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Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

pretty

 

Hi Birding Friends,   Just got back from Oklahoma last night.  Brrrr,  am glad I had on a sweatshirt as it was 44 in Lawton, OK  on Monday night and chilly in the morning as we packed the car.  It was in the 40ies here last night.    

 

We were on the go or busy with the little ones from morning till night each day my daughter and I were there   My granddaughter's home is pretty nice,  older,  with 3 bedrooms, nice big back yard  and a big shed where her husband has a couple of fancy chickens and 3 fancy quail.  They are smaller than bob white quail.  

 

Not far from the town of Lawton or Fort Sill itself, is lots and lots of open wild lands.  We saw bison, prairie dog town and got very close to them, along with Longhorns, etc.   Will post some photos when I get the pictures on my phone made into pins.   Easier to post that way.  

 

Need to catch up on posts of the past 6 days.  

 

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Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

 

I did get to see a couple of Oklahoma's state bird.  The Sicssor-tailed Flycatcher.   Very pretty bird.  

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Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

There you are Possum - glad to read you were just traveling and everything is OK. Do you like Oklahoma?. I could not stand it - so very cold and that land is FLAT and so nothing standing in the way to break it. I took off for New Orleans after living there one year. That is where we went when we came back from 3 years in Germany. I LOVED Germany. One super great thing about Oklahoma then, however. That was the University  football team under the marvelous direction of head Coach Bud Wilkinson - he was a master! Boomer Sooner!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Again we are under a threat of having our electricity shut off - the electric companies here are nuts. They have NEVER done anything to fix the major problem like putting all the lines underground and so their solution to make sure there are no fires due to electrical problems is shut it off when the winds start. Do feel it is time for something to be done about those utility companies. Major ones in California are Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas and Electric. Junk companies - they pay well, hire lots of contractors to do their jobs, and the old wobbly lines are still above waving to all in the winds. UNtil they fall down and another fire starts.

 

I need to just shut my mouth. HOpe all had a great day.

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Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

Image may contain: plant, tree, night, outdoor and nature

 

White Pelicans at dusk on the Mississippi River.

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Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

[ Edited ]

@Bird mama 

 

After reading your post and reading that you have been visiting pigeon forums and your telling some of what you read I think that you are right to ignore those people and go with what your heart and mind tells you.  Hopefully what you plan to do will all work out for you and your pigeons.  As I have said several times before you are a great birdmama!!!  All your feathered family if they could talk would agree with me!  They were all sent to you and there definitely was a reason why.  Please keep us posted!  I so enjoy reading your posts as I do all the others who post on the Birds Nest!!!

 


@Bird mama wrote:

Aww, that's nice of you to say @luvsbulldogs   It's been a baptism by fire Woman Very Happy  

 

The more I visit pigeon forums, the more I dislike the people who post there.  I haven't joined any but I am able to go to the site and search for information among all of the posts.

 

Honestly, these people are what my Ma and I would call 'windy' (indecisive). 

 

I've give you an example Woman Wink

 

In the wild, a female pigeon will lay eggs, sit on them for roughly 18 days and then take 25-32 days to raise the hatchling.  18+32 = 50 days.  That time spent raising the hatchlings with her mate allows the female to rebuild the calcium supply in her body.

 

Finley was pregnant when the Lord sent her my way.  She laid the egg on 7-13-19.  She didn't lay her next egg until 63 days later on 9-14-19.  The 63 days allowed her to absorb the crop milk she had been producing while pregnant and gave her body time to recover.

 

Since she and Grayson are courting big time right now, I expect that she will lay eggs in about a 30 day timeframe from the first time (9-14-19).

 

I went to popular pigeon forum to look for the best way to separate a mated pair.  I'm not talking about something permanent.  Some people suggest that a pair is less likely to mate when there is more darkness outside.  Personally I don't want to take that risk.  I want to separate Finley and Grayson for at least 50 days to give Finley's body the opportunity to strengthen and recover.  It's not good for a female bird to repeatedly lay eggs in a short period of time. It takes a toll on their body.

 

Anywhoo, I found a post on the subject by an alleged expert.  In one post she said that she doesn't like to separate her mated pairs because it can be stressful to the birds.  Then she said she used dummy eggs to prevent unwanted birds.  Then she said that the 'hen' needs a 2 month break from breeding.  Then she said that she restricts food from her pigeons that she races and gives them a teaspoon of food at a time which discourages them from breeding.

 

That's when I knew I'm better off on my own.  They train racing pigeons to come back to the coop or loft by restricting food.  The give them just a little food, release them to fly and rely on the bird's hunger to get them to come back into the coop/loft.

 

Finley's lived 'that' life for 3 years and I'm doing everything I can to overcome that conditioning. 

 

After the upcoming clutch runs it's cycle, I will separate Finley and Grayson with the baby gate.  I'm in a two story house and have the room to segregate them if it means it keeps her healthy.


 

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Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

@mousiegirl 

 

How adorable and it is a pillow!!!  Thank you so much for thinking of me and posting it!

Hope that you are doing well and that you are deep into your Fall decorating!

 

We drove around today even though it was cold and drizzling to take pictures of the foliage.  This weekend it will be peak foliage in our area so I figured it would be best to get out there before all the tourists show up this weekend.  I did get a lot of great photos this year. 

 

Looking forward now that it has cooled down to planting the Spring bulbs.

 

Waving hi to all the birders!!!

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Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

@possummink 

 

So glad to hear that you had a great time with your family in Oklahoma!!!

The State bird is so pretty, thanks for posting it!!!  It is so nice to hear that there is open land where you can see wild animals like you saw!  It has turned cold here also.  We have had two frosts already but still not a hard frost.  Have the heat on since early this morning.  Hoping that you are enjoying the foliage in your area too!!!

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Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

 

 

@Winifred 

 

Hi Winifred,    We, my daughter and I,  made it back home from OK last night.  We did have a great time there in Lawton where Fort Sill Army base is located.   It's a huge base,  94,000 acres and has all kinds of topography from plains or prairie, hills, mountains, lakes, creeks, etc.  Lots of wooded areas and then lots of scrub.  I love exploring and just taking in all the scenery and critters.   Off base to the north and west it's like the Dakotas or Kansas and Wyoming, without the Rockies.   We saw lots of Longhorn cattle, prairie dog towns, a couple of bison, plus "my" armadillo.   

 

We were driving on the base but away from all the buildings and activities, kind of out in the boonies and we saw an armadillo.   My granddaughter's husband stopped his truck so we could see the dillo and I got out of the truck to take a picture.   The little critter was so busy snooting in the grass he didn't notice me, so I just stood still and took a couple of pictures and the armadillo kept snooting the grass looking for grubs, I guess.  It kept coming closer and closer to me till it was within a foot of my feet.  I moved my foot a bit and the little critter jumped straight up into the air and then took off for some brushy weedy area.    I wish I'd have thought to take a photo of him so close to my feet.     The first picture of ' my ' armadillo~~

 

my last photo of ''my'' armadillo~~

 

Cat Very HappyHeartSmiley Happy

 

 

I know what you mean about the wind blowing there.   It has no real barriers.   We went to Lake Letra on the base Sunday afternoon and the lake was whipped up into white caps and just wild waves.  It's beautiful there, being at the foot of a small mountain.   Good thing it was sunny or I'd have froze, even with jeans on.  The wind almost blew me over and that takes some doing as I'm not a lightweight.  I had a heck of a time keeping the truck door open long enough to put a couple rocks that I 'collected' in and then climb back in myself.  

 

 

I do like Oklahoma, at least in that area,  as it's so different from home.  Northeastern OK is  very much like Missouri,  lots of hills, forests, but not the outcropping of rocks and hollows that Southwestern and Southcentral Missouri has and it doesn't have the wild rivers like MO either.  What I like about the Southwestern part of OK is it's wide open areas, prairie like.  You can see for miles upon miles and the sky is so blue. 

The Interstate drive from Oklahoma City to Lawton is so cool, no intrusive billboards to spoil the natural beauty and farm land scenery.  No cities to speak of, just wild open land.  I love that and my daughter mentioned it too.  We are kind of used to very cold winters here in Eastern Missouri. 

 

I have a lot of family in the Tulsa, Oklahoma City, close to Fort Smith, Arkansas, areas.   My aunt used to have a whole point on the Grand Lake of the Cherokees up in the NE part of the state.  Love all the pecan trees too.  She used to send me about 20 pounds of cracked shelled pecans each year.  Made my candied fruitcakes using them.  Each batch of fruitcake took over 2 pounds of pecans.  They sold really well.  Should have kept at that.  Not bad $$. HeartCat Very Happy

Honored Contributor
Posts: 127,850
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time

Honored Contributor
Posts: 127,850
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Bird's Nest October 2019 - Harvest Time