Hi Mike,
Thank you for the camera stand design and the video. The rebar trick should
keep the raccoons from taking a new toy. I will be running down to the
hardware store as soon as METRO area drivers who do not slow down or chain up
on icy roads have wrecked their cars...Which should be soon, usually within the
first couple days of each snow/ice event here in Portland.
The video of your feeder birds made me smile, I picked out Juncos, a Fox
Sparrow and that Golden-crowned Sparrow that looks directly into the camera
lens.
I got to thinking about how to get better light under the bushes. Seems like a
board painted white propped against the fence and angled a bit would reflect
light from the snow onto the birds. Do those trail camera's allow one to
adjust the exposure?
I watched my feeders for an hour yesterday. Bird interactions are so
interesting. I noticed how some birds of a feather will flock together to
drive other species of birds from the platform feeders. This method is used by
House Finches, Juncos, and Lesser Goldfinches to drive off the larger and more
aggressive Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrows and Fox Sparrow which cannot seem to
work cooperatively. The Golden-crowned Sparrows worked together to drive House
Finches off then bickered among themselves maybe establishing a pecking order.
Black-capped Chickadees hide sunflower seeds in the flower and bud clusters of
the Viburnum bodnantense, a dense, large, deciduous shrub about 15 feet by 15
feet. Best ever bush to attract hummingbirds and bees because it is in bloom
through March and into April. Do not know if it works east of the Cascades
wish someone would try it. It is a tough plant. The House Finches and Juncos
follow the Chickadees and plunder the Chickadees' seed caches.
Lesser Goldfinches; 20 glorious Lesser Goldfinches so bright against the snow.
One would slip into a group of House Finches at a platform feeder then another
and another until the House Finches were simply pushed off the feeder. Done so
subtly I am not sure the House Finches even noticed being displaced. It took
me awhile to notice what was happening. Kind of funny, such tiny little
finches infiltrating and taking over a platform.
Cheers,
Sandy Leaptrott
NE Portland
Sent from my iPad
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