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Old January 28th, 2010, 10:56 AM
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Talking The TJTwitter

Welcome to the TJTwitter--the place to come if you need a wild bird fix (and, I might add, the brain-child of Chris21711 ).

To start things out, I'll tell ya about the black-capped chickadees yesterday. I've been counting for ProjectFeeder Watch for a number of weeks now and have been seeing anywhere between 6 and 12 chickadees per count. (You use the maximum number you see at one time in your count.) Yesterday, the two winter groups seem to have joined up because hubby and I counted no less than 18 chickadees hanging out in the sumac and on the feeders

I love those little guys
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Old January 28th, 2010, 11:16 AM
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I love those little guys too Hazel, when they see me coming with the seed pail to fill the feeders it's like their internal radar goes off and a slew of them come flying in....some patiently wait, while others decide that I'm taking too long to get cracking and go into the pail and take their pick......we have oodles. I have never tried to count how many, but will....just to see if I have more than you

One thing I have noticed for the longest, always the Cardinals are the first to come in the morning and the last ones in the evening, it never fails, sometimes I can hardly see them there is so little light.
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Old January 28th, 2010, 11:22 AM
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Our cardinals seem to have disappeared this winter. We normally have a pair but they just aren't coming to the feeders this year I'm hoping they've found another feeder and will be back for the breeding season--I know lots of people down at the lake put seed out, so they may have gone down there (about half a mile as the crow flies...what an apt expression for this thread ) to partake of the bonanza.
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Old January 28th, 2010, 11:32 AM
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I used to see the Cardinals flying from one tree to the next but hardly coming to my feeders .....in the last 2 or 3 years I've been successful in attracting them, the most I have counted at any one time has been 8, needless to say I have a big grin on my face
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Old January 28th, 2010, 11:41 AM
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are turkeys considered "wild" birds? we have four that come a few times a day to feed with or without the deer, one tom (mature male), one jake (young male) and two hens (females). my one female has developed a limp and there isn't a thing I can do about it, she worries me and daily I check for her to make sure the wolves/coyotes haven't gotten her, but she is a very strong flier.
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Old January 28th, 2010, 11:57 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Melinda View Post
are turkeys considered "wild" birds? we have four that come a few times a day to feed with or without the deer, one tom (mature male), one jake (young male) and two hens (females). my one female has developed a limp and there isn't a thing I can do about it, she worries me and daily I check for her to make sure the wolves/coyotes haven't gotten her, but she is a very strong flier.
I for one consider them "wild"....for the last few years I noticed Turkeys crossing the road in front of our house, in the early fall I counted 13 crossing together, 1 tom, 2 hens and the rest were young ones, all in a line, very orderly ...I sure hope nothing happens to the one hen with the limp.

Do you know if it is usual for the young ones to hang around with the matures...if it is, I find it odd that you only have the one young one, I hope that nothing bad happened to the rest
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Old January 28th, 2010, 12:45 PM
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I've been told it is usual for the young to hang around the "flock" until the females mature and then she goes off with a tom and make their own flock with a few other mature hens
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Old January 28th, 2010, 01:26 PM
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Our cardinals just showed up for the first time in months, and brought chickadees with them The male doesn't mind me taking pictures ( I swear he checks me out and goes, "Oh, it's just that noisy clicky thing again.") The female is more skittish and disappears when she sees me, camera or no camera. I'm glad to see them but I hope they nest somewhere other than our hedge this year. As far as I can tell, not one of last year's babies survived.
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Old January 28th, 2010, 02:36 PM
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Turkeys are definitely wild birds, Melinda. We have a small flock (3) of toms hanging around this winter and another, larger flock of hens and (apparently) young-of-the-year. The toms put in an appearance more than then the hens--we'll see the hens more as spring approaches. The toms are pretty skittish, but occasionally I can sneak a pic of their retreat

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The look so Jurassic parkish to me.
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Old January 28th, 2010, 03:18 PM
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cool pics!! yes they are pretty jurassic looking *L* and interesting.

this was this morning, they share with the deer.



at times the yearlings (deer) play chase with the turkeys.

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Old January 28th, 2010, 03:19 PM
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I went out in the crappy weather to fill the feeders ...I had talked myself into doing tomorrow that there was enough feed....I then felt guilty self guilt being the worse kind there is Soooooooooo Hazel I tried to do a Chickie count and the little blighters kept moving on me, but I counted 16, give or take a couple

ownedbycats why do you not want the Cardinals nesting in your hedge this year?
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Old January 28th, 2010, 11:52 PM
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Pretty interesting, Melinda! I've never seen any of our turkeys hanging out with the deer... The deer seem to prefer the dogs. They'll hang around just outside the fence and watch the dogs go crazy. Evidently the dogs are more entertaining than our turkeys, which really are a pretty boring bunch!

No other extraordinary bird counts today, Chris! They retired early to their evening roosts, too--I'd love to know where they go and how they keep warm in our subzero temps!
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Old January 29th, 2010, 09:07 AM
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Our hedge is a really thick cedar hedge. The birds all love it because it provides shelter from weather. However, those thick branches also provide a kind of easy access highway for the neighborhood cats. the adults are allright, they fly a couple branches over and play catch-me-if-you-can, staying just out of reach. Babies are helpless though, until they learn to fly. The adults did a pretty good job of defending their babies despite that, one even made it to the point of fledging, but then we saw the adults with no baby
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Old January 29th, 2010, 09:41 AM
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I deleted my last post because I figured it would take up too much room for us dial-uppers,

I did say Melinda that I would love to see the pics you posted of the deer and turkeys for real

ownedbycats I wouldn't have thought that cats could climb a thick hedge

This morning I can't see out of our south facing windows they are all iced up ....yep we have real old windows .....once the sun has been on them for a few hours though, then I can see and it is sunny albeit freezing
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Old January 29th, 2010, 09:47 AM
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well come on down/up?? to cornwall Chris, *L* every morning at 7-9, then around 1 pm and again for a last glimpse at around 7 pm.


Hazel, the deer will watch brina and if they see she is tied (no fenced yard here) they will just continue eating, but if she jumps at the end of her rope then they get nervous and prance away....but only till they see me bring her in *L*
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Old January 29th, 2010, 10:16 AM
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Melinda.....my daughter is going to Petawawa in June, is that near Cornwall?
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Old January 29th, 2010, 10:28 AM
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its about 5-6 hours away Chris, my nephew lives there, army base, but she should see tons of deer around there
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Old January 29th, 2010, 10:35 AM
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I'm lost again, that is more or less how long it takes to get to Montreal from here
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Old January 29th, 2010, 10:41 AM
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and Im about 20 from the quebec border and about 3 hours from quebec city *L* I'm terrible with directions. now I have to go check how far to nephews *L*
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Old January 29th, 2010, 10:43 AM
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I stand corrected, it says (google map) that it takes 3 1/2 hours to get to Petawawa from Cornwall

Cornwall is 4 hours and 50 minutes from where you are...We've been up that way visiting the nephew in Oshawa.....do you ever go to oshawa general games?

Last edited by Melinda; January 29th, 2010 at 10:50 AM.
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Old January 29th, 2010, 10:50 AM
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ok thanks, I'll look later on a hard copy map
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Old January 29th, 2010, 10:52 AM
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no hockey games for me ...Oshawa is about 1 hour SE of us.
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Old January 29th, 2010, 10:57 AM
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Awwww, Melinda, you get a double with the turkeys AND the deer.

We used to have lots of wild turkeys, but every year, there are less and less in the area. I am wondering if it is because of the huge coyote population we have had .
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Old January 29th, 2010, 11:07 AM
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L4H up until a few years ago they were pretty well non existent around here, the Ministry reintroduced them to these parts....I don't see zillions but certainly more than before. Maybe you could touch base with them and the same sort of programme could be applied in your area.
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Old January 29th, 2010, 11:46 AM
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We have coyotes and wolves, L4H, and our deer and turkeys are thriving! Snowy winters seem to be harder on them. The farmers around here complain about the turkeys all the time--they don't mind them picking over the corn fields so much, but they object to their white-washed outbuildings! Turns out turkeys are real poopers
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Old January 30th, 2010, 03:57 PM
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I just heard a downy woodpecker giving its descending multinote rattle call! First time I've heard that call since some time last summer

So even though it's still only in the teens F here (-10 C), the woodpeckers are Thinking Spring!
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Old January 30th, 2010, 04:33 PM
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L4H up until a few years ago they were pretty well non existent around here, the Ministry reintroduced them to these parts....I don't see zillions but certainly more than before. Maybe you could touch base with them and the same sort of programme could be applied in your area.
We used to have so many around a few years ago, then every year there was fewer and fewer.
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Old January 30th, 2010, 04:51 PM
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That's interesting, L4H. Turkeys were long extirpated from WI until the 70s or 80s when they were reintroduced--and they've really taken off! (no pun intended ) In fact, if anything, they're becoming a nuisance--lots of turkey/windshield hits, for instance, and crop damage in some parts of the state. They also seem to be negatively impacting some of the other woodland birds, like grouse--even here, where the wolves and coyotes prey heavily on them. I wonder if there's some other control factor in your area? Is it being built up heavily? (Although, urbanization did not stop them from moving into Eau Claire--we used to have them near our old neighborhood.) How much snow do you get in winter? They don't seem to do as well in years where we've had heavy snows--are you in the snow belt around the lake?
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Old January 30th, 2010, 04:52 PM
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Love this thread! I am hoping it will teach me about birds in general. Its funny I know alot about peregrine falcons but nothing else really!

So whats a good book to get learning about the birds in my area.?

I have 2 Blue Bruce trees on my front lawn that house many birds. I have cardinals, blue jays, and the beige colored doves. I had a hawk take a bird too last year! but I only saw him once! Then there are these little browny colored ones that I am guessing are chickadees cause there are a million on them! But again no nothing about them????

Oh an I have had woodpeckers that ahve red on them too!
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Old January 30th, 2010, 05:13 PM
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omd, Winston! I just checked to see where Hamilton was on the map for the first time and I think you're actually farther south than we are! I never would have thunk it.

What you need is a field guide for eastern birds. There are a lot of good ones out there. My favorite is the Golden version: A Guide to Field Identification BIRDS Of North America It seems to be quite tolerant of dog spittle, being left out in the rain, being dropped into poison ivy, etc... ( I can be a little hard on field guides.) Nice slightly plasticized cover that can be wiped off if necessary. It's also a nice small size--it fits in a pocket of my photo vest.

You can also get guides that show actual photos as opposed to drawings, but I find they can be a bit confusing. A drawing can show all the field marks that aid in identification, but it's much harder to catch them all in a single photo.

As for your birds, the beige doves are probably mourning doves:
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Here's a chickadee:
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I'm sure you have some of those.

The little brown ones could be house sparrows if they have black bibs, or goldfinches if they have black-and-white wings, or even house finches if some of them have sort of reddish heads...actually, there are a number of birds that might fall into the little brown bird (LBB) category.
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