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Post by claude on Jul 6, 2021 21:12:01 GMT -5
I have planted nasturtiums and petunias in my coir planters that hang from the deck..this season. I keep replanting and replanting...because they are so sparse...this morning I saw yellow finch snipoff a petunia while the mother pulled a chunk of coir for a nest. No wonder they look as they do! Next year I’m just planting portulaca..they don’t like the taste and they can handle the heat 🤷🏻♀️
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Post by binnylou on Jul 6, 2021 21:24:07 GMT -5
claude, the coir liners are pricey. I think my liners are on their third year…I’d best find a source for replacements that fit my budget. And the birdies do like to harvest nesting materials from them. I do like the look of the hay rack planters…one of my favorite gifts from hubby.
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Post by claude on Jul 6, 2021 21:32:21 GMT -5
Binny I picked up the liners at the end of the season on clearance...the14” round ones were $2 each on amazon and the rectangular ones 30” were $3.99 at the Christmas tree shoppe. Home depo had them too. Regular prices were ridiculous..I agree.
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Post by binnylou on Jul 7, 2021 9:31:32 GMT -5
When weed whacking the garden a few days back, Buzz (weed whacker now has a name 😆) encountered a young snake…snake lost. Later in the day, I was going to put the snake remains outside the electric fence so somebody might have a meal. He was gone. Somebody had already done the harvest. I’m putting my money on the catbird.
And…while reading about catbirds and snakes, I find that Japanese Beetles are a large part of a catbirds diet. That may explain why I had a few JB one afternoon, and only one the next day. I may not need the jug of soapy water for beetle catchin’.
This catbird has taken ownership of the garden.. Anytime I am in the garden, he’s in the area…singing his song, or hopping from garden structure to garden structure…apparently policing the area for his next meal.
Hubby says he’s noticed the catbird exhibiting some of the flycatcher’s maneuvers…staying ahead of the mower for insect harvest.
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Post by gardendmpls on Jul 7, 2021 11:37:15 GMT -5
This catbird has taken ownership of the garden. Love those catbirds! Have had them follow me around when I am digging and dive down right beside the shovel to scarf up grubs.
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Post by binnylou on Jul 17, 2021 21:53:58 GMT -5
After complaining that the owls haven’t been around to take care of the rabbit population, this evening I heard hooting from one close location and cackling from another close location. Hoping that cackle was a war cry.
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Post by binnylou on Aug 25, 2021 9:30:45 GMT -5
Mumsey, do you still have Baltimore Orioles in your area? We don’t normally see them after nesting time, but there’s been a male that uses the hummingbird feeder. And today, the female oriole wanted to use it, but the male and three hummers kept her sitting next to the petunias. I’m just surprised that they haven’t started migration.
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Post by emmsmommy on Aug 25, 2021 13:44:43 GMT -5
Hubby and I were sitting under the tree this morning watching the tree trimmers and heard some chattering. Two goldfinches were having a feast on the sunflowers. We'd occasionally see one at the feeder but this is the first time we've observed them so close.
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Post by Mumsey on Aug 25, 2021 17:19:22 GMT -5
binnylou, I've never seen them this late in the season. Strange. But all things are strange these days!
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Post by Mumsey on Sept 16, 2021 16:47:24 GMT -5
Not exactly my garden but the other day when we walked later in the morning I counted 26 vultures roosting on the city communications tower. It’s about 3 blocks from us. This morning we walked at daybreak and I counted 15 flapping out of the trees on our corner, then later they hang out on the east side of neighbors huge trees and sun themselves with wings extended. Their morning cleansing ritual, sunning to kill bacteria.
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Post by gardendmpls on Sept 16, 2021 23:39:53 GMT -5
One of the few non-family posters I follow on Instagram is george_the_vulture. He is in a wildlife center and is one of the funniest, most curious of birds, hopping around, getting into bags, shredding paper and going for walks.
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Post by Wheelgarden on Sept 19, 2021 19:41:00 GMT -5
So far, more birds of various kinds than I've seen in a few years, this year. Hawks, eagles, buzzards, owls, crows, jays, thrashers, cardinals, mockingbirds, woodpeckers, robins, cowbirds, swifts, phoebes, finches, wrens, titmouses, sparrows, hummingbirds, and on... ...Today's episode, wherein another wayward wren finds its way into the house, and takes an hour-and-a-half family effort to shoo it back outside...
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Post by binnylou on Oct 22, 2021 20:53:06 GMT -5
Where are the cardinals? I haven’t seen nor heard the song of a male Cardinal for I’m guessing two months. Where have they gone?
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Post by pepperhead212 on Oct 22, 2021 22:26:15 GMT -5
I haven't seen the cardinals around for quite a while, either. Saw a lot of robins yesterday.
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Post by heirloomfan on Oct 25, 2021 9:32:42 GMT -5
We've had a lot of robins here lately. Have Chickadees, House Finches, Sparrows and other big ones like Magpies and Flickers here all year round. But funny to see more robins here.
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