Taking care of our feathered friends.

[fiasconva]

We are experiencing our 34th day in a row with no rain whatsoever. Everything is dry as a bone. I have a large bird bath that I have to fill just about every day. The birds and squirrels are using it for their water supply and it's nothing to see 7 or 8 birds of all different species sitting around the edge of it waiting for their turn to get a drink. This goes on all day so I have fill it back up almost daily as they empty it that quickly. If you are experiencing this type of weather think of your local wildlife and if you have a birdbath try to give them a helping hand. They are constantly using the birdfeeders and the birdbath that we have.

 

[pawngal]

The long dry spell here broke this past weekend. I don't have a bird bath but I put water out in shallow bowl that had a proper top edge for the birds to perch on to drink, and the squirrels were happy to use it too.

 

[LVSteve]

I think we are up to 117 or 118 days without rain, and that's a long time even for this city.

I have a birdbath filled 24/7/365. Robins, House Finches, and Mourning Doves are the most regular visitors.

 

[Shark Bait]

I've got about 18 inches of snow outside right now. It's going to be wet around here for a while.

 

[Rudi]

I always keep 6 water dishes out for the critters.

 

[TX-Dennis]

34 days? That's nothing. We can go 3-4 months at a time with no rain.

On the other hand, there is a mention of rain in the forecast for the next two days.

And, yes, we keep water out for the birds and whatever else happens by.

 

[Kinman]

The older I get the more I love birds, we had a little house finch adopt us this year. She had barely fledged and decided to take us on and tell us everything that was wrong with the world. She would hover over my wife and finally perched on her, not shutting up for over an hour, hopping from hand to hand. I came out and she immediately swooped on me, pecking at a mole on my neck. We thought about feeding her but opted out, put some water down. The next day I was out mowing the lawn, I heard a squawking and looked at the fence and there she was, I held out my hand and she came over and started in on me again. I walked over to the house, called my wife out and again she hopped from one to the other telling us everything on her mind. The next day we went out and spent $200 on a very nice feeder I installed on a piece of concrete slab we no longer use. Her and others use it, she has either moved on or no longer has anything to say. It was very heartwarming to say the least.

 

[Old 44 Guy]

I watched 12 Band Tailed pigeons come to drink at the bird bath today. Last month the buzzards came by by the hundreds while on their migration south. The tub is kids plastic pool and is automatic filled by a timer. My son in law has this place like a zoo. Good for him.

 

[fiasconva]

34 days without rain is an all-time record for here. October and November are usually pretty wet months but so far nothing. I filled the birdbath up this morning about 8 AM and it's already empty. Time to refill it.

 

[DWalt]

I have three birdbaths in my back yard, try to keep them filled. Except the raccoons keep tipping them over. They are frequently overnight visitors.The only birds I don't appreciate in my back yard are the buzzards. Followed by the grackles. We had the first good rain this week since mid-Summer, a little rainfall today.

 

[SMSgt]

I have more Black-Bellied Whistler ducks in my backyard than I can count. Fifty to a hundred at a time. Generations of them come here. It all started with a lousy Home Depot bird feeder. They're costing me a fortune. Fortunately, they are fond of Bass Pro deer feed corn. Cheap in the 40-Lb bags.

 

[Kinman]

I have more Black-Bellied Whistler ducks in my backyard than I can count. Fifty to a hundred at a time. Generations of them come here. It all started with a lousy Home Depot bird feeder. They're costing me a fortune. Fortunately, they are fond of Bass Pro deer feed corn. Cheap in the 40-Lb bags.

We used to have a mess of Mallards every year at the lake, we fed them puffed rice out of the big ole bag. The would eat out of our hands and be all around us. One day I noticed a little hen had a puffed mouth and beak area at her cheek. A closer examination showed a fish hook stuck completely through her jaw to cheek area. I got a pair of needle nose pliers and lured her close enough to grab her, wrap her in a towel and get my wife to hold her head while I cut the hook and barb clear and easily pulled the remaining hook and line away. We released her back to the flock and kept feeding them as they kept around. My wife one day noticed that there was a little hen that seems to like you and sure enough she would get cozy close with her cheek still puffed.
One of the neighbors we were told taught his kids how to lure ducks close enough to catch and eat and demonstrated killing two ducks. When I heard about that I had a vision of me going down there and going Capt McCrae on that *** for killing my pets. Thought better of it, calmed down but never forgot what a *** he was. "We dont rent pigs."