[va-richmond-general] Re: general feeder question, ecological comments
- From: "Jim Blowers" <jimvb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 28 May 2005 14:17:17 -0400
I have found the exact opposite. It takes much longer this year for a
feeder to empty. We seem to be getting a good complement of birds,
especially mimids and black birds, but the feeder does not go down that
much. We have a feeder that causes squirrels to be whirled off the
feeder if they try to feed on it. By the way, Chris, are squirrels
consuming your seed?
Here are the birds we have seen (I am copying Chris' list and noting the
differences; star means not on Chris' list):
No Red-headed Woodpecker (he's magnificent) - we have not seen one yet
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Cardinal
Carolina Wren
American Goldfinch (only three times)
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Mockingbird
Chipping Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Common Grackle
European Starling (about a dozen at one time; rest of the time only one
or two instances)
*American Crow
*Common Grackle
*Eastern Towhee
*Hairy Woodpecker (I saw one today - recognized it because it was larger
than a downy that was nearby, and because of its huge beak - it was just
pecking and pecking away at an old rotten log - that would give me a
headache!)
*Song Sparrow
*White-Throated Sparrow
*Yellow-rumped Warbler (we don't see these any more; they were in March
and April)
*Northern Junco (but not recently)
*American Robin (takes baths but does not feed on our feeders)
I have also seen or heard these birds near our house but not in our back
yard:
Red-shouldered hawk
Canada goose
Whip-poor-will (the past nights I have listened carefully and heard
their soft whippoorwilling amongst the din of insects, frogs, dogs,
airplanes, and distant traffic)
Pileated Woodpecker (once last year in a distant tree I saw a silhouette
of one near the top of a tree after I heard it's kakakakaka)
I think I may have heard a barred owl asking who cooks for me, but that
may have been last year.
I have seen no hummingbirds, but then again, we have not put a
hummingbird feeder out yet.
Jim Blowers
-----Original Message-----
From: va-richmond-general-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:va-richmond-general-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chris
Terrell
Sent: Saturday, 2005 May 28 13:40
To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [va-richmond-general] Re: general feeder question, ecological
comments
I understand this is an Audubon list first and everything else
second, so I'll throw in a birding observation before replying to
Michael's thoughtful comments.
In the past few weeks consumption at my feeders has skyrocketed.
Normally I would burn through a 25lb bag of sunflower in a few months,
now it takes a few weeks. Many of my feeders are being completely
emptied within a day. And suet? Over a block a day. Have others on the
list experienced similar results, and if so, why? I've experienced
highs and lows at the feeder before, but I feel like I'm in record
territory these days. I only wish I could get a good photo of the
cardinal courtship ritual (male feeds female, looks like a kiss). No
doubt Rich will soon...
The usual suspects (ranked from favorite to less-so)
Red-headed Woodpecker (he's magnificent)
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Cardinal
Carolina Wren
American Goldfinch
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Blue Jay
White-breasted Nuthatch
Northern Mockingbird
Chipping Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Mourning Dove
House Finch
Common Grackle
European Starling
Regarding solar panels, I do hope there is an incentive (tax
break, etc.) to install these in homes over time. Solar provides an
excellent supplement, unfortunately the return on investment takes a lot
of time and it is not a stand-alone replacement for conventional heating
and electrical needs.
Regarding agriculture - corn for ethanol and soybeans for
biodiesel - there are hidden costs that have to be factored in. Most
commercial agriculture in the US relies heavily on both fertilizer and
pesticide. While this is a justified cost of doing business, there is
the problem of runoff into the watershed. I am generally in favor of
agricultural supplements and replacements for traditionally refined
gasoline, however there is a cost to be factored with any method of
generating power - particularly for internal combustion engines. My
hope is that the leadership at the Federal level will pursue alternate
energy sources more aggressively. It is interesting that President Bush
(not particularly popular with the environmental crowd) toured a New
Kent biodiesel plant on the 16th to help promote the emerging industry.
Whether you consider it sincere or lip-service, it was certainly a new
development. Below is a link to the story.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-18017sy0may17,0,2985439.story?coll=dp-
head
lines-topnews
-----Original Message-----
From: va-richmond-general-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:va-richmond-general-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Michael
Shapiro
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 8:24 PM
To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [va-richmond-general] alternate energy sources, Bluebird
question
Solar can be done less drastically. Individual homes can have their
own solar heating panels, as can cars, businesses, etc... There doesn't
have to be a solar "bank" as with wind turbines or a factory as with
coal or nuclear power. Negative views without alternatives or solutions
does not help. Hydrogen may have problems, but that doesn't mean we
should give up on it. The US, as a whole, has a lot of problems, but
that doesn't mean we should hand the keys to the White House over to
Castro. Last I heard about hydrogen, the conversion process is done in
the car.
The use/production of soybeans won't starve anybody. Many farmers in
this country are paid NOT to grow food (or certain foods) so that prices
will remain high. If every farmer grew all the food (s)he wanted to
without government interference, we could easily solve much of the
world's hunger problems. Imagine if half the ranches in the country
started raising soy beans instead of cattle - or even 1/4. Every tobacco
farmer could grow soy beans and not have any effect on hunger. How many
farmers grow corn for ethanol? Let them grow soy beans, instead. Yet
another method of farming that wouldn't affect food crops. Then have
every farmer set aside a small portion of their land for soy beans. This
would dramatically increase the production of soy beans, overall, so
that some could be used for food and some for fuel. Tear down
non-functioning oil factories or coal factories, as well as nuclear
power plants, change the land over to farming, and then grow soy beans.
Instead of building more strip malls (how many Circuit City's does one
need in a 20 miles radius? There are four within 20 miles of me - two
within five), how about using the land as farm land to grow soy beans?
You get the idea. Granted, these things would take a lot of time, but
they'll take even MORE time if something isn't done NOW - the longer you
wait, the longer it takes. Should we wait until there is an actual
emergency (as in "The Day after Tomorrow," for example)? I believe Dr.
King said, "The time is always right to do what is right."
Now, just so this isn't all environmental debate, I did have some
interesting bird sightings/hearings: A Northern Bobwhite continues to
call from the field behind our "learning cottage" at school. A male
Eastern Bluebird greeted me from the top of the flagpole as I came into
work on Friday. His nest box is just a few feet away. It's very beat up
and reminds me of the condemned houses near VCU. Doesn't seem to bother
him, though. Haven't seen any juveniles yet. There were eggs in there
about three weeks ago, but I haven't looked recently. I couldn't say
with any degree of certainty when they were laid, but sometime in late
April would be my guess. Anyone know how long it takes between the
laying of the first egg and the fledging of the first juvenile?
Michael Shapiro
Short Pump
PS - Thanks to all who told me that my messages were getting through.
Can't understand why **I** can't see them. Oh, well.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Blowers" <jimvb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 9:15 PM
Subject: [va-richmond-general] Re: my posts
> I got your message, Michael. I quoted both your messages to show that.
> I have the same problem with some but not all of my listserves, namely
> that I don't get my own messages back.
>
> Solar seems the way to go in the future, but it means putting down an
> area of solar panels as great as what our road network now covers.
> Wind means throwing up millions of wind turbines; we already have
> problems with cell phone towers. Hydrogen has many problems and seems
> to depend on solar or wind to get the hydrogen to use as fuel.
> Soybeans and other crops means starving people, as we cut drastically
> the amount of the crop needed for food. None of these are easy, and I
> suspect an ever changing mix of fuel sources is what we will use in
> the future.
>
> Jim Blowers
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: va-richmond-general-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:va-richmond-general-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael
> Shapiro
> Sent: Thursday, 2005 May 26 18:31
> To: Richmond listserv
> Subject: [va-richmond-general] my posts
>
>
> Someone PLEASE tell me if my posts are getting through!! For some
> reason, I don't get my own posts. I've asked this several times and no
> one has ever answered, which makes me think they aren't getting
> through. Are they? Michael Shapiro sc.tanager@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Short
> Pump You are subscribed to VA-Richmond-General. To unsubscribe, send
> email to va-richmond-general-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe'
> in the Subject field. To adjust other settings (vacation, digest,
> etc.) please visit, //www.freelists.org/list/va-richmond-general.
>
> The biggest problem with nuclear energy - aside from plants being
> terrorist targets - is what to do with the waste. Solar is a viable,
> renewable energy source that will last as long as the Sun does - about
> another 10 billion years or so. Water has also been discussed as a
> fuel source (burning the oxygen and releasing the hydrogen - or is it
> the other way around?), and soy beans are currently being discussed as
> an energy/fuel source. If more money were given to organizations
> researching alternative energy and fuel sources, I'm sure other things
> could be found that no one has yet dreamed up. Putting up structures
> that kill flying wildlife is absurd (by the way, many cell phone
> towers kill birds, as well).
>
>
>
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