If the owl calls you hear are long deep "hoots" it's likely Great Horned Owls, especially if you have some pine trees nearby. Depending on what part of N Texas you are in they could be Barred Owls, their call sounds like it's saying "who cooks for you" Allaboutbirds.org is a great site to search the different owl species and listen to their calls. I've always wanted to visit Texas and explore, they also have some fun birds I would like to see such as the Aplomado Falcon in W Texas!
Yup the wind turbine's blades cause a draft that sucks in birds causing them to get struck. When the turbines are spinning during a 12-15 mph wind the end of the blades are turning at about 120 mph. Luckily they are trying to develop ways to pause the turbines with approaching migrating birds and during peak migration season. Ridge lines are an excellent spot to put turbines due to the higher wind speeds but unfortunately ridges are also migration highways for many birds due to the thermals and updrafts created by the mountains that help conserve energy along these long migration routes.
Nothing new. Anyone built or got a new bird house lately? I'm building a couple now but they're not finished yet. But I'll post some photos when finished. What you got?
No houses but my chipmunk learned how to climb up a 5/8 rod five feet to get to the suet feeder. He looks pretty proud of himself when does it.
I'll have to get out in the shop and whip up a couple. Migration and mating seasons are coming upon us quickly!
We called them Tree Rats as a kid . There are solid black ones near where I grew up . It was fun as a teenager , 3 or 4 get up early , pile into a buddy’s pickup and hunt on any given weekend day . Way better than sitting in the bedroom playin video games .
I cleaned out all 18 Blue bird houses this morning. By the time I was done someone was moving into one of the first ones. Spring has sprung.
I did not collect them, I made them for customers and for our yard art display. But, with some exceptions to a normal birdhouse. Hello, If your relatives lived in a old 70 plus year old house in Orange County in So Cal, I have the last remnants of that old redwood siding house. the company I used back in the late 60s was from Santa Ana. They were the only small company that was in the construction business, but not for construction, but destruction. Carefully, board by board. Most cities back then would like to see old houses torn down and a new construction home pop up to replace the old dilapidated structure. This guy had the notion that one day, someone or some company will buy this old wood that was rescued by his “destruction company.” He had to be on the ball to get notices of estate sales and old homes marked for removal. So, he gets the approval of the owner or land baron to go in weeks early of the day of bulldozing and carefully remove the old cedar planks, the redwood siding and fence slats. Those two woods stood the test of time and his shop specialized in them, exclusively. Bugs, termites and other destructive bugs hate cedar and redwood. So, carefully he noted the year of the build, the types of wood and the area from where it came. Jnaki When I was in a search for old wood, our older family neighborhood in the Westside of Long Beach would have been a great candidate. Craftsman houses with redwood siding and fence slats, poles and they were usually in great shape. But, by the time I was searching for the wood, a local school district came in with bulldozers and crews to roll over all of those old historic homes. Today, that whole block is an elementary, middle and the newest high school in Long Beach. Where did that old wood go? The closest place was a huge dump in neighboring Carson, several miles away. Note: This above photo was the last remaining birdhouse I built for display in our own home and then relegated to the yard. I had made at least 15 to 20 40-50 year old redwood slats from old homes in the center of Santa Ana. The shop had labels from where it came and when. I had a stack of old/new wood for my projects and that was the start of birdhouses. At first it was to sell and I had several old antiques stores wanting to stock my old birdhouses. They were not just birdhouses, but display bird house to go with most decorating ideas as shelf or table area decorations. Indoors or Out... For a non rusty environment, some had galvanized nails that looked like old nails. For others, steel nails rusted as they sat outside in all sorts of weather, leaving a nice patina. No bird was able to make a home inside of any of my creations. The rooflines had beveled edges as to the design parameters and 45 degree cuts to fit any shape of construction. The side walls had 45 degree corners for a perfect fit and rigidity. Then the additional detailing of windows and doors were created with old scraps from the floor cuttings and/or original old faded paint left overs. The surprising thing was a hole in the front facing fascia. The look of an opening had surprised many a wandering bird when these were left outside. Fly in and wham, no entry as it was a hole, but not a full on hole for access to the inside. I was able to get some old decrepit wood from a neighbor's fence tear down project. She was putting in a new taller fence and so, I created a birdhouse with her wood and made a miniature white picket fence to surround the new/old house structure. It looked like her yard and house. Note2: As a young married couple, we had a run in with old birds living in old houses and structures. They are messy, draw all kinds of diseases and wandering bugs that bite humans. So, I made it a thing that it would look like a hole, but inside the birdhouse was as clean as a real house. The folks that bought them or family members that got them as gifts, used them in their houses. Some put them outside in the yard or front porch attached to the front porch railing or a separate pole. But, no wandering birds were allowed. Since I had made real holes and a stick perch for the major birdhouse entrance like other birdhouses, it was there. So, if the owner wanted a real hole, it did not take long to completely drill the hole saw through what was left of the original wood siding used as a fascia. Of all the birdhouses I made and gave away, not one was with a hole all the way to the inside. People felt the same way about bird crap and things that go with said birds... Over the years, the birdhouses were all given to our relatives and friends as gifts. So, when it was time for our granddaughter to play in the yard with her mini dolls or small cars, we had just the thing sitting in the garage, clean as a whistle. YRMV
That's a cute one! We never had a bird house in our yard, but after reading this thread, i am going to order one. Heard some good things about gardner white. They probably will have some decent option, right?
Just found this thread, great stuff! There is sister car to this one somewhere in the basement. The life size version Regal Underslung would be a great one to have. Bob
I don't make mine. I been buying blue bird houses from an Amish guy for $6. Can't buy the wood for that. I have about 30 out last year, almost all were used by somebody.
This is about bird 'houses' but it's a different kind of bird house. I knew nothing about pardalotes until around 15 years ago when the local paper (Oz) had a small item (and pic) about them. Then, about 12 years ago now, there were a couple of them in the backyard, flying into and out of the garage via the small openings in a trellis gate. It was summer. One day I saw them fly in and I very carefully went into the garage (from the house) and stood motionless, just watching them. I was wearing shorts and T shirt. One pardalote went to the very back of the garage and the other was picking at an old coat. There was a sledge hammer standing upright on the concrete floor. One of the birds flew to the tip of the handle and then, for a very brief moment, landed on my right elbow before flying off. It must have been later that year that I had cut down a small tree that was too close to the back of the house. The stump was still there but I had excavated around the stump to a depth of about 18 inches and it stayed like that for a bit too long. Probably September or October I saw a couple of pardalotes pecking at the side of the hole. They flew off and I gouged out a hole, about 2 inches in diameter and 6 to 8 inches long, with a small piece of angle iron. They came back and entered the hole, presumably trying to extend it. I dug it out some more when they left and they came back and nested in there for several weeks until the chicks were ready to fly. I could see the tunnel/nest from the back verandah and I think I was watching the day they all took off. I would have left the hole there for another year to see if they would come back but someone else wanted the stump gone ... Here's a photo I took a few years later when there were two pardalotes hanging around in the backyard; this one was relaxing on a rose bush just outside the verandah window. (to be continued)
Melbourne area, but my bird book tells me that they are spread from the Queensland coast, down through eastern NSW, across Victoria and are also in southern WA.
OK, that's why I have never seen one in Pennsylvania. Aussie and NZ are about the only two places I would like to see outside the US.
Bluebirds are back and moving in. Haven't seen ay wrens yet. And the wood bees are making love to a bush in front of the house. They are fun to shoot with a .22 and birdshot.
No one has started nest building in any of my boxes but the Carolina Wrens already built a next in an old plant pot and have several eggs.
The Jalopy Journal
