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who flock of birds swooped down on my yard at the same time. i went back to look out of the window 2 minutes later and they had flown away that fast. LOL creepy
Pretty in black, the birds you saw were probably heading south together. This time of year, we see huge flocks of birds coming through our area doing just that. Robins, starlings and of course geese. Sometimes the robins and starlings stop in our yard for a few hours, to feast on the little red seed pods that are on the dogwood trees this time of year.
In our neck of the woods (southern Connecticut) the dark eyed junkos are back. They go further north every year during the warmer months. They'll stay with us now until spring.
It's been colder than usual here for the past few days, which the bats seem to have noticed. They've either moved to their hibernating location or they've moved to the bat house on the south wall, where we cannot see them.
And the bear has not been around, which of course is good. Hope he has relocated to where he will be safer. I think it's early for him to have gone into hibernation already.
Last edited by LilyMae521; 10-27-2018 at 06:49 AM..
Pretty in black, the birds you saw were probably heading south together. This time of year, we see huge flocks of birds coming through our area doing just that. Robins, starlings and of course geese. Sometimes the robins and starlings stop in our yard for a few hours, to feast on the little red seed pods that are on the dogwood trees this time of year.
In our neck of the woods (southern Connecticut) the dark eyed junkos are back. They go further north every year during the warmer months. They'll stay with us now until spring.
It's been colder than usual here for the past few days, which the bats seem to have noticed. They've either moved to their hibernating location or they've moved to the bat house on the south wall, where we cannot see them.
And the bear has not been around, which of course is good. Hope he has relocated to where he will be safer. I think it's early for him to have gone into hibernation already.
When I was a truck driver I 'measured' one flock of crows five miles long in Connecticut. I also saw one about the same size in NY. Black birds/starlings and crows will form very long flocks spread out over many miles.
Down in Fogelsville PA, which is just west of Allentown, it is not uncommon to see flocks of snow geese and Canadian geese that have thousands of birds; it would not surprise me if the actual counts were not well about 10,000 (maybe even a 100,000). While in the air they do not make the continuous flocks like the back birds/starlings and crows; but you will see one large 'V' formation right after another one. That whole area from Easton, thru Bethlehem, Allentown trough to Fogelsville is a major migratory stopover and many of the birds never leave.
We have not had many migrants yet but then we have had a long summer and a very warm autumn. But now I have seen a small flock of thrushes (probably fieldfare); and the tailed **** have now made a group of around 10 when they visit my garden. It should be interesting in the next few weeks.
But the main nature observation was of one very common bird, a wood pigeon in English. What was strange was that it was missing all of the tail feathers except one, and all the feathers on the left wing were missing except those at the very end. It did not seem to have any problems flying after it's lucky break with what ever had attacked it.
But the main nature observation was of one very common bird, a wood pigeon in English. What was strange was that it was missing all of the tail feathers except one, and all the feathers on the left wing were missing except those at the very end. It did not seem to have any problems flying after it's lucky break with what ever had attacked it.
Don't know anything about the life history of pigeons, but maybe it was a yearling undergoing molting? Around me a few weeks ago, I was seeing these scraggly looking cardinals, with heads half bare and all kinds of other weird things. I had learned those were male yearling cardinals, just reared over the summer, undergoing their fall molting from something that looks like a female, to regular male red feathers. The interim stage in that process is rather awkward looking.
Don't know anything about the life history of pigeons, but maybe it was a yearling undergoing molting? Around me a few weeks ago, I was seeing these scraggly looking cardinals, with heads half bare and all kinds of other weird things. I had learned those were male yearling cardinals, just reared over the summer, undergoing their fall molting from something that looks like a female, to regular male red feathers. The interim stage in that process is rather awkward looking.
Don't know anything about the life history of pigeons, but maybe it was a yearling undergoing molting? Around me a few weeks ago, I was seeing these scraggly looking cardinals, with heads half bare and all kinds of other weird things. I had learned those were male yearling cardinals, just reared over the summer, undergoing their fall molting from something that looks like a female, to regular male red feathers. The interim stage in that process is rather awkward looking.
Maybe, but I doubt it as our pigeons breed through year, and I have never seen one that was like this. They always look tidy, unlike our molting crows, and I know of no bird that molts one wing at a time.
Our pigeons are now feeding on the ground, so are now hunted by dogs as well as buzzards and sparrow hawks, so my guess is that a dog had a mouth full of feathers and the pigeon had a lucky escape. It was not typical of those pigeons I have seen that have escaped a sparrow hawk.
I don't think opossums will actually kill chickens. We have them here and I've never experienced or heard tell off them being a problem. They might go after eggs or dig in garbage cans but they aren't a predator like coyotes are with domestic animals. They are a pretty nasty animal when cornered. Teeth all the way front front to back. Hiss and growl and yowl. Some friends of ours had one in their garage and had to call animal control to remove it. They didn't want to just shoot it or something (which would have been the simplest route) but the county animal cops came and got it for them. LOL, they didn't want to get near the critter. He was most ....displeased.
i don't think they'll kill chickens either. probably going after the eggs.
years ago i had one rip through a screen window in the middle of the night and tear into a big bag of cat food. getting that guy out was not easy - i finally used a squirt bottle of water on him, he didn't care much for that.
i don't think they'll kill chickens either. probably going after the eggs.
years ago i had one rip through a screen window in the middle of the night and tear into a big bag of cat food. getting that guy out was not easy - i finally used a squirt bottle of water on him, he didn't care much for that.
Oh, gosh, I had not ONE but TWO 'possums get into my house last summer!
They'd quietly emerge from beneath a quilt-covered table in the middle of the night and eat dry cat food in my kitchen while I was obliviously asleep and the cat evidently just watched them dine. They'd slipped in the back door when I'd propped it open to keep from having to respond to the same cat's pleas of "I wanna go out/I wanna come in" and were happily becoming house 'possums when discovered.
So - I got them near that same back door, propped it open, and created a Hansel and Gretel trail of dry cat food leading outside.
Took them a while: little one left first - then I discovered the bigger one.
Oh, gosh, I had not ONE but TWO 'possums get into my house last summer!
They'd quietly emerge from beneath a quilt-covered table in the middle of the night and eat dry cat food in my kitchen while I was obliviously asleep and the cat evidently just watched them dine. They'd slipped in the back door when I'd propped it open to keep from having to respond to the same cat's pleas of "I wanna go out/I wanna come in" and were happily becoming house 'possums when discovered.
So - I got them near that same back door, propped it open, and created a Hansel and Gretel trail of dry cat food leading outside.
Took them a while: little one left first - then I discovered the bigger one.
The back door stays closed now, cat pleas aside.
LOL. I had the same predicament with raccoons. Woke up to see two running down the hallway....apparently they came in the swinging cat door.
Cat door permanently closed!
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i went back to look out of the window 2 minutes later and they had flown away that fast. LOL creepy
