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When I lived in northern New Mexico (100 miles from the Colorado border) we had seagulls, likely from the Gulf of California. Now that I live near the Tennessee border in Alabama, we have seagulls from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Rose Breasted Grosbeaks are still hanging around. A nice treat.
Now that we have a couple of new roaming cats in the neighborhood, we have fewer mice but no bunnies
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Riley.
This morning two Canadian geese were at our pond. This has become a brief springtime stop over for them. Usually just a couple/several mornings at this time of year. They swim and waddle around the perimeter of the pond and drive our dog crazy (if he's in the yard). We wonder if it's the same two geese. We also wonder if they are waiting for the rest of the flock to arrive back up north here.
Here in coastal NC it'll likely be a while 'til the goslings, and there's quite a few at the local lake I walk around AMs, fledge and are ready to travel.
At the same lake I saw the smallest frog/toad? I've ever seen, thought it was a bug 'til I bent down to have a look, I'd say 4 could comfortably sit on a dime.
Also saw a hawk I have yet to ID, brown back, tan breast, and when it flew away I could see the tail feathers were white & black.
Also saw a Mallard hen and her brood of 9 ducklings swimming around.
Here in coastal NC it'll likely be a while 'til the goslings, and there's quite a few at the local lake I walk around AMs, fledge and are ready to travel.
At the same lake I saw the smallest frog/toad? I've ever seen, thought it was a bug 'til I bent down to have a look, I'd say 4 could comfortably sit on a dime.
Also saw a hawk I have yet to ID, brown back, tan breast, and when it flew away I could see the tail feathers were white & black.
Also saw a Mallard hen and her brood of 9 ducklings swimming around.
Aw, you're reminding me of the tiny toads we had on the northern New Mexico ranch that lived in the walls of an old adobe building, which was close to an irrigation ditch (water source). They were so tiny. Every spring a big old toad would show himself. (Herself?) He had a special hiding place in the wall closest to the water source. He really knew how to hide. I think though, he knew that we would never hurt him.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,331 posts, read 54,428,613 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pathrunner
Aw, you're reminding me of the tiny toads we had on the northern New Mexico ranch that lived in the walls of an old adobe building, which was close to an irrigation ditch (water source). They were so tiny. Every spring a big old toad would show himself. (Herself?) He had a special hiding place in the wall closest to the water source. He really knew how to hide. I think though, he knew that we would never hurt him.
About 7=8 years ago, and I've been the house 12 years, I went out in the backyard and saw something out of the corner of my wye, thought it was a bug but turned out to be a small toad quite a bit bigger than what I saw the other day, probably only one would've fit on a nickel. For a few days I could go out in the yard and see literally hundreds of these creatures. The one and only time I've ever seen anything like it.
Two different geese flew in for a layover this morning. Swooped down one side of the pond, swam across, and off they went out the other side crazy geese.
Before I put the box up I wrote on it in magic marker, "No sparrows allowed." But right after I did that it started raining so the writing got all washed up. No matter, it worked anyway!
Sad update on my bluebird box.
I hadn't seen any bluebirds (or anyone else for that matter) go into or out of the nest box in several days. So I just went out and checked in on it, and it looked like another bird had started building another nest over that one, and took out 2 of the 3 eggs, but then gave up on the whole thing. There was 1 bluebird egg left and a bunch of other grass piled over it. I then noticed on the ground beneath the bird house that there appeared to be fragments of blue egg shells scattered around. So I took out all the nest material, put the 1 egg back in (even though it probably isn't any good anymore) and then let's see if the bluebirds try again. Though I doubt it. I'm gonna guess some house sparrows did that, since several days ago I saw a house sparrow checking out that box with a bluebird chasing it away.
I also haven't noticed any house sparrows going into or out of the 1st nest box I put up, but that one's a pain to open up. I wonder if the sparrows' first nest failed so they attempted another try in the 2nd box? In any case it's a real bummer, I was looking forward to seeing baby bluebirds in my yard.
Another possibility I was just thinking of is that something climbed up the pole the house is on, stuck their arm through the hole and grabbed 2 of the 3 eggs? The way the grass was, it was piled up past the hole, which looked like somebody building another nest over the first one, but it could also just be the grass from the first one being ruffled all up? The culprit in that would seem to be a raccoon, but I have a hard time imagining that pole supporting a raccoon without it being at least partially toppled over.
There is a fence about a foot behind the nest box, but that would also be really awkward for a raccoon to reach over and get on top of the box.
Now I decided to check out nest box #1. Hadn't seen the sparrows go in and out of that box in several days either.
The box was filled with a deep, deep nest made of not just dried grass but every piece of junk you can imagine. There was what appeared to be strips of toilet paper, a blue jay feather, some orange string, something that looked like small strips of black plastic, and who knows what else.
There were no eggs in the nest. So I stripped out everything that was in there.
Now I have 2 empty, failed nest boxes awaiting somebody to try again.
Do squirrels eat bird's eggs? Maybe I should put these nest boxes on poles with squirrel guards on them.
That's so sad to hear, so sorry. I've read that this happens a lot to bluebirds. That's why I decided not to put up my bluebird house. It would have had to go on a pole in the middle of the huge backyard surrounded on both fences by dense trees.
I read that bluebirds like open spaces with trees surrounding the open space. Another reason I decided not to put it up is that I really don't have a way to keep an eye on the house unless I stand at the kitchen sink.
I read that squirrels do eat bird eggs, and sometimes baby birds. The way of nature. Bluebirds are such sweet docile birds, and kind of timid from what I've seen in my yard.
If you want to try again, I'd put up a pole in an open area with a squirrel guard, and one of those blocks on the opening that keeps out predators. You can buy them already on the house, or buy them separately to attach to the house.
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but no bunnies 
But right after I did that it started raining so the writing got all washed up. No matter, it worked anyway!