Birds in the back yard

[glenn57]

Hey Roony... Seen and heard wrens today!!👍

Boober your toast. Best hit the flower shop tomorrow!!

[fishwidow]

Unloading stuff from the car this afternoon and heard loud chirps.    A pair of sharp shinned hawks crashed into the ground about 20 feet away. Going through their spring mating ritual I guess. They nest in one of the big red pines near the house.
Filling the feeders is suspended now that the snow is gone in the open areas. We’ve had a couple too many bear visits to them this time of year.

[fishwidow]

Woodpeckers are really going at it, too. I’ve got a siding repair job coming up soon.

[glenn57]

Unloading stuff from the car this afternoon and heard loud chirps.    A pair of sharp shinned hawks crashed into the ground about 20 feet away. Going through their spring mating ritual I guess. They nest in one of the big red pines near the house.
Filling the feeders is suspended now that the snow is gone in the open areas. We’ve had a couple too many bear visits to them this time of year.

odd, I don't recall the last time we had bear mess with the feeders at the cabin 

[fishwidow]

It’s not every year, but we’ve stopped feeding in the spring. A couple of years they dragged stuff off and really banged them up.

[Gunner55]

We see a lot of reports(Nextdoor) from people around the lake taking their feeders down because of the bears every Spring too. Especially when it's a little extra warm & dry early on. No issues with that where we are though.

[Dotch]

No bears at the feeders but did see our 1st white-throated sparrow under the feeders this morning. Filled the feeders yesterday.  Birds have been nuts today.

Shortly after I posted the 1st paragraph,  a pair of wood ducks was sniffing around the silver maple in the back yard. I have a spare nesting box I haven't put up. I'd need to get some flashing to keep the critters out of it but it would be fun to watch from the oval office. 🤔

[LPS]

Haven't seen any wood ducks here yet.  Lots of juncos and other little birds at the feeder. 

[Steve-o]

I saw wood ducks in SE MN last week.

Saw a robin gathering nesting materials in the front yard just now.

[glenn57]

when i went up to moms i drove past schneider lake.......pair of loons imn the open part!!!!!11 SPRING is here!!!!!!

[glenn57]

  sitting down in my mancave in front of the laptop.........looking out under my deck watching a robin trying to build a nest. brings in some nest material........and 4 fall off the base!!!!!!

[Scenic]

Seen my first pair of wood ducks this morning.  Tried to take a pic of them but just as I was about to take it they decided to fly.   

[glenn57]

that robin has finally made good headway with that nest!!!!!!!

i see the damn crackles are here!!!!!!!1 thanks dotch and roony!!!!!!

[Dotch]

Anytime...

[Jerkbiat]

Ya, the grackles keep multiplying in our yard too. Into double digits now.

[mike89]

I think they tripled here!!!   

[Dotch]

Some yellow-headed blackbirds being spotted in the area. Seldom see them in our yard but sometimes down in the wetland. Usually by the time they show up, the mosquitoes do too so I stay away from the wetland. The yellow-headed blackbirds are pretty but their call always sounds like someone is strangling them or something. The third set of calls from the top is similar to what we hear at the ranch.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-headed_Blackbird/sounds

[mike89]

been along time since I last seen 1 of them!!!

[mike89]

loons are back here now!!!!

[Bobberineyes]

I'll have keep an eye out for those yellow headed ones. Just had a red wing female black bird hanging around. She dined with a pair of house finches,  which didn't mind a bit.

[glenn57]

for the most part i think those yellow headed ones stay close to water??????? you can probobly see them fishing sheepies!!!!!

[Bobberineyes]

for the most part i think those yellow headed ones stay close to water??????? you can probobly see them fishing sheepies!!!!!

Lotsa red wing blackbirds in the the cattails,  those are usually the sounds of spring fishin to us..

[Dotch]

for the most part i think those yellow headed ones stay close to water??????? you can probobly see them fishing sheepies!!!!!

According to Sibley's, yes, they like to nest in marshes, which usually means there's open water someplace in them. Occasionally they'll get up in our yard looking for food of some sort. One was in the trees out behind the barn one night when we were doing chores. The noise they make scared the crap out of the wife. She thought it was some kind of varmint. Told her it was a yellow headed blackbird or it could be a smurf...



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[glenn57]

  yea them smurfs can make some noise!!!!!!!!!

  you posting from your phone????? figured you'd be in the big city front row of king walz state of screwed up state speech tonight!!!!!!

[Gunner55]

 

yea them smurfs can make some noise!!!!!!!!!

  you posting from your phone????? figured you'd be in the big city front row of king walz state of screwed up state speech tonight!!!!!!

This kind of smurf noise?          

[LPS]

Cool bird.  Haven't seen one in a long time also. 

[glenn57]

  is it possible that robins laid eggs already????/ that robin that built the nest under my deck has been sitting all morning here so far??????

[mike89]

set up your game camera!!!   

[Dotch]

is it possible that robins laid eggs already????/ that robin that built the nest under my deck has been sitting all morning here so far??????

They usually don't procrastinate. Clock is ticking & if they're gonna get two broods in, they have to get busy.

https://birdfact.com/articles/american-robin-nesting

[glenn57]

  I chuckled good at the first part of the article. Well crafted nest... Yea you betcha!!