Backyard birders: What are you seeing at your feeders this month? (Castle Rock: house, landscaping)

[formercalifornian]

I'm a beginning birder, and I'm interested in what you're seeing at your front range feeders right now.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've started to see American Goldfinches at the nyjer seed feeder outside the kitchen window. It's a delightful distraction to watch them jockey for a perch and then flit back and forth to the tree in our front yard as I'm doing dishes, and they have such a pretty song.

What about you?

[OneMoreMove]

I don't have a feeder but I sure want one. I'm not sure what kind is best for this area, though. I am an amateur birder (to say the least!).

Last month we saw tons of magpies. Suddenly it's all about woodpeckers - one on my chimney is driving me nuts but my toddler likes it

We are 3 blocks from City Park so there are always cormorants and herons flying overhead. Do you know any resources that can help me choose a feeder?

[VALGAL222]

No feeder but we see lots of Robins and a few Ravens mining for worms, as we apparently have a great stock of worms in our yard!

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by OneMoreMove

I don't have a feeder but I sure want one. I'm not sure what kind is best for this area, though. I am an amateur birder (to say the least!).

Last month we saw tons of magpies. Suddenly it's all about woodpeckers - one on my chimney is driving me nuts but my toddler likes it

We are 3 blocks from City Park so there are always cormorants and herons flying overhead. Do you know any resources that can help me choose a feeder?

I heard a woodpecker the other day as I was walking home, but I couldn't find him because of the late-afternoon glare. Yesterday, I happened upon a Northern Flicker pulling bugs out of our retaining wall, and it reminded me of a day last summer when I looked out the window just in time to see about 50 of them descend on the backyard at one time. Then, just as quickly, they were gone.

I don't know much about feeders. I have two tube feeders: one for finches filled with nyjer seed and another with larger holes filled with a fruit/seed/nut mix. So far the mix has drawn only a few house finches and black-capped chickadees, and they don't stay very long, so I may change to black sunflower seeds and get a different kind of feeder to hold the mix. Maybe a tray feeder that suctions onto a window would work, but I'm afraid the squirrels would have a field day.

Today as I was filling the finch feeder, a garter snake came out of nowhere and slithered past my toes. I practically had a heart attack! Intellectually, I know they're a good thing, but I don't like them. My kids had the bright idea that maybe if we named the snake Speedy, I wouldn't be so scared, but it's not working. Yesterday, my husband informed me that he'd found another one living in the retaining wall. Oh, joy!

Last year, I saw an owl in one of the spruces in our backyard, and I've heard it recently. We also found a huge pile of owl pellets on the ground under the tree, so we know it's been feasting on the local rodents. My gore-loving oldest child enjoyed pulling them apart to see the bones. I haven't yet been lucky enough to see the owl this year, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled.

I'd really like to put up a bluebird house in the yard, but I have no idea if we'd be able to attract one. Anybody have any experience with this? Building a birdhouse would be a great summer project for my Cub Scout, and I'm sure he would be very proud if his creation was able to attract a resident.

What about hummingbirds? Anybody have luck?

[formercalifornian]

The Northern Flicker was back this evening, and so was the snake. This time, I was able to keep the heebie-jeebies under control, and I watched her slowly slither her way back to her hole in the retaining wall and the remains of her recent moulting. A Black-Capped Chickadee nervously flitted around the feeder, and two male Robins fought it out under one of the spruces. The loser fled, leaving the winner to turn his attention to the Flicker enthusiastically flinging landscaping rocks and making quite a mess in his quest for a satisfying dinner. Curiously, the Robin hopped after the Flicker for a few minutes, perhaps hoping for some leftovers, before heading off on his own. At the very top of the tallest spruce, a male Goldfinch called, and then my attention turned to a wasp balancing on the edge of the birdbath for a sip. An hour passed, and I couldn't believe how peaceful and content I felt just watching the wildlife in my little suburban patch of green.

[formercalifornian]

An invader arrives! This evening when I prepared to clean and fill the bird bath, I noticed a new creature at the feeder. A fox squirrel was busily nosing through the mulch for a snack. Occasionally, he would rear back on his hind legs to enjoy his bounty. The pair of house finches who seem to be regular visitors to the feeder hardly seemed aware of his presence.

Has anybody else heard a songbird call at night? For several weeks, a very persistent bird has been singing in the wee hours. I've been stumped, trying to figure out who the culprit could be, because none of the usual suspects fit. Finally, I happened upon an article that explained this strange behavior. Robins sometimes call before dawn in urban areas where there are many bright streetlights or where there is traffic noise that prevents their mating calls from being heard during daylight hours. When I reviewed a recording of their song, I realized that I was indeed hearing a very lusty Robin. Hope he finds a mate soon, because he makes a terrible racket!

[formercalifornian]

That squirrel...oops, I mean, bird feeder may be the best money I've ever spent. This morning I came down the stairs to find my preteen daughter sitting in front of the sliding glass window...not listening to her iPod, not playing on the computer...just sitting quietly in front of the window. Every so often, she would giggle. When she finally noticed me, she looked up and said simply, "Squirrel drama."

[2bindenver]

I have morning doves and a wood pecker to wake up to at 4 am each morning.

I host a large family of sparrows on top of my (now useless) retractable awning.

[formercalifornian]

I love the soft cooing a Mourning Dove makes. I think I saw one in our Ash tree the other day, but the glare made it difficult to see.

I saw that someone revived a thread I started a couple of years ago about the Cliff Swallows that were nesting in the eaves of our house in Castle Rock. I will concede to a bit of philosophical inconsistency regarding birds. I suppose I'll just explain my change of heart by saying, "If you can't beat them, join them."

[Katarina Witt]

According to DH, the birder in our family, House Finches and doves. The neighbors on both sides are bothered by woodpeckers, but for some reason, they leave our house alone. Maybe they don't like the taste of our paint! We also have problems with the squirrels, have tried many different things w/o much success.