Birds and other Animals

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Bluebird nest n back yard box ... taken sat
 
Tesoro said:
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Bluebird nest n back yard box ... taken sat
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Five eggs! I've often wondered if a mother bird ever thinks "dang, that's too much work"?

Ground based birds such as chickens, geese, ducks etc. need to have 8-10 at a time to get a few to adult stage due to predators. The ground birds find their own food pretty much on day one. But the nest based birds have a lot of work feeding their 3-4 fledgling offspring. Breeds where dad helps with the feeding helps survival rates.
 
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D4fan said:
Five eggs! I've often wondered if a mother bird ever thinks "dang, that's too much work"?

Ground based birds such as chickens, geese, ducks etc. need to have 8-10 at a time to get a few to adult stage due to predators. The ground birds find their own food pretty much on day one. But the nest based birds have a lot of work feeding their 3-4 fledgling offspring. Breeds where dad helps with the feeding helps survival rates.
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I'll have to find the pic but last year I had a chickadee that was sitting on ten eggs:)
 
D4fan said:
I try to help nature when I can. Not animals, but my enthusiasm for monarch butterflies has been an ongoing theme of summer enjoyment since I was a kid. Today, little milkweed is permitted to grow along ditches and in fields. I have a couple acres on a few different farms dedicated to milkweed preservation and the monarchs are still active on these farms, but the numbers I count continue to drop. Milkweed really is not that invasive compared to many other weeds, which is also why it is eradicated in many areas. So if you see a monarch, do him a favor and grow a few milkweeds to help a budy out. You can mow around them, and late summer mow them over so 9 months out of the year it looks like a basic yard.
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60 minutes segment from a couple of weeks ago.

 
D4fan said:
Five eggs! I've often wondered if a mother bird ever thinks "dang, that's too much work"?

Ground based birds such as chickens, geese, ducks etc. need to have 8-10 at a time to get a few to adult stage due to predators. The ground birds find their own food pretty much on day one. But the nest based birds have a lot of work feeding their 3-4 fledgling offspring. Breeds where dad helps with the feeding helps survival rates.
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A couple years ago wintering in FL I befriended the resident Muscovy ducks. The one mom had 10 ducklings (I read they can have up to 16!). They were funny, following her everywhere, learning how to feed, etc. Over the span of about two-three weeks they were all gone. One day she'd have 8, the next 7, etc. I actually saw her fight off a bald eagle when she had three left. Between the monster bass in the lake, snappers, birds of prey, raccoons and maybe even a fox she had her work cut out. Last year, she had 8 ducklings, and 2 survived. She either got better or luckier. Probably a bit of both.
 
eastisbest said:
Didn't we always have those though? What's changed? Must have been the Golden Corral of pigeon eating.
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Not peregrines.

... peregrines have adapted to nesting on a variety of human-made structures such as skyscrapers, bridges, and other tall structures. 1988, Ohio’s first nesting peregrines successfully fledged 2 juveniles at the Commodore Perry Motor Inn located in Toledo. From 1989 until 1993, the Ohio Division of Wildlife hacked 46 juvenile peregrines in Cincinnati, Akron, and Columbus. Ohio’s population grew steadily and exceeded 30 nesting pairs during 2011. - ODNR
 
chs1971 said:
Not peregrines.

... peregrines have adapted to nesting on a variety of human-made structures such as skyscrapers, bridges, and other tall structures. 1988, Ohio’s first nesting peregrines successfully fledged 2 juveniles at the Commodore Perry Motor Inn located in Toledo. From 1989 until 1993, the Ohio Division of Wildlife hacked 46 juvenile peregrines in Cincinnati, Akron, and Columbus. Ohio’s population grew steadily and exceeded 30 nesting pairs during 2011. - ODNR
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University of Toledo has a resident, dare I say, falcon. 😲

Toledo Peregrine Project

Toledo Peregrine Project : The University of Toledo
www.utoledo.edu www.utoledo.edu

I think I mentioned this on here before but years ago I worked at the coal fired power plant, which used to have 800 ft. stacks. You'd see a flock of pigeons flying in unison and then all of a sudden there would be an explosion of feathers and the others would quickly disperse and then come back together. Pretty neat to see a falcon nosedive and hunt.
 
chs1971 said:
There are river otter at Ottawa NWR that I have not seen and beaver that I have.
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I have heard about the otters not only at Ottawa but also Magee on Ward's canal. I did see a beaver at Maumee Bay several years ago. Have not been back in awhile.

Once I saw mink at the marina I did some research and they fascinate me because they are extremely opportunistic and will take down prey twice their size.
 
irish_buffalo said:
sanduskyregister.com

GREAT OUTDOORS: White pelicans could be Lake Erie's next 'cormorant'

Ohio falls in pelicans' migration routes and are more commonly spotted.
sanduskyregister.com sanduskyregister.com
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I thought this was interesting

www.goodnewsnetwork.org

Millions of Birds Now Migrating Safely Through Darkened Texas Cities After Successful Lights Out Campaign

Reducing the reflections from exterior lighting on tall buildings worked to prevent 60% of all bird collision deaths in cities like Houston.
www.goodnewsnetwork.org www.goodnewsnetwork.org
 
irish_buffalo said:
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Calling chs1971? Taken from a friends birdfeeder out on Catawba. Chukar? This guy is a long way from home right?
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WR Hunt Club north of Clyde has pheasant and chukar to shoot at if sporting clays gets too dull.

Like pheasant, chukar are not native to North America and is an introduced game bird. The only wild chukar are in the mountain west. I've seen them in Montana. Years, maybe decades, ago ODNR released them in Ohio. Birders used to see them down at Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area near Upper.

Much more likely to be an escaped bird than a wild bird from Montana.
 
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