The Uncaged Bird - Ready for Spring!

@joanne, he is handsome! I used to love visiting ponds and watching waterfowl.

By the way, blurry picture but here's the new kid on the block. I spotted the pregnant doe in the group of  6 that were lounging on my lawn. Been trying to do that for a few years and this time I noticed the belly. I noticed her pushing a doe, maybe a yearling out of her way and a few days later, the group had moved on and this little tiny fawn appeared almost too short to reach up and nurse. She is keeping him hidden in my wooded lot but that won't last long. They typically give birth to twins but last years doe raised only one. In the past I once had a pair of does share their twins for playdates and it is impossible not to smile watching the leggy, gamboling fawns racing around the backyard.


Morganna said:

@joanne, he is handsome! I used to love visiting ponds and watching waterfowl.

By the way, blurry picture but here's the new kid on the block. I spotted the pregnant doe in the group of  6 that were lounging on my lawn. Been trying to do that for a few years and this time I noticed the belly. I noticed her pushing a doe, maybe a yearling out of her way and a few days later, the group had moved on and this little tiny fawn appeared almost too short to reach up and nurse. She is keeping him hidden in my wooded lot but that won't last long. They typically give birth to twins but last years doe raised only one. In the past I once had a pair of does share their twins for playdates and it is impossible not to smile watching the leggy, gamboling fawns racing around the backyard.

 I can’t believe the wild life that ends up in your yard! You would think your house is in the country oh oh 


birdwatcher said:

 I can’t believe the wild life that ends up in your yard! You would think your house is in the country
oh oh
 

 I have a corner lot and half of it is wooded, deer are plentiful as are raccoons, possum, squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks and foxes. Lots of birds and the occasional invasion of wild turkeys. The upper part of South Orange backs up to the Reservation, a place you will enjoy.


Birdwatcher, I’m not sure if we’ve explained that I live on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Our house is beside a small lake that’s part of the local wetlands; decades ago it was apparently used for waterskiing! 
So yes, I really do have black swans visiting me daily, plus an assortment of ducks, swamp hens, currawongs, butcher birds, magpies, Eastern superb rosellas and rainbow lorrikeets (these two not as often as in our last house), and on the main roads we’ll see white cockatoo and corellas with the rosy pink feathers under their wings. Plus the usual assortment of mynahs, koels, shrikes, pigeons and sparrows (not so many these days), silly wagtails, plovers including some from China, various gulls etc. And the occasional koala and kangaroo.
Some species of Australian and New Zealand birds migrate to the US and Alaska every year or every couple of years. Isn’t that incredible??


Morganna said:

 I have a corner lot and half of it is wooded, deer are plentiful as are raccoons, possum, squirrels, chipmunks, woodchucks and foxes. Lots of birds and the occasional invasion of wild turkeys. The upper part of South Orange backs up to the Reservation, a place you will enjoy.

 A dream house! Sounds magical. So much wildlife just outside the city. A big reason we fell in love with SOMA. 


joanne said:

Birdwatcher, I’m not sure if we’ve explained that I live on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Our house is beside a small lake that’s part of the local wetlands; decades ago it was apparently used for waterskiing! 
So yes, I really do have black swans visiting me daily, plus an assortment of ducks, swamp hens, currawongs, butcher birds, magpies, Eastern superb rosellas and rainbow lorrikeets (these two not as often as in our last house), and on the main roads we’ll see white cockatoo and corellas with the rosy pink feathers under their wings. Plus the usual assortment of mynahs, koels, shrikes, pigeons and sparrows (not so many these days), silly wagtails, plovers including some from China, various gulls etc. And the occasional koala and kangaroo.
Some species of Australian and New Zealand birds migrate to the US and Alaska every year or every couple of years. Isn’t that incredible??

 Incredible! My idea if paradise. 


birdwatcher said:

 A dream house! Sounds magical. So much wildlife just outside the city. A big reason we fell in love with SOMA. 

 Its why I moved from Manhattan. I grew up in the city.


smile Someone’s pointed out that instead of ‘silly wagtails’ above, I should’ve used the proper species name: willy wagtails. They’re mimics and acrobats, and very protective of their nests and young. 


Look at how tiny Bambi is!


Do these count as winged creatures ?


bigben_again said:

Do these count as winged creatures ?

 Does the Health Officer know about your flock?


I love the babies!  smile

No-one’s writing about massed flamingo swarms anymore; does that still happen? Or is it just interrupted because schools are closed?

Back to real birds: something disturbing at this morning’s waterfowl feeding: parental snapping at the slightly larger cygnet (I think that’s Sidney). It looked to me that the mother swan was pecking Sidney really hard every time it approached to join the others eating seed and weeds. Sidney looked really confused and swam to Dad for protection, but was ignored; then chased off by the pen. I threw some seed to a clear area where Sidney landed up but he didn’t stay long, trying to join the outside of the family group. 
It seems too early but think maybe the process of leaving the nest is starting.


joanne said:

It seems too early but think maybe the process of leaving the nest is starting.

 It seems more like a forced eviction rather than a nest-leaving activity!


Not much about the process is gentle, from what we’ve been told by our neighbours Brian and Maureen. Just didn’t want to believe them.  question


The Cedar Waxwings have been hanging around my neighborhood (and reportedly also Memorial Park) for several days or more now.  They  like the trees behind my garage and also several of my neighbor's trees also!  One of my favorites!  (But there is never just one - they love to flock!)


sac said:

The Cedar Waxwings have been hanging around my neighborhood (and reportedly also Memorial Park) for several days or more now.  They  like the trees behind my garage and also several of my neighbor's trees also!  One of my favorites!  (But there is never just one - they love to flock!)

 My Holly tree is stripped bare, but I like to think they came like Angels to distract me for 2 days. My rescue kitten Aiden was having a risky surgery. A Bulla Osteotomy. I was terrified and it felt comforting. He made it through the surgery and is doing great. In years of cat rescue, dealing with all kinds of life and death issues, this was my first time dealing with this one.


Morganna said:

 My Holly tree is stripped bare, but I like to think they came like Angels to distract me for 2 days. My rescue kitten Aiden was having a risky surgery. A Bulla Osteotomy. I was terrified and it felt comforting. He made it through the surgery and is doing great. In years of cat rescue, dealing with all kinds of life and death issues, this was my first time dealing with this one.

 What beautiful photos! They are such handsome birds. Can’t wait to see them. Wishing Aiden a speedy recovery! 


Morganna, in that first pic, the bird almost looks like it’s wearing sunglasses or a visor! smile

(So sad to read of the cat’s surgery, glad things seem to be improving)

Swan update: yep, it’s on. Sidney is definitely getting the shove by Mum. This morning all four swam up for breakfast, kids in the rear, parents quietly and tunefully tootling with necks gracefully upstretched and red beaks shining. I flung seed, everyone ducked to get some, Sidney swam around to grab a bit (the others were making it hard for him to reach). He crossed over Mum’s path and that was it - she chased him well off out of range and wouldn’t let him back. I threw some seed to a couple of outer spots, she got upset and swam right off (about 6 houses). Sidney hung around the edge of the water lilies and was by the other cygnet, who must be a pen because the parents aren’t attacking it.

Later both cygnets came back for a proper breakfast, without parents. I’m guessing that by August/September, they’ll be on their own. Or the father cob will be looking to mate with daughter as well as the mother. (This cob doesn’t seem to be monogamous)


Aiden is doing great. Thank you. I can't separate myself from an animal's fear. In my head I'm in the cage with them all day. I rarely agree to leave them overnight but this surgery went from under the chin and neck into the middle ear to remove the polyp which can grow out through the ear or branch towards the nose blocking breathing or up towards the brain. Lots of nerves in the pathway and this Vet is a well respected. Her name is Dr. Carberry and I thought she deserved recognition.  Aiden's baby picture below. He is now 9 months old.


Oh how sweet!  Cuddles and pats from us, pls cheese


Thought you might be amused: after breakfast this morning, I went to turn off the sprinkler in the front yard. Singing a morning love song to the spinning sprinkler was a large magpie, having a shower! He was so happy, I really felt sad turning off the water but we are still in drought and it had been on for a while. 


My first time identifying a fledgling Mourning Dove. Two little ones were shuffling around on the ground. Their wings seemed pretty weak so I took a chance and put some seed near them. Not sure if they need the parents to feed them regurgitated seed. 


Yup. They always lay two eggs. Usually 2-4 broods per season.

Here are the two that hatched in our rhododendron. 


Handsome birds. I hope they bring peace. 


Red finches are among my favorite visitors. I always have to move quick with my camera as they move quickly. Waiting for my new Stokes feeder as this one looks a little rusty near the drain holes and I worry about any contamination so I splurged and paid almost $20 more do to sellout and the need for delivery. Can't wait to surprise them with a fresh feeder and some suet cakes.


Sitting on the wire is a juvenile robin, with one of the parents sitting on the garage behind.  They were sitting together on the wire and the youngster was getting few, but I wasn't fast enough getting out my camera.


mrincredible said:

Sitting on the wire is a juvenile robin, with one of the parents sitting on the garage behind.  They were sitting together on the wire and the youngster was getting few, but I wasn't fast enough getting out my camera.


Mother robin in her nest. 


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