Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Northern Flicker

Brettski, I think we need have a dedicated pond "bird watching" thread.

Man I miss your banter with TG. Clever funny stuff...those were the good old days.

We had a pileated woodpecker family a few years ago and although the birds are beautiful, I found their call to be an irritant. Continuous hours of that squaking was anything but pleasant. I'm happy that they moved on.
The wood ducks are now selecting their favorite nesting boxes.
We had six grebes that spent the winter as well as about thirty scaup. The grebe count remained at six throughout the winter but the scaup numbers varied with up to sixty or so present at times.
The six hundred plus gadwall that flew in for two weeks last year didn't show up this winter. Disappointing.
I certainly hope the black-bellied whistling ducks show up soon.

Aw man, Dudley!

I love having pileated woodpeckers around even with their hyena-esque call.

Think of all the duck poop in your pond that didn't happen, talk about adding to your pond's nutrient load.

T.J.,we just saw a flock of about 30 cedar waxwings in northern Va. but all the trees were cleared from this sub-division so they will move on. They are as pretty as any bird.

Sunil, eight hours of steady squawking will brew thoughts of a good use for that AK you're holding.

Shorty, if I don't get it via nature, I have to buy it by the bag to try to get an early bloom in order to avoid sunlight penetration. At eight feet, I'm much too shallow down here.

I love the Tanagers and Buntings but have never seen one, still the Waxwing is at the top of my list. You're really lucky Ken...if you get a chance to take a photo someday, I sure would appreciate it. Were they targeting your Hathornes?

T.J., this was at my son's house in Northern Va.,the subdivision has 8000 houses that are stuck together pretty close. The developers bulldoze everything and plant a few trees and shrubs after the house is built. They were feeding on a holly shrub about 4 ft. tall. They would have been lucky to get a couple of berries each. We do have a lot of haws around the oxbow ponds but the wood ducks stay around till the acorns and haw berries are gone. The waxwings feed big time on the Amer.Holly. They eat a third of the tree till it is finished but I can't remember ifthey start at the bottom or top. They also love red mulberry and I saw them twice last year on one in May or June. At every home we have lived in Va., we have had Scarlet Tanagers. You can hear them singing all the time but you will only see them a couple of times a year as they like dense woods. We have a ton of Indigo Bunting at the farms in Aylett.

I have seen scarlet tanagers and an indigo bunting only once here in Nebraska. I have seen cedar wax wings on several occasions but not often.

We have indigos nesting along the driveway in dense brush most years, but I have only seen one tannager and it moved on. Starkly red birds which make cardinals look pale by comparison.

Two of my favorites are Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, and Baltimore Orioles. Next favorite is the Wood Thrush. Nothing more beautiful than hearing them sing on a quiet day deep in the woods in the middle of nowhere.

BTW If you have an Android device, look up the Sibley Bird Guide application, which is based on the Sibley bird book. The application is amazing and worth every penny as it has several bird songs per bird, great lookup and logging features, etc. I find myself playing the bird songs as I watch it still snowing outside. I have been in a constant funk waiting for spring to kick in :-(.

-Mark

Rose Breasted Grosbeaks are another one we don't see often here but we do see Baltimore Orioles and Wood Thrush on a regular basis.

Here is an interesting fact about Northern Flickers and Bufflehead ducks.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/bufflehead/lifehistory

Squid, you're a weirdo. Join the club.

Due to climate changes [I assume] Lincoln has been rezoned for plantings from 4 to 5, Southern NE now has Armadillos, and Lincoln has Carolina Wrens year long. Many of you might be accustomed to them, but for me it's a thrill to hear such a foreign but beautiful call in the middle of Winter. You can hear them from blocks away on a still day. I also really enjoy another occasional Spring visitor during migration - the White Throated Sparrow. Again, this bird is pretty common in some areas, but for me it's a treat the 3-4 weeks I can hear them.

Due to our climate changes we only see these fellas around our ponds for 6 months out of the year.



Hello bird migration and... Good bye winter!

TJ, I'll see Bluebirds here all winter. I thought they all migrated further South.

I'm hearing them at the ponds, but haven't seen them staking out their houses, yet. Imagine the first grass is already gathering to form their nests, however. I'll check this weekend...

Wintering Bluebirds that far North is a new one to me - must be cool to see against the snow.