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Dear Bird Watcher,
The peak of spring moves northward like a
great wave across the northern hemisphere.
Where Birdwatching Dot Com is, in Iowa, May
is the loveliest time of the year. The
plaintive songs of white-throated sparrows
fill the morning air.
| Jay Talk |
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I would sure like to know what the blue jays
are saying to each other. Sometimes I feel as
if I'm watching a foreign film without the
subtitles.
Such as when their heads bounce up and down,
and they call like ringing bells. Still,
sometimes I can catch the drift.
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| Dear Diane... |
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Dear Diane: We have a killdeer nest in our
gravel driveway, with 4 eggs on it. I am
afraid it's not safe for the birds. Can I
move them to the side of the road, or put
them in a birdhouse?
Don't move the eggs to a safer place. The
parents know where to find them. They
remember where they put them, just a titch
away from a certain weed or some jiggy thing,
and that's where they'll go to look for them.
If you want to help, you could set up an
obstacle to warn car wheels away.
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| Hummingbird Nectar Recipe |
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Attract hummingbirds to your yard. Flowers
are best. Hummingbirds love red flowers, such
as the tiny red blossoms of coral bells.
Hummingbirds will also take sugar
water from a feeder. Here's the recommended
recipe.
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Cardinal photo © Michael and Diane Porter
Hummingbird painting © Diane Porter
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Watching with your Ears |
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This morning I opened my eyes and
it wasn't quite light yet. So I closed them
and watched the bright red cardinal pose at
the top of the maple tree.
Share! he proclaimed with a loud,
descending note.
Then a Magnolia Warbler hunting insects in the
maple paused to sing wheedle wheedle,
sweetie-oh.
A robin perched on the telephone
wire and sang Cheerily? Cheer up.
Cheerily? Before the
sun rose, a dozen species of birds joined the
chorus. I saw them all with my ears.
See with your ears... |
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