Comments on: Red-tail babies: Now we can fly! http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2008/07/02/red-tail-babies-now-we-can-fly/ A Bird Blog with Kate St. John Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:53:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Kate StJ http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2008/07/02/red-tail-babies-now-we-can-fly/comment-page-1/#comment-1764 Kate StJ Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:16:01 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2008/07/02/red-tail-babies-now-we-can-fly/#comment-1764 Susan, you have common grackles in your yard. The adults have iridescent heads, the young are brown all over. Grackles often nest communally in large evergreen trees. Perhaps there are spruces in your neighborhood. It sounds like the young have just fledged from several grackle families bringing many to your feeders. I am not sure why you aren't seeing other species at the feeders right now. I can understand why they wouldn't visit while so many grackles are there, but if you don't see any others at all it is probably the breeding/family stage they're currently in. Many birds - cardinals and robins, for instance - lay two sets of eggs per season. The first brood is fledged and on their own, the second brood is still in the egg stage so the adults are incubating eggs and won't be at the feeder as often. Susan, you have common grackles in your yard. The adults have iridescent heads, the young are brown all over. Grackles often nest communally in large evergreen trees. Perhaps there are spruces in your neighborhood. It sounds like the young have just fledged from several grackle families bringing many to your feeders.

I am not sure why you aren’t seeing other species at the feeders right now. I can understand why they wouldn’t visit while so many grackles are there, but if you don’t see any others at all it is probably the breeding/family stage they’re currently in. Many birds – cardinals and robins, for instance – lay two sets of eggs per season. The first brood is fledged and on their own, the second brood is still in the egg stage so the adults are incubating eggs and won’t be at the feeder as often.

]]> By: Susan http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2008/07/02/red-tail-babies-now-we-can-fly/comment-page-1/#comment-1762 Susan Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:07:37 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2008/07/02/red-tail-babies-now-we-can-fly/#comment-1762 I really enjoy your blog and check it often. This is unrelated to your latest entry, but I have noticed quite a change in the birds that frequent my backyard feeder. Earlier in the Spring/Summer, I got a huge variety - blue jays, cardinals, finches, chickadees, doves, sparrows, etc. I put out a variety of foods and everyone found something that they liked. For the last 2 weeks or so, I am only getting blackbirds. I will get a few at a time, or as many as 15 at a time, all feeding in the same small area. All are about robin/blue jay in size. Half of the birds are black/brown with a blue/black iridescent head. The other half of the population are all-over brown. Is this male/female or two different types of birds? And, where have all of the others gone? Have their nesting and family needs changed and they are on to other places, or do they not need to stop by so much to feed their littles ones, combined with other food sources now that Summer is here? Are the black birds scaring them away, even though there are many times that the feeder is empty? I was just curious if there is more to what I see in my backyard every day. I really enjoy your blog and check it often. This is unrelated to your latest entry, but I have noticed quite a change in the birds that frequent my backyard feeder. Earlier in the Spring/Summer, I got a huge variety – blue jays, cardinals, finches, chickadees, doves, sparrows, etc. I put out a variety of foods and everyone found something that they liked. For the last 2 weeks or so, I am only getting blackbirds. I will get a few at a time, or as many as 15 at a time, all feeding in the same small area. All are about robin/blue jay in size. Half of the birds are black/brown with a blue/black iridescent head. The other half of the population are all-over brown. Is this male/female or two different types of birds? And, where have all of the others gone? Have their nesting and family needs changed and they are on to other places, or do they not need to stop by so much to feed their littles ones, combined with other food sources now that Summer is here? Are the black birds scaring them away, even though there are many times that the feeder is empty?

I was just curious if there is more to what I see in my backyard every day.

]]> By: Anne M http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2008/07/02/red-tail-babies-now-we-can-fly/comment-page-1/#comment-1742 Anne M Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:02:15 +0000 http://www.wqed.org/birdblog/2008/07/02/red-tail-babies-now-we-can-fly/#comment-1742 Interesting stuff, Kate! We had a pair of red-tails in our neighborhood for a couple of years and they cleared the over population of rodents very nicely. They were a joy to watch. When we again become overrun, I suspect they'll be back. Nature's way is fascinating. Interesting stuff, Kate! We had a pair of red-tails in our neighborhood for a couple of years and they cleared the over population of rodents very nicely. They were a joy to watch. When we again become overrun, I suspect they’ll be back. Nature’s way is fascinating.

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