eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

First things first... Faithful reader "Gipper" Morris asked about the use of hot pepper in repelling squirrels... To answer you directly Harry, no I haven't actually tried hot pepper as a squirrel repellent. As we do sell hot pepper suet plugs, I assume that they do work. As for plain old hot pepper, I've never tried to use that to drive off the "gray menace", but, as an experiment, I just sprinkled a heaping helping of "Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning" on the 4X4 post that holds one of our feeders... (Even though we use a metal conical anti-squirrel shield, the rascals still try to rob the birds!) So let's see what happens... If they have the intestinal fortitude to go near the 4X4, they'd better bring both their gastroenterologist and their cardiologist - Tony Chachere's two main ingredients are red pepper and salt. I'll let you know ASAP if the squirrels try their normal futile raids (or if the 4X4 is even there in the coming days).

But on to another subject that hasn't gotten nearly the attention that (IMHO) it should have... That of free or nearly free bird pics and info... Take a look at just one more plate I got out of an old 1916 bird book:

Those are Northern Pileated Woodpeckers... But the real point I'm trying to make is that the book cost virtually nothing... There are no doubt tens of thousands of like tomes out there with great artwork, great descriptions, and a sub-dollar price tag. (I was going to say that I'd bet that I could sell the plates alone and make more than a few bucks... But I couldn't do that - this beauty belongs in our home.)

Anywho... There you go - repelling squirrels and fantastic bird prints... Only on eBirdseed.com...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Should you want any hi-res copies of old pics (copyright expired), just let me know... I'll be more than happy to scan and email to you or add to our eBirdseed.com photo library.

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A question came up concerning types of suet. First, quite frankly, our birds are none too particular. So long as the stuff contains rendered fat, they're pretty happy. (We were strict in the upbringing of our flocks... If they didn't eat all their suet, they didn't get any dessert.) That being said, some birds can get fussy. Looks like this would be a good place for a graphical summary...

And let's not forget the seed charts...

(Obviously, peanutbutter is popular with the masses.) Two other thoughts concerning suet... First, crows like to steal the suet, cage and all. (We've lost two baskets; sturdy cable ties are a good thing.) And secondly, I've experimented with "poly wood" and perch locations. Smooth poly wood won't give birds like crows a place to secure their footing before they pillage the suet... In our case, we found something similar to our "Mealworm Feeder" and used that... Crows just can't get a good purchase on the plastic.

Now, about that hummingbird feeder... Just take a gander at a screen shot!

The hummers were out today... We simply quit after nine print screens. At best guess we got a visit every 10 minutes or so. (Remember, you can watch too using the cam link above or below.) Not bad... Not bad at all...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We've talked quite a bit about this oil disaster (as well we should have and should continue to do so), but I thought I'd first relate it back to you, the backyard birder. Do you remember when gas was $4.00/gal just a few years ago? Back then, at the behest of the owner of eBirdseed.com, I wrote a quick post on the ultimate effect that that price increase (and the ever-changing dietary habits of Americans) would have upon you, the purchaser of seed. Well, yesterday, I heard an industry expert on Fox News warning that gas could be back up to $4.00/gal by the end of the summer. Oh goody... Right now, I'm looking into the possibility of savings through bulk purchase, etc... Will keep you posted...

Other thoughts, (CCA's and CCA's alone...) What follows needs adult supervision!

• Part of the reason I didn't want to dig into the gory details of this oil spill earlier is because... well... the details are excruciatingly gory...
• Be prepared to cry...
• Very rough tally on day 66...

Yup, if nothing else, America is already in wildly deep economic trouble. (If you aren't mainlining heroin yet, take a long look at this clock (be patient - this site is getting hammered) and note the bottom row in red and the right-side column in debt/GDP ratio.) Bluntly, the world markets are already in crisis... To seriously cripple both the U.S. fishing industry and the oil industry would be catastrophic on a global scale. (Here's a U.N. chart that should give just a hint of the horror should we really trash our semi-functional economy. And as America's economy goes, so goes the world's.)

Obviously, we face a two-horned demon... We must get off oil, but in a controlled manner. And we must put down this environmental Beelzebub... To fail at either (let alone both) is to face a Great Depression on a global scale.

The adult video below is telling...

There perhaps is your answer... "The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves..."

Cross your fingers and see you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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eBirdseed.com bird cam P.S. What is that circled Red Cardinal pic on the bottom right of the eBirdseed home page? Inquiring minds... (I've got to do something to lighten this post up just a bit...)

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

So here we are...

Look, I truly don't know what to write... Best estimates on bird kills, oil spilled in gals/day, long-term ecological effect, short- and long-term economical effect, human health issues, oxygen depletion??? I have no clue. No one does. We're officially in the Twilight Zone now. What the bleep, send in the UFOs.

Look, I've struggled over this post for two days. I've tried to find upbeat, yet realistic ways to say the following... Speaking as an engineer, we may be in deep trouble. Don't hit the "Panic Button" yet, but warm up the hands. If the Federal Government doesn't unload a serious can of "whoop tush" on this disaster pronto, we may end up demolishing 1/3 of the American seafood economy from now until the 12th of Never. (And yes, someone has a solution... Enter General Honore...)

No more words for now... More to follow.

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Back on April 20, 2010, I wrote about the "Gutenberg Project"... We hope you've had a chance to check it out. Well, the GP isn't the only free library in town. Take a gander below...

This is from the 550pp, "Natural History of Birds" tome by Leonard W. Wing. (Published circa 1956 and available from www.bookyards.com.) True, the work is dated, but there's a whale of a lot of info in there. And then there is this from Manybooks.com... "Bird Neighbors, An Introductory Acquaintance With One Hundred and Fifty Birds Commonly Found in the Gardens, Meadows, and Woods About Our Homes".

BIRDS OF LOW TREES OR LOWER PARTS OF TREES Black-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, the Sparrows, the Thrushes, the Grosbeaks, Goldfinch, Summer Yellowbird and other Warblers; the Wrens, Bluebird, Mocking-bird, Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Maryland Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat.

BIRDS OF TREE-TRUNKS AND LARGE LIMBS Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Woodpecker, Flicker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Black-and-white Creeping Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Pine Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Whippoorwill, Nighthawk.

And that's just a section devoted to the habitats of birds. There's also seasons of birds, birds grouped according to size, descriptions of birds, etc. Again... Very nice and very free.

But perhaps the coolest find of the day was this collection of freebie libraries... Granted, some of the search engines are kludgey at best, and some of the sites are dedicated to specific topics... But with some patience, the world is your oyster so to speak...

See you in virtual Alexandria,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The crows tipped me off today. (I'm getting to know of some of their calls - this one was of a threat.) Sure enough, there sat a hawk just as nonchalant as could be waiting by the feeders. The pic below is old, but you get the idea...

In a way, I feel badly about my approach to hawks and other natural predators - they have to eat too. I guess my justification is that we've done so much to resuscitate the wilds of Cape Cod that predators like hawks don't need a "Continental Brunch" courtesy of our feeders. Still, it is favoritism via sentimentalism on my part.

Anywho, I chased the hawk away, the crows quieted down, and activity returned to normal... Let's go back to backyard woodworking...

So far, we've looked at...

* Part 7: Understanding wood grain and milling timber

* Part 6: Tools

* Part 5: Broken router bits

* Part 4: More on glue

* Part 3: Fixing a birdbath

* Part 2: Workshop layout

* Part 1: Woodworking safety and intro

So what's left before the wood chips fly? Ugh! Sharpening tools. Truth be told, this subject deserves a book. (In fact, when it comes to saws alone, there's probably no one better than Dynamite Payson.) As for edged tools, I only have four thoughts:

• do your homework
• never put a bevel on a flat back surface (like the back of a chisel or plane blade)
• when grinding a blade to get the right bevel (before honing), never let the steel get more than warm
• and practice, practice, practice

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On the way home from the grocery store on a beautiful afternoon, and meandering up the road where we live, I saw on a branch overhanging the road a Very. Large. Bird. Very large.

Home was only a short distance away, so I stepped on the gas, pullled into the driveway, and yelled for CapeCodAlan to grab the camera. Whisking it from his bewildered hands, I ran back down the road to photograph this:

Cautiously walking closer to this monster brought me this:

My first clue as to its identity was the fact that it was not being mobbed by crows or smaller birds. Hence, not a regular predator. My second clue was its size. Did I mention that it was large? VERY large. Not too many birds fall into the classification of huge, dark-colored, ugly red-skinned headed non-predator: the only one on Cape Cod that I can think of is, of course, the Turkey Vulture (known locally as the turkey buzzard).

And of course, that's what it was. He eventually flew away, and I was disappointed not to get a good shot of his six-foot-plus wingspan... Huge, I tell you...

So from the sublimely ugly, we move lightly to the ridiculously cute. Last week the chipmunks were out in force; they've been enjoying the back garden, climbing on the planters and the trellis and drinking from the bird bath.

This little fellow looks like he's playing pirate, standing on the bow, looking for a Spanish galleon to plunder:

Sorry, Chipper, no golden doubloons for you!

See you all later, by the Jolly Roger, er, I mean the feeders!
Mrs. CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First things first... Cape Wind (the recently-approved 130 wind turbine farm destined for Cape Cod's Nantucket Sound) is trying to gain your support in order to secure the National Grid/Cape Wind long-term power purchase contract... No, a wind farm isn't the complete solution, but it is at least a small step in the right direction...

If the events of the last 53 days have shown anything, it's that we've got to do something. (Now, the engineers are guesstimating that that "spill" is spewing the equivalent of one "Exxon Valdez" every 5 - 12 days... You do the math.) We need this. And we need you! So please, regardless of where you live, if your conscience so dictates, please click here (or above) and have your voice heard. And yes, I've been writing about this for some time now. (Keep scrolling down to see all posts about this.)

Now about that crow and ticking off the wife... See that beak full of pretzel in the shot below?

Well, here's the skinny... Mrs. CCA has a sort of idiosyncrasy when it comes to the bird baths. She likes to keep them clean, as we all should. But that task is made a bit troublesome as the crows like to wash their food, and sometimes leave floating scraps. Enter her pet peeve. Every time she looks out and sees a crow littering her bird bath, the air turns blue. (It's sort of a love/hate/fun kind of relationship she has with the crows... Think Darren McGavin as "The Old Man" fighting his furnace in the movie "A Christmas Story"...

[after the furnace conks out]
The Old Man: It's a clinker! That blasted stupid furnace dadgummit!
[he walks down a few stairs and falls the rest of the way down]
The Old Man: Damn skates!
[coughing]
The Old Man: Oh, for cripes sake, open up the damper will ya? Who the hell turned it all the way down? AGAIN! Oh, blast it!
Ralphie as Adult: [narrating] In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan. Borrowed from - IMDB

Well... I guess I'm in enough trouble now, so I'll just sign off... Please don't forget Cape Wind...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First, what is a "Smushed PB & Hollow Point Chocolate Burger"? Well, the photo below should give you a clue...

That seems pretty straight forward... Just take a couple of 'burger buns, open them up, and smear peanut butter on one side. Next, carefully cut an "X" in Hersey kisses and Rolos (Rolo's? Roloes? Rolii?) to make them into primitive hollow points and place those on the other half of the bun. Just flip the peanut butter side onto the "Le Chocolat" side and smush. Those "X"s you made will allow the confectioneries to smear more or less evenly, though the mark of a real pro is one who smushes via a vacuum bagging machine...

There... Lunch, desert, weight gain, diabetes, and cavities all in one quick and horrid meal.

At ease...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In response to the wife's entry, "Wild Turkeys 2.0, Son(s) of"". Long-time (and much appreciated) reader and commenter Harry "Gipper" Morris left the following thoughts on that post...

Good story; good pics. LOL I put out my first Suet Cake yesterday to see if it would attract different birds. Today, the first one to explore it was one of my four squirrels. He only smelled it, then went on to the Sunflower seed set aside just for squirrels. Later today, the first bird to approach it was a Common Grackle who gingerly ate it, then went immediately to the Bird Bath and drank water. 5 minutes later, the squirrel came back, smelled it, looked at me as if to say, "If its OK with the Grackle, its OK with me", and began to nibble away. Pretty interesting. Who's next? Cheers, Harry "Gipper" Morris

My reply follows...

Funny about what animals will eat, won't eat, and how they'll change their minds. They clearly can be covetous. I know that you're not a big fan of crows Harry, but I am for this reason... I've done a lot of research on crows, and I'm firmly convinced that crows are the most intelligent non-humans on earth. Their ability to solve non-natural problems with non-natural materials is, for want of a better term, "eerie..."

But beyond all that, they have their own language and social patterns, and that seems to extend beyond their own species. This may sound crazy, but I think I'm beginning to understand just a few of their calls and gestures. For instance, a "crow alarm" (hawk in the area) is undeniable. Their calls for food are quite distinct. The corvids' need for eye contact and facial recognition is undeniable. And their protection of their "turf" is nothing short of gallant.

So Harry, to answer your question, the "Who's next" will be more of a focus on the crow... I will only add a couple of caveats... First, crows (like squirrels) need their own feeders. They are wild animals, and will in turn eat virtually anything when hungry. (It's interesting that in our yard, the crows, squirrels, and smaller birds intermingle. In fact, the crows go to great lengths to secure the area from cats, foxes, coyotes, hawks, etc.) The second caveat has to do with how much I'll interact with the birds. In my book, wild animals should always fear humans. IMHO, to make a "pet" out of a wild creature is to put a bull's eye on its chest.

Now... About that raffle. Short and sweet,.. the New Orleans Saints have decided to raffle off one of their Super Bowl rings with the proceeds going to help out the Gulf Coast oil spill region. Read more here. Now I'm not a huge football fan, but is that cool or what???

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"Nothing like a frisky turkey video to start off a post and the new year. (Between three males and seven hens, we may be ankle deep in turkey guano come next Spring.) "

And lo and behold, I was right!

While we are not yet ankle deep, we have seven new members of our wild turkey family in the neighborhood. We are hoping that their home base will be somewhat farther afield than the woods next door (turkeys are like noisy and very messy neighbors, who leave all their toys and garbage in everyone else's yard). While we do enjoy seeing Mama Turkey and her brood out back, if the nest is, oh, say, down the road in someone else's yard, we'll try not to be too disappointed, and we'll enjoy not having to be too eagle-eyed for little (and big!) turkey "presents" left behind.

In fact, some of our regular residents are a bit uncertain about what the appearance of turkeys portends--will they eat all the birdseed? Are they tall enough to reach the hoppers? What do they want?!

The squirrels will eventually become resigned to the presence of poultry in the backyard, but if the turkeys grow big enough to reach the feeders, I think there could be a rumble in the offing, one that may rival the Sharks and the Jets.

See you by those West Side feeders...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is what it looks like...

And here's the projected path of this stuff. (Please forgive the poor graphics... You should get the idea though...)

My over-priced $.02? Don't buy into the politics of this disaster... The liberals are going to blame Bush for drilling for oil even though President Obama signed a bill to expand off-shore drilling just before this disaster happened. The conservatives on the other hand, are going to trumpet the fact that the Administration was slow to act, and quick to pass oil rig inspections. And so the two agenda-blind camps will bicker to achieve selfish political leverage rather than actually act. Here's the skinny... For the most part, our elected officials are nothing more than greedy power mongers. BP is a lying pack of boorish corporate thugs. And who gets caught in the middle? The little people like you and me and the folks in the Gulf, and especially the little things like that bird above... that's who gets caught in the middle. I don't know... Maybe we're simply reaping what we've sown. Maybe if we spent the last 40 years focusing on conservation, developing alternative energy, recycling, engineering... maybe things would be different. But instead, we were preoccupied with more important things like "CB radios", disco, muscle cars, "Dallas", grunge and rap, and Lady Gaga. Maybe this entire environmental disaster is simply the result of a spoiled-brat social experiment reaching its rotten conclusion just as surely as it vomited out our politicians and our corporations.

Onward...

We had a magnificent red tailed hawk swoop through our feeders yesterday (with crows in hot pursuit). Thank heavens for the crows... If they weren't there to protect the feeders, our smaller birds would be toast.

And finally, we have a nest of downys on the edge of our property... (Once again, sorry for the poor image... Hopefully your imagination will carry the day.)

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. I apologize for the harsh, stuttering nature of this post. But all things considered, the rhythm seems appropriate.

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OK, so here's where we stand right now relative to other oil spills:

As for wetlands and other beautiful and valuable resources... I'm not sure how those factors weigh in the chart above... (However, that chart may offer one glimmer of hope... In the case of the massive Ixtoc 1 Mexican spill, the long-term effects weren't as bad as we thought they might have been. True, in the case of the BP spill, livelihoods will be lost, wildlife will be ravaged, and untold havoc will endure... But maybe, just maybe, the environment can at least survive and rebound in our lifetimes. (Though I still fear the worst for the wetlands.))

Now... About those ever wacky crows...

• It was indeed a crow that actually scratched our front door a couple days ago. I kid you not - that is just creepy.
• We've noticed that when there is an excess of food, occasionally the crows will take all of it, and promptly bury most of it. Is this a defensive mechanism for depriving other creatures like the gulls? Probably.
• Crows definitely use "lookouts". One or more crow(s) will sit on an overhanging branch by the feeder and watch the area. It will not eat, but will instead fly away with the rest of the murder even if that means leaving food behind. That suggests sharing within the murder.
• It's interesting to watch how the lookout signals the others that it's okay to head for the feeder... Crow head nodding in the vertical seems to mean "Yes", or "Good". Sort of reminds me of the birds' reaction when I put out food for them.
• Crows know both the wife and me. Just walking by the kitchen window can stir quite the commotion. Oh goody.
• There seems to be a gang mentality between murders. One lone crow was mobbed and chased off... I can only assume that he tried to raid the wrong "turf".
• Finally, at this point, it seems that crows can learn by watching other crows solve problems. Is it possible that they can learn by watching people solve problems? Have the crows learned that the way to access Mrs. CCA and I is through the front door by watching humans use that technique?

Freaked by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Deep sigh... Have to discuss that Gulf oil spill again... Let's see where we stand right now 6/1/10 (Obviously these numbers are apx. and probably underestimated):

• Total oil spilled to date: 20,400,000 gallons
• Current flow rate/day: 504,000 gallons/day
• Dead birds collected to date: 491
• Waters closed to fishing: 61,800 square miles according to Fox News

Unfortunately, there is a phrase that no one wants to utter about the affected areas - "Dead Zone". That is to say that we may simply have to write off much of the Gulf and the coastal regions of four states. It wouldn't be the first time. Let's just hope for the best...

On to happier news... Hope you had a pleasant and reflective Memorial Day. Over the weekend, I put out some sausage for the crows...

Great photo... But that leads us to our "Creepy Dept."

Just a few moments ago, I heard a "thump" by the front door. I wasn't expecting anyone, but a "thump" it was for sure. When I opened the shade, there sat a crow on the railing. He flew up into the tree and glared. I went back to the keyboard and raised my hands to type. "Thump"... Same bird, same story. So, I put out some old bread. Situation over, right? Just now, ""Thump" yet again.. Suffice it to say, that we're wigged out... I have to go... "someone" is literally scratching at the front door.

See you by the feeders, maybe...

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)