Stupid Bird Tricks

[Cudedog]

I have a "Joe enclosure" (for my dog Joe) just outside the back door in my laundry room. This is an area about 8 or 9 feet wide, by about 55 feet long.

At one corner of a metal patio overhang is a volunteer tree/bush kind of thing. I think it is a (volunteer) boxwood.

Last evening Joe was paying particular - and intense - attention to something in the boxwood, I thought it might be an injured bird. Nope. Only about 5 feet off the ground was a small nest with baby birds in it!! It has been years since I have seen a nest with baby birds.

I try to encourage birds around here, the bird population has really fallen off in the last couple of years. Just as I spotted the nest, Joe was leaping for it, and nearly getting there.

LOL. What I see as "birds", Joe sees as "snacks".

A couple of years ago I was out in the backyard, a newly fledged baby bird swooped by, about four feet off the ground, Joe made a leap - and that was that. Two chomps and it was gone.

I could hear the poor mother bird screeching. It happened too fast, and unexpectedly, for me to do anything about it. I was afraid he might get sick from it, but he never did. I didn't discipline him for it - he was just being a dog. But it upset me. I do like wild birds.

The little birds in the nest looked as though they were nearly feathered out, so probably no more than a week or so before they are ready to fly.

I sprayed some dog/cat repellent at the foot of the bush (I'll watch Joe when I let him "out" so that he doesn't bother with the bush) - my neighborhood is infested with feral cats (my backyard garden seems to be the neighborhood catbox - I hate having cat crap in my veggies) , it is surprising that the cats hadn't found the bird nest before this, since the nest was so low to the ground.

I hope that I didn't scare the mother bird away permanently. As I was looking in the bush, I could hear a bird loudly chirping behind me somewhere. I'm not a birder by any means, but looking up some photos online of California birds, I'm thinking that these might be Northern Mockingbirds (there are quite a few of them around here, they are a largish songbird, and have long white stripes in their long tails when in flight):



As soon as I saw the nest with the babies, I backed right off, and didn't get any closer (definitely didn't try to touch the babies) - although I was pretty close when I saw them - the nest was well hidden, almost in my face!

Anyway, hope the babies make it. I'll look again in a week or so. If they survived (I hope!), they should be gone.

Anne

[Shirlv]

Be careful. My mother-in-law was pecked on the head by a mocking bird because she was too close to the nest. She swore it almost knocked her out. Lol

[Bethers]

I hope they survive. Poor Joe just wants to do what comes naturally to him. But I'd do my best to keep him from them also.

[Cudedog]

I hope they survive. Poor Joe just wants to do what comes naturally to him. But I'd do my best to keep him from them also.

I just went out again to walk Joe - I could hear the chirping again, and this time I was able to see the bird (don't know if it was the Mom or not). The bird was perched on my wire fence with what looked like a worm in her/his mouth, kind of glancing my way.

I looked up Mockingbirds, to find out what they eat:

According to the Audubon Field Guide: "Feeds heavily on insects in late spring and summer, especially beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants, wasps, also many others. Also eats spiders, snails, sowbugs, earthworms, and rarely crayfish and small lizards."

This is actually pretty great. The only things I don't have of what is listed above are crayfish and small lizards. Most everything else on this list I have in abundance - and since my garden is organic, the birds are safe to eat whatever of these they like.

I do hope they leave my ladybugs alone, though! I was out yesterday checking my zuchinni, and (as expected) I am beginning to see a few aphids. But where I saw the aphids, I saw two ladybugs feasting on them, so (if the Mockingbirds don't find them) I should be good.

On the other hand, I have always seemed to have quite a few Mockingbirds in my yard (except, until now, I didn't know what they were) and the ladybugs have been fine.

Here is some interesting info. Seeing the large photo at the top of the page, I am now certain that what I have here is a Northern Mockingbird.

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bir ... d%20fruits.

On edit, I also found that they also eat berries: "Mostly insects and berries. Annual diet is about half insects and other arthropods, half berries and fruits."

I am more than happy to share my strawberry bounty with wild birds!

Anne