Today at the feeder (6 Viewers)

[amasara]

Tammie - what's a "leucistic"? Marianna - thanks for the site info - will check it out. I too, wonder where Brenda is.... I seem to have the same influx of purples over here
1 male and 3-4 females. Guessing from what our northern neighbors are saying - I suppose they're headed their way!

 

[Tammie]

Tammie - what's a "leucistic"? Marianna - thanks for the site info - will check it out. I too, wonder where Brenda is.... I seem to have the same influx of purples over here
1 male and 3-4 females. Guessing from what our northern neighbors are saying - I suppose they're headed their way!

Hi Sara,
A leusistic is I believe, a partial albino. My little redpoll has a white head and is white almost halfway down his back. He also has pink/orange legs. He's the cutest little thing I think I've ever seen! I was lucky enough to have him here all winter long but I haven't seen him now for a couple of weeks. I am almost overrun with redpolls right now... more must be passing through on migration because I didn't have this many a couple of weeks ago!
I'm hoping my lovely female purples will show up soon too. Some males are here now so they can't be too far behind.

 

[amasara]

He certainly is a cutey - I know what you mean re: missing him - I had a yellowthroat warbler here all winter and he was the bright spot of my day - he left about a month ago - not supposed to be here in winter as it was - my lucky break! While watching a turkey(hen) watching something - out flew my cat and UP flew the bird (at least 10 feet) - and in tore the cat to her cat door. Think she tackled more than she could handle that time!! Then while looking out the glass porch - discovered a window hit - went out to see - and recovered a very stiff wood thrush - a first for me but hard way to see! Time to put up the screens!

 

[RonR]

(I think there are going to be some sub-forums added here but I'll go ahead and start some of our favorite topics up to get things going)

Not a lot of activity at my feeders today. The usual blue jays, rock doves, grackles, red-winged blackbirds but also a few American goldfinch and white throated sparrows.

A DAMN CAT.

 

[Tammie]

Yesterday, I was able to watch two female kestrels vying for the territory around here. We have a nesting pair every summer but I haven't seen the male yet. I thought it was strange to see a kestrel sitting at the top of a poplar tree..... and a whole flock of redpolls sitting lower in the same tree!! The little ones are either very brave or.................. :eek!:

 

[amasara]

A DAMN CAT.

I bell my cats and usually don't let them out till after birdie bedtime - it's the slew of feral cats that cause me most concern!

 

[Tammie]

I'm afraid I lost a little redpoll to the resident kestrel this afternoon :'D ... no matter how exciting it was for me to see, I feel terrible for the little. I am certain tho' that it didn't feel a thing and never even saw it coming.
My mother-in-law and I were sitting at the kitchen table, casually watching the grackles, blackbirds and redpolls when all of a sudden, they all scattered. There was a quick whoosh and this larger bird swooped in, reaching forward for something in midair, and then was gone. All I saw a second later was two little tiny feathers floating down to the ground. And it's been really, really quiet here ever since!
I know the predator birds have to eat too........... I just wish they would stick to rodents!!

 

[prairiemerlin]

Cooper's Hawks often come to our feeders, but only twice have I witnessed a kill. A few years ago I glanced out the window, and in came this Cooper's Hawk - only about 2 feet above the ground. It swooped in really fast and snatched a House Sparrow, turned around, and was out in a few seconds.

One afternoon last winter I glanced out the window and a Cooper's Hawk dropped nearly vertically down on a Starling. It carried it off to the woods behind my house, and I asume it devoured the starling back there.

I can't count the number of times a hawk has come over to my feeders.... however, I think it is very neat. I don't mind losing the occasional feederbird to a hawk.

 

[amasara]

We have both cooper and sharp-shinned in this area. I got to see the sharpie up close when he and the cowbird (good choice) slammed into my bay window. The local forest ranger came and picked him up to taxidermy and use at local schools. They are relatively rare in this area he said - tho I seem them frequently. Had to chase one away from my back feeders the other day - decided he could feast on someone's elses birds!

 

[Tammie]

So many people keep talking about Cooper's and Sharp Shinned hawks but I'm not sure I've ever seen either one. I see lots of red tails and this past weekend, I saw my first norther harrier. We see tons of hawks around here but I can never tell what they are, for various reasons... usually distance. Someday, I will improve my hawk skills!
Sara, I agree with you.... I'd rather they feast somewhere else!!

 

[snowyowl]

I'm a bit surprised to hear about a Kestrel taking a Redpoll. The reason that you saw the flock of Redpolls in the same tree as the Kestrel is probably because they didn't feel threatened. Kestrels usually go after small mammals or large insects, perhaps small reptiles. They usually either hover over an open field or swoop down from a perch, that's why we see them on wires and posts so commonly. I have a pair that nest about a hundred and fifty metres from my feeders and they never seem to attack the small birds. tyhat's not to say that it couldn't happen.
What you have described sounds like very typical Sharp-shinned behavour or how about a Merlin? In fact, the more I think about it the likely it seems to be a Merlin. Only about an inch longer, feeds primarily on small birds, very similar call.
Sorry to be questioning your id. but it just doesn't sound like a Kestrel. :h?:

 

[snowyowl]

And speaking of Kestrels, I just checked the nest box through binos and I can see one Kestrel sittin on the wire above it (the box is on a telephone pole) and the other one in the box with just it's head and shoulders sticking out. They are against the light so I can't tell which is which.

 

[marianna]

How neat to have nesting kestrals, Dan! I see them here in Indiana only on power lines along the roads in the country. And there are lots of them! Sometimes will see one swoop down after some prey, but usually they are just sitting there....I often think they are mourning doves, until I am close enough to see them clearly.

That would be so cool to have a pair nesting where they could be observed.

 

[Tammie]

I'm a bit surprised to hear about a Kestrel taking a Redpoll. The reason that you saw the flock of Redpolls in the same tree as the Kestrel is probably because they didn't feel threatened. Kestrels usually go after small mammals or large insects, perhaps small reptiles. They usually either hover over an open field or swoop down from a perch, that's why we see them on wires and posts so commonly. I have a pair that nest about a hundred and fifty metres from my feeders and they never seem to attack the small birds. tyhat's not to say that it couldn't happen.
What you have described sounds like very typical Sharp-shinned behavour or how about a Merlin? In fact, the more I think about it the likely it seems to be a Merlin. Only about an inch longer, feeds primarily on small birds, very similar call.
Sorry to be questioning your id. but it just doesn't sound like a Kestrel. :h?:

Don't apologize Dan.... I'm still learning about anything to do with hawks. And I do believe you are right anyway! I just read up in my book about Merlins and the description fits perfectly! For some reason, I never thought of them. The way things happened yesterday with the redpolls sitting in the tree with the kestrel... it just didn't make any sense. It does say in the book tho' that a kestrel will take a small bird once in a while, that's why I just assumed it. But the books description of a Merlin charing in at really high speed is exactly what we saw!
Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Tammie]

And speaking of Kestrels, I just checked the nest box through binos and I can see one Kestrel sittin on the wire above it (the box is on a telephone pole) and the other one in the box with just it's head and shoulders sticking out. They are against the light so I can't tell which is which.

What kind of nest box are you talking about? I've never heard of kestrels using one before. Wonder if we could coax ours a little closer to the yard for nesting??

 

[snowyowl]

What kind of nest box are you talking about? I've never heard of kestrels using one before. Wonder if we could coax ours a little closer to the yard for nesting??

Nothing fancy about it, just a standard type of square box with the right size hole. When I go to my workshop later this morning I'll look up the dimensions for you and post them. It needs to be fairly high but again I'll look it up for you.

 

[pduxon]

What kind of nest box are you talking about? I've never heard of kestrels using one before. Wonder if we could coax ours a little closer to the yard for nesting??

Tammie

the RSPB put up boxes for Kestrels at my local reserve and they are used. I presume there isn't that much difference between the two species

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/whatyoucando/nestboxlarge/kestrel_box.asp

 

[Celeste]

I have enjoyed reading all this kestral info. When I was in Cape May, trying to do somebirding on a cold windy day, I saw two birds flying low over the tops of the sand dunes where there was some low brush. They looked like kestrals, but I just didn't expect to see them in that setting-so close to the beach. Now I think maybe they were kestrals or merlins.

 

[snowyowl]

Tammie

the RSPB put up boxes for Kestrels at my local reserve and they are used. I presume there isn't that much difference between the two species

http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/whatyoucando/nestboxlarge/kestrel_box.asp

Quite different than the boxes that I use. I use a simple four sided box. the pattern is the same for most species, only the size, hole diameter and location change. I've tried to attach an scan of the Canadian Wildlife Service's guide to nest box dimensions. I've had the pamphlet for years and it's coffe stained etc so I hope that it's readable.

 

[snowyowl]

Quite different than the boxes that I use. I use a simple four sided box. the pattern is the same for most species, only the size, hole diameter and location change. I've tried to attach an scan of the Canadian Wildlife Service's guide to nest box dimensions. I've had the pamphlet for years and it's coffe stained etc so I hope that it's readable.

Well, that didn't work too well so let's try a different version. This one doesn't list Kestrel but the dimensions are the same as shown for Screech Owl. There is alot more information in the first version and I'll see if I can't enhance it and re-post it later.