backyard birding

[veronica_rich]

I think I've been reading finding_neo's and gryphons_lair's journals for too long - I've started noticing the birds in my backyard. There's a pine tree (or some sort of spruce-y looking thing) directly behind my living room sliding-glass door and for the past couple of weeks when I sit on the sofa to be online, I've noticed little yellow birds alighting on its branches. I don't know if they're canaries or finches, or what - they're bright yellow, with black checker-type markings on their wings and back. I think one is male and one is female - the slightly larger one is very yellow and chiruppy, and the smaller one is a duller yellow and frequently perches near the bigger one.

There's also a demented robin who lives somewhere around here. I think I may have mentioned him before - he likes to peck shiny things (I guess his own reflection? which says a lot about his self-esteem issues, considering the velocity and ferocity behind his pecking once he gets going). I first found out about him a couple of months ago, when a neighbor put a stuffed cat on top of their van while they were at home, as a scarecrow to discourage Pecky Shecky from drilling even more paint off the hood. Not long after, one morning I was awakened by a loud, milititant tap-tap-tap and got up to see who in the hell was knocking at the back door. Sylvester raced out at about the same time and ran to the door, scaring off Shecky. Shecky hasn't returned, but he does hop in the grass back there every so often - I think he's afraid to approach, knowing the cat is in here, bored, hanging out near the door.

And ... now I feel like I'm narrating an "Itchy and Scratchy" cartoon. It's hard to make people appreciate the annoyance that Shecky is. When my sister was visiting, we'd be on the sofa and he'd be hopping around outside. "Look!" I'd point. "There's that robin I was telling you about. He pecks at everything."

She'd turn and look, then look at me like maybe she'd better start exercising that healthcare Power of Attorney thing I gave her a few years ago for just-in-case. "O-kay," she'd say, slowly. Or, "Yes, it's a robin." Or - even worse for the aged - "Yes, you already told me about him like five times."

Comments

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

they're bright yellow, with black checker-type markings on their wings and back. I think one is male and one is female - the slightly larger one is very yellow and chiruppy, and the smaller one is a duller yellow and frequently perches near the bigger one.

Sounds like you've got yourself some American Goldfinches (http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/91/_/American_Goldfinch.aspx) there. :)

If you picked up a window bird feeder (http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21AH66NEVGL._SS500_.jpg) and filled it with either sunflower seeds (black oil is best) or thistle seed, you could probably get them to come right up to the window for you. Think of it as live entertainment for your cat! :)

There's also a demented robin who lives somewhere around here. I think I may have mentioned him before - he likes to peck shiny things (I guess his own reflection?

Bingo. He's attacking the "other" robin he sees reflected in the window or other reflective surface. Robins can be very territorial during breeding season. Is your neighbor's van black, by any chance? You can get some very clear reflections off a shiny black van.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

A bird feeder's not a bad idea. I might just do that ...

I wondered if it was a goldfinch. They don't show up often, it's usually mid-afternoon if I happen to be at home, that I see them (which isn't often).

[gryphons-lair.livejournal.com]

You can get the window feeders in most stores if they carry any bird feeding supplies at all. I'd bet Target carries at least one.

Black thistle (also called niger) will only attract finches. Sunflower seed (in shell or out) will attract a much wider range of birds. Don't get the generic commercial "wild bird food" mixes; they're mostly millet and milio, which most birds will just push out of the feeder to get to the 10% of good stuff. The pigeons will love it, though. *wry g*

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

Thank goodness I'm not the only person who notices crazy birds in their neighborhood! Now my irrational hatred of the cooing bird nesting against my air conditioner does not sound as crazy. LOL

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

20 years ago, my sister had a cocker spaniel and there was this big black bird that loved to dive-bomb and terrorize that poor dog. I don't remember what ended up happening to it, but Dad and I did our level best to scare it off and even tried to shoot it a few times.

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

There are some birds that are just crazy! But when we saw the Golden Eagle attack a group of pigeons at a bird feeder on a neighbors' porch roof, it was freaky. The eagle sat on one of the pigeons until it gave up and died, which took about 30 minutes or so.

[finding-neo.livejournal.com]

I have lots of goldfinches, not as many this time of summer though. Hey, today's the first day of summer!

A couple years ago I had a goldfinch massacre on my farm. They had lighted on the bottom line of an electric fence to get to the dandelion seeds and gotten electrocuted. I picked up over 24 PAIRS, almost an equal number of males and females. I was afraid I'd never have goldfinches again. Earlier this spring I counted at least 20 of them in and around my feeder, so I guess my location is no longer a goldfinch Auschwitz.

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

HOW did they get electrocuted? Birds sit on wires all the time. Because they were eating off plants in the ground?

"The Goldfinch Massacre" - sounds like a book.