Blogger photos and story

Just a quick note with a new blog I found. Hope she can get back at posting photos as she does a good job.

So few birds these days we feel like they have been killed by winter or something. Just House Sparrows and Magpies.

Some photo updates on building Purple Martin houses

Well I now have two very different house nearly done and I am setting it aside for the time being. More paint and a few fix up and away they go as new homes for the birds who might come.

Here is house #1 nearly done.

 

This one will sit on the top of a pole.

Here is #2. It is designed to fit over a 4 x 4 post and be raised and lowered by a pulley system yet to be made.

This one has condos 6 x 6 x 10 inches deep. having read up on more recent data I would build them 7 x 7 x 12 as they have less danger from predators and babies falling out.

Here is a good link to do some reading.

Being a good Purple Martin landlord is a lot of work which I did not anticipate!

 SO this house is designed for the pole to go up through the middle and through the roof as well. There will be 8 condos on each side with quite a bit of space between the doorways. Some sort of shelf will be added in front of each door.

 The Back (or front depending on you view) will be fully removable for cleaning. See some building notes at the end.

I sunk in some double threaded studs from Lee Valley and bought the little cap to turn them in. A good woodworking tip!

The large washer is an auto panel washer and gives good coverage to the wood area around the stud.

More to come. It has been fun building these but now it is time to get back to pen turning when time allows.

2014 and Building a Purple Martin House

Happy New Year if you are still reading this since I have not posted for ages. Just a few pics of the new Purple Martin House I am building. I need to figure out how to build a telescoping post or buy one for it.

Last 2 weeks

Well there are things to report on sightings of birds back for spring. No pictures as they all seem easily spooked.
Saw a group of about 5 pairs of Western Bluebirds and a single male in a different spot. Also have a pair of Robins back in the yard and the Gulls (need to identify) are back at the Landfill!

Also saw a small woodpecker (likely the Hairy Woodpecker) in the bird feeder area last week as well.

We have had a steady visiting group of Hoary and Common Redpolls at the feeders all winter along with a couple of Black Capped Chickadees.
There is a group of about 6 to 8 Black Beaked Magpies who have been around all winter as well.

A real treat was the little Saw-Whet Owl who was here for a few days and then disappeared.

Only 1 Snowy Owl spotted this winter and only 1 sighting.

Some summer birds and comments and winter too!

Well that was a busy summer and fall. We did so many drives the area looking for new birds on the ponds and around the community. Many pictures were taken but only a few are good and even those are usually at long range.
Here is a collection of those pictures. I am sorry to say they are not in any particular order!

 Magpies in full form!

 Common Redpoll

 American Avocet - One of our favourite shore/wader birds to watch

 Red winged Blackbird

 Eastern Kingbird - First year in many we also had Western Kingbirds

 Belted Kingfisher

 On the shore in fall

 Who?

 Spruce Grouse on the road south of Waskesui

Ruffed Grouse

Shore birds

 Canada Geese and the family.

We need a better camera!

Well we have been seeing many interesting birds this past few weeks but the cameras we have just are not up to getting good pictures. I did a net check and the recommendations are way out of our price range so we will need to be innovative!
Hare are a couple of reference sites I found.
Mike Atkinson
Len and Dians Adventure
Canadian Bird Photographer

Here is are a couple of pictures from yesterday.
A baby blackbird

 An American Bittern

Sadly I am finding eggs and baby birds around the yard so the Magpies have been busy.

Nesting in the yard are:
Blackbirds
Goldfinchs
Robins
Several kinds of Sparrows
Tree Swallows in nest boxes
House Wrens
Flickers
Eastern Kingbird
Phoebe
And likely others which I am unaware of.