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May 1, Hello Monday: May this month bring you joy, peace, and prosperity.

 

@Bird mama 

 

Bernie,  Thank you for this new May thread.   Such beautiful pictures of Robins.  I have quite a few here, but not much open space.  A couple of the Robins come 'running' when they see me tossing birdseed out on the ground or driveway.  They love the dried fruits in the mix and I've seen them actually grab some shelled peanuts.  Had no clue that they'd eat nuts.   Many of the birds I feed now are nut eaters, especially the Cardinals.   I try to pick out some of the dried fruits for the Robins and toss them to the birds when they are near me.  They seem to know that I am tossing fruit as they chase it down.   

 

I had my first Rose Breasted Grosebeak at the feeder on Friday morning.   Also I heard a wild Turkey gobbler last week when I was cutting the neighbor's grass.  Haven't seen him but have seen the hens.  Wish he'd come visit my yard instead of staying in the woods.  The neighbor said she has seen him.  Fingers crossed.  

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

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

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

May be an image of vulture

 

This is a photograph my granddaughter, Jillian, took of a couple of "my" Cardinals while I was in Florida.  She came over to the house every day to feed and water the birds as well as my cats.  She kinda got hooked on birdwatching, taking photos through the kitchen window of the Blue Jays flying in to grab peanuts.   She now has a feeder over at my daughters and want's me to bring a bit of the bird seed mix I use to see if she can lure any birds to the feeder.   With two very active boys playing in the yard plus two big dogs, I am not sure she'll get many birds, but we'll try and see. 

 

Under the Cardinal that is flying, are several other birds including another Cardinal, a White Throated Sparrow, Blue Jay, etc. 

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I had a visit by our resident pair of geese this morning.  For years there was four--two pair--of wild geese that hung around the area.  Then a few years ago, one of them apparently died because there have been only three since.  I didn't realize that they would allow a lone goose to stay in the group, I figured once a mate was gone they would need to find another mate or be forced to go out on their own.

 

Anyway, the pair were up very close to the house which is unusual.  And they were honking up a storm.  The cats and dog were all at the windows in rapture at these strange creatures honking and flapping their large wings.

 

Pretty soon they were suddenly quiet.  I looked out and there was the third goose.  I guess they were calling to him/her to let him/her know where they were.

 

All three wandered all around the house for a while, foraging in the grass, and then took off.  That was my (and my critters) excitement for the day.  We all lead a very boring life!😂

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@possummink wrote:

May be an image of vulture

 

This is a photograph my granddaughter, Jillian, took of a couple of "my" Cardinals while I was in Florida.  She came over to the house every day to feed and water the birds as well as my cats.  She kinda got hooked on birdwatching, taking photos through the kitchen window of the Blue Jays flying in to grab peanuts.   She now has a feeder over at my daughters and want's me to bring a bit of the bird seed mix I use to see if she can lure any birds to the feeder.   With two very active boys playing in the yard plus two big dogs, I am not sure she'll get many birds, but we'll try and see. 

 

Under the Cardinal that is flying, are several other birds including another Cardinal, a White Throated Sparrow, Blue Jay, etc. 


@possummink 

 

Wow, what a cool photo!  She's a great wildlife photographer! 👍

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You may have a point @geezerette   I wouldn't know because I've had a mini forest in my backyard for 21 years.  Woman Very Happy

There are many elements: wind, fire, water
But none quite like the element of surprise
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@possummink  I don't know if I mentioned this last month; my duck couple started coming by at the beginning of last week.  They are always a little skittish at first and once they see the rest of the birds and squirrels come near me they relax.  I reminded them that the yard is open to them and not friends and family, lol.  That avian flu that has been circulating the nation is stll circulating and water birds tend to be carriers.  I got nervous when the female checked out the cleared area where the trees and shrubs used to be.  There is still some ground up mulch from the trees and all I thought was oh Lord, please don't pick my yard to make a nest and have your babies.

 

The crows have been active which has been keeping the hawks away.  You never know though and I don't need to see a hawk carry off a baby duck.

There are many elements: wind, fire, water
But none quite like the element of surprise
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Posts: 41,469
Registered: ‎03-12-2010

We have geese that visit the school field behind my yard @geezerette  I wouldn't mind if a pair visited the yard however my neighbors would have a fit. I need acreage to live the way I want - like Ace Ventura Pet Detective Woman LOL

There are many elements: wind, fire, water
But none quite like the element of surprise
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Registered: ‎03-12-2010

Re: May 2023 Bird's Nest

[ Edited ]

Fence Installation Day 1 

 

My appointment time was 9 am.  We've had so much rain that when nobody showed up I wasn't even worried about it.  Got a call from the owner at 9:40 am and the crew of one young man arrived with some supplies at 1140 am.  So far today he disassembled the old privacy fence that I installed in 2007.  He cut the posts below grade and then removed the chain link from the back fence and cut the metal posts below grade.  He took a lunch break which was well deserved - it was cold and drizzled on and off.  He packed up the privacy fence stuff that he tore down and left at 3:40 am.  No, so long, farewell, I'm going, see ya tomorrow Woman Frustrated

 

Is he coming tomorrow?  I couldn't tell ya.  He did a test hole in what I thought was the driest area of the back fence and that hole filled with water.  We're expecting rain, rain/snow, snow and rain  (in that order) starting in about 30 minutes continuing through tomorrow.  When I talked to the owner this morning I warned him about the boggy/marshy area in one section of the back fence.  He said that he had 3 other customers on hold because they have clay soil and it takes time to dry out.  I let him know I had clay which is why the young man did the test hole today.

 

I would rather they do the job right versus doing it in a hurry. 

 

Now, most of y'all know that I had a privacy fence installed on one side of my yard in 2007 when my neighbor lady tripped her nut.  That was the year my husband died and my father died a couple of months later and I didn't know how to handle this behavior from a woman who attended my wedding Woman Surprised  I cleared the land of plants, applied for the permit myself and had a privacy fence installed inside my chain link fence.

 

I don't speak to the neighbor and it was weird to see the privacy fence down.  Since the new privacy fence is going to be installed even closer to the chain link fence (which I also own - I have paperwork from the 60's to prove it) I need to get rid of the bramble that grew into my yard from the battleax's yard next door.  I swear that woman loves plants that are woody like clematis and honeysuckle.  The honeysuckle bramble is closer to the front of the yard - most of that plant is dead and lots of that plant grew over and through the chain link fence.

 

Anyway, I walked into the backyard with my clippers and pruners to cut a thick dead limb (it was way bigger than a branch) that was poking about 3 inches into my yard.  I think it was from a clematis. So I start clipping and she opens her doorwall and shreiks something.  I say, no worries about the chain link fence, I am not taking it down.  She shreiks again THAT"S MY PLANT.

 

I'm not the same broken woman from 2007 so I continue pruning that piece of wood out of my yard and say, it's your plant?  She says ITS MY PLANT.  I say then act like it and try pruning your garden once in a while.  Keep your bramble on your side of the fence.  She slammed the doorwall and that ended that. 

 

I'm not stupid - I took before and after pictures.  II want the fence to be done the right way and I hope it dries out around here sooner rather than later.  The battleax next door is old which is why I didn't tell the contractor to remove all of the chain link fence including the row that borders her property.  Removing that fence would have required her to cut a significant amount of her garden back and aside from being a miserable person I think she lost her license to drive and has lost what independence she once had.  God don't like ugly and I didn't want to do something out of spite that would come back on me 10 fold.

There are many elements: wind, fire, water
But none quite like the element of surprise