Birds And Birding

Discussion in 'Tall Tales & Fabrications' started by Bill Boggs, Aug 13, 2017.

  1. Bill Boggs

    Bill Boggs Supreme Member
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    I have three bird feeders in my back yard and I enjoy watch the birds, their interaction with each other, and how they take their meals. I have watch male robins dig up a worm then take it his mate who follows at some distance. I have watched this happen over the years ever since a long ago neighbor told me he watched this at his lake house. I have seen robins in my back yard do this several times. I was a little surprised to see crackles here doing the same thing. Maybe other bird species do this, I don’t know.

    Another trait I have noticed is the ring necked dove which migrated here from Europe and North Africa, tends to bully the white wing doves and the mourning doves that feed in my back yard. It happened frequently and used to irritate me as I watched from the doubles windows behind my computer screen. Yet the white winged doves will bully the mourning doves when the ring necks are not around. Even the mourning doves who seem so meek around other doves will take to bullying other birds, especially if there are two to one. I thought this was a human trait. Bully and harassment is prevalent in other species of birds

    For example, I witnessed a male northern cardinal, actually a small bird on a highland out back. Down from this cardinal on the same line was three ring neck doves. The four birds sat peacefully on the line overlooking my back yard. Suddenly the smaller redbird turned facing the doves and rand along the line toward them. Two of the doves flew off and pitched themselves twenty yard further down the high line. The third dove, the one closest to the redbird scooted down a foot or so and stayed. That seemed to satisfy the Cardinal and he remained in place for over an hour.

    I always seem to have a number of birds at the feeders or feeding on the ground below each feeder. I look out now ,still daylight and see twenty or so sparrows and finches and a lone bluejay.

    All my birds feed on seeds with the exception of the mocking bird and the robins. They mostly eat insects and worms. The robins are big on worms and the mocking bird on insects. In all in my back yard I have had four pairs of mourning doves, three pairs of white winged doves and two pair of ring necked doves feeding in my back yard, among the many other birds.

    Last year I looked out on this yard and could see not one bird at all in my back yard. This went on for another day. No birds feeding. I was thinking had I purchased some bird seed the bird didn’t like? Later I went out front and sat underneath an awning and played my harmonica. While sitting there, I noticed tow large birds in the tree tops behind the houses across the street. I went in and got my binoculars and eyeballed the large birds. Hawks. My birds must be hiding in the trees.That evening the hawks disappeared and my birds came out of the trees in droves.

    A week or so later I was typing here on the computer and glanced out at a dove not at the feeders but over near the fence separating me from my neighbors. Suddenly a hawk sweep down from nowhere and land on the dove. A large retailed hawk. He sat there and squeezed the life out of the dove then took it in its beak, flew upon a pine limb and plucked and ate the dove, It was a few days later I noticed I had three white wing doves. One was missing, the one the hawk took.

    Then earlier I watched as a falcon took another dove in flight, carried it upon the highland, plucked and ate the dove. Yesterday as I was making iced tea in preparation for lunch, I spotted another hawk on the cable line that runs behind my house. He didn’t have anything in his clutch but he sat there the longest, the way the other hawks had done after that had eaten. I’m sure if this hawk would have had a hand he would have rubbed his tommy in satisfaction. I have to take inventory of my doves. I feel this latest hawk, a female Northern Harrier took a bird from my back yard. I have also had a pair of pigeons feeding here and to day only one of them showed up. I haven’t figured out what may be missing from my back yard but I fear these hawks may think I have opened a bird restaurant and they can drop in and eat at will. I hope that’s not the case. I am working on a remedy.
     
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  2. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    I love the birdies Bill so I was interested in your story which turned out harrowing :eek:
    We don't have a garden now, but when we did, birdies were our main interest. Then I saw a cat pounce on a bird
    and eat it. I was so shocked to witness it, took me years to get over it
    There are strange things that happen in the animal world, but I much prefer to observe and love them from a
    distance, moreso than the human species :rolleyes:
    I hope you find an answer to the hawk situation ..........
     
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  3. Shirley Martin

    Shirley Martin Supreme Member
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    @Bill Boggs , I hope you find a remedy. I am a bird lover, too. We have hawks that live in the woods behind my house. I think they must find plenty of prey in the woods and field. I have only seen one take a bird in all my years of feeding birds.
    I always thought doves were peaceful birds, too. But I have seen them be very aggressive toward other birds. Even the tiny hummingbird can be aggressive. I usually have one that will keep all the others run away from the feeder. Makes me so mad I could swat him! Sometimes the others trick him, though. One of them will fly to the feeder and lure him away. While he is chasing that one, they will get a quick drink. :D
     
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