The past week we have had the return of the flickers.

Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
lawn at the same time.

Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)

gloria p

"gloria.p" > wrote in message
...
>
> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>
> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
> distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
> annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
> lawn at the same time.
>
> Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>
> gloria p

Gloria,

I am sitting a neighbor's dog, so I was outside early this morning walking
over to their house. Two small groups (gaggles) of geese were flying about.
Working their way north I would suppose. I could hear other birds chirping
as they woke up. In the neighbor's house, I am having coffee and I hear a
racket. Later I hear it again, and realize it is a flicker pecking on
something outside their house. A pair of flickers nest in our maple every
year. We had James Hardie siding put on the parts of the house that are not
brick, so they cannot damage it. They do bang on the metal attic vents.
Spring is definitely in the air. Tulips are pushing up. I am looking
forward to the warm weather predicted for this week.

Later,
Dale

On Mar 15, 10:31*am, "gloria.p" > wrote:
> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>
> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. *It sounds like a
> distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. *The sound gets
> annoying over time. *There has also been *a female poking around in the
> lawn at the same time.
>
> Spring is coming! * (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>
> gloria p

Woodpeckers drum on trees to drive out insects they can eat; I wonder
what reward they get from drumming on metal? Maybe there are little
bugs somewhere that get vibrated out....

N.

On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:31:32 -0600, gloria.p wrote:

> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>
> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
> distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
> annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
> lawn at the same time.
>
> Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)

If he's that persistent, then he's determined to make the inside of
that pipe his home for the spring and summer, at the expense of
demolishing your cap and pip and littering into the exhaust of your
water heater.

I would take a hose to him every time I heard it to discourage it.
A pellet gun works, too.

-sw

On Mar 15, 11:51*am, Nancy2 > wrote:
> On Mar 15, 10:31*am, "gloria.p" > wrote:
>
> > The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>
> > Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> > drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. *It sounds like a
> > distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. *The sound gets
> > annoying over time. *There has also been *a female poking around in the
> > lawn at the same time.
>
> > Spring is coming! * (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
> > morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>
> > gloria p
>
> Woodpeckers drum on trees to drive out insects they can eat; I wonder
> what reward they get from drumming on metal? *Maybe there are little
> bugs somewhere that get vibrated out....
>

I haven't researched flickers specifically, but they're members of
the woodpecker clan.

Woodpeckers will drum on things in the spring to stake out their
territory.

Woodpeckers will drum on anything that sounds hollow, because
insect-ridden trees are typically hollow. The are occasionally
attracted to the T1-11 siding on my gable ends.

Cindy Hamilton

Nancy2 wrote:
> On Mar 15, 10:31 am, "gloria.p" > wrote:
>> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>>
>> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
>> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
>> distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
>> annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
>> lawn at the same time.
>>
>> Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
>> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>>
>> gloria p
>
> Woodpeckers drum on trees to drive out insects they can eat; I wonder
> what reward they get from drumming on metal? Maybe there are little
> bugs somewhere that get vibrated out....
>
> N.


I think the bird thinks it's a mating call.

gloria p

Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:31:32 -0600, gloria.p wrote:

> > The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
> >
> > Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> > drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a

> If he's that persistent, then he's determined to make the inside of
> that pipe his home for the spring and summer, at the expense of
> demolishing your cap and pip and littering into the exhaust of your
> water heater.

No, it's a territory thing with flickers. They like to pound on
whatever makes the most noise to warn off other males and attract
a mate. I generally get one pounding on the gutter outside my
bathroom window every Spring. Annoying damn bird.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

gloria.p wrote:
>
> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>
> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
> distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
> annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
> lawn at the same time.
>
> Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>

My neighbour had one of those that had a thing for his TV aerial tower.
He was going to take the tower down anyway because they have
satellite, but the noise was added incentive.

On 3/15/2010 11:51 AM, Nancy2 wrote:
> On Mar 15, 10:31 am, > wrote:
>> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>>
>> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
>> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
>> distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
>> annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
>> lawn at the same time.
>>
>> Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
>> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>>
>> gloria p
>
> Woodpeckers drum on trees to drive out insects they can eat; I wonder
> what reward they get from drumming on metal? Maybe there are little
> bugs somewhere that get vibrated out....

Maybe they like the way it sounds. Maybe it feels good. Who knows what
motivates a bird?

wrote:
> Sqwertz > wrote:
>> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:31:32 -0600, gloria.p wrote:
>
>>> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>>>
>>> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker
>>> (woodpecker) drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater.
>>> It sounds like a
>
>> If he's that persistent, then he's determined to make the inside of
>> that pipe his home for the spring and summer, at the expense of
>> demolishing your cap and pip and littering into the exhaust of your
>> water heater.
>
> No, it's a territory thing with flickers. They like to pound on
> whatever makes the most noise to warn off other males and attract
> a mate. I generally get one pounding on the gutter outside my
> bathroom window every Spring. Annoying damn bird.

I'm sure my neighbor doesn't appreciate it, but it's kind of amusing
when the cardinals discover his side view mirror every spring.
Not just his, you see lots of cars with strategically place bird
crap on their doors. I have no idea how they find their image
on those little angled mirrors.

Not so amusing was one cardinal who'd start thumping on my
family room window at 5am every April/whatever. Get lost!
I'd hang a towel over it until mating season passed.

nancy

In article >, wrote:

> No, it's a territory thing with flickers. They like to pound on
> whatever makes the most noise to warn off other males and attract
> a mate. I generally get one pounding on the gutter outside my
> bathroom window every Spring. Annoying damn bird.

We have the red shafted flicker out west. Apparently they are the
geniuses of the flicker family. At least they're smart enough to not
bang on tin or steel. They're big on hammering wooden telephone poles
and always a joy to see.

leo

On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:39:20 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

> Sqwertz > wrote:
>> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:31:32 -0600, gloria.p wrote:
>
>>> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>>>
>>> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
>>> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
>
>> If he's that persistent, then he's determined to make the inside of
>> that pipe his home for the spring and summer, at the expense of
>> demolishing your cap and pip and littering into the exhaust of your
>> water heater.
>
> No, it's a territory thing with flickers. They like to pound on
> whatever makes the most noise to warn off other males and attract
> a mate. I generally get one pounding on the gutter outside my
> bathroom window every Spring. Annoying damn bird.

That's not true.

If you put Sheldon's brain in a bird, it would probably fly
backwards.

But in a normal persistent pecker, it's making a nest.

-sw

On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:39:27 -0700, Leonard Blaisdell wrote:

> In article >, wrote:
>
>> No, it's a territory thing with flickers. They like to pound on
>> whatever makes the most noise to warn off other males and attract
>> a mate. I generally get one pounding on the gutter outside my
>> bathroom window every Spring. Annoying damn bird.
>
> We have the red shafted flicker out west. Apparently they are the
> geniuses of the flicker family. At least they're smart enough to not
> bang on tin or steel. They're big on hammering wooden telephone poles
> and always a joy to see.
>
> leo

OK, I guess I have to look it up for you folks:

"All members of the family Picidae nest in cavities. Almost every
species nests in tree cavities, although in deserts some species
nest inside holes in cactus and a few species nest in holes dug into
the earth. Woodpeckers and piculets will excavate their own nests,
but wrynecks will not. The excavated nest is usually only lined from
the wood chips produced as the hole was made. Many species of
woodpeckers excavate one hole per breeding season, sometimes after
multiple attempts. It takes around a month to finish the job.
Abandoned holes are used by many other birds and mammals which are
secondary cavity nesters.[9] Because nesting holes are in great
demand by other cavity nesters, woodpeckers face competition for the
nesting sites they excavate from the moment the hole becomes usable.

-sw

In article >,
"gloria.p" > wrote:

> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>
> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
> distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
> annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
> lawn at the same time.
>
> Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>
> gloria p

But Flickers are so pretty! :-)
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

In article >,
Sqwertz > wrote:

> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:31:32 -0600, gloria.p wrote:
>
> > The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
> >
> > Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> > drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
> > distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
> > annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
> > lawn at the same time.
> >
> > Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
> > morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>
> If he's that persistent, then he's determined to make the inside of
> that pipe his home for the spring and summer, at the expense of
> demolishing your cap and pip and littering into the exhaust of your
> water heater.
>
> I would take a hose to him every time I heard it to discourage it.
> A pellet gun works, too.
>
> -sw

Tsk! Try Owl decoys and move it weekly. Seems to work better if they
cast a shadow. Lowe's sells them.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:39:20 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

> > No, it's a territory thing with flickers. They like to pound on
> > whatever makes the most noise to warn off other males and attract
> > a mate. I generally get one pounding on the gutter outside my
> > bathroom window every Spring. Annoying damn bird.

> That's not true.

It most certainly is true. Yes, flickers make nests by
creating holes in trees, but the *also* like to pound
on things just to make noise and announce their presence.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Flicker

quote: "One may also hear a constant knocking as they often
drum on trees or even metal objects to declare territory."

also: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/N...Flicker/sounds

quote: "Male and female Northern Flickers make a loud, evenly spaced,
rapid drumming sound by hammering against trees or metal objects. . . .
Drumming in woodpeckers takes the place of singing in songbirds."

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

"gloria.p" > wrote in message
...
>
> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>
> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
> distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts. The sound gets
> annoying over time. There has also been a female poking around in the
> lawn at the same time.
>
> Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass this
> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>
> gloria p

The minute you hear the bird run hot water which will start the heater The
heat will run it off.

We do the same with a upstairs fireplace. We have a colony of acorn
woodpeckers living in a dead tree near by.

We do put a old plastic coffee can full of water and "Woody" & his siblings
come for a drink every morning. This stops them from scooping the dew
residue then trying to make a hole in the railing.


--
Dimitri

Corned beef

http://kitchenguide.wordpress.com.

Dimitri wrote:
> "gloria.p" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>>
>> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker
>> (woodpecker) drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater.
>> It sounds like a distant jackhammer in three to four second blasts.
>> The sound gets annoying over time. There has also been a female
>> poking around in the lawn at the same time.
>>
>> Spring is coming! (HAH, we had a dusting of snow on the grass
>> this
>> morning with another 8 weeks of possible snowstorms.)
>>
>> gloria p
>
> The minute you hear the bird run hot water which will start the
> heater The heat will run it off.
>
> We do the same with a upstairs fireplace. We have a colony of acorn
> woodpeckers living in a dead tree near by.
>
> We do put a old plastic coffee can full of water and "Woody" & his
> siblings come for a drink every morning. This stops them from
> scooping the dew residue then trying to make a hole in the railing.

Reminds me of a house we looked at, to buy. The house had wooden barn
siding - when we walked around, we saw pieces of rag stuck everywhere
in the siding. Woodpecker holes - er, no thanks.

In article >,
Cheryl > wrote:

> On Mon 15 Mar 2010 02:54:21p, Nancy Young wrote in
> rec.food.cooking >:
>
> > I'm sure my neighbor doesn't appreciate it, but it's kind of
> > amusing when the cardinals discover his side view mirror every
> > spring. Not just his, you see lots of cars with strategically
> > place bird crap on their doors. I have no idea how they find
> > their image on those little angled mirrors.
> >
> Too funny!
>
> > Not so amusing was one cardinal who'd start thumping on my
> > family room window at 5am every April/whatever. Get lost!
> > I'd hang a towel over it until mating season passed.
> >
>
> That's a very good idea.
>
> My bird problem is these house sparrows that keep nesting on the
> ledge over the entrance to my house, under the soffet. I keep
> trying to block it before spring and they keep finding a way in and
> nesting. Once they nest I let them finish but they come back every
> spring. I wouldn't mind it so much, even with all the bird shit
> they drip down the wall, but the mother isn't a very good one. She
> either pushes the babies out too young, or the babies fall out
> because it just isn't a good place to nest. This year I'm just
> banging the wall below them when I see them there. Last couple of
> nights I haven't seen any birds up there sleeping.

Put a fake rubber snake up there.

Seriously...
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:17:38 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:39:20 +0000 (UTC), wrote:
>
>> Sqwertz > wrote:
>>> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:31:32 -0600, gloria.p wrote:
>>
>>>> The past week we have had the return of the flickers.
>>>>
>>>> Every morning for an hour or two we have a big male flicker (woodpecker)
>>>> drumming on the metal rooftop cap to our water heater. It sounds like a
>>
>>> If he's that persistent, then he's determined to make the inside of
>>> that pipe his home for the spring and summer, at the expense of
>>> demolishing your cap and pip and littering into the exhaust of your
>>> water heater.
>>
>> No, it's a territory thing with flickers. They like to pound on
>> whatever makes the most noise to warn off other males and attract
>> a mate. I generally get one pounding on the gutter outside my
>> bathroom window every Spring. Annoying damn bird.
>
> That's not true.
>
> If you put Sheldon's brain in a bird, it would probably fly
> backwards.
>

on the other hand, if you put a bird's brain in sheldon, he would be
smarter.

your pal,
blake

On Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:45:35 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

> Sqwertz > wrote:
>> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:39:20 +0000 (UTC), wrote:
>
>>> No, it's a territory thing with flickers. They like to pound on
>>> whatever makes the most noise to warn off other males and attract
>>> a mate. I generally get one pounding on the gutter outside my
>>> bathroom window every Spring. Annoying damn bird.
>
>> That's not true.
>
> It most certainly is true. Yes, flickers make nests by
> creating holes in trees, but the *also* like to pound
> on things just to make noise and announce their presence.
>
> See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Flicker
>
> quote: "One may also hear a constant knocking as they often
> drum on trees or even metal objects to declare territory."
>
> also: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/N...Flicker/sounds
>
> quote: "Male and female Northern Flickers make a loud, evenly spaced,
> rapid drumming sound by hammering against trees or metal objects. . . .
> Drumming in woodpeckers takes the place of singing in songbirds."

I should have said it's not completely true. Unless you ask the
bird, it would be hard to tell if it's making a nest, or just being
a nuisance. I guess banging on metal might be the later, unless
it's named Sheldon - then it could be trying to nest inside there.

On the other hand, once he gets through the metal, he's home free
and has a nice nesting spot. So maybe it's smart.

This time of year, I would thing making nests is more important than
announcing your territory.

-sw

Cheryl wrote:
> On Mon 15 Mar 2010 02:54:21p, Nancy Young wrote

>> Not so amusing was one cardinal who'd start thumping on my
>> family room window at 5am every April/whatever. Get lost!
>> I'd hang a towel over it until mating season passed.
>
> That's a very good idea.
>
> My bird problem is these house sparrows that keep nesting on the
> ledge over the entrance to my house, under the soffet. I keep
> trying to block it before spring and they keep finding a way in and
> nesting. Once they nest I let them finish but they come back every
> spring. I wouldn't mind it so much, even with all the bird shit
> they drip down the wall, but the mother isn't a very good one. She
> either pushes the babies out too young, or the babies fall out
> because it just isn't a good place to nest. This year I'm just
> banging the wall below them when I see them there. Last couple of
> nights I haven't seen any birds up there sleeping.

Argh. I haven't had any birds actually hatch babies on my house,
but every year they find my mailbox on the first halfway decent
day and I have to toss out fistfuls of leaves. All spring I have to
leave the lid up or some bird will find it. Amazing how much stuff
they can put into that mailbox in just a short time.

nancy

On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:05:40 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

>Cheryl wrote:
>> On Mon 15 Mar 2010 02:54:21p, Nancy Young wrote
>
>>> Not so amusing was one cardinal who'd start thumping on my
>>> family room window at 5am every April/whatever. Get lost!
>>> I'd hang a towel over it until mating season passed.
>>
>> That's a very good idea.
>>
>> My bird problem is these house sparrows that keep nesting on the
>> ledge over the entrance to my house, under the soffet. I keep
>> trying to block it before spring and they keep finding a way in and
>> nesting. Once they nest I let them finish but they come back every
>> spring. I wouldn't mind it so much, even with all the bird shit
>> they drip down the wall, but the mother isn't a very good one. She
>> either pushes the babies out too young, or the babies fall out
>> because it just isn't a good place to nest. This year I'm just
>> banging the wall below them when I see them there. Last couple of
>> nights I haven't seen any birds up there sleeping.
>
>Argh. I haven't had any birds actually hatch babies on my house,
>but every year they find my mailbox on the first halfway decent
>day and I have to toss out fistfuls of leaves. All spring I have to
>leave the lid up or some bird will find it. Amazing how much stuff
>they can put into that mailbox in just a short time.

The robins arrived today, what a legion of worm hunters.

Birds don't bother my house, I put up like 20 birdhouses on the trees
about 50 feet away. I have birds in infinite numbers but those that
would choose a soffet, mailbox, light fixture and such will much
rather occupy a proper birdhouse properly located... if you're not
sure about birdhouses in your area contact your local Audubon Society
office, they'll be happy to guide you, they sell very nice birdhouses
too, at very reasonable prices.

Rentals:
http://i43.tinypic.com/dblaao.jpg

Rent is late:
http://i44.tinypic.com/11viidi.jpg

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue 16 Mar 2010 11:59:08p, Omelet wrote in rec.food.cooking
> <news >
>>> My bird problem is these house sparrows that keep nesting on
>>> the ledge over the entrance to my house, under the soffet. I
>>> keep trying to block it before spring and they keep finding a
>>> way in and nesting. Once they nest I let them finish but they
>>> come back every spring. I wouldn't mind it so much, even with
>>> all the bird shit they drip down the wall, but the mother isn't
>>> a very good one. She either pushes the babies out too young,
>>> or the babies fall out because it just isn't a good place to
>>> nest. This year I'm just banging the wall below them when I
>>> see them there. Last couple of nights I haven't seen any birds
>>> up there sleeping.
>>
>> Put a fake rubber snake up there.
>
> I'll try it. Hey CC, can I have Gracie's toy snake?

haha! I am so glad I almost always read your posts. Do you know that snake,
sans tail and head, still gets attacked and murdered and crowed over every
single day? She took a brief hiatus when the kitten got here, then got right
back into it. I wish you could have seen the kitten first time she heard
that earnest, repeated howling.

In article >,
Cheryl > wrote:

> On Tue 16 Mar 2010 11:59:08p, Omelet wrote in rec.food.cooking
> <news >
> >> My bird problem is these house sparrows that keep nesting on
> >> the ledge over the entrance to my house, under the soffet. I
> >> keep trying to block it before spring and they keep finding a
> >> way in and nesting. Once they nest I let them finish but they
> >> come back every spring. I wouldn't mind it so much, even with
> >> all the bird shit they drip down the wall, but the mother isn't
> >> a very good one. She either pushes the babies out too young,
> >> or the babies fall out because it just isn't a good place to
> >> nest. This year I'm just banging the wall below them when I
> >> see them there. Last couple of nights I haven't seen any birds
> >> up there sleeping.
> >
> > Put a fake rubber snake up there.
>
> I'll try it. Hey CC, can I have Gracie's toy snake?

They used a large rubber lizard at work to keep some swallows from
nesting on the loading dock. They were pretty things but boy that makes
a mess!

It worked. :-)
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:05:40 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> > wrote:

>> Argh. I haven't had any birds actually hatch babies on my house,
>> but every year they find my mailbox on the first halfway decent
>> day and I have to toss out fistfuls of leaves. All spring I have to
>> leave the lid up or some bird will find it. Amazing how much stuff
>> they can put into that mailbox in just a short time.
>
> The robins arrived today, what a legion of worm hunters.

It's creepy, I get flocks of robins in the dead of winter now. I
guess their predecessors forgot to tell them about that 'first
sign of spring' thing.

> Birds don't bother my house, I put up like 20 birdhouses on the trees
> about 50 feet away. I have birds in infinite numbers but those that
> would choose a soffet, mailbox, light fixture and such will much
> rather occupy a proper birdhouse properly located...

I tried a birdhouse last year, near my mailbox, and still on the house.
Someone built a nest in there but no one actually used it. So just
yesterday I bought a wood stake, I'm going to screw the house to
it and pound it into the ground, see how that goes.

I don't kid myself this will keep them out of my mailbox. I think
I'm going to have to modify the lid to accomplish that.

>if you're not
> sure about birdhouses in your area contact your local Audubon Society
> office, they'll be happy to guide you, they sell very nice birdhouses
> too, at very reasonable prices.
>
> Rentals:
> http://i43.tinypic.com/dblaao.jpg

That's exactly what my birdhouse looks like.
>
> Rent is late:
> http://i44.tinypic.com/11viidi.jpg

(laugh)

nancy

In article >,
Rod Out back > wrote:

> >They used a large rubber lizard at work to keep some swallows from
> >nesting on the loading dock. They were pretty things but boy that makes
> >a mess!
> >
> >It worked. :-)
>
> We had sparrows nesting in the house roof, which was causing us no end of
> angst.
> An obliging Black-Headed Monitor (Varanus tristis) moved in, and the sparrows
> promptly moved out. Mr BH monitor patrols every day or so via the roof
> gutters,
> but the sparrows arent prepared to come back (wise choice).

Sparrow for lunch anyone? <g>

> The BH monitor grows to about 2.5 feet long, and does the best slinking and
> skulking renditions I've ever seen. His penchant for all things tasting like
> avian mean he is usually followed by an angry cloud of the local birdies if
> he
> breaks cover during the daytime..
>
> We quite often find we are under covert surveillance when sitting out on the
> verandah in the late afternoon....
>
> Funny creatures, and they beat the heck out of sparrows...

He sounds like a real beauty!
> -------
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rod...Out Back
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

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In article >,
"Nancy Young" > wrote:

> >if you're not
> > sure about birdhouses in your area contact your local Audubon Society
> > office, they'll be happy to guide you, they sell very nice birdhouses
> > too, at very reasonable prices.
> >
> > Rentals:
> > http://i43.tinypic.com/dblaao.jpg
>
> That's exactly what my birdhouse looks like.
> >
> > Rent is late:
> > http://i44.tinypic.com/11viidi.jpg
>
> (laugh)
>
> nancy

Eviction notice:

http://i40.tinypic.com/157p311.jpg
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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Omelet wrote:

> In article >,
> Rod Out back > wrote:
>
>> >They used a large rubber lizard at work to keep some swallows from
>> >nesting on the loading dock. They were pretty things but boy that makes
>> >a mess!
>> >
>> >It worked. :-)
>>
>> We had sparrows nesting in the house roof, which was causing us no end of
>> angst.
>> An obliging Black-Headed Monitor (Varanus tristis) moved in, and the
>> sparrows
>> promptly moved out. Mr BH monitor patrols every day or so via the roof
>> gutters,
>> but the sparrows arent prepared to come back (wise choice).
>
> Sparrow for lunch anyone? <g>
>
>> The BH monitor grows to about 2.5 feet long, and does the best slinking
>> and skulking renditions I've ever seen. His penchant for all things
>> tasting like avian mean he is usually followed by an angry cloud of the
>> local birdies if he
>> breaks cover during the daytime..
>>
>> We quite often find we are under covert surveillance when sitting out on
>> the verandah in the late afternoon....
>>
>> Funny creatures, and they beat the heck out of sparrows...
>
> He sounds like a real beauty!

Om,

Pic of one of the BH goannas:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/...a44570ab_o.jpg

Cheers,

Rod.

Omelet wrote:
>
> Sparrow for lunch anyone? <g>

"For and twenty black birds, baked in a pie..."

I figure sparrows would work fine as a substitute ingredient. Same
number of syllables.

In article >,
Rod Outback > wrote:

> > He sounds like a real beauty!
>
> Om,
>
> Pic of one of the BH goannas:
>
> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/...a44570ab_o.jpg
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rod.

Those things sure have long necks! :-)

Thanks.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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Omelet > wrote in newsmpomelet-CD4C17.16232419032010
@news-wc.giganews.com:

> In article >,
> Rod Outback > wrote:
>
>> > He sounds like a real beauty!
>>
>> Om,
>>
>> Pic of one of the BH goannas:
>>
>> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/...a44570ab_o.jpg
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Rod.
>
> Those things sure have long necks! :-)
>
> Thanks.



We have several 'urban' goannas in the bushland around near our place.


I had to slow right down one morning, as one was crossing the road in
front of me!!

Then this morning, after dropping the SO off for work at about 0630hrs, on
the way home I once again had to pull up with my vehicle across both lanes
of traffic, to let Mum and Dad duck waddle across the road with their 8
new little ducklets...... while I stopped the traffic in both directions.

Not the first time I've had to do that, either!!


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Edmund Burke.

In article >,
PLucas1 > wrote:

> >> > He sounds like a real beauty!
> >>
> >> Om,
> >>
> >> Pic of one of the BH goannas:
> >>
> >> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/...a44570ab_o.jpg
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >>
> >> Rod.
> >
> > Those things sure have long necks! :-)
> >
> > Thanks.
>
>
>
> We have several 'urban' goannas in the bushland around near our place.
>
>
> I had to slow right down one morning, as one was crossing the road in
> front of me!!
>
> Then this morning, after dropping the SO off for work at about 0630hrs, on
> the way home I once again had to pull up with my vehicle across both lanes
> of traffic, to let Mum and Dad duck waddle across the road with their 8
> new little ducklets...... while I stopped the traffic in both directions.
>
> Not the first time I've had to do that, either!!
>
>
> --
> Peter Lucas

Good on you to do that.
I've been known to rescue the local turtles crossing the road.

Someone in a city truck watched me block traffic one day in town (it was
light) to move a rather large turtle out of the road. He applauded. :-)
Made me feel good.

Some people do not care about the local wildlife...
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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In article >,
Cheryl > wrote:

> On Fri 19 Mar 2010 06:23:24p, Omelet wrote in rec.food.cooking
> <news >
> > In article >,
> > Rod Outback > wrote:
> >
> >> > He sounds like a real beauty!
> >>
> >> Om,
> >>
> >> Pic of one of the BH goannas:
> >>
> >> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/...a44570ab_o.jpg
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >>
> >> Rod.
> >
> > Those things sure have long necks! :-)
>
> Like a snake with legs! What a great shot of him.

I was thinking the same thing. <g>
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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In article >,
Rod Out back > wrote:

> For the complete set of reptiles we find here, take a look at
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_out...7600100531176/

Amazing series, thanks! I especially like the baby dragon on the
fingertip. :-) Reminds me of the newborn geckos around here.

>
> The first 30-odd photos are of the Black-Headed Goannas we have found around
> the
> homestead over the past 5 years or so. When they are young, they are very
> pretty, but get more dull as they get older.
> Kinda like people;I suppose....
> The skin patterning on a baby BH goanna is an aboriginal dot-painting in the
> flesh!
>
> On a food-related topic, does anyone know what you could use the
> lemon-scented
> basil(Genovese??) for? It is a very strong lemon smell. The stuff seems to
> come
> up by the bucket-load in the herb garden. I've used normal basil when
> searing/bbq'ing chicken, but havent yet tried this lemony stuff.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Rod.

Should be most excellent with either poultry or fish.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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Rod Out back wrote:

>
> They are interesting creatures to share a house with. Beats the heck out of
> sparrows.
>
> For the complete set of reptiles we find here, take a look at
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/rod_out...7600100531176/


Yikes! I'll take the sparrows any day. Reptiles creep me out.

gloria p

On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:23:24 -0600, Omelet wrote:

> In article >,
> Rod Outback > wrote:
>
>>> He sounds like a real beauty!
>>
>> Om,
>>
>> Pic of one of the BH goannas:
>>
>> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/...a44570ab_o.jpg
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Rod.
>
> Those things sure have long necks! :-)
>
> Thanks.

nice lookin' lizard, though.

your pal,
blake

In article >,
blake murphy > wrote:

> On Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:23:24 -0600, Omelet wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > Rod Outback > wrote:
> >
> >>> He sounds like a real beauty!
> >>
> >> Om,
> >>
> >> Pic of one of the BH goannas:
> >>
> >> http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2538/...a44570ab_o.jpg
> >>
> >> Cheers,
> >>
> >> Rod.
> >
> > Those things sure have long necks! :-)
> >
> > Thanks.
>
> nice lookin' lizard, though.
>
> your pal,
> blake

<snicker>
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

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