Wednesday, May 26, 2010

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Good morning to you. You all know how I love having birds in our yard and recently put out a new feeder with Non-Mess Seed that is cleaner and won't sprout. This has been wonderful because I've had sparrows, juncos, robins and even black birds come to serenade me and eat the seed. I don't mind a few black birds mind you, they are all welcome to eat but when there becomes an over abundance of them and they won't let the smaller birds eat I get a bit unhappy. Two years ago I only put out Niger seed because it drew so many gold finches but I found it messy and we had tons of weeds underneath it plus it is extremely expensive here so I haven't put out any this year. Two days ago when I went to do my morning doggy cleanup I found a dead baby bird in the yard; I thought it a bit strange but figured with the winds we've had it was blown out of a nearby nest in a neighbors yard. Then later in the day I found 4 more dead baby birds and this continued through yesterday evening. I even saw a black bird pecking on one and then it carried it off when I started walking towards it. I'm a big girl and know that this is the cycle of nature but girls, it still makes me upset. The thing I don't understand is why the birds have felt the need to drop the dead baby birds in our yard. We don't have any nests and unless they are leaving them as a trophy I just don't understand it. The main point is that I know it will stop when all the babies are gone but how do I stop this behavior in the event there are more nests? If you've got birds frequenting your yard and have experienced this, any advice would be helpful. I don't like to see any baby birds killed; when we lived in Ca. we had Mockingbirds nest each year in our yard and let me tell you they are very mean baby birds, but I was thankful if they survived. I'm thinking I may need to change the type of feeders I'm using(vertical tubes)so that I don't continue to encourage the blackbirds to overtake my yard.

Have a song filled day my friends.
Noreen

10 comments:

  1. Good morning! I am an avid birder too! I feed them all, and encourage nesting with boxes and such. I have to say that my experience with both black birds and mocking birds, is negative. They are naughty. I have been having my bluebirds abandon their nests after they have laid their eggs! But assumed it was due to the work we have been doing here on our house. Yesterday, I checked on the box, and found that the Daddy blue was dead on top of the nest! It is a mystery? Sometimes we just never know why nature does what it does? Keep feeding them though!! They need us!

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  2. I thought you were going to say you were now Tweeting on Twitter.

    WHich I refuse to do or face book or any other social thing. Bloging is enough for me.

    I'm glad your husband is home. A break is nice, but having them home even nicer.

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com/

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  3. I know nothing about birds...but certainly understand why it is upsetting. I have had no dead birds in my yard??? Have no idea. Hopefully some reader will know something.

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  4. From time to time with our feeders we find the occasional dead bird now and again. Not sure just why but I guess it's just part of nature for us here in CA too!


    Love and Hugs ~~ Kat

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  5. I don't know a thing about birds but would really like to learn a few things. Hopefully you will find a solution (if there is one). Have a great week end!

    ~Nancy~

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  6. I know how you feel. I came home the other day to find the Jays having a fit only to look and see my cat with a baby Blue Jay. I was so mad. We bought some food from Home Depot (I can't remember the name of it, I just know the bag) and it has brought more birds this year, of so many different types than I have ever seen.
    We had tons of Indigo Buntings this year!
    I wish I had an answer for you about your problem. I guess it's just the way it is in nature.

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  7. Hi Noreen,
    That is sad all those dead baby birds. I have never had anything like that happen, course, I really don't have a bird feeder we just have the birdbath. I had a bird run into my window just a few weeks ago and it broke it's neck on impact and death was immediate thankfully.
    I have had it happen once before and when I heard the noise I had a feeling that was what it was and so I went and looked at all the windows and looked on the ground and after a few windows there he was. Made me sad!!
    Have a good week hon, hopefully, maybe someone will know what you can do if anything.
    Love and Blessings, Nellie

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  8. Awww Noreen....
    I have no clue what's going on or how to keep those black birds away. I was walking with our two little grandchildren, through our back yard last week and I saw a dead baby bird and had to direct their attention somewhere else so they wouldn't see it.
    We have an 'owl' that eats baby birds and rabbits and leaves us the parts it doesn't like.
    I guess such is the way of God's world of nature?

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  9. Nature seems to be the same the world over Nor! We have the dreadful Indian Mynah introduced to Australia eons ago I think but they are cruel, mean and territorial. By contrast one of our native birds is the Noisy Miner similar in size and shape but grey in colour instead of brown/black. After the IM's nesting in next door's roof for 2 seasons now we have been inundated with them and their grown babies - I have seen them actually run towards our beautiful Rainbow Lorikeep parrots and pierce the head trying to keep it out of our garden. There is a trap available and residents are encouraged to use them where the IM's are a nuisance however it is an expensive exercise - I just wish our neighbour would block up the hole in his roof before next Spring!
    Blessings!

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