Sigh…. #squirrel #birdfeeder

The Blue Jay hop....on, off, on, out with seed in the gulag. Usually, there are multiple hops back and forth. Some learn that a soft landing works better than jumping. Of course, they'd rather feed up on the platform. #BlueJay #BirdFeeder #NotABirder

Cannot find where this is, who's it is, or even if it's real and not AI, but it's good.
#ChunderRoad #Thebirds #birdfeeder

Doves can be surprisingly aggressive at the platform #birdfeeder

A dove went after a red bellied woodpecker.

Ended very badly for the dove. Massive explosion of dove feathers.

Effective immediately blue jays are now on a limit of one peanut hut #birdfeeder refill per day.

They insist on throwing 50% of the peanuts or more onto the ground. Which the squirrels are very happy to eat. We are feeding squirrels via blue jays.

Then the blue jays complain because there are no more peanuts.

They would do way better if they just ate the "substandard" peanuts in the first place instead of feeding the squirrels.

Thoughts About Backyard Birds

I am thankful for all the comforts I have, and they are many. I live in a lovely condo in a lovely city, in a lovely Canadian province. I have a reliable income and fairly good health. My life includes food, shelter, furnishings, hobbies, memorabilia, exercise, and community. And, until today, I had birds.

Today I was told that I had to take down my bird feeder. I could keep the hummingbird feeder, but the seed feeder had to go.

Ever since I read the condo bylaws, which was several weeks after I moved in, I knew that bird feeders were not allowed. But by then I already knew their shortcomings. Depending on the type of seed, the type of feeder, and the varieties of birds, overspilled seeds and husks can attract rodents. In my neighbourhood those include field mice and racoons.

Consequently, I did everything I could to limit the possibility of visits from rodents while continuing to encourage visits from birds. I discussed the problem with the local Backyard Birds store staff and they advised me to add a catch tray, to use the smallest de-husked seed, and to fill my feeder only to about one-third of its height. That way very little seed would be spread beyond the catch tray.

In addition, I swept below and around the feeder quite frequently to ensure that no stray seeds lingered among the brick tiles of my patio. I thought I was doing my neighbourly best, but it seems that is not enough.

The delight I take in watching the various finches, robins, blackbirds, and wrens every day cannot be compared to the risk of rodents visiting the patios of my neighbours who might also want to have bird feeders on their patios. It’s an all-for-one and one-for-all kind of regulation. I know this because the maintenance man explained it to me today.

I have always had a good relationship with the maintenance man, and he was quite dismayed to have been the bearer of bad news in telling me that the strata council (aka HOA) wanted him to tell me to take down my bird feeder. But, as he told me this, I was struck by two, equally disturbing, realizations. The first was that I would have to take down my feeder. The second was that they had used the maintenance man to deliver their directive.

When I let him know I would no longer be using my feeder, and as I walked away, I wrestled with which issue bothered me most; the need to remove the feeder or that fact that the council had not approached me directly. Now that the feeder has been removed, dismantled, and put away, I am left with a gnawing disgruntlement.

As I write, I am watching birds fly by my patio, looking for the absent feeder, while I ponder the choices made by my condo council. I know very little about the council, but using the friendly maintenance man as bylaw officer does not sit well with me.

I’m going to miss the birds and am trying to think of ways to redirect some of that grief into positive energy, although that may take a while. Perhaps I should run for a seat on council. Hmmm.

People told to avoid 1 bird feeder food that can ‘cause kidney failure’ https://www.allforgardening.com/1299280/people-told-to-avoid-1-bird-feeder-food-that-can-cause-kidney-failure/ #BirdFeeder #BirdFeederSafety #birds #garden #gardening #KidneyFailure #SaltyPeanuts #ToxicFoodsForBirds

Northern Flicker

Today I had a surprise visit from a Northern Flicker. I have never seen one on my patio before, so this was a real treat.

I got a new feeding station for the birds and left out some cat food for the corvids. The local family of jackdaws are HUGE fans, lol.

"it ain't never happening for you, bro, i got eyes in back of my head"

i watched this play out for a long time but no matter what angle the White-Vented Plumeleteer used for the approach, borb was NEVER knocking the Long-billed Starthroat off that freakin feeder

N.126 of the #365project #2025goal #amateurphotography #casualphotography #blackandwhitephotography #monochromeworld #urbanphotography #birdfeeder #filroll #pocketcamera cherish whatever Nature is within your personal reach.

54

I was thinking about doing something with this post where I post an image with the old Studio 54 logo. Having lived through the disco era and today being my 54th birthday, I figured that would be funny. Then I realized it would not be funny at all, it would be dumb. So I changed my mind and just went with this.

Today is my birthday. I am 54 years old. I am NOT happy about it. When I was 53 years old I could sort of convince myself that 53 is still your early 50’s. At 54 I can’t do that anymore. I am firmly entrenched in my mid 50’s and again, I am NOT happy about it.

The weather is nice right now. That’s good. Of course the forecast is calling for rain later so that’s fitting. Blah. I filled the bird feeders because I wanted those little monsters to have a nice celebration on my birthday. I took a couple of pictures. This one is with the aperture wide open, f1.8. Blurry background, babie!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54505261886/in/datetaken/

This next one is the opposite. This one has the aperture closed down as far as it goes. f22, which means the shutter speed is super slow which is why it’s a little soft on the focus. Image stabilization helps, but it’s not perfect. Note that the background is not blurry at all.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54505452014/in/datetaken/

Now when you compare the two photos you know how your lens aperture controls your depth of field. See? You didn’t realize I was going to give you all a photography lesson for my birthday, but there you go. Happy birthday, hohoho.

#365 #365Challenge #365Project #54 #54YearsOld #birdFeeder #birdFeeders #birthday #iphoneography #myBirthday #photoADay #photoADayChallenge #photoADayProject #photography

Theres a concept in #whisky of “the angels share,” which is the amount of alcohol that evaporates during the aging process.

I just filled all our #birdfeeders and they’re all pretty anti-squirrel. Some by design, some by where I hang them. But inevitably some spills on the ground under the #birdfeeder. So I call that “the squirrels share.”

Overkill

I feel like I over did it a smidge.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robj_1971/54454343705/in/datetaken/

American Goldfinch.
https://melinaedition.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-backyard-birds-coloring-book-for.html
#yellowbird, #backyardbird, #NorthAmerican #birds, #songbird, #birdwatching, #birdidentification, #wildcanary, #finch #species, #nativebirds #USA, #nyjerseed, #attract #goldfinches, #small, #yellow, #birdlovers, #nature, #photography, #birdfeeder

Oh, uh... yes. Your bir... us... uh, your feeder is somehow all empty. Could you refill it? Who are we? Oh, we're racc... no, just your standard, uh, masked albino sparrows. Yes, that's it. Sparrows.