OK, it's way toooo quiet in here today, Folks, we need updates!!!

Don't MAKE me start singing!

Thanks for the email Mae!! I have an update on LJ in a new post.

 Weeeeeee Weeeeeee Wee all the way home . Don't sing but how about a nursery rhyme . 

A. Ziffle

Often quiet as it moves to weekends.

Quiet is good in liver disease land!

Mama Lama

ML, yes I noticed that lately, weekends slow, guess that's a good thing :)

Arneeb, that's what I like about the purple martins, well they are actually so black (the males) that they do look purple when the sun hits them just right, but anyway, there is no fighting over food because they get their own live insects on the fly. They never light as many do, i.e. feeders and salt licks.

Martins are notoriously skittish about hawks, owls, etc. WE're very protective of our feathered friends, if hubby spies a threat, he grabs his bb gun and off he goes! He's almost 80 but he will lay in wait for the little buggers if it takes all day!

The generally stay clear of trees because of hidden predators. Our gourds hang on a pole away from trees, gives them peace :) It's quite a setup that hubby built, even has owl guards that keep them safe at night. Nice that he was a tool and die maker, also helped with a few good inventions he sold.

Peace \/

Post Edited (Mae be here) : 2/22/2013 5:57:49 PM (GMT-7)

Hawks and owls are birds, too. Just like any bird, they have a right to eat.

When I was a kid, I had a saw whet owl as a pet. My pcp has a hawk. We are a point, over which many raptors travel over, in the spring and fall. Some winters, we have Snowy Owls out on our farthest beach. We have Osprey platforms for them to make nests on. There are a number of people here that make their barns available to Barn Owls. These raptors eat birds, but they also eat mice and rats, so they're important in the cycle of life.

David, I think owls are cool, myself...hawks too, they do have a right to eat of course. Hubby is just a stubborn old coot from way back.

Mostly he only manages to scare them off, very protective as a martin landlord usually is, especially when there are eggs in the next. He would rather the predators snack on the starlings rather than martins LOL. Hey, it keeps him busy and out of my hair during season.

Btw, we have sand owls here, about ten inches high and when they're nesting, the conservancy folks rope off the whole area and they are very well cared for and protected on Marco Island.

Very interesting article here:
www.marconews.com/news/2012/oct/22/home-is-where-the-heart-is-for-marco-islands/

Syxx, you gotta become a snowbird to avoid all that nasty white stuff!

Emma, so happy to hear that Dougie's levels are normalizing, prayers going up :)

We live on a pond.  Our birds are BIG and beautiful:

Sand hill cranes...the babies are arriving. The families stay together on ground nests for 2 years.  So they travel mostly in 4s and are huge, maybe 3 feet tall.

Wood Storks...fantastic. Nest in high high trees and keep their fledge in the nest until they are also HUGE.  It is funny, they are almost as large as adults when they set off alone.

Great Blue Heron...the males add extra feathers on their head and neck when looking for a mate. They look so beautifully, I'm sometimes tempted!  They can sit on a pond bank for hours....blending in, til they explode with energy and find just the right fish...long and narrow. they then toss them in teh air until the bait fish is face down and the the heron opens his mouth and takes in all in.

Pelicans....are closer to the shore, but so very interesting to watch.

Anhinga...who look like snakes in the water when fishing...their body sinks as there is no oil on their feathers. They are like cormorants up north. They sit on the shore and air their feathers out before they can fly away. 

We have some news too, but I'm waiting til bloods are back in.  Mike not feeling that well.  Oh, dear.

Carol 

sorry if the bird story is off track.. but I have a problem... Tubby the sparrow is hogging the feeder on a daily basis.. the cardinals are regular.. I enjoy hearing about your birds.. I've never been a bird watcher until just the past few months...and I'm pretty clueless... other than looking at the pictures... thanks guys... Sandia

well I have the kind Cardinals like... guess I'm just gonna get used to Tubby.. the sparrow... the Cardinals do come.. but Tubby is here all day... lol thanks...

Mae:

You can see my thread under "Hubby waiting for Liver Transplant. MELD score is 23"


Heidi