Birds at my Window: Austin, Texas

Eye Exam: Can you find a grackle, a mourning dove, and a squirrel?

For many years, I was an apartment dweller who wanted to feed birds. I took over a small area in front of my window. I provided birdseed, fruit, bread, and water. Some of the birdseed is inside three birdfeeders--one on a pole and two attached to trees--and the rest is spread out on the ground.
For "landscape," I planted three shrubs and added some tree branches and rocks, where the birds like to "perch" while looking around. The water is in a container with three compartments. I've seen grackles, sparrows, and even squirrels drinking from the water bin. The grackles stand on the logs I've put around the container and walk around the bin, drinking water from each of the three compartments! In addition, there is a birdbath, and, of course, a squirrel feeder.

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Treats Provided

Squirrel Feeding and Watching

Bird Tales

     Saving Private Pepper: Pepper's Story
     Another Pigeon Rescue: Poppy's Story
     And yet another Pigeon Rescue: Paula's Story
     Musetta's Waltz: How I met Musetta Pigeon
     The Pigeons of the Hike and Bike Trail
     Birdwatching
     Blue Boo-Boo
     The Sparrows are Following Me!
     Grackles: the Ultimate Primordial Bird

Links for Backyard Birding

Treats provided:

raisins	apple slices	cherry tomatoes	grapes
peanuts	cashews	sesame seeds	pear bits
cheese crackers	peanutbutter	grape jelly	prunes
corn-on-the-cob	white bread	flour tortillas	bagels
pound cake	thistle seed	suet (peanut)	pineapple
sunflower seeds	pistachios	blueberry muffins	pecan rolls

Squirrel Feeding

This feeder was designed by Sheridon Squirrel, a regular customer of mine, and built by Dennis Human according to Sheridon's specifications.
To the upper left is a regular bird feeder, which Sheridon doesn't like. When frustrated, he gets completely inside the bird feeder, a rather odd sight -- tail and all squeezed inside scrambling feverishly for the last bits of sunflower seed and millet.
Sheridon requested a custom built feeder. He asked for a floor tray with forest green tile, a bench for him to sit on while munching (see left), also covered with forest green tile, and a roof twelve inches above, slightly angled to allow for drainage as well as easy hangingoutability. The feeder is built from pine with sculpted pine molding for the tray edges and the bench. Sheridon's decorative and comfy bench is held in with tiny screws and the floor is reinforced with a large L-bracket underneath.
Sheridon's favorite foods are sunflower seeds, followed by fruit (apples, grapes, raisins), peanuts and other nuts, bread, and fresh water.
I have four regular squirrel customers: Sheridon, Notchie, Peter, and Sheryl.

BIRD TALES

BIRD WATCHING

My cats and I love to watch the critters from the window.

See the eyeballs?
We are careful not to scare them, and they seem to have learned that my felines stay inside -- well fed, well loved, and content -- allowing the birds to roam safely and search for new bits of food. I put up two high shelves for easy peekability for my cats. We're always fighting for the best spot, and now my cats have a high edge over me!

The Big Blue Boo-Boo

I installed a birdbath, which the grackles drink from regularly, but for some odd reason, won't bathe in. I've tried various things: adding stones, adding gravel, making the water shallower, deeper, etc. At one point, I thought the pebbles were too big, so I decided to add some small aquarium gravel. I picked out some very pretty (non-toxic) powder blue gravel. Much to my surprise, the birds didn't like it one bit! I watched several grackles pick up bread then go to the bird bath to dip it, like they usually do. But as soon as they saw the blue gravel, they freaked, flying off in a frenzy. After watching several grackles do this for an entire day, I bought some neutral colored gravel and promptly removed all signs of blue. Within an hour, my grackles were using the bird bath again! The moral: Don't give your birds the blues!

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The Sparrows are Following Me!

The sparrows on the hike and bike trail have now made it a regular occurrence to follow me. After I finish a run, I get some water, stretch, and then walk back to my car. Of course, I'm not carrying any bird food when I'm running -- but the sparrows don't know that. They have begun following me from the pagoda back to my car, so that by the time I get to my car, I have about ten sparrows, eight grackles, and a handful of pigeons waiting impatiently for a snack. I open my trunk where I keep my emergency stash of tortillas and feed them to their hearts' delight.

The pigeons have gotten so used to me that they land on me. They land on my arms and eat the bread right out of my hand. If I'm sitting on the bench, they'll land on my legs and shoulders, too. People walk by and wonder why I'm dressed in pigeons. I've gotten so I can recognize many of them by their color patterns, eyes, habits, and other characteristics. Pretty soon, they'll all have names!

Grackles: Awesome Birds

I love grackles. They have the some of the most interesting behaviour patterns I've seen. Male grackles are iridescent black, with long beaks and yellow eyes. Imagine if grackles were the size of humans! What foreboding creatures they would be! Male grackles display by raising their heads, ruffling their feathers, and giving a loud cry. Female grackles are smaller and brown. It's amazing to watch them feed their young, who are often as big as Mom! Grackles are very social and often have grackle conventions. So when you see them in a group, they might be having an important discussion or debate. Feed them bread and watch them catch it. They are truly awesome birds!