Comments on: Private: Improved tracking for migratory birds

By: Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd — Wed, 16 May 2007 18:25:42 +0000

Saw a cardinal this morning! In fact, he’s been hanging around lately, and we see him on our morning walks …

By: Gretchie

Gretchie — Wed, 16 May 2007 18:16:44 +0000

Deborah,

I live in the same city as you and have a very active backyard with a variety of birds. I regularly see robins, blue jays, blue birds, cardinals, titmouses, woodpeckers, grackles, doves, falcons, humming birds, etc. I even hear an owl from time to time. There are several feeders in my yard and I scatter the ground with bird feed daily. Maybe the birds are just waiting to discover your yard with a hearty meal provided while on their tour.

By: Ray Cobb

Ray Cobb — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:59:03 +0000

Deborah,

Our cardinals seem to be very territorial. We have only one couple a year, and occassionally we see some babies. I love to watch the husband feed his wife, who doesn’t like to sway on the bird feeder. I have read that they mate for life, and it’s a heart-warming sight.
During some parts of the year, she attacks her image in our north window very persistently. Possibly a sign of territorial behavior. Maybe she’s about to nest.
The blue jays, on the other hand, are more like a motorcycle gang.

Ray

By: Deborah Byrd

Deborah Byrd — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 12:34:47 +0000

Bonnie, I’m excited about your yard, too! I want to create a wildlife area in my yard …

When I was a kid in Texas (50+ years ago), I remember that we had lots of beautiful bright red cardinals and also blue jays in our suburban yard in the winter. Now we in Texas almost never see a cardinal or a jay … at least I don’t …

Thank you both!

Deborah

By: Ray Cobb

Ray Cobb — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:50:38 +0000

Hi, Bonnie!

Now I want to live in Nevada!! It’s not all gambling towns and deserts after all.
But seriously, the yard looks great. We, too, have a butterfly garden with purple sage and various other plants. Lots of monarchs! We may also add a pond to handle the flow from our rain gutter downspouts. No orioles or even hummers (my daughter in Jacksonville has hummers), but cardinals, blue jays, and many others live here year ‘round. Including peacocks. They are actually nuisance birds, but pretty. A huge blue heron visits occasionally, but unfortunately eats our snakes.
Thanks for the link.
Ray

By: BONNIE RANNALD

BONNIE RANNALD — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:57:51 +0000

Hello Ray, I live at Walker Lake, Nevada, which is in west central Nevada, close to the California line. Our altitude is around 4300 feet and the winter temperatures range from 50—30 degrees during the day, and 10—20’s at night. The robins migrate here in the fall and hang around through spring, until the temperatures began to warm up. They sure bring cheer to the cold, bleak winter landscape. I love to watch them scurry around the yard, looking for food. They do make a mess at my fishpond, with their droppings all over the rocks! We are in the Great Basin, which is high desert. After I moved to this property, which is about ¾ an acre, I brought in plants that were drought tolerant and would adapt to the cold winters and hot, dry summers. My yard has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a habitat for wildlife, especially birds. The plants in my yard that provide food for the robins are: barberries, fruited mulberry trees, Virginia creeper vines, and various junipers. I plan on getting a Red Berry Mahonia plant, which is an evergreen that has berries in the fall. I introduced earthworms to the soil to improve conditions, so the robins have a feast with them.

To view my Backyard Habitat site, follow this link:
http://www.enature.com/backyardwildlife/nwf_bwh_showhabitat.asp?bwhid=51047

Bonnie

By: Ray Cobb

Ray Cobb — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:00:51 +0000

I lived my early life with robins in Michigan. Here in Florida, there are no native robins. But once a year, usually on George Washington’s birthday, our yard fills with robins on their way back north. The little carnivores love our lawn insects (and my precious night crawlers!), and our birdbath. One year, they got hold of some fermented berries from our palm trees, and made real fools of themselves for a while. Global warming doesn’t seem to have advanced their northward timetable at all. Perhaps it’s the angle of the sun or the length of days that triggers their trips.
We don’t see the robins in the fall, so their southward migration must be along a different path.
Maybe someone in Arizona sees them in November.

Ray