Birds and yard critters

[finelyshedded]

If you want to attract Purple Martins, you have to get their house cleaned out and keep it clean and unoccupied very early in the spring when the scouts and juvenile males start looking for a place to start their colony. If the house is full of sparrows or starlings or whatever, they won't stay. It is a pain in the ass to do as you probably have to go clean it out every other dang day. We had Martins come and inspect the house many times, but none ever stayed. We gave up on the Martins, but we have Tree swallows that moved into the Martin house 10 or 15 years ago, and they have come every year since. They are nice birds to watch, too, and often live with or near Martin colonies. Nancy and I have sniped dozens of sparrows and starlings off of the hanger that the gourd houses hang on to help out the Tree swallows over the years.

I hated to do it but I picked up pole and laid it down and pulled out two huge nests with eggs in both and cleaned it out and set it back up and will continue to monitor and keep clean till I see some PM scouts show up.
Ron had two pairs of PM fly into his house as soon as he and a neighbor put his up and a day later had 6-7 pairs move in but he’s had them for a few years.
These barn sparrows or wrens move in as soon as I put mine up. I did the same thing last year but they won’t take the hint

 

[Jackalope]

Finally got around the cranes to get a picture with the front of the house. A little cracked corn never hurt anything. .

 

["J"]

I was a bit doubtful when I heard of this, but damn if it doesn’t happen. It’s rare but doe go on…..

 

[Big H]

I was having a cigar on the patio and this guy showed up. Pretty cool. Kristi was inside and missed it.

 

[Jackalope]

I was having a cigar on the patio and this guy showed up. Pretty cool. Kristi was inside and missed it.

Love those. I always enjoy seeing them in the woods and it's usually only a quick glimpse.

 

[Outdoorsfellar]

Well, that's that. We have numerous bird nest's & a few houses nearby & the wife has enjoyed watching & listening to all the babies. Yesterday & today was first flight for all. It'll be an empty house till next year....

 

[Jackalope]

Interesting morning here. The pair of Sandhills showed up this morning together. The male has been missing for 5 days and per the biologist was likely sitting a nest as the males sit during the day and the females at night. Them showing up together means the nest likely failed. They were courting in the yard so they're already back at it.

Another bird came up from the marsh with them and he had a broken wing. I called the biologist I've been giving reports to on the breeding pair and he asked me to keep an eye on it and he'll send out a team.

In the meantime i managed to slowly corral the bird to the back yard which has a fence and gate. 30 minutes later US Fish and Wildlife showed up running lights and serin. Behind them was a couple of people from the preserve. All that's going through my mind is the cracked corn I keep throwing off the porch for the "squirrels"

They managed to catch the bird in the back corner of the yard. They did a video call with a team at the National Audubon Society in New Orleans to assess the injury to determine if the bird needed sedation or bandaged for transport. They taped him up and put him in a crate in the USF&W truck and took off lights and serine for the Audubon Society facility in New Orleans.

 

[Jackalope]

I forgot the funniest part. So the colored leg bands are so they can identify which bird it is. They have a number and a nickname. The male that's always in my my yard is S109 "Surge" this bird today they kept calling R121 Riley Reid. I'm laughing internally not wanting to dime out some biologist for naming a bird after an adult film star. Later I asked where the bird usually hung around and he said "Riley Ried over by the ball field".. Ohhhhhhhhhh "Riley ROAD" ..

 

[Jackalope]

Received word from the biologist a moment ago that the crane didn't make it out of surgery last night. It's injuries were too severe and infected. Nature really is an unforgiving force.

 

[giles]

So...does it taste like chicken?

 

[giles]

I wonder if it happened while protecting the nest. That would explain some things.

 

[Jackalope]

So...does it taste like chicken?

The main species is nicknamed "ribeye of the sky".

 

[Jackalope]

I wonder if it happened while protecting the nest. That would explain some things.

Could haven any number of things. A small gator, bobcat etc. More inclined to think bobcat. These cranes are well adapt at poking gators in the eyes and the gators know to leave them alone.

 

[Clay Showalter]

Since we found the nest and the boss said I had to leave the door open, I decided to put a trail camera on it. Hope to tweak it so I can see down in the nest better.

 

[Clay Showalter]

It is a Carolina wren, incubated by the female for 12–16 days. After the young hatch,they fledge in 12–14 days. They can have 3 sets of babies a year, nature is amazing

 

[Sgt Fury]

It is a Carolina wren, incubated by the female for 12–16 days. After the young hatch,they fledge in 12–14 days. They can have 3 sets of babies a year, nature is amazing

We have a pair that build a nest on our front porch above the door every year. When the babies fledge, they’ll be hoping around the back deck, flapping their wings to get fed. Pretty cool that they come back here every year.

 

["J"]

 

[Sgt Fury]

View attachment 179305

Digging a nest?

 

[CJD3]

Ugly ol girl makes a run for it. A small pond is 50 yards back behind the trees.The tall grass must have been rough going.

 

["J"]

Digging a nest?

No sign of it, but it was there for a while. Neighbor sent me a picture earlier yesterday, I went by later in the day and it was in the same area.