Birds Show Birds

That Downy probably thinks she died and went to heaven.
Special mix or right out of the jar?
It's homemade Bark Butter.

Small Batch Bark Butter Recipe. I usually make a quad batch and refill the log 1-2X per week. They'll eat it in less than a day.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Oats
1/2 cup Cornmeal
1/4 cup Flour
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (I use chunky)
1/4 cup Lard

INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine the oats, cornmeal, and flour in a mixing bowl.
Add the peanut butter on top of the dry ingredients.
Melt the lard, should take about 30 to 45 seconds.
Pour the melted lard over the ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir to combine everything together.

The feeder is easy to make. Get a log 3-1/2 to 4" diameter log 18-24" long, bore 4-5 holes with a speedbore, I use 1-1/8" diameter, about an inch deep. I drill a hole through the top of the log for a paracord hanger. If you make one, avoid my mistakes! Orient the feeder and hanger holes so they're toward you. :doh: Here's my second effort:

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DSC00618 by telecast, on Flickr
 
Good Evening,

I took my second "new to me" Canon 1D Mark III out with me the kayak this afternoon. The flyers were very heavy crops and even the GBH was ~66% crop; just couldn't get close enough today. I won't be using these for wildlife, only field sports (which was the original plan anyway), and the AF (servo, AF-C) is plenty fast and accurate. I know that there was a huge issue with AF on early batches of this model; I see none of that with either of these bodies (thank goodness).

Regards,

Edd

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It's homemade Bark Butter.

Small Batch Bark Butter Recipe. I usually make a quad batch and refill the log 1-2X per week. They'll eat it in less than a day.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Oats
1/2 cup Cornmeal
1/4 cup Flour
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (I use chunky)
1/4 cup Lard

INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine the oats, cornmeal, and flour in a mixing bowl.
Add the peanut butter on top of the dry ingredients.
Melt the lard, should take about 30 to 45 seconds.
Pour the melted lard over the ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir to combine everything together.

The feeder is easy to make. Get a log 3-1/2 to 4" diameter log 18-24" long, bore 4-5 holes with a speedbore, I use 1-1/8" diameter, about an inch deep. I drill a hole through the top of the log for a paracord hanger. If you make one, avoid my mistakes! Orient the feeder and hanger holes so they're toward you. :doh: Here's my second effort:

View attachment 373326DSC00618 by telecast, on Flickr
Great job! Thanks for the info and idea! I may need to use stainless cable instead of paracord here though. I can see a squirrel chomping through the cord and sending the log plummeting earthward toward Donald and Daffy Duck's cranium below.
 
Great job! Thanks for the info and idea! I may need to use stainless cable instead of paracord here though. I can see a squirrel chomping through the cord and sending the log plummeting earthward toward Donald and Daffy Duck's cranium below.
Now how come I can actually picture that 🤔 😀 Oh the third world problems of being a squirrel and we don't even have them! 😀
 
Great job! Thanks for the info and idea! I may need to use stainless cable instead of paracord here though. I can see a squirrel chomping through the cord and sending the log plummeting earthward toward Donald and Daffy Duck's cranium below.
I have mine mounted on a pole with a squirrel guard. Kind of funny watching them try to get to it. I've seen logs with a screw eye in the top hanging on a small chain or cable.

Other tips: Make two logs and swap them out when one gets empty. You can fill them indoors for a quick outdoor turnaround.
Some people say to refrigerate the bark butter, but I never do. There isn't a thing in there that gets refrigerated on it's own.
 
I have mine mounted on a pole with a squirrel guard. Kind of funny watching them try to get to it. I've seen logs with a screw eye in the top hanging on a small chain or cable.

Other tips: Make two logs and swap them out when one gets empty. You can fill them indoors for a quick outdoor turnaround.
Some people say to refrigerate the bark butter, but I never do. There isn't a thing in there that gets refrigerated on it's own.
Besides the wrens and Downy, are any other birds are attracted to that combo regularly?
 
Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, both white and red breasted, Chickadees, etc. I've seen grackles, starlings, and sparrows on it. Just about anything that wants to eat in the winter. You could probably get other birds on it if you leave some small branches near the feeder cavities for them to perch. This is high fat/high energy, Ill stop feeding it when the weather warms.

The guy I got the idea from has male and female Pileated coming in regularly. I was hoping to draw some in but not likely in my area. He also draws Flickers and Hairy Woodpeckers.
 
The irrigation pond near my house, in rural southern Oregon, now has a small population of various duck-type birds. Including this rather handsome northern shoveler.

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When he noted my presence, though, he took off for a more distant part of the pond.

EM5_Mar18_23_northern_Shoveler#3(flying).jpg
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The irrigation pond near my house, in rural southern Oregon, now has a small population of various duck-type birds. Including this rather handsome northern shoveler.

View attachment 373518

When he noted my presence, though, he took off for a more distant part of the pond.

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Just out of interest, these breed and have made a home here in New Zealand of all places. Gorgeous colors and details, well done.

Danny.
 
The old saying "Like a duck out of water" is normally used to describe someone or something that is out of their element. Clumsy perhaps, inexperienced or doesn't fit. These two ducks today are clearly out of the water, yet they certainly seem quite at home in the snow and the leaves of my backyard. The last few weeks quite a few ducks have turned the backyard into a Duck Stop on the migration highway.

Out of habit I went down to the local lake today to see if I could get a couple of good, or different, duck shots.

I didn't get any at the lake.

I got them in the backyard...again. Both of these shots are straight out of the camera except for crops. No other manipulation or tweaking applied. I think I'm starting to favor shots of ducks out of water. I may have to use the old saying to describe people or things who seem to be clicking on all cylinders in the future.
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This first shot of a black capped chickadee in my backyard seems pretty uninteresting. Sometimes still shots just don't do reality justice. The wind was blowing about 30 mph and I sat and watched this micro ounced being handle the breeze like a pro. Looking closer at the shot you can see how the bird is leaning backwards off the branch and turned slightly into the wind like a dinghy sailor hanging their rear end over the windward side of a small sailboat.
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In this shot the wind and the bird's body english are more evident, the bird hiking full outboard while it tries to fillet a seed, parcels of which are being carried off in the breeze.
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More HEIF/Sony Clear Image Zoom. A74 and 200-600.

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DSC09518 by telecast, on Flickr

Mrs. House Finch. Uncropped.
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DSC09507 by telecast, on Flickr

And the Mr., also uncropped.
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DSC09504 by telecast, on Flickr

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DSC09502 by telecast, on Flickr

Proud to be a sparrow!
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DSC09496 by telecast, on Flickr

Mr. Downy, uncropped.
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One more house finch
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More HEIF/Sony Clear Image Zoom. A74 and 200-600.

View attachment 373587DSC09518 by telecast, on Flickr

Mrs. House Finch. Uncropped.
View attachment 373588DSC09507 by telecast, on Flickr

And the Mr., also uncropped.
View attachment 373589DSC09504 by telecast, on Flickr

View attachment 373590DSC09502 by telecast, on Flickr

Proud to be a sparrow!
View attachment 373591DSC09496 by telecast, on Flickr

Mr. Downy, uncropped.
View attachment 373592DSC09491 by telecast, on Flickr

One more house finch
View attachment 373639DSC09479a by telecast, on Flickr
Excellent details! Must be the lens 😉
Naaa fine shots and yeah very sharp.
 
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