It was a good back yard bird day! Real quick, let me show you all these great birds I spotted in the span of a couple of hours here at our Tigard oasis. Then I’ll get back to the sailboat cruise on the Willamette River that I promised in my last post.
After the finches left, I went back to looking for the Junco, because I knew my photo wasn’t in focus.
I turned to the other window, near a rock wall and some rock steps. I saw a flash of yellow this time.
What a find! But where was that Junco?
I waited for the Junco to hop back into the light, and caught an exchange of food with a baby!! Right in front of me, peacefully settled on the low stone wall, waiting for its dad, a juvenile Junco let me take its photo.
Adult Junco hopped around, busily collecting some kind of bits from the ground, then before I could get another shot: whoosh! Both of them vanished. My camera was already pointed at the spot, and so I got a photo I never would have otherwise.
Well, now that they are away from the house they don’t bother us much. They are excellent tunnelers! And when our hens lived right next to the house, a macrame web of underground tunnels also developed beside and under the foundation of the house. We moved the hens to the back of the yard, and the tunnels moved there instead. Tunnels 40 yards from the house we can live with.
That was it for some time. I went back to working in my office. But a bit later, I went out to the bed swing on the patio to read a book, and spotted one last silly bird. The image is bad because I was in maximum zoom on my phone, but you can see what I saw. A fat American Robin just plopped onto the fence and soaking up the late day sun.
I hope you enjoyed this bird break! Have a lovely Wednesday!
Conscious Engagement 
There are some relatively biosafe rodent repellents. One is made from concentrated peppermint oil, and the other from rotted egg whites, cloves, and some other stuff. They are good to use around foundations and just make the area unattractive to the rodents. Most of the other stuff is pretty toxic.
Great tip, Lou! It would be a good idea to spread that around our foundation anyway, just to discourage any explorers.
I’ve been investigating them also. I still have some internet searches to do on them to verify the safety and efficacy. But most of the other stuff out there is just too darn toxic.
Well done. Your perseverance paid off
You know, if I would just sit outside and bird-watch, I’ll bet I would be amazed. Usually I am occupied with my face buried in a screen and typing away. But…that’s why I insisted on giant windows for my office, because it increases the odds I will look up and away. It’s a psychological trick to get me to be in the moment. :o)
That is what happened when we had the big kitchen window put in.
Great shots! But eek!…rats in broad daylight! Do they tend to stay out of your home? Hope so!
Yes, thank goodness, nowhere near the house. They get so much food in everyone’s back yards, with pet food, gardens, and fruit trees that drop their bounty half the year. There is a small creek, three houses away from us, and a local pest exterminator said that is where the main colony lives. He told us we can never eliminate them because of that.
Well you must know I just love, love, love this!! Spectacular shots and I love the variety. As for rodents? Maybe you should create a nesting spot out in the yard for oppossum. They are the best defense against intruders and as long as they respect structures they are great to have around to patrol! Norwegian rats are typically big and fast, so the possums won’t be a huge threat, but filling tunnels with gravel or broken glass and then quick cement might help. I don’t remember, is the henhouse raised? That would help a lot or feeding them via treadle feeders. Good luck!
Your thoughts are similar to ours with the house and the feeders! Yes, we have taught the girls to use the treadle feeders (it took some time, chickens are …uhh….chickens are dumb). These days that’s their only source of food, and they have no open food anymore. I have seen them with the rats, and the chickens stay calm even when there are rats running around. But! The rats eat tons of food! And I don’t want to fund their habits anymore.
And yes, Pedro went to great lengths to protect from the bottom. He first hard-packed gravel about one foot deep, then laid paving bricks on top of that, then built the floor one foot above the bricks, with brick pillars to hold it all up. The door is photosensitive and automatic, so it opens and closes with daylight. So the rats can only get inside during the day, but there is nothing for them to get anymore. They can’t get the eggs either, because there is no way to move them except to lift them.
Encouraging opossums is a good idea. We have them wander through the property pretty much nightly, but I didn’t realize we could encourage them to stay. I wonder if they would also discourage skunks. We get skunks and opossums both. So many critters here, ha ha.
Well, weren’t you busy Crystal. Some fun! As you noted, a bonanza! Not sure about the rats however. I really should do the same thing. Our bird feeds are just outside the table I use for preparing means. Love to watch all of the birdies!
It might be fun. Just challenge yourself to sit still and photograph everyone who appears. It’s hard for me to hold still long, but when I do I am always delighted.