[mou] Praising the water

[Thomas Maiello]

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Had a delightful experience today as my full and steaming-from-the- 
cold bird bath drew in a couple of first timers to my arbor.  Amidst  
the flock of white throats and finches and juncos and jays and  
cardinals and goldfinches and doves and chickadees that are massing  
outside my office window on a daily basis (wow!), today I was awarded  
with the breath-taking beauty and struttings of a Cedar Waxwing and a  
Red-Bellied Woodpecker both drinking joyfully from my copper pool.   
The waxwing was my first in my experience at this home in Spring Lake  
Park (just north of Fridley) and although the woodpecker has been  
here all summer, it is the first time for it to grace my water.  I  
have also been blessed with a spanking of perchings from Hairy and  
Downy Woodpeckers who apparently have their winter threads on for  
they simply glisten with dramatically pronounced contrast between  
their blacks and whites.  They actually look like they are newly  
tuxedoed for the wedding of some friend.

I have also had some success managing my House Sparrow herd as they  
dig into their winter perching habits among my grapevine thickets.   
The thickets are now devoid of leaves but thick enough to give them  
an apparent sense of safety among the tangles of vine.  I'd get rid  
of it but other birds take advantage of the shrine.  The steaming  
water and bounty of seeds I have spread like a blanket beneath and  
around the bird bath is a pure bird magnet with several non-ground  
feeders testing their feet for the sake of a nourishing and plentiful  
meal.  The lure is simply too powerful for the House Sparrows to bear  
and they repeatedly test their access rights to the smorgasbord and  
vital winter water.  I have found that all I have to do to disperse  
the aggressive and domineering housers is to make any motion from  
inside the window and they all flee while my more desired species  
simply continue their contented feeding.  I am sure the housers flood  
the area when I am gone.  I am going to hit Fleet Farm on a seed  
buying binge here soon (unless one of you readers can give me other  
guidance to cheap and varietied bird seed sources) and take the time  
to wire my tube feeders and grid out my platforms in an attempt to  
limit the head tossing and seed throwing habits of the housers.  I  
have taken to heart the various House Sparrow control emails shared  
through this server and am excited to see how they work.

My efforts to trap, snare or otherwise control my ground and tree  
squirrel populations have worked famously also.  To date I have  
dispatched or displaced some 65 ground squirrels and over 45 tree  
squirrels.  (Can we say 'infestation'?)  I do know that nature abhors  
a vacuum (a Universal Law) and that other squirrels will come to fill  
the void but I have not seen a ground squirrel in over a month and  
only get an occasional visitor tree squirrel - who often get a  
stringent warning that there has to be easier ways to find a meal  
than to test the arbor waters.  I do give both the housers and the  
squirrels food and water via feeders set on the edges of the  
property.  A good mix of birds visit them but I don't hassle the  
rodents or housers there.  I don't make it easy for them there but it  
is easier than my arbor.

One last noticing - I have noticed that there is much variation in  
how the different species get water from my bird bath.  My bath is a  
large disk, shallow bowl that does not have rocks or ledges or places  
to sit in the water and dip down.  Everyone must use the lip of the  
bowl or find another way.  More of the birds do perch and dip from  
the lip but the Downy Woodpeckers struggle with that.  They end up  
awkwardly in the water - almost like the lip is too thick and they  
cannot grasp tightly onto the broad diameter curvature - so they just  
wade right in after several attempts to clasp their bark-clinging  
toes against the metal.  The larger woodpeckers -the Hairy and Red- 
bellied - don't seem to have the problem.  I also notice this with  
the Goldfinches - possibly because of their size.  But it must be  
something to do with their tiny feet or angle of their toes because  
the chickadees and kinglets and other similarly sized birds don't  
seem to have the issue.  This has me shifting to Darwinian-naturalist- 
researcher mode and I will be noticing more about bird feet as they  
present themselves.  Is this a great life or what!?!  And ain't it  
grand that birds don't wear shoes.

Good birding to all and to all a warm night.

Thomas Maiello
Spring Lake Park
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<HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; =
-khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span">Had a delightful experience today as my full =
and steaming-from-the-cold bird bath drew in a couple of first timers to =
my arbor.=A0 Amidst the flock of white throats and finches and juncos =
and jays and cardinals and goldfinches and doves and chickadees that are =
massing outside my office window on a daily basis (wow!), today I was =
awarded with the breath-taking beauty and struttings of a <B>Cedar =
Waxwing</B> and a <B>Red-Bellied Woodpecker</B> both drinking joyfully =
from my copper pool.=A0 The waxwing was my first in my experience at =
this home in Spring Lake Park (just north of Fridley) and although the =
woodpecker has been here all summer, it is the first time for it to =
grace my water.=A0 I have also been blessed with a spanking of perchings =
from Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers who apparently have their winter =
threads on for they simply glisten with dramatically pronounced contrast =
between their blacks and whites. =A0They actually look like they are =
newly tuxedoed for the wedding of some friend. =A0<DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I have also had some =
success managing my House Sparrow herd as they dig into their winter =
perching habits among my grapevine thickets.=A0 The thickets are now =
devoid of leaves but thick enough to give them an apparent sense of =
safety among the tangles of vine.=A0 I'd get rid of it but other birds =
take advantage of the shrine.=A0 The steaming water and bounty of seeds =
I have spread like a blanket beneath and around the bird bath is a pure =
bird magnet with several non-ground feeders testing their feet for the =
sake of a nourishing and plentiful meal.=A0 The lure is simply too =
powerful for the House Sparrows to bear and they repeatedly test their =
access rights to the smorgasbord and vital winter water.=A0 I have found =
that all I have to do to disperse the aggressive and domineering housers =
is to make any motion from inside the window and they all flee while my =
more desired species simply continue their contented feeding.=A0 I am =
sure the housers flood the area when I am gone.=A0 I am going to hit =
Fleet Farm on a seed buying binge here soon (unless one of you readers =
can give me other guidance to cheap and varietied bird seed sources) and =
take the time to wire my tube feeders and grid out my platforms in an =
attempt to limit the head tossing and seed throwing habits of the =
housers.=A0 I have taken to heart the various House Sparrow control =
emails shared through this server and am excited to see how they =
work.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>My =
efforts to trap, snare or otherwise control my ground and tree squirrel =
populations have worked famously also.=A0 To date I have dispatched or =
displaced some 65 ground squirrels and over 45 tree squirrels. =A0(Can =
we say 'infestation'?) =A0I do know that nature abhors a vacuum (a =
Universal Law) and that other squirrels will come to fill the void but I =
have not seen a ground squirrel in over a month and only get an =
occasional visitor tree squirrel - who often get a stringent warning =
that there has to be easier ways to find a meal than to test the arbor =
waters.=A0 I do give both the housers and the squirrels food and water =
via feeders set on the edges of the property.=A0 A good mix of birds =
visit them but I don't hassle the rodents or housers there.=A0 I don't =
make it easy for them there but it is easier than my =
arbor.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>One =
last noticing - I have noticed that there is much variation in how the =
different species get water from my bird bath.=A0 My bath is a large =
disk, shallow bowl that does not have rocks or ledges or places to sit =
in the water and dip down.=A0 Everyone must use the lip of the bowl or =
find another way.=A0 More of the birds do perch and dip from the lip but =
the Downy Woodpeckers struggle with that.=A0 They end up awkwardly in =
the water - almost like the lip is too thick and they cannot grasp =
tightly onto the broad diameter curvature - so they just wade right in =
after several attempts to clasp their bark-clinging toes against the =
metal.=A0 The larger woodpeckers -the Hairy and Red-bellied - don't seem =
to have the problem.=A0 I also notice this with the Goldfinches - =
possibly because of their size.=A0 But it must be something to do with =
their tiny feet or angle of their toes because the chickadees and =
kinglets and other similarly sized birds don't seem to have the issue.=A0 =
This has me shifting to Darwinian-naturalist-researcher mode and I will =
be noticing more about bird feet as they present themselves.=A0 Is this =
a great life or what!?!=A0 And ain't it grand that birds don't wear =
shoes.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Good =
birding to all and to all a warm night.</DIV><DIV><BR =
class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Thomas =
Maiello</DIV><DIV>Spring Lake Park</DIV></SPAN></BODY></HTML>=

--Apple-Mail-5--416514723--