Well Terry, here's someone else with an eye on the birds.
James in Amarillo sent me this pic he took of the chilly doves in his Panhandle garden. They are all fluffed up against the 22* temp

Another lovely sharp clear photo. See how daft they are, sitting on a cold rock when there is a nice log behind.

Maybe they knew what a great composition it would make, with them against a green background
I love how their colors match the wood and stone. Its beautiful to see natures camouflage tactics at work.

Birds! Love the photo of the doves all fluffed up. Our little birds look so huge all through our snowy winter here, that they look strange when they appear at the bird feeders tiny and sleek on the first warm days.

We had a young sparrow hawk at the feeders this month. I tried to get his picture, but of course he was camera shy.

But I did get this fellow - his red head is always a bright sight on drab winter days.



my picture is not nearly as clear as the doves. Guess I better clean my windows afterall

I had computer problems and had to reboot in the middle of the download.

Here's my red headed fellow.

Help!! Does anyone know a safe way to deter peacocks from eating everything in the flower and vegetable garden. These birds are beautiful and I love them, however, gardening is almost imposible because they either eat or tear up everything.
Thanks

For the vegetable garden you can make wire frames and cover with light weight row covers. I don't know peacocks, will they peck and pull the row covers off?

For the flower beds if you know of some blooms that they won't eat, you can make a wire cage for the plants to grow up through. That way they birds couldn't scratch them up before they get started. I do this to keep the dogs out of my fresh tilled soil.

I'm going to try this picture of the red headed wood pecker one more time.

I just wanted to let Terry know that the 'log' behind the doves isn't a log, but one of the railroad ties which make up a retaining wall across our backyard. It is from 5 to 8 ties high and about 90 feet long. The green vegetation is a ground cover which stays green year round.

Also, Mamakane, the clarity of the bird photos taken through the window may be due to camera lens quality more than 'dirty windows'. My Sony CD1000 digital has a very good 10X optical plus 2X digital zoom lens. I am very pleased with it and reluctant to 'upgrade' to a later camera as they don't have the quality lens I am using.

Good to know that the railroad ties are still finding homes. Over here they are still very dark from the impregnation of years of oil.

Hi Linda, peacocks as a pest is a new one. Well just try to enjoy and remember that tail display is better than any flowers.

Sorry this thread disappeared tempor. Strange things happen in cyberland.
Whatever went array, may have been the problem with posting your pic too, MK. Please try again if you get the chance, otherwise, e it to me and I'll take a rock hammer to this thing , to make it stick ;-)

Yes, the peacocks are absolutely beautiful. However, when you have 14-18 wandering thru your landscape everyday, it does just a little damage. I am making cages and that works, but it is less than attractive. I tried orange peels, but no luck. Any more ideas?

Linda, Are the peacocks yours or are they wandering visitors?

Maggie, I thought it might be a server thing about that picture. I'm sure you enjoyed your English adventure, but it's good to have you back to take care of us.



My birds are really enjoying the warm sunshine. And the worms! The lower field where the sheep stay at night will be covered with Robins on a rainy day. We also have some new arrivals: a few yellow finches - they'll arrive in flocks by time the sunflower and other annuals have seeds. There's a purple finch, also he looks more red to me. One of my favorites is back, the Towhee. And I saw a bluebird in the post down at the field.

I'm getting worried about this forum now - or am hoping it is just this one thread that has a prob. Pls send me the pic Mk, and I'll see if it will work from this end.

I've noticed robins scooping up beak-fulls of mud for their nest making. Wonder if that is why you see them there on rainy days. Love those yellow finch. I'm with you about the purple finch - they def look more like redheaded sparrows to me too. Sounds like the Towhee is plentiful in your parts. I have only ever seen one of them in this garden - and only got that one snap of him that day. We don't get bluebirds in the urban areas, but friends in the country put up roosting boxes for them along the fences, since they have lost so of the natural woods for nest hollows. Was yours making a nest in the post MK?

I just now caught that 14-18 # of peacocks - man that must be some huge spread!

Get Maggie to tell you how she charms the birds in England. Now I have seen her in action and they are entranced and can't wait to pose for this lady and her camera.

The peacocks are wild and belong to the area. Someone brought them in ages ago and they are obviously doing well! Some of them are tame enough to let me feed them on my back porch. We also found eggs a couple of years ago and we do have 8 pets in large cages. They are so beautiful that I feel quilty complaining, but they do a lot of damage to your gardens.

That sounds wonderful to me Linda! I do hope you are able to contiue enjoying them and a safe garden.

Terry's baiting me, so I will comply :-)

I'm going to have a go at posting MK's woodpecker. It is a beauty. Thanks for sending it to me MK. oxox

What a treat to see the lovely bird pics. We too are enjoying the mating dances, calls and my favorite, two hummers arrived yesterday and I wasn't yet prepared for them. Hurried to make some sugar water, even cooled it in the freezer but they haven't yet reappeared, at least for me to see. My favorite roses (Belinda's dream) are covered in tan colored bugs, all over the stems. Also, some leaves are somewhat curly too. Will be trying the recommended spray too. Hope your trip was lovely Maggie. Good to have you back! B.Finholt

It drives me nuts too, when I see the first hummers for just one day in March or April. Folks say they are “scouts”, checking for future food sources for the oncoming summer siege. If that is accurate, don’t feel bad about not having the feeder out already Barbara. Because, knowing your garden, they spotted a good flower source and will have certainly included your place in their itinerary.

Have you noticed how cold it always looks at MK's place?, but she still gets out to take some wonderful shots.

Maggie says I'm baiting her, I say she's rubbing salt in the wounds of a would be bird photographer.

It's hard to believe that woodpecker shot has snow in it, just 3 weeks ago. We're really having a mild spring barring the occasional cold spell - this week in the 80's. And just the right amount of rain for working in the flower beds. Usually everything is so soggy it is impossible to work, then it's too late to divide and transplant - my favorite garden activity. I've filled the edges of the yard and around the house with border beds, now I'm adding 4 new beds scattered in the center of the lawn. Mowing will be quick!

I love to hear of to new beds being made!!! We want progress picies
The weather reported that the East coast is having a heat wave all the way up to NY. Weird weird weird. And we are in for more frog chokers this weekend. My Apr comestrollie will prob be on transplanting MK, if it ever gets published before next month. ;-)
Love that daffy

Terry, I got a close up shot of one of the Queen's pheasants at Saville - just to taunt you with Sadly, it too must be on slide film

There won't be much to take pictures of until the trees and shrubs grow up a bit. Maybe some annuals filling in later.

I loved the pics of the birds Maggie. Find the Pheasant for us

The slide film is due back Monday. It is maddening to lug 2 dif kind of cameras around. So some days I would just pack one kind and take all the pics that day with whatever cam I had on me. Which is why I end up getting some things on slide instead of on digi and visa versa. :-0 Would love to have powerpoint system and use the digi for everything and still be able to use the digi pics for slide presentations. Really do need to start buying lotto tickies to help support my madness

It's not the fact that you get good shots, Maggie, that upsets me, it's that the birds tap you on the shoulder and say "here I am".

OH! okay

like this ? :-)...
I've tried for years to get a shot of the cardinals around here!

Terry, she must be "The Bird Whisperer"

Today I saw half dozen yellow finches sitting on the top tips of the red twig dogwood. Maggie can you come ask them to pose for me while I get the camera ready.

You don't need any help MK ! Go do it and show us those dear things!!

We are so excited that the cardinals have nested in the rose gate this year.

I had cropped the cardie pic above, to show the nesting material in his mouth. But this is how far away I have to stay before they flit.

Isn't it nice how he matches the native red honeysuckle to a tee.
They usually set up house in the bamboo on the opposite side of the garden - far away from our backdoor traffic. We've decided that the only reason why they chose this spot this year was because they thought it was safe and sound at the time. Little did they know I would come back home and soon be wearing the hinges off the door again. There is also a wren nest in the rose arch. The wren and the cardinals take turns screeching at me in the patio area. Such a guilt trip!

I rest my case.

Well Terry, it was the only Cardinal in this country that didn't leave for Rome this week :-0

Your rose gate is beautiful too! What is the trellis I see under the rose made of? Do roses bloom all through your long hot summers for you and Carolyn?

The trellis is made of 1 1\2" steel pipe. I had it bent and welded to fit the space, back when you couldn't buy the things pre-made around here. It is much more durable than any that I have seen off the shelf. Plus, it is set into lots of concrete for good stability. I had painted it a leaf-green when it was shiny-silver new. I drew up the gate and had a carpenter make it for me. Larry paints the gate and trellis every other year, along with the wooden white bench. bless im.

Since our NC Texas summer last from May to October, roses (and many perennials) do not behave as the generic-region books promise ... 'blooms all summer'. A few throw some token blooms, but most of them go rather dormant in our mid-summer - in selfdefense from the 100* temps. With luck, we will get some late summer rains that instigate a last flush of bloom. I usually have a few bushes still blooming at Thanksgiving and occassionly at Christmas too. Very weird growing season here.

I guess it is traditional to plant a rose on each side of an arch, but I put the honeysuckle there because a specimen rose can get look pretty sad in the heat of the summer. And there are two Altheas flanking the gate, to give summer bloom when the roses are resting in summer.

If you are thinking of making a rose arch MK, its great to use a thorn-less one if you plan on walking thru it a lot. Plus, it sure makes it easier to groom. I used to get crucified by the beautiful but painful Mermaid rose on the fence. (it is now longer there) Well, here is what is left of it

Is that what happens when you use mushroom compost?

Good one Terry but those guys started growing before I put down the mushroom compost. Although, when I used to use composted stable stuff, I would get an incredible amount of fungi variety. I found this old print of one example.

Wish I could dig out all the others - there were some real beauties, and some really scary looking kinds too. But nothing could ever outdo those 'Dead Man's Hands' that you once posted. Woo , now THAT was creepy !

Now here's a scene to cool us all off in July.

James send me this some time ago. He shot it thru the window with a non digi cam. Thought you might enjoy seeing the Meadow Larks larking around in Amarillo, Gail.
And can you believe it is raining up there right now in the Panhandle in JULY! geesh this weather is weird.

We finally got 0.60 inch of rain. Came slow enough for it to all soak in. It was needed as we are several inches behind for the year. Parts of town got up to 3 inches in less than an hour. Underpasses flooded and I-40 was closed for 4 hours. I have been busy with lots of things. Went to Pampa, TX Saturday for their pond tour. Visited 18 sites with as many as 4 ponds in one backyard. Got lots of good ideas and 215 pics. Amarillo's Pond Tour 2002 is this next weekend with 18 sites also. We went on a pre-tour July 14 for club members and I made 114 good pics. We will only go to the night tour of 8 sites during the official tour.

By the way the pic of the birds shot through the window was with a digital camera. Sony CD1000. I have abandoned film cameras.

Sorry, didn't use my full name, but jtslay instead

Well, your name goof makes me feel better about leaving the pic off my post ! Plus, I must have remembered the camera info wrong - sorry for that too!
Let's see if I can one right this time