Nikon 10x50
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Sorry guys; the rod and reel take second fiddle. This is what it's all about for us.

Very cool, Bski. I enjoy bird/critter watching as well...good optics make all the difference.

That's 90% of what hunting is all about for me...just watching and learning.

"Captain Spaulding's Expedition to the Okavango: Day 37, still searching for the Filigreed Angolan Foo Bird"



(Those are a nice pair o' bins, Bski)

Hey!!!! That's my wife, buddy!

No one ever implied Captain Spaulding lacked taste or forethought when planning an expedition.

I saw a Bald Eagle yesterday. That makes 2 or 3 this year.

Last October I saw 4 in a group soaring at a 1000 feet or so. That was pretty cool.

No ground breaking species sightings to report, but I got an excellent look at a couple of barn swallows yesterday sitting on this fence. They were the most remarkable iridescent blue color.

Brettski, any luck with the Wood Ducks nesting yet?

nada

I saw an Oregon Form 40N yesterday. We don't get many of those in California. Sure we see a lot of Arizona 140s and of course California 540s are everwhere. But an Oregon Form 40N, what a treat that was.

Be sure and record it in your book.

Brettski, the spot your have your wood duck box in the pic looks great. Hopefully the woodies will find it soon. I love the flooded timber look. Does the water stay that way year round or just during the spring high water?

I set up a game camera on the creek near our cabin hoping to get some different pictures and got this one:



As of yet, they aren't nesting. In years past they've used our boxes.

They are so beautiful it's hard to believe they exist...seriously - I love Wood ducks.

Definitely the most beautiful and striking of any waterfowl IMO.

Bski -

Since I built the ponds last year there are three new species of birds I've identified for the first time in my life:

Bobolink
Baltimore Oriole
Wood Duck

the fourth is some kind of a prairie sparrow I can't get close enough to identify. I'm trying to get a recording of it's call so I can hit the websites and try to determine. I will keep you posted. Have you made any unexpected discoveries at your place?

The crib we cashed out to develop this new project was our biggest leap in bird exposure. I don't know that there is another place as bird-diverse as the Tippecanoe River. LNP has turned out to be a good deal for birding, but it's still developing as the pond matures. This page is general rundown. It helps us keep track.

We saw our first Orioles at the Tippy place. We had a piece of 1 x 4 x 36" pine board with 4 pc of 3" drywall screws poked thru it so the screws stick out one side. The board was screwed to a tree and we would cut oranges in half and impale a 1/2 orange on each of the drywall screws. The orioles would gorge themselves on the oranges. They stand on top of the orange, lean over, and pick out the fruit. Crazy.

Which species of oriole do you have out your way Brettski? In my area the Baltimore species loves to build it's nest right on the edge of a water body. They often take fisherman's discarded fishing line to construct their hanging nests with.

Do you guys get any gold finches, we have plenty and the males are just starting to turn brite gold, it almost hurts your eyes.

I've seen hundreds of pics of Orioles, Wood ducks, Bobolinks - I even recognized some of their calls from recordings, but when you really ID one on your OWN PLACE it's some kind of sublime moment.

AP - I have 10 feeders in my backyard in surburban Lincoln, NE, and get Goldfinches all Fall, Winter and now they are turning bigtime and will be headed to the country to get their thing going. Canary yellow right now - really something!! Last two winters I've been rewarded with Pine Siskins and Red Breasted Nuthatches both of which are pretty notable for Lincoln. Must be a shortage of forage up in the N woods?

Bski

I know I keep sayings this - bou have a breathtaking place, ability for capturing great photos, and a kick*ss website. I love fishing...but like you I'm trying to do more of an Aldo Leopold thing....

BTW - when's the last time you stewards of the environment read Sand County Almanac? Dust it off...really keeps me aligned to what my responsibilities are!

Baltimore, but haven't seen them since departing the riverfront property.

TJ, goldfinches or as my dad calls them salad birds are unusual in that their nesting season is later July into August. It is timed with the peak of their food supply abundance. Almost no other species of bird nests that late in the year. I love their call, such a cheery sound! They sure do love thistle seed....

Sand County Almanac was required reading for my introduction to wildlife and fisheries science class at Penn State. Definitely a great book!

Ditto @ UW Stevens Point for me.

Brettski:

Have you ever tried digiscoping? When I get more time I'd like to get an adapter for my spotting scope and give it a try. I've seen some amazing pics taken that way.

Brettski,

Another great thread. I didn't realize there were so many bird watchers here. I'm only mildly into it, but my wife has developed a real passion for them. She'll sit for hours with her camera, binoculars and bird books trying to get a good picture or identify a new species.

Currently, she has positively identified 67 different species of birds on our land. Some are hear only for certain times of the year and for a very short time, while others are here year round. We know that there are allot of other species here, but have not seen them, or been able to be positive in identifying them. If we are not 100% sure, then we won't add it to our list.

Our weapons of choice are also 10x50 binoculars. Mine are Swarovski, and hers are Pentax. She also carries a Cannon S2 camera with an optical 12x lens. It's still not enough for ever picture, and getting a great picture of the birds is more about the photographer then the camera, it's still a very good camera. She's thinking of upgrading it to one with more power, but it's so hard to keep this one steady, even on a tripod, that we're not sure if it's worth the expense. She also has attachments to increase the magnification 1.6X and filters to improve clarity, or add interest.

I just enjoy going for a walk with her and seeing what's out there. When we first started living here, we didn't have the big pond, and there was only a few trails and open areas. Since building Lake Marabou, clearing our back pasture and creating our roads, we've noticed a tremendous increase in bird activity. I can't say if it's improved habitat, more diverse habitat or if it's just that we can see them better, but our bird count went way up in just a year after most of the work was done.

Here's a list of our 67 Bird Species.

American Coot
American Crow
American Kestrel
American Robin
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black Vulture
Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher
Blue Grosbeak
Blue Jay
Brewer's Blackbird
Brown Headed Cowbird
Brown Headed Nuthatch
Brown Thrasher
Canada Goose
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Cattle Egret
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Kingbird x
Eastern Phoebe
Egyptian Goose
Grackle Common
Great Blue Heron
Great Horned Owl
Greater Roadrunner
Gold Finch
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Hairy Woodpecker
Harris Sparrow
House Finch
Inca Dove
Indigo Bunting
Little Blue Heron
Mallard Duck
Morning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northen Flicker
Northern Mockingbird
Painted Bunting
Pileated Woodpecker
Pine Siskin
Pine Warbler
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red Shouldered Hawk
Red Tailed Hawk
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Ruby Humming Bird
Savanah Sparrow
Scissor Tail Flycatcher
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Summer Tanager
Titmouse
Turkey, Rio Grand
Turkey Vulture
White Breasted Nuthatch
White-crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Wood Duck
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow Billed Cuckoo
Yellow-Rumped Warbler


Eddie

Before the photography thing gets too far outta hand, the page I link on our LNP website for wildlife is a collection of "borrowed" pics from the www. No way I could do work that well, let alone get that close either physically or with the proper photo equipment.
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Our best (and only) photo equipment is a simple Kodak Z812 point-and-shoot with a 12x optical zoom. It's more than this ham-and-egger can possibly hope to operate. Maybe someday that will change...maybe not.

I have the same camera Brettski, works well for me. I love the 12x optical zoom for taking pictures of deer when driving around at work.

I'm going to cram a compliment down your throat one of these days, Bski.

Find that picture of him at the racetrack wearing shorts and mention his legs.

outahere

he said he would cram the compliment down my THROAT

Wearing his deal o the century shades, I'm hopeful.

A beer to anyone who can post this pic...payable at he PBC

That's a very impressive list, Eddie. You are fortunate to have a climate that attracts seasonal visitors but also obviously have a great variety of resident species. Some of my favorites I have yet to witness in person include:

Blue Grobeak
Cedar Waxwing
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Pileated Woodpecker

You are very fortunate - if you have any pics I'd love to see them!

So THAT'S what LEOs do while driving during work. I've always wondered.

I believe there'll be no charge.

Holy Nair commercial...who's got short shorts?

Theo - your favorite bottle is on me.

Good to finally meet you, Bski.

It's a good thing that I usually don't drink while I'm using the laptop or I would have spit all over the keyboard! It's been a while since I've heard that commercial!!!!

Do those shorts have pockets, or are they busting at the seams.

The area of the flooded timber (first pic of this thread) is our latest destination at the pondsite.



It is only easily accessed by either boat or the 1/4 mile trail we cut thru impossible bramble thickets and twisted, downed Black Locust trees. The wandering white line is an approximation of the trail. The white arrow depicts the photo location.

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We selected this destination for the trail because it terminates at the base of a draw that brings in alot of our drainage water. Having the trail wander thru totally unmanaged and wild timber and brambles is a natural gift. It took a couple years of "on again, off again" sweat & toil with a chainsaw and handheld brush cutter, but we finished it last fall. It happens to be the same pond area where I went thru the ice a couple winters ago. It is probably the best trail we have since you get glimpses of the pond all the way, depending on the leafage. The end of the trail is neat little flat plateau at the base of the draw. It's about 20 feet around, guarded by old downed trees and uprooted stumps. It looks out to the pond, behind the wood duck boxes. This entire nasty, unmanaged timber zone is LOADED with birds; primarily woodies. I hope to someday construct some kind of a cool deck, screen gazebo, or something that would protect us from bugs and still afford the wild exposure. Take a walk with us for the last 50 feet or so as we descend the gradual incline into the draw.

It really did take some guts for Brettski to post that picture way back. What a dork.
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.Just kidding Bro!

While I'm working on a serious post, you guys are cuttin' me up. ...... I'm honored !!!
You guys are losin' your touch. Nobody picked up on the gold chain.

"Helluva race back there, Twobit."

"Why thankee, stranger. Glad you could make it out today. Say, them's some purty nifty short-pants you're sportin there."

"Yes, yes they are. They're a gift from Greg Luganis. I especially enjoy the roomy pockets..."

"Yes sir - yer whole hand can fit in there! And say, that gold chain DO throw off a nice shine onto that chest toupe- I bet the babes can't get enough of it?"

"I'll say - and this is my light chain for Summer. You oughta see my Winter chains..."

I pity the foo' that makes funna the gold "B" on my chain.
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Should I drag out the spandex disco pics?

I hate to break up the Bski fun fest, but can any of you bird experts ID this skinny leg bird. He didn't seem bothered by me in the canoe.

without even grabbing the bird ID book, my first reaction is a green heron. Were the legs orange/yellow in color?

or, maybe not...?
anybody got the book handy?

You are kidding right.

no...but I don't think it's a green heron. I only reacted to what appeared to be yellow legs. Too bad it wasn't in blue short shorts.

OK, you got me.

Here are a few of the bird pics that my wife has taken.

Eddie
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I think the legs are set too far forward for a heron, more like a shorebird, but the beak sure says fish catcher! I'll defer to the experts.

Eddie great photos, but you need to id them for us bird challenged folk, i knew 4 for sure.

The picture I put up is a small bird, I looked it up last year but I can't remember.

It's a species of sandpiper... Probably a Spotted Sandpiper, Actitis macularia. That long beak is not for fishing eating but rather is used to probe soft wet soil for invertebrates which makes up the bulk of it's diet. A very neat bird!

Spotted Sandpiper

Also the only "shore bird" in that family that nests in the United States. Make him or her happy and they may just make some babies on your place!

It looks like you nailed it CJ, the bird was persistent running around on the floating island.

Do you pull this info off the top of your head, or do you have volumes of wildlife books surrounding your computer.
I don't know how you do it.

N Cardinal
Red Bellied Woodpecker or Flicker
Downy or Hairy Woodpecker
Cedar Waxwing [Yeah!]
Scarlet Tanager or Western Tanager?
No idea
Rose Breasted Grosbeak
Goldfinch
Indigo Bunting

How'd I do?

Shooot - SUMMER Tanager!

Good job CJ! Looks like the non-breeding plumage.

Whats the one I missed? Can't think of anything without cheating in my birding book...and I don't want to!

The Tanager is a Summer Tanager. It is the bird that got Steph interested in bird watching and identification. She saw it and realized that it wasn't a cardinal. She saw the gray colored beak and got to wondering about it. Once she got it in her head, there was no stopping her. She bought several books and went from one discovery to dozens of them!!!

The one you can't identify is an immature Blue Grosbeak. It's the only picture of one that she's gotten so far, and we rarely see them. She was pretty sure it was a blue grosbeak, but posted it on a bird forum to be sure.

Eddie

Brettski, nice peaceful video, thanks for sharing.

We have some killer conservation vibes going in this thread! Thoreau, Whittier and Muir and smiling somewhere.

Teehjaeh,

Cedar waxwing are among the most beautiful of birds, but you don't want them to visit your fruit trees. They nip off the blooms, and carry plant disease.

My biggest birding thrill was a pair of night hawks (in the nightjar/whipporwill family). Every day at about dark, the male would climb and dive, making a loud, eerie booming sound with his fluttering wings. That's to impress lady nighthawks and scare off rival males. I found their nest on bare ground, and had to be careful not to run over it with the dozer.

I have a minor in wildlife and fisheries science. I had to take classes, such as:

W F S 406 Ornithology Laboratory (1) Laboratory and field identification of Pennsylvania birds, avian ecology and behavior, field survey techniques. (Had to be able to identify every bird found in Pennsylvania by their common and scientific name by sight and sound)

W F S 407 Ornithology (3) Introduction to the biology, ecology, adaptations, and conservation of birds. I got an A in both classes... It was a lot of memorization. Most of the scientific names I have forgotten do to a lack of use, but I remember most of the other stuff.

Other classes I took:

W F S 209 (GN) Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation (3) Survey of current and historical issues in wildlife and fisheries conservation; emphasis on vertebrate biodiversity, habitat management and protection, and populations.

W F S 310 Wildlife and Fisheries Measurements (3) Introduction to field and laboratory approaches for collecting, analyzing, and communicating data regarding wildlife and fish populations and their habitats.

W F S 408 Mammalogy (3) Identification, systematics, characteristics, adaptations, ecology, behavior, natural history and conservation, and socio-economic aspects of mammals.

W F S 409 Mammalogy Laboratory (1) Laboratory and field identification of mammals, ecology and behavior of mammals, field survey techniques.

W F S 410 General Fishery Science (3) Introduction to the study, management, and uses of fish populations; methods of investigation, culture, and harvest of fishes.

W F S 422 Ecology of Fishes (3) Role of fishes in aquatic communities and general ecosystems. Environmental factors influencing fish as individuals, populations, and communities.

W F S 430 (FOR 430) Conservation Biology (3) The application of biological principles to issues in the conservation of biodiversity.

W F S 450 (E R M 450) Wetland Conservation (3) Wetland types, classification, functions and values; hydrology, soils, and plants; introduction to wetland identification and delineation; wetland regulations.

W F S 452 Ichthyology (2) Study of the structure, taxonomy, systematics, and natural history of freshwater and marine fishes.

W F S 453 Ichthyology Laboratory (2) Identification of fishes, major fish families, use of keys. (Big reason I know so darn much about fish, even the little forage fish)

W F S 463W Fishery Management (3) Management of sport and commercial fisheries, including biological, political, social, and economic factors; regulations and other management techniques.

FOR 203L Field Dendrology (2) Field and laboratory identification of native and introduced trees and shrubs by leaf, fruit, bud, twig, bark.

FOR 308 Forest Ecology (3) Effects of environment, spacing, and age on trees; forest influences; origin and development of forest communities.

I had originally majored in wildlife and fisheries science, but changed my mind 3/4 of the way through. So I ended up taking more credits than I even needed for a minor. When I look back, I probably should have just gotten a duel major, but since I was not going into a field related to wildlife or fisheries science I didn't bother. It kind of seems like a waste now... However, I do have lots of worthless knowledge to share. Any fisheries biologist on here like Mr. Lusk or Bill Cody has taken classes similar to these and probably many more. Dr. Willis I am sure teaches classes like the ones I took! Since Chris is working on his degree, he is probably taking some like this right now!

OK, I guess you don't have volumes of books around your computer, but what made you go into law enforcement.

Alright CJ, for the grand prize an all expenses paid trip to the nearest Dunkin Donuts ID these birds. (NO CHEATING)

Changed my major to criminal justice at the end of my junior year and had to do an extra year of college because of it. Figured job security would be a little better and I could live where I wanted. They need cops everywhere and they are always hiring more cops. I only work on average half the days of the week instead of the normal 5, lots of free time to hunt, fish and play around with ponds. Police work is interesting as well... Sometimes I wish I'd have continued and became a fisheries biologists, but I get to kinda do that on my own, so no complaints.

Bird ID

I want to begin by stating I have never taken a single course in ornithology - I am 100% self taught!

Secondly - is this for CJ or TJ? I don't care, I'm going for it anyhow.

First bird....Barred Owl? I don't know my owls so well....but I do like them a lot.
Second bird - I can't see the face too well, but I'm thinking either Snowbird [dark eyed Junco] or a Chickadee...

AP, how did I do? Even close?

TJ

eastern screech owl or saw whet owl, hard to tell from pic,

chickadee...

My $.02 says screech and grey jay.

TJ, you got the barred owl right.
DIED, you get a 0, back to school.
esshup. you got the grey jay.

We'll see what CJ has to say tonight, maybe were all wrong.

adirondack pond:

How tall is the owl? The breast feathers match a barred, but the head is more like a screech from that angle.

Size will tell!

esshup, the photo isn't great cause I had it on digital magnification but the owl was atleast 18", way too big for a screech.
He just sat there while I shoveled snow off the deck but when I brought the roof rake out he didn't like something being above him so he took off.
We did see a screech owl a couple years ago about 2 miles from the cabin, he was sitting in a tree next to a large swampy field.

Being that big, Barred it is! An ex girlfriend rehabbed raptors. I was amazed to see even screech owls eat an adult mouse whole!

Not a grey jay expert, or any bird expert, but I'm thinking thats not a grey jay. Never saw a bird like the one in the pic.

burgermeister, there are different sub species in north america, plus winter and summer plumage, they can look quite different.

I gotcha. I have only seen them in the Colorado rockies.

Well bird 1 is definitely a Barred Owl, Strix varia. They love wet low wooded areas, so if this was taken near your pond it fits just right.

Bird 2 is I am pretty sure a Gray Jay, Perisoreus canadensis. They are about as tame a bird as you can find. They are rarely found much further south than upstate New York so I have little personal experience with them other than a few trips I have made to NY and Maine.

Both are very cool birds though.

We were snowmobiling in the moose river plains and stopped at an intersection known as the big T, the groomers and snowmobilers bring food for the deer and there are lots of them. The chickadees will eat out of your hand but the jays stay atleast 3 ft away.

My niece feeding chickadee's and deer.

I love chickadees. I believe it was in A Sand County Almanac where Leopold would catch and band chickadees and had several different birds come back for like 8 years in a row... Now that is neat!

Never heard of the Sand County Almanac, I'll have to check with the Library.

It is a great book, definitely a worthy read for any outdoor lover.

AP, if I know you like I think I do, you will love this read. The newest editions [sometime in the 1990's] are replete with photos taken on Leopolds farm. Stunning photography to go along with one of conservationists' holy books.

There's been times when I'm deer hunting (standing) in Northern Wi. that I've had Chickadees land on the gun barrel.

outahere

Pretty Canada geese... If they weren't so common, I think people would enjoy their beauty that much more!

When one sees way too much of something, one can get sick of it.

When I was 12 years old I got a single shot Winchester 20 guage for Christmas.
Got to be a pretty good barn swallow wing shot - served me well later in life on quail and pheasant - still my favorite upland game bird.

I'd go to jail in this day of age for shooting songbirds.

My wife is the bird watcher in our family.
She sits at the breakfast table and ID's all the birds that come to her many feeders outside the window.

George, if you could consistently hit barn swallows in flight, you're a better shot than I! They make doves look clumsy...

I know a very good wingshot that grew up practicing on purple Martins and Swallows.....

You're right George, you'd be in LOTS of trouble doing that today!

There are times that I think Doves are just as hard to hit!

Well, well....
First (and only) bald eagle today at LNP. It had to be. I didn't have the binocs but it it floated in on the wind and warm thermals off the treetops, maybe 200 feet away by line of sight. Fortunately, I have exceptional long distance vision in these old eyes, or I wouldn't even make this post. The head and neck were solid white and I could see the yellow of the beak. The body was solid, very dark brown, and the fanned out tail was stark white. The color changes from the head to body to tail were very clearly defined; no blending. The wingspan and form was defo eagle. I can't imagine it being anything else. Any thoughts to the contrary?

my dad told DIED he wasnt mature enough to read that book, so he gave it to DWIED.

b'ski, a mature bald eagle is kind of like gold......you know it when you see it. i'm happy to report they have moved in to almost all of our foothill lakes here.



might you get osprey's too??



both those shots were taken by a guy i know at lake amador about 30 minutes from my place.

We defo have the opreys. I saw a pair sky-dancing a couple of weeks ago. This bird today was not an osprey. It could have been something else...if there is a bird with the same distictive color description I provided.
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edit; we had an osprey land in a treetop about 500 feet away. It stayed there for about 3 or 4 minutes while I got to zero in with the 10x binocs. The eagle is magnificent, but the osprey is absolutely scary awesome. Those yellow eyes are the stuff nightmares are made of. And the talons...Dude! the talons!

Not a good time to be a bright colored orange koi hanging around the surface of a pond with an osprey around...

The best time that I had with a raptor was running my Springer for a falconer that had a Mexican Peregrine Falcon. She'd flush the pheasant, then sit until I released her. The Peregrine would make that pheasant look like someone opened a feather pillow up in the sky! I said the same thing about that birds' talons. He said that the bird had the longest talons vs. body size of any of the N. American raptors.

Well, I just tried finding that bird, and can't. (on the internet) Any suggestions? I'll try and describe it, but it was about 15 years ago.....

Size, larger than the N. American Peregrine, but smaller than a Redtail - akin to the size of a rough legged hawk, lots of brown, HUGE talons!

I'm sure that he said that it was a Mexican peregrine, and teh guy that got us together (and was there as well) was THE southern district DNR small game/upland game biologist for Ca. He retired in '98 I believe.

As I recall, there are several different subspecies of Peregrine falcon all over the world. The ones found in the east are all reintroduced and are a hodge podge mixture of the other subspecies because of the numerous semi feral birds that escaped into the wild. The subspecies of falcon found in Mexico is actually slightly smaller than was the now extinct more eastern falcon subspecies.

In the 4 years that we have had the wood duck nesting boxes installed, I cannot honestly say that I have actually seen a wood duck at the pond. We got hooded mergansers and mallards to visit, but nothing as colorful as a woodie. Since we are absentee, and the nesting boxes are so far away and inaccessible by land, I have no idea what's been going on...or not.
This past weekend, I finally got to see the skittish little buggers. They did one heck of alot of flying recon missions over the pond, away for awhile, then back over the pond, then finally landing. Their reputation for liking quiet, undisturbed privacy was apparent.
I stood inside our tiny 10 x 12 cabin this morning, peering out the door window, sipping a cup of coffee and looking at our gar/apt project with the day's construction plans going thru my weary brain. 2 woodies came paddling over toward the boat dock, then climbed up the shore to investigate our project.
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Then they took off and flew right over to the seclusion of the flooded timber and decided to check out the digs.
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Yes! Congrats Bski. I sure hope they take up residence in one of your fine boxes...then you can grace us with photos a plenty.

I scared off three wood ducks on my ponds a week ago. I bought all the materials I'll need to build boxes. I am hoping to get them in sometime this week...still probably won't get any takers this year as it's late in the season, but maybe next year.

Very cool. Last weekend I went floating on a creek and saw 10-12 Wood Ducks. They would fly downstream when they saw us. We jumped them about 5 or 6 times over a few miles.

Brettski:

Good news! I'll bet you will have little wood ducks this year. I'm glad that you posted that pic. I will be putting up one of those Mallard Tubes and was wondering how close I could put it to the Wood Duck box.

Don't presume my layout is a formula for success. I really don't know either way.

Brettski,

Have you done any maintenance on the wood duck boxes? Just asking since they should be cleaned out ever year and have fresh bedding added. I good job to due in the winter. I have wood duck boxes on our property in Northern Wisconsin for the last 25 years. I have woodies in most boxes ever year. My dad was at the property the first weekend in Feb. and cleaned out all eight of them.

I have a lot of wood ducks around my farm in Illinois and put in some wood duck boxes last fall on the new pond. I have mixed emotions now since most likely I have to drain the pond to fix a leak. I kind of hope the woodies don't use the boxes this year but doubt it since I see many pairs on my propert looking for nesting place from now though turkey season.

Scott

I just read in preparation for my WD boxes that they are very territorial, at least in regards to other WDs, and to space boxes at least 100 ft from eachother and, if possible, out of the range of sight. Not sure if other duck species would be the same, but 100 feet spacing seems like a safe bet to me.

I've had one woodie box on my pond for 3 seasons now, the little buggers are on my pond all spring and summer but have never used the box, I see them in the stream near the pond also so they must be using old trees.

TJ:

I read that they should be placed so the hens wouldn't see another woodie box if they looked out their own nest box. I think 100' is a safe bet anyway. I had a pair want to land on the pond today, but I was out there and they headed to the next pond South of me. He's got a couple of pair that nest there.

I cleaned them out the first winter, then missed the next winter and also this current winter. My bad; too busy with other stuff. Mother Nature will have to provide cleaning instructions to whatever squatter might shack up.

B'ski see what happens when you take that 15 mins prior to starting work to enjoy what is around you. It keeps things in perspective.

Before I read that wood duck boxes should be out of sight of each other, I had nine boxes on the south side of my pond spaced seventy feet apart. Doesn't seem to be a problem and there has been no dumping.

After hatch out, the ducks don't stay in the pond but head off into the woods. Actually, the only time I see the ducks is when they're selecting the nesting box, during the laying time, and as hatchout approaches. I saw multiple pairs scouting the area yesterday.

I clean the boxes each December. It's incredibly messy in the boxes with egg shells, eggs that failed to hatch, and wet wood shavings full of very tiny bugs. No self-respecting duck would nest in a box that hasn't been cleaned.

Last year, I put up four nesting boxes for a few black-bellied whistling ducks that had been frequenting the pond, the boxes being a little larger than wood duck boxes and with a five inch opening. I had been seeing them for a year and, thinking they had been attracted by the wood duck boxes, decided to put up boxes accommodating their larger size. A few weeks after the boxes were up, the whistling ducks left and haven't been back, which is unfortunate because, unlike woodies, the whistling ducks stayed in and around the pond and even came close to the camp. The woodies will probably take over those boxes as well as their own nine.

Understand it is hard to get to everything especially when there are other projects on the mind

Woodrow!
Woodrow has shown a great amount of interest in a snag about 50 feet from our little part-time cabin. This morning he was pretty busy.

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(please excuse the background noise; the truck is idling just out of frame)



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I love the call of the Pileated woodpecker, reminds me of jungle birds, but they sure can make a mess of a tree.
It looks like he can't decide if the tree is worth the trouble.

The first time I saw one in the woods was 2 years ago behind the house. I was sitting in the tree stand waiting for a deer when this BIG woodpecker flew into the tree and started eating the wild grapes that were in a tree maybe 50 Yds from me. I never realized how big they were.

Your LNP project is coming along nicely Brettski!

2 questions for ya. How many 'rats did the trapper get, and did you have any more follow-up on your tresspassers? Locally, towards the end of the season some guys here were getting $8.00/rat in the round (unskinned). Nobody saw that coming!

Pileated woodpeckers are impressive birds in person. Great photo and video. Nothing like sitting in a tree stand deer hunting have having one pounding away on a dead tree next to you or eating poison ivy berries 3 feet from your face!

I know it wasn't intended as funny, but this video is absolutely hilarious, Brettski! I couldn't help cracking up as he kept looking side to side after pecking the tree! Absolutely beautiful bird. My wife watched one for about 15 minutes at our place one day last week. She guessed it was about a foot tall. It was working on an old downed tree and when we both went later to look at the trunk, we saw that this guy has drilled some seriously impressive holes in it. Truly amazing birds.

I saw several Bald eagles while fishing on Toledo Bend this past weekend..close too...within 50ft

I used wood shavings this year instead of straw, and that seemed to do the trick.

We had another new visitor and first for the LNP pond. A Pied billed Grebe was enjoying the free dinner last weekend and was still there this weekend. In fact, I think I saw a pair of them this weekend.
This is a file pic from another website.

It spends ALOT OF TIME underwater. It's so small (about 12 or 13" long) and it's bill seems so small that I can't imagine he's mowing down alot of fish...or at least the big ones.
Anybody got first hand experience with these birds?

Cute bird and I say let them have fun.

Every place we've lived for the last 30 years, or so, has included several pileated woodpeckers. They are very territorial. We believe we currently have four. We call them our North, South, East, and West pileated friends.

Mostly they are very welcome neighbors. I leave several "snags" per acre for all of our wild friends. The West Pileated, who is by far the biggest, attacks the snags out our bedroom window. The East Pileated, who is the smallest, attacks the snags out our kitchen window. We had an old stump out the basement door for several years. Last spring, in just two days, one of our pileated friends reduced it to roots and chips.

Living in a log home with them in the neighborhood is a challenge. We have taken a lot of precautions, but every once in a while, we get carpenter bees or some other buzzing critter in our outside structure. It only takes minutes for a pileated to cause lots of serious damage. Last summer, it took about two full days for carpenters to repair damage the pileateds did in the springtime.

We also have downies, red bellies, and flickers. All are very welcome in our woods and at our feeders.

Brettski,

Pied bills were one of the most common water birds we saw when I was taking my ornithology field class in college. They are not overly shy but do spend lots of time under water like you noted. They don't feed a lot on fish, but more on invertebrates. A neat bird... What is your bird count up to at the LNP now?

Who the heck cleans out them nests that're 50 feet up in the dead maple trees on my place? I cleaned the boxes on the ponds religiously the first three seasons...and they never used them. The insisted the dead trees on the creek over the hill were better...I gave up cleaning them out. If they want to use 'em, they can clean them on their own.

I agree Matt, the wood ducks are on my pond spring, summer and fall but they won't nest, but there are lots of big dead trees that they prefer and I see them on the stream near the pond, so from now on spring cleaning is their job.

We were greeted on this trip by a passel of hooded mergansers. Dski was thrilled. I maintained reservations, but admittedly, I enjoyed seeing them (and secretly hoped that their visit would be somewhat brief).

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THEY MUST BE TAKING A BATH (click me)

Nope, not bath time, it's dinner time.

Hoodies are so small I can't imagine them taking anything very big though. Maybe do Brettski a favor and thin out his small YOY gills? I doubt they'll stay long.

Kinda my thoughts, too CB1...not that I have much choice as to their dining decisions.
No gills were stocked, though I think we all know that they can/will somehow "arrive". Instead, there should be plenty of RES, YP, GSH, and FH to select from on the menu.
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they were gone the following morning

Somehow I missed the posts on the Pileated WP. Those are one of my favorite birds.

Sunil...were you able to click/open the Pileated video I posted on the previous page? I find now that I cannot do so without being asked by Photobucket to log in.
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edit; never mind, just re-linked it

No, it wanted me to log in.

The Hooded Mergansers must be migrating thru the area. One Drake and 3 hens were on the pond this a.m.

Big-head is back...

Did he really ever leave ? Every pond we have has a pair.

migratory for us

We don't have that bird. What is it?

Belted King Fisher.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/id

We have had somewhat minimal luck with attracting ducks to the pond. We get them, but never much more than a dozen or so at a time. There are many weekends that we don't see any duck activity. Dski loves them little quackers, so whenever we get any duck activity, she gives the binoc's a real workout. It does my heart good to see her enjoying her favorite feathered visitors.
Well, the last few weekends have ushered substantial duckage adjustments. Being the spring, with migration and all, I presume that our chances for increased duckage are likely near a peak. We have always gotten a few Woodducks, Hooded Mergansers, Groebes, and an occassional Mallard. A few weeks ago, we got a new visitor that brought out the bird bood for ID. Our first Ringneck ducks. The next weekend, some more. This past weekend, I guesstimate 75 - 100 of the dabbling divers.



There were a few Woodducks, Mallards, and Hooded Mergansers mixed in, but by and large the vast majority was Ringnecks

Looks like there were some Scaup mixed in there as well.

Ringnecks are my favorite duck. When they are coming into land they sound like a little jet engine.

Had a pair of Wood ducks come into my duck pond today. The pond was dry yesterday but we got a good rain this morning that put a few feet of water in it. They hung around for a little while before all the water drained back out.

Having all this activity was like being at nature's airport. 4 would come in, 6 would leave, repeat. Because the pond is completely surrounded by tall, mature trees, they have to make a couple of circles around the pond perimeter after they lift off from the runway. It really is fun to watch.

I'll bet you'll see more on the pond next weekend.

...and furthermore
during this enjoyable weekend of high duckage, we also got exposed to a couple more duck newbies that we have not seen before.

Please note that these images were borrowed from the www. There is no way I can take pics like these

We got about 6 or 8 male and female green winged teals



...and this was the most unusual, at least for us. We got one drake Northern Shoveler...didn't bring a gal pal.

We saw this young lady last winter (at our principal residence), but she just made a rainy evening appearance for her spring debut.


Explanation

I see American Robins like that fairly regularly. One I saw Easter weekend was nearly all white. Cool looking bird...