Comments on: For the Birds

By: daffodil lane

daffodil lane — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:50:09 +0000

We have just been studying and falling in love with birds too. Your list makes me a little jealous, ….oh how we would love to see a cardinal! (Not likely, here in Washington State!) And mourning doves? Wow. Have you seen the acrylic backed nesting box for windows? You might enjoy that too. (There’s a link on my blog to them).

By: Stefani

Stefani — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:57:29 +0000

Living in a Boy Scout camp??? Wow! Super cool!
Happy journaling to you guys!

By: Stefani

Stefani — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:56:03 +0000

Oh so cool! I often hear Great Horned Owls here, but have yet to see one face to face.
We finally erected our owl house today, so our fingers are firmly crossed. And guess what else went up???
After more than a year of having it in our laundry room, a BAT HOUSE! I have heard that it can take a very long time for these to be occupied, so we shall see….

By: Mikael Behrens

Mikael Behrens — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:40:37 +0000

Hi! I've created some local resources for identifying our neighborhood birds here. In particular, I think my Top 20 Bird List and Challenge is a good structured way to start learning them.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 03:04:49 +0000

I am so excited about all the nature ideas you have been sharing! My family and I spend a couple months during the summer living at a Boy Scout Camp in southern Indiana. I’m really excited about making a nature journal with my boys who will be 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 years old. Thanks for sharing!

By: Debbie Rosenkranz

Debbie Rosenkranz — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:18:43 +0000

Such a fantastic post as usual. We are birders too (that might be too formal a term) but we do get so excitred at the birds that visit our offerings and believe it or not the squirrels too. We have a seperate squirrel feeder but it does not really deter them from the other. Luckily the squirells do not deter the birds either.
I will have to look up the owl houses because I hear them outside my bedroom window from time to time. I try to catch a glimpse but I am usually not lucky or quick enough. One time though my husband was out watering the yard in summer and literally walked past a tree with two young owls they sat face to face for a few moments before he slowly pulled out his cellphone to call inside the house and get us outside. Once again, we were unlucky, but just the thought of them being right in our yard was so exciting. I think a owl house would be great.
We also have a lot of bats and I have consisdered installing a bat house out there too.
Thanks for the great post.

By: Stefani

Stefani — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:32:18 +0000

Ooooh! I love the Great Horned Owl! I’ve never seen one… well once I thought I caught a glimpse of one coasting across my path, but it happened so fast that I couldn’t be certain. We hear them often at night though. There are at least two that hang out near/in our yard and call to each other. So cool!
We’ve just ordered a screech owl house. We’ve heard that folks have great success with them locally, so we’re going to give it a shot. I think we might come clean out of our skin with excitement to have resident owls!

By: Stefani

Stefani — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:29:16 +0000

Dawn! Thank you so much! I had heard of the Peterson guides but sadly never opened one. I’m so glad to know that there’s a guide out there with illustrations of the female and juvenile birds too! It took me AGES to figure out that we had a female House Finch because I was looking at a guide full of MALE birds.

We missed it last year too, so this year, we’re on it!

Have a great weekend, Dawn!

By: Stefani

Stefani — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:24:42 +0000

Hi Lia! That post is called “Color Week :: Rainbow”.

I’m pretty sure that it was just the leftover net bag from some Clementines or maybe onions.

And OOOOOH! Inherited bird books… I love the idea of that. I imagine you’ll think of him each time you use them. Have a wonderful weekend, Lia.

By: Lia

Lia — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:32:08 +0000

I love bird-watching. I inherited my grandfather’s bird books last Spring and we’ve been trying to look up some of the ones we see in our yard, too.

On another note, but still bird-y….. I’ve been saving scraps of yarn and thread for the birds- thinking back to you mentioning some little bags you and your boys made for the birds. I’ve been trying to find the post to see how to make one, but I can’t find it. What did you use to make the bag part?