Birding

A few blocks from my house lives a robin that has strange coloration. It feathers are light gray.

Here is a view in the sun. I did not have my better camera on the day I took this picture, but you should be able to see that it does not look like a normal robin.

Last year I had barn swallows nesting in my garage. After they left I blocked up their nesting site, so I did not expect them back this year. However, a pair came back, perhaps remembering what a fine nesting place they had last year. For several weeks they tried to put up nests in odd places, splattering the car with mud. Finally I gave in and put up a little platform in a spot that should keep the car out of the debris pattern that they generate. They immediately put a nest there. So the score is Birds 1, me 0.

The birds have also beaten Donaldsons, which put out their coyote images to keep the geese away. The geese did not like me approaching to take their picture, but they were completely unconcerned about the fake coyote.

None of my bird pictures come close to the bird pictures that Barb Lucas keeps taking. She had a program at the Carnegie Center last week that included pictures of a hawk killing a squirrel in her back yard. She also had a report on local bald eagles. Last year a pair successfully raised a pair of young in the county, but this year their nest was blown out of the tree in one of our spring storms and the eaglets apparently drowned. However, there may be another another pair that is nesting in the northern part of the county. So keep looking up. One day you may see a bald eagle flying overhead.

There is plenty of wildlife in Rensselaer besides birds. I have several rabbits wandering around my yard and they have decided this year that they like the peas in my garden. I am trying to discourage them by not planting things that they like, but bunnies like almost everything in a home garden. Tomatoes are supposed to be one of the plants they do not eat, so this year most of what I put into the back yard will be tomato plants. I also found on the Internet the suggestion that spraying plants with water mixed with a bit of baby shampoo and ammonia discourages them. I will find out.