At Home In The Woods

[jinman]

Jay,
A phoebe is similar in size and appearance to a titmouse.
Obed

The only thing that bothers me about a titmouse is if you have two of them. Is it titmice or titmouses?:confused3: Enquiring minds want to know. . .

 

[brin]

You know that Phoebes got their name because that is the chirp the make...Phoebe...I have some that I talk to and they talk back...try making the whistling sound phoebe over and over timed like their chirp - listen carefully and you will here them chirp their name over and over...

Have you noticed how Jim enjoys typing " Titmouse " :laughing:

 

[PhysAssist]

Here's what a Phoebe looks like.

View attachment 308719

Last year we had a phoebe nest on one of our downspouts under an eave. I have debated about destroying the nest if they try to reuse it. If they do eat insects, that would be a bonus. However, I don't want them making a mess in the garage.

Obed

Well, you guys learned me something new today. :thumbsup:

We have had tenants in our woodshed and under our second story deck for at least the past 15-20 years, and all this time, I thought they were Kingbirds. :confused2:

Today, by reading your posts, and doing some quick research, I corrected that mistaken identity to Eastern Phoebe's. :ashamed:

Eastern Phoebe, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology



The tail bob when they perch is supposed to be common to all phoebes.

It has been simply fascinating watching them raise their families, teach them to fly, etc,- something easily done [the watching, not the flying school] because they frequently use our deck railing and lawn furniture as staging points for their sallies out into the greater blue.

If your Western Phoebes are like their Eastern cousins, you should do what you can to encourage them to nest [outside of your garage] in a shed, or under the deck. They eat many flying insects, often the nasty kinds. :cool2:

They like to nest on a ledge under some kind of cover.

They nest on our ledger board for the deck, and in the woodshed they nested on the side of the ridge beam right on top of the incandescent shoplight we use for supplememental light there- in fact, my domestic supervisor was worried they'd get overheated, so I put a piece of 3/8" plywood between the nest and the light, and they used the extra sq. inches to expand the nest.

I didn't see any Western Phoebes listed, but they do show a Black Phoebe:

Black Phoebe, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

which doesn't look much like yours....

Could yours be this one?:

Say's Phoebe, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology



No matter, all of them are in the Flycatcher family from wikipedia:

Tyrant flycatcher - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

....As the name implies, a great majority of tyrant-flycatchers are entirely insectivorous (though do not necessarily specialized in flies). However, food can vary greatly and some (like the large Great Kiskadee) will eat fruit or small vertebrates (e.g. small frogs). In North America, most species are associated with a "sallying" feeding style, where they fly up to catch an insect directly from their perch and then immediately return to the same perch....

The Phoebes are going to be my reason for building us a new shed despite having a new barn in process. We won't be leaving the barn open, and the boss wants the "shanty town" shed demo'd, so we'll have to have a new one for the Phoebes....

Awesome!

Thanks,
Thomas

 

[J F]

The only thing that bothers me about a titmouse is if you have two of them. Is it titmice or titmouses?:confused3: Enquiring minds want to know. . .

You know what they're called... itties with a "t" in front (trying to stay on Mohammad's good side ).

I'm always telling swmbo to "look at all the "itties" outside", "got some nit "itties" today", "wow, those are some big..." and other middle-school type drivel. :laughing:

I do like them, for some reason that's just not really explainable.

 

[Obed]

Our Phoebes are the Eastern Phoebe.

 

[Obed]

After sharpening my chainsaw, I bucked some more logs. I removed some red clay the excavator had dumped on the log pile when he put some logs on the pile.



I used the tractor to maneuver some logs as I cut them up.



I finally was able to get to a stump that was buried in the pile. The stump has been complicating my ability to get to logs, roll them off the pile, and cut them up. I was very happy to pull that log away from the pile. I didn't know if I would have trouble moving the stump with my tractor. However, the tractor didn't have any dragging the stump.



I cut up a trailer load of logs. My hand sharpening of the chain seemed to be pretty effective.

 

[jinman]

Obed, you are really making progress on that log pile. All that dirt in there is really chainsaw chain death if not removed. I'm always stunned at how quickly dirt will dull a chain. I did find one thing worse than dirt though. I mis-judged where I was and cut into my grapple. Sparks flew and I had a full sharpening job to do instantly.

 

[Obed]

Jim,
Fortunately, I believe the dirt on the logs is an isolated instance. I haven't seen red clay on the pile in any other spots.

I have to say that I am really enjoying my new chainsaw. I cringe to think how much time I would have saved if I had purchased it earlier. However, I am glad I started with the old saw first to get my teeth wet. I now have an appreciation for how important it is to take care of the saw and chain.

Obed

 

[tony Cecil]

Hi Obed

A few posts back I suggested the sock with moth balls----I put one in the excavator, tool storage area, after removing a mouse nest...Checked today and the mouse was making a new nest right next to the sock with mothballs.....I now have my doubts about that suggestion.....Just an update, so you don`t try it....Really can`t understand....Tony

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Hi Obed

A few posts back I suggested the sock with moth balls----I put one in the excavator, tool storage area, after removing a mouse nest...Checked today and the mouse was making a new nest right next to the sock with mothballs.....I now have my doubts about that suggestion.....Just an update, so you don`t try it....Really can`t understand....Tony

I put a poison block in all my cabs and on the platforms of the open station tractors that are parked for any length of time. I had mice building nests in the excavator and one of my tractors. I put a block in and it has disappeared but so has the mouse droppings so I think it did its job.