chapter 2 bird stories.
here you see the house finches with their very own feeder. and they seem to know it's theirs because they're perched on it. eating. and eating, and eating, and eating. on THEIR feeder. pay attention to the theme here of ownership. it will surface again later.
although 1 or 2 are trying to strong arm the goldfinches, for the most part this arrangement is working out as I planned. better actually, since i moved the feeders to the hill instead of on my patio. no more doo doo or birdseed to clean every day.
chapter 3 the oriole feeder.
the shiny new oriole feeder arrived. i filled it with nectar and grape jelly then went out back to wait for the show to start. i even made popcorn. i waited, and waited, and waited.
soon a smart hummingbird figured out how to use it to his advantage.
the orioles use it only for a landing pad.
but wait! there's one now! ready to try new things! ready to drop into grape jelly nirvana!
not. happening.
there are now 3 or 4 orioles hanging around. 1 or more of them are super bright yellow/orange with black masks and tail feathers. along with these lighter yellow orioles i think they are the male and female version of the hooded orioles. at least that's what my backyard birds of los angeles book leads me to believe.
i have put away the hummingbird feeder to try and encourage the orioles to use their feeder. because the hummingbird feeder doesn't hold grape jelly! and because they aren't hummingbirds!
i'll let you know how that goes.
chapter 4 the hanging birdbath slash waterer
i got this because the little goldfinches couldn't figure out how to land on the cascading rock fountain. except now they can. they are experts at drinking from the cascading rock fountain. old pros. you should see them.
so the birds ignore it. except it was totally emptied the other night and i saw muddy paw prints going up the pergola post.
raccoons?
or something else?
i don't want to talk about it.
wyatt hates this video, but i love it! maybe i need to make a feeding trough like this. hmmmmm….
I, too, know the hardships of loving both feathered and furry friends. Luckily the furry (possums, raccoons, cats, skunks) all get along, but my pride will not stop stalking no matter what morsels I put out for them. This particular bunch is especially clever, no contraption built, bought, or borrowed has even slowed them down much less stopped them. Outwitted by a bunch of felines, I have no ego left.
no.licking.of.chops.allowed.
the.birdies.are.not.amused.
I HAVE ORIOLES! I had NO idea they could be anything other than the dark orange and black dude that shows up in the video. So happy to that. (as one of my little language disordered kids would say)
vicki – you just did so i do not need to. mine go through it so fast it is always fresh and tasty.
I love to watch the orioles when they come to the hummingbird feeder that I have. I have tried putting out cut oranges since reading that they like them,but they seem to prefer the feeder.
Don’t forget to remind everyone to keep the nectar fresh and clean so the gentle hummingbirds don’t get tongue fungus.
What a delight to watch!! And love the food over in the trees, such a pretty place!! Birds are the jewelry along with the flowers! Great tales of backyard business!
Loved that video! I think they knew they were on camera. 🙂
Those bees! I don’t think I would like all those bees. We had little wrens that built a nest in a hanging basket on our porch and they are bossy little birds!!
I was almost as interested in the video as Mali (part of my posse) was. She loved the birdies on the screen so much, she had to get off my lap and touch them.
What cute little piggies those birds are!
loved, loved, LOVED the video and of course your bird tales are always enjoyable. Glad to see you’re provided safe haven for all of your neighborhood bird kind. Um don’t know quite what to make of Wyatt…but I’m just fine not knowing the rest of the story… 😉