, Gundula but I didn't think birds were born at this time of year but I don't really know that much about their reproduction habits. What a treat, tho!"

It does seem late for fledglings, but maybe they don't migrate, so they have time to grow up still. :)

[Manybooks]

Jeannette wrote: "Maude wrote: "Maybe so, Gundula but I didn't think birds were born at this time of year but I don't really know that much about their reproduction habits. What a treat, tho!"

It does seem late for..."

Also, it's been so warm in many areas of North America that some birds (even migratory ones) might have chanced a second brood.

[[deleted user]]

I think we definitely get two broods here in Iowa, but they just start earlier.

Fledglings make me think of cowbirds and I haven't seen any lately. It's funny and sad since cowbirds are parasites. They knock a sparrow's egg to the ground and lay their egg to leave the sparrow to raise the cowbird. The poor little sparrow knocks itself out trying to feed it's jumbo baby!

[Manybooks]

Jeannette wrote: "I think we definitely get two broods here in Iowa, but they just start earlier.

Fledglings make me think of cowbirds and I haven't seen any lately. It's funny and sad since cowbirds are parasit..."

Cowbirds are really expanding their range as well. Some bird species are in serious decline due to cowbird parasitism.

[[deleted user]]

This is the first year I don't remember them sticking around. Maybe we had too much rain for them.

[Maude]

Hate to be so ignorant but what are cowbirds - are they big?

[[deleted user]]

Cowbirds are about the size of a robin. They were migratory birds, that followed the buffalo herds. They don't build their own nests, they push out the eggs of other birds and leave their eggs to be hatched by the host bird.

[[deleted user]]

Here's a link:

cowbirds

Chipping sparrows grow to 5-1/2inches in length
Cowbirds grow to 7-1/2inches in length
American robin is 10inches in length

So, the cowbird is smaller than a robin.

[Manybooks]

Jeannette wrote: "Cowbirds are about the size of a robin. They were migratory birds, that followed the buffalo herds. They don't build their own nests, they push out the eggs of other birds and leave their eggs to..."

And, with much of the native prairies being turned into agricultural land, cowbirds started moving into areas that were originally not their natural habitats. I believe that most of the problems with rampant cowbird parasitism are in areas they have recently moved into, where the native bird species are simply not used to them and thus have no instinctive defenses etc. against them.

[Maude]

We really have to pay attention when we destroy so much habitat of native animals, birds, etc. You would think we could learn from the past when so many animals went extinct because of hunting, etc. Unfortunately, I have no answers but it is sad.

[Paula]

So, I know this is straying from the topic a bit, but we still have some beautiful birds here in southern Wisconsin. There are several cardinals in the area and I've tried to train my dog to ignore birds and squirrels when he is outside so that I can keep my littler nature-land in the itsy bitsy backyard we have. We've had some birds who clearly tried out the 'second brood' attempt this year and it's weird to see little fledglings this late in the year! I hope they grow fast before the migrations start!

[[deleted user]]

The robins are gone, but the cardinals stick around all year. And, I am seeing mourning doves back in the yard again. I put out seed in the winter. I haven't see the goldfinches eating seeds from my flowers -- I hope I haven't missed them somehow. I do have a lot of bees in the sedum, which is a good thing!

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Do you guys think it's a good idea to feed birds? I love seeing them, especially in the winter but I wonder if it's a good idea to make them dependant on birdfeed.

[Paula]

You know, I've often wondered the same thing, Lee, but I usually don't feed them during the late spring to early fall period. I figure there's plenty around for them to eat then anyway.

I started putting out food again this weekend because (in my simple little brain) I'm telling them there is food here, so that in winter they know where to go. Then I make sure to keep food out all winter. It's not much food, really.

Plus, there is a male cardinal that lets me know when his suet is gone because he sits on a wire that goes above the tree that I hang the suet feeder from, and chirps at me really loud when I walk to my car.

[[deleted user]]

Morning! I'm up a little early today. It's 6.30 *ugh*

I remember hearing that you aren't supposed to feed them during the winter so as not to interfere with their migration instinct, but I can't remember where I read it. Will go search...

ETA: The RSPB (Royal Soc. for the Protection of Birds) says it's okay to feed birds in the winter but cautions about the kind of foods left in breeding season. http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helping...

Cant find it, but here's the link to the Audubon Soc.
Great picures! http://www.audubon.org/

[[deleted user]]

Paula wrote: "Plus, there is a male cardinal that lets me know when his suet is gone because he sits on a wire that goes above the tree that I hang the suet feeder from, and chirps at me really loud when I walk to my car. "

I had a similar experience with a local Chickadee. I usually put bread crumbs out on the balcony in the morning (cleaning up the bread board from the day before and the crumbs go out). One morning I hadn't put out the crumbs for some reason. I was sitting at the computer on the other side of the apartment and heard a bird on the window ledge outside of the window chirping. I was concentrating on my work until he let out an enormous CHIRP, made sure that I looked at him, and then he flew to the balcony to wait for the bread crumbs.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

That's a good little article about what to feed wild birds and when. Thanks Hayes!

I love your chickadee story. Chickadees are so cute.

Paula, Cardinals can be really loud can't they? We have one that hangs out in the tree outside our apartment. I don't feed them but when we get into our new house I would like to put some feeders out so we can bird watch in the back yard.

[[deleted user]]

I miss the cardinals and the hummingbirds. Not much bird life here in the city. Not like NYC where there was an abundance of it! I used to go birdwalking/watching with my mom and uncle in the park when I was little.

We do have a flock of small green parrots, however. Apparantly a shipment of ornamental birds escaped from the airport (which is not far from the house), settled in the parkland nearby and have been thriving ever since. The flock has grown quite large. Noisy too. They come to feed in the trees on our street when the seeds are ripe.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Neato! I would love to see a flock of parrots. It always makes me so sad when I see pet parrots with their wings clipped in pet stores.

[Ronyell]

Kathy wrote: "Wow, Hayes, what great sounding schools, the content and the way they sound in Italian. Either one should be an awesome education!

Today I think I'm going to go purchase a new dining table and ..."

You're going to purchase a new dining table and chairs for your house? That's great to hear Kathy! I usually love getting new furniture too!!

[[deleted user]]

Lee wrote: "Do you guys think it's a good idea to feed birds? I love seeing them, especially in the winter but I wonder if it's a good idea to make them dependant on birdfeed."

We will sprinkle bird seed to attract them every now and then, but we haven't put in a bird feeder. I want to though so I'll be curious to see what people say.

[[deleted user]]

Hayes wrote: "Morning! I'm up a little early today. It's 6.30 *ugh*

I remember hearing that you aren't supposed to feed them during the winter so as not to interfere with their migration instinct, but I can't r..."

Thanks, Hayes. That's interesting. (And I didn't recognize you for a minute, haha!)

[Mary]

Hayes, that's such a cute story!

Back to the subject of cute quarterbacks for a moment - don't mean to brag, but we are doubly blessed here in NY with Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez!!

[[deleted user]]

Clever Hayes, using the same picture from yesterday, but now it's green!

I will have to read those bird articles, too, because we feed the birds all winter. We have had some harsh winters, with deep snow, so what are the birds supposed to eat otherwise? The rabbits clean up under the feeders, too. We don't put seed out in the summer because we have plenty of seed producing plants and I like to let them eat the bugs, too.

[[deleted user]]

Mary wrote: "Hayes, that's such a cute story!

Back to the subject of cute quarterbacks for a moment - don't mean to brag, but we are doubly blessed here in NY with Eli Manning and Mark Sanchez!!"

I know that Eli got the lion's share of the looks in the Manning family, but I am going to have to google Mark Sanchez. I know the name, but can't picture his face.

Have a fine day everyone! :)

[Manybooks]

Lee wrote: "Do you guys think it's a good idea to feed birds? I love seeing them, especially in the winter but I wonder if it's a good idea to make them dependant on birdfeed."

My mother used to love feeding her birds, but she stopped doing it because not only did the birds start to depend on the birdseed, the farm cats used to just sit under the bird feeder and have their own little "feast." Also, my parents travel to Europe quite often, and then, there is no one to feed the birds. Also, feeding certain birds, like ducks and swans with bread spreads disease and fouls up waterways. I would love to feed my birds, and I admit that I sometimes put out suet rings for the chickadees and woodpeckers when the winter is really cold, but generally, I try not to do it.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

I think I'm going to read more about it before I decide to feed them on a regular basis. We do have one cat and I wouldn't want him to use the feeder as a prime hunting spot.

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote: "Clever Hayes, using the same picture from yesterday, but now it's green! "

I had to color it. I couldn't find myself in the threads now that the stupid icons are so super small.

[[deleted user]]

Hayes wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "Clever Hayes, using the same picture from yesterday, but now it's green! "

I had to color it. I couldn't find myself in the threads now that the stupid icons are so super small."

Management has been asked to make them larger, but I do think they have gotten smaller, now that you mention it. And I have a big screen!

[[deleted user]]

I did my walking this morning. I am taking a 2 mile path at the moment, and it's such a pretty walk.

Today I have a gigantic to do list, but I am hoping for some time to read as well.

[[deleted user]]

Jeannette wrote: I know that Eli got the lion's share of the looks in the Manning family, but I am going to have to google Mark Sanchez. I know the name, but can't picture his face.


Yay! An image for you to google!

[[deleted user]]

Lee wrote: "I think I'm going to read more about it before I decide to feed them on a regular basis. We do have one cat and I wouldn't want him to use the feeder as a prime hunting spot."

I keep my cats inside, but the neighbor cats can be a problem. Plus, we have a Cooper's hawk that catches a bird every so often. But, if I keep a bird from starving, it all evens out in the end. A few years ago we noticed a house finch with an injured wing. He couldn't fly, so we nicknamed him Hoppy. My husband chased him on foot, over the fence, to catch him. We took him to the wild bird clinic where he spent the winter in a cage recuperating. They released him in the spring. :)

[[deleted user]]

Christine wrote: "Jeannette wrote: I know that Eli got the lion's share of the looks in the Manning family, but I am going to have to google Mark Sanchez. I know the name, but can't picture his face.


Yay! An image for you to google! ..."

I'm still waiting for Emma's idea of sexy sideburns....

[[deleted user]]

Christine wrote: "I did my walking this morning. I am taking a 2 mile path at the moment, and it's such a pretty walk.

Today I have a gigantic to do list, but I am hoping for some time to read as well."

I missed your posts while I was typing mine. I did my 30 minutes on Sunday and plan on going again this afternoon. I still do the dog walks, too. I just have to stop snacking on chocolate! :(

[Kathy]

Jeannette wrote: "Lee wrote: "I think I'm going to read more about it before I decide to feed them on a regular basis. We do have one cat and I wouldn't want him to use the feeder as a prime hunting spot."

I keep ..."

Very nice, Jeannette. I called the bird rescue people here one time to save a great big ole barn owl. Very satisfying.

[[deleted user]]

I figured he was pretty easy prey for one of those nasty cats, so we decided to attempt a rescue. I didn't know if they would take such little birds, but they do. They also rescue the big birds, like owls and vultures. They rescue animals, too.

[[deleted user]]

Did you buy your table, Kathy?

[Kathy]

Boy, it seems this chat is one for the birds this morning. LOL! I love the cardinals that hang around here, but I haven't seen them lately. I wonder if the hot, hot weather has affected their habitat. Maybe I just haven't been watching closely enough, but I don't remember having to try to notice them before. My mother and my daughter both have lots of beautiful hummingbirds, as they keep feeders with sugar water out for them. I know that they bring the feeders in at a certain point, but I can't remember when that is. My mother-in-law had hers still out when I was watching them a couple of weeks ago.

I bought my new dining room table and chairs, so excited! They won't be in until this Friday or the next, but I don't mind that. I've also started on picking out the new flooring for the dining room. I'm going with laminate. I know the wood is pretty, but the laminate is so much cheaper and, from what I've been able to research (from reading and talking to people), it wears better. Now I just have to decide what color will go with my new table and chairs and existing furniture pieces.

[[deleted user]]

I liked my laminate flooring. It was pretty much indestructible -- I like that in a floor covering. And it was very easy to keep clean. The new laminates look good, too.

Hummingbirds are migrating south right now, so you are getting all of my birds! They'll leave when they are supposed to, even with the feeders up. They just know when to go. They are just so neat to watch!

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Awww, little Hoppy was saved! That's awesome.

Lately I have not been able to stop myself from snacking on Pistachios. There is something addictive about prying open those shells and popping a salty nut in my mouth. Mmmmm. Gotta stop.

Kathy, there are so many neat looking laminates these days. Much more attractive than they used to be. I've always wanted to have cork flooring in my home.

[[deleted user]]

Lee wrote: "Awww, little Hoppy was saved! That's awesome.

Lately I have not been able to stop myself from snacking on Pistachios. There is something addictive about prying open those shells and popping ..."

Funny that we gave him a name, isn't it? It was even funnier watching my husband hop the fence with a butterfly net into a snow drift to catch Hoppy. We also rescue baby bunnies, frogs and toads from the window wells. And one year my husband got up on a ladder to put a young robin back into a nest. Mr Animal Lover. :)

[Lee, Mod Mama]

That's so sweet! I love him! I tried to rescue a baby bunny one year but it died in my hands. I think a cat had gotten to it.

[Manybooks]

Lee wrote: "I think I'm going to read more about it before I decide to feed them on a regular basis. We do have one cat and I wouldn't want him to use the feeder as a prime hunting spot."

That's exactly what my parent's cats did, they just sat in front of the feeder and waited for the birds to come. And, living on a farm, it's very difficult to keep barn cats inside, especially if they are used to being outside.

[Manybooks]

Jeannette wrote: "Hayes wrote: "Jeannette wrote: "Clever Hayes, using the same picture from yesterday, but now it's green! "

I had to color it. I couldn't find myself in the threads now that the stupid icons are so..."

Many of us have complained about the size of the icons, but it seems to have either fallen on deaf ears, or there is a bug that has not been discovered/rectified yet.

[Lee, Mod Mama]

Yes, that's what I'm afraid will happen. Poor wee birdies.

[[deleted user]]

Lee wrote: "Yes, that's what I'm afraid will happen. Poor wee birdies."

Why do you let the cat out? I always keep mine in, to protect them and the other critters. I know not everyone feels this way. My cats are healthy and keep themselves active in the house. The orange one just pounced on the dog. He just yawned....