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Good morning. It was another busy weekend at the feeder in White Point, Queens. I keep waiting for things to slow down and sty slow for a bit but so far....it hasn't for any length of time. There are more than 40 new and apparently very healthy young Starlings in our immediate neighbourhood. all very, very hungry and learning fast where and what to go after. I see some slimming down rather quickly as Momma spends less and less time with them. At one point, Friday, I think, there were that many, all with beak agape begging from all the birds, not just momma. All birds were just shoving food into open mouths no matter whose it was as the bedlam got worse. Would have made a really funny cartoon. No one will ever make me believe again, that one bird will feed only their own chicks. I have seen differently. We still are feeding all the starlings, sparrows (song) and their young, juncos, a couple chickadees, Blue Jays , Red winged black birds, male and female, grackles, mourning doves, both several families of Hairy and Downy woodpeckers. The Hairy woodpecker young is almost tame so I am trying to get it to be more cautious by every now and again by startling him. I don't know if this is a good thing or not but it has figured I have seed cake and was following me about, squawking at me as I try to do a bit of gardening. This morning as I hung out the seed cake (we take food in at night now as the raccoons are back) it landed on my shoulder and scared the dickens out of me. Those long claws at sharp!! Aside from that we have now three nursing squirrels and finally one of our little chipmunks is back, full of scars and minus a tail. Early this morning, just coming 4 am, I heard an owl calling fairly close by and from the sounds I would suggest maybe it got a cat. I do need to work on my owl calls again. First I thought I had a cat calling then really serious screams and then shortly after the owl hooting. No reply though, that I heard. There is a fair bit of activity now with the hummingbirds. I know there are three males and at least two females, one on a nest I think, and a lot of fighting and rolling in the dirt of the driveway. Those creatures are very fierce!!Today again there is lots of swooping and such, maybe a nest lost or mate change? The swallows who built in the worst possible place are still there and trading off the sitting. Male sits in doorway while female is gone and yells at her every couple minutes. I love to watch the shift change. Have my fingers crossed they get a successful nesting. I don't hear any young yet but should soon. I wonder if anybody around here has built a chimney swift tower? I have found plans but am wondering about locating it. We have a piece of woodland we use for firewood and it is away from homes so far. Any suggestions? Marg Millard White Point, Queens http://margmillard.ca
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