What bird pairs have you seen this spring frequenting your garden?

[BeeWonderful]

I love owls. I wish I heard them in my neighborhood more often. Only occasionally during the year do I hear a Great Horned Owl. Really it's not very often. I have some family in Madison, WI, and I am amazed at all of the owls I hear in the evening at their place. They are in a newer subdivision on the outskirts of the city, perhaps that's why.
It surprises me though, since I would say their area is a lot more urban than mine is.

[Birding Bunch]

Originally Posted by BeeWonderful

I love owls. I wish I heard them in my neighborhood more often.

We are blessed with the occasional Great Horneds. I'd say we'd hear them about once a month. Never have seen them. I wonder if there is another owl who has come to visit. Our youngest found a pellet and after doing some research, we learned the pellet belongs to an owl, but of a smaller variety than Great Horneds. I sure would like to know who it was, but it remains a mystery.

~~~~~~~~~~~
I forgot to add this. I did mention Mourning Doves above, which a pair has been seen on our property for awhile now. This afternoon they were in their lovey-dovey mood. They first gobbled every last bit of safflower seed in the platform, and I've never seen such full crops before. They really packed it in! I always smile watching the female play hard to get while the male preens himself into a mess.

These pictures are from last year.

[Equilibrium]

This is a "dummy" nest a little wren made in a bluebird house I opened up years ago. Here I was all excited watching the nest building in process being as how it was so close to the house and at about eye level for taking photos and next thing I know he's building the "real" nest way out of reach of my camera. Spoilsport wren!!! OK... we've got the common pairs... wrens, finches, robins, doves, cardinals, catbirds, red-winged blackbirds, chickadees, crows way out back and 1 not so common pair.... a pair of red-tailed hawks. We'll probably have hummingbirds again this year but we usually don't see evidence of their nests until after the leaves drop.

[fishlkmich]

Originally Posted by BeeWonderful

I love owls. I wish I heard them in my neighborhood more often. Only occasionally during the year do I hear a Great Horned Owl. Really it's not very often. I have some family in Madison, WI, and I am amazed at all of the owls I hear in the evening at their place. They are in a newer subdivision on the outskirts of the city, perhaps that's why.
It surprises me though, since I would say their area is a lot more urban than mine is.

The Eastern Screech is very "urbanized". They are known to feed on big bugs under street lights. They also like the country. I put a wood duck box in a tree when I moved in a dozen years ago. I've moved the box and added another. I have owls until the ducks show up. By fall the owls use the boxes as roosts again. I have hosted both morphs (color phases) and they allow you to get close enough for some decent shots when they get used to you.

Put a wood duck house in a tree as high as is practical for you. Mine are about 12' up. If water is near, you may get wood ducks. You have a good chance of providing a roost for eastern screech owls.

I have better shots, but I took this just a few months ago.

[recurve]

Originally Posted by fishlkmich

The Eastern Screech is very "urbanized". They are known to feed on big bugs under street lights. They also like the country. I put a wood duck box in a tree when I moved in a dozen years ago. I've moved the box and added another. I have owls until the ducks show up. By fall the owls use the boxes as roosts again. I have hosted both morphs (color phases) and they allow you to get close enough for some decent shots when they get used to you.

Put a wood duck house in a tree as high as is practical for you. Mine are about 12' up. If water is near, you may get wood ducks. You have a good chance of providing a roost for eastern screech owls.

I have better shots, but I took this just a few months ago.

Very cool Fish! Do you place the boxes along an edge or do the screehers and woodies prefer it in the woodline a bit?

[fishlkmich]

Originally Posted by recurve

Very cool Fish! Do you place the boxes along an edge or do the screehers and woodies prefer it in the woodline a bit?

That depends. If you have a shot at wood ducks, put the box as high as you can, directly over water. You also have a shot at mergansers this way, too.

If you have scads of wood ducks, tuck the box away from the water, in the woods. Wood ducks are prone to "nest dumping". I am adjusting and adding boxes by getting the neighbor's kids interested! Their dad builds the boxes! I may add another box, too. If wood ducks don't move in quickly, mergansers take the box over the water.

The owls don't care where the box is. It could be in the middle of the lake, or in the neighbors corn field. They would probably like it in the middle of the woods, but since I tend their boxes I see that they dine on my feeder birds, primarily. Frogs and mice/shrews come in second.

[BeeWonderful]

We do have wood ducks in the area. We have a river in town and they definitely nest around here. A few years ago we had a pair in an old box elder tree (since then we've had to chop it down for safety reasons). I'll look into a wood duck box. very interesting!

[BeeWonderful]

Originally Posted by Birding Bunch

I did mention Mourning Doves above, which a pair has been seen on our property for awhile now.

My 2 year old calls them "Good Morning Doves." Just thought I'd share

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Birding Bunch

~~~~~~~~~~~
I forgot to add this. I did mention Mourning Doves above, which a pair has been seen on our property for awhile now. This afternoon they were in their lovey-dovey mood. They first gobbled every last bit of safflower seed in the platform, and I've never seen such full crops before. They really packed it in! I always smile watching the female play hard to get while the male preens himself into a mess.

These pictures are from last year.

Great photo and great story, Birding Bunch!

I like mourning doves and have seen the males when they get...affectionate; it is funny to see the way the females react.

Years ago (as a teenager), I used to think the call of the mourning dove was an that of an owl...I'm glad I don't make that mistake any more.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by BeeWonderful

My 2 year old calls them "Good Morning Doves." Just thought I'd share

LOL...cute.

I used to wonder if the praying mantis was a "preying" mantis.