They are beautiful creatures aren't they. we have about 5 of them that come to the bird feeder, and what seems like a hundred fat squirrels.
I'll see them eating ants around here at times.
Northern Flickers sure are colorful. What's weird is I have found more random dead Flickers than any other kind of bird put together. We have a good population in urban Lincoln, and I always have suet cakes for them, Downys and Red Bellied WPs. They also will take peanuts and sunflower seeds at my feeders.
DJ if you put out suet in a cake feeder you may be able to get them to hang around more often, if you don't already. I prefer the hanging feeders which forces them to feed from beneath only, otherwise I get a lot of Jays, Grackles and Starlings that will kill in a day or two. Get's expensive to feed those incidental birds.
I wonder why I've seen so many dead Flickers? Think they might peck at electrical lines they perch upon?
I'll try the feeder and suet cake cause I'd like to see more.
thanks,
DJ this is type of upside down feeder that works for us well. We position it close to the sliding glass door and kitchen windows which face the backyard to afford a close up view of the various woodpeckers. We also get Carolina Wrens, and White and Red Breasted Nuthatches sometimes. They are all so agile and a blast to watch!
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TJ, Bird man of Lincoln....
That may be the species that was hammering my log home last year. I scared it off a few times but finally had to send some lead his or her way when it landed in a tree. Didn't want to do it but...
Don't know what it was thinking as the log home was recently resealed and there is no rotten wood or insects.
That may be the species that was hammering my log home last year. I scared it off a few times but finally had to send some lead his or her way when it landed in a tree. Didn't want to do it but...
Don't know what it was thinking as the log home was recently resealed and there is no rotten wood or insects.
I'll just pretend you didn't type that...poor Flicker!
Nobody said flickers are smart! I don't suppose their intelligence is what makes them special... It's the taste! hehe (NOTE: no flickers were harmed in the making of this post)
Flicker Fricassee? Brutal man! If you plan on harvesting them, forget the suet feeder plan, that doesn't allow them a sporting chance, DJ. Shame...
Northern Flickers like to eat ants and beetles.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/northernflicker/Northern flickers' fondness of ants has created another problem-a number of them have died after consuming ants contaminated with insecticides. One northern flicker's stomach contained almost 2,000 ants.
Did I say I killed it?
Truthfully I rarely kill anything anymore. I avoid it at all costs.
Gluttony (being one of the seven deadly sins) caused that Flicker to flicker out.
That may be the species that was hammering my log home last year. I scared it off a few times but finally had to send some lead his or her way when it landed in a tree. Didn't want to do it but...
Don't know what it was thinking as the log home was recently resealed and there is no rotten wood or insects.
Like most woodpeckers, Northern Flickers drum on objects as a form of communication and territory defense. In such cases, the object is to make as loud a noise as possible, and that’s why woodpeckers sometimes drum on metal objects. One Northern Flicker in Wyoming could be heard drumming on an abandoned tractor from a half-mile away.
That may be the species that was hammering my log home last year. I scared it off a few times but finally had to send some lead his or her way when it landed in a tree. Didn't want to do it but...
Don't know what it was thinking as the log home was recently resealed and there is no rotten wood or insects.
Like most woodpeckers, Northern Flickers drum on objects as a form of communication and territory defense. In such cases, the object is to make as loud a noise as possible, and that’s why woodpeckers sometimes drum on metal objects. One Northern Flicker in Wyoming could be heard drumming on an abandoned tractor from a half-mile away.
Makes sense. But it was a NIMBY thing. LOL
I hear you, we have one that occasionally drums on the metal head of our windmill which is located right next to the house.
Last weekend, we had one doing a Ginger Baker reprisal on top of the Peterson BB house. Bluey was honked.
Love it Bski! Anyone have Pileated WP? They are on my hopeful list, along with Cedar Waxwings.
There are several pileated WP where I fish and hunt. Cedar waxwings love mulberry and holly trees. I was lucky enough to see a group of about 50 twice last year on a mulberry tree.
I've seen both here. The Cedar Waxwings usually on their migration thru the area in the Spring. They really like picking any remaining small crab apples off of the tree near the house. Woody stays around all year. First time I saw one I was behind the house deer hunting and it landed in a nearby Oak tree to pick wild grapes off of the vine that was up in the crown of the tree. I never realized that we had that large of a woodpecker around here.
I've seen both Summer and Scarlet Tanagers, Indigo Buntings, Blue and Red Breasted Grossbeaks. Once, and that was 2 years ago I saw a wayward Painted Bunting here. I have no idea why it was up this far North. It was about a 2 second glimpse, then it was gone. I had to look in a bird book to see what it was. I thought it was a pet store escapee.
Both pileated and Flickers here. This winter we have a resident red-headed woodpecker at the suet, it is an incredible bird!
Yes, the flickers make the fatal mistake of eating yard chemicals such as the small ball-shaped insecticides. They happen to be the right size and they mistake them for gravel which is a good for their gizzards.
I am very much against treating lawns, for this and many other reasons, but I digress. My wife is tired of hearing me bitch about those perfect lawns in the tracts that are mono-cultures.
I probably spend a vast degree of my stewardship of my little 16 acres to provide habitat of all types to birds, so we get tremendous variety. The cost is my property resembles a bad haircut. I successfully have drawn in Towhees (Drink-your-teaeee!) and now they drive us bonkers as they are the first to wake in the morning.
Its those darned huge flocks of starlings I would like to get rid of though, except they can drain a yard of grubs in minutes.
I have a photo sequence on game camera of a flicker being caught by a hawk. I'll see if I can dig it up and post it. They are neat birds...
TJ,
We saw two pileated WP eating the red seeds that magnolia trees produce last fall. They disappeared when Jodi ran for the camera. They bring to mind "Woody Woodpecker."
Their call is very distinctive and LOUD. We've heard them since but no more sightings.
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.
The six hundred plus gadwall that flew in for two weeks last year didn't show up this winter. Disappointing.
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.
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.
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 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?
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/lifehistoryBufflehead breed near ponds and lakes in boreal forest and aspen parkland of Canada and Alaska, with isolated populations in the western United States. The Bufflehead’s breeding range is limited by the distribution of Northern Flickers, which are their main source of nesting cavities. Bufflehead are North America’s smallest diving duck; they benefit by using old flicker nests that larger ducks such as goldeneyes and mergansers cannot fit into.
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
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.
