A bird day today - May 19 Victoria Day

Well it is raining and cool out but we are warm inside! This weekend the Oriole returned as did the Brown Thrasher and several others including the Goldfinches.
Here is someone we cannot identify:

And another one. Pictures taken through the living room window so not as clear as it could be.

 This we know is a Night Heron.

The Goldfinch.

 Evening sun on the water.

First Purple Martin house up

This house started out as an eight unit but since I have done some reading it is now a five condo space. I drilled out the center wall in each of the main body compartment and blocked the entrance on alternating ones so that the condo is double deep for protection and to keep the little guys from falling/being pushed out or being grabbed by large birds. The two condos under the roof are half the depth of the house so about 9 inches.
We continue to see snow fall here so I doubt any bird flying over would even see this. But surely sunny days are coming.

The other house requires a different post so still some work to do. The hole in the center is 4 x 4 inches so I will build a post to fit so I can raise and lower the house for inspection and cleaning. No roosting space yet so not sure if I will put any on as I have seen them on the net  in videos without.

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