[texbirds] Yard Birding
- From: Joseph Kennedy <josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: 4 Texbirds Maillist <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 May 2014 17:26:03 -0500
It has been a very strange spring with almost zero migrants stopping by.
Zero orioles, grosbeaks and buntings at the feeders. But just had maybe the
last migrant unless there is a late yellow-bellied flycatcher stops by. An
olive-sided flycatcher spent some time in some dead twigs before heading
down the bayou.
Lots of baby birds around but like last year there are no cardinal or
Carolina wrens yet. Chickadee, titmice, red-bellied and downy woodpecker
and blue jays are doing well. Found that blue jays are terrified of sweet
corn on the cob and will not come close even if it is in the middle of
their food.
The barred owls have young but have not seen them yet. It was interesting
to listen to the interactions as they sat on the nest and then fed young.
At the start, the male would get food, perch on a favorite stick, hoot and
the female would come, say thank you and go back to the nest. Later she
hunted too and he sometimes had to go downbayou to give her the food. No
young coming yet when he calls and he was hunting today at midday and got
food.
The cooper's hawks moved a little down the bayou this year and the world's
tiniest male cooper's hawk soars off and on. The female or male when
hunting near the balcony is almost impossible to find. I hear the jays and
chickadees and sometimes get a glimpse of something jumping in the thicket
or vanishing. Never perched on the rail yet.
The red-tailed hawks are also very hard to see unless one is coming in on
high after hunting or other excursion. No calls from the young yet that I
can hear. The alarm jay has heard chicks as he is starting to give their
call after being silent for several months. He is with a group that lives
very close to the hawk nest area.
And it is actually raining. Which is very good as the bay trees were
starting to lose their lower branches and leaves. There will be bugs but I
can make do with them if the trees do not die off again like 3 years ago.
Actually there is lots of rain which is even better. And the toad people
will be real happy and singing tonight.
--
Joseph C. Kennedy
on Buffalo Bayou in West Houston
Josephkennedy36@xxxxxxxxx
Edit your Freelists account settings for TEXBIRDS at
//www.freelists.org/list/texbirds
Reposting of traffic from TEXBIRDS is prohibited without seeking permission
from the List Owner
Other related posts:
