Birds of West Cobb

What is that yellow bird on my feeder? Is that a Goldfinch, Warbler, a Pine Siskin or something else? I’ve spoken to many people that see yellow birds on their bird feeders and assume they are either American Goldfinches or someone had a pet parakeet that escaped. While not impossible, it is pretty unlikely a parakeet would show up at your feeders. Warblers are carnivores and love to eat live insects, spiders, caterpillars, dried mealworms and even suet cakes. The shape of their beak is narrower and longer than that of a finch. In contrast, finches have wider, taller beaks made for cracking open seed shells. Take a look at the photos below of Warblers we’ve seen and you’ll quickly see the difference when you look at finches in the future! Yellow-rumped Warbler: (shown above) these birds migrate from much further north in Fall, and stay with us each Spring until typically April. When they arrive their feathers have already grown in for Winter warmth and these feathers have much less color and contrast. In February through April though you can witness the transformation with the “breeding plumage”. The photo below shows a male with the majority of his breeding colors in place. This is a huge difference from the Fall/Winter plumage. Pine Warblers (shown above) are also migratory but we have some year-round here in Marietta, Georgia. They will look a bit more dull in the winter but their colors brighten up dramatically in the males in early Springtime, for breeding / attracting their mates. They are quick, flying in and grabbing a mealworm or two before flying back into brush or tree limbs nearby for cover. Tennessee Warbler: We didn’t even realize we captured this photo and found out a few weeks later that the “pine warbler” we were photographing from a distance was in fact, a Tennessee Warbler. There are no visible bars of white along the wings or tail, and the subtle yellow color is much smoother and there is even a touch of brown at the corner of the wings/shoulders. The colors of this bird change from the subtle yellow to a warm grey right above the breast up to the eyes. This may be one of two we’ve ever spotted at our feeders to date! We will definitely keep looking for more though! Ruby-crowned Kinglet: These are tiny birds, relatively close to a Carolina Chickadee or a Pine Siskin. Often in the Winter months they will fly in very quickly and snatch a small chunk of suet or a piece of a mealworm and then retreat to the cover of small shrubs or brush. We managed to capture a few photos of them for you to help you identify these! They are only mildly yellow/brown but we wanted to be sure to include them here in case it helped you! Pine Siskin: at a glance you might believe you have a bunch of female house finches but at a closer look, they are a bit smaller and they have a splash of yellow on their wings and tails. They usually travel in flocks and we’ve seen 2-3 of them at once only a few times, otherwise there were over 50 birds. Updated 08/10/2022 : flipping through our photo archives we realized that we had a photo of another Yellow bird. This time it is a Scarlet Tanager in it’s Winter or migratory plumage, that stopped by for a snack and sip of water! It is pretty exciting to see all the different bird species that will come to your yard if there is a fresh, clean water source. Thanks again for reading and we hope you’ll follow us and share our page with your bird people 🙂 Updated on 10/9/2024 - We now also have recent photos of another yellow bird: The Summer Tanager! Note the black wings on the Scarlet Tanager (pictured above) and the yellow/brown wings on the Summer Tanager, below!

In this blog we explore the question: "Do Yellowjacket Traps actually work? " We feel they work very well, however we noticed that Yellowjacket Traps work best during late Spring and early Summer months. While Bees and Wasps are beneficial pollinators, yellowjackets are particularly obnoxious. They seem to be the only wasps that climb onto our hummingbird feeders regularly, they can be found in our terracotta plates full of dried mealworms, and we have even seen them drive away birds from a meal in some situations. Of course, running over a nest with a lawn mower is never fun either. But what can we do about it? How can we reduce the number of yellowjackets and also keep the majority from interfering with your backyard birding adventures? I strongly recommend yellowjacket traps for this! If anyone asks you the question "Do Yellowjacket Traps actually work?" You'll be able to tell them with certainty - They really do work . In fact, this year so far I have likely dumped out well over a hundred yellowjackets from our single trap. Here’s how it works: There is a small cotton ball or cotton pad that you pour special, concentrated nectar onto. This cotton ball/pad is inserted inside the plastic trap, which is essentially a funnel with holes at the bottom which are the exact size of a yellowjacket. Smaller pollinators like bees or even larger wasps will not fit or are small enough that they won’t get stuck and can climb back out. The 3 pieces of the trap snap together and can be quickly hung from a hook, cable, or low-hanging tree limb. You’ll want to position this someplace fa bit further from your house and feeders. I’d recommend 30-50ft or further from your porch/deck or feeders if you have the space. You don't want to be attracting Yellowjackets any closer to your door! Here is the direct link to the product on Amazon: Yellow Jacket Traps (2-pack ) If you intend to empty out the trap of all the dead yellow jackets, do so at dusk, as they are typically less active at this point in the day and you are then also far less likely to encounter any live ones. The nectar slowly loses its effectiveness and typically you will want to replace the cotton ball, or at least refresh the nectar once each month or month and a half. The Rescue! brand Yellow Jacket traps allow the insects to crawl inside from the bottom of the trap, but they find it impossible to leave. The hole sizes have been engineered to allow Yellow Jackets specifically, but larger and smaller wasps either won’t fit, or won’t get stuck! In fact, we have tested this and only have found dead yellow-jackets inside of our trap, now in the second year of usage! This trap has been busy for about a month. (May-June) It is time to take it down, ideally at dusk before the Yellow Jackets are too active, clean it out and refill the attractant concentrated nectar. This is our 3rd or 4th trap full of them this year! Once again, here is a link to the yellowjacket trap we use, and it has been working even better than we expected! D irect Product Link: Rescue! Brand – Yellow Jacket Traps 2-pack The package indicates that this trap is ideally placed in early Spring to eliminate future Queens and prevent them from building new nests. We didn’t catch any queens this time around, but we are hopeful for next Spring. Also, the activity was slow at first. Maybe only 3-5 yellowjackets per week were trapped for April-May. But once the weather became warm, and eventually just hot, there were fewer food sources available and the trap quickly began to fill with these pesky wasps! Does Rescue! make any other traps for garden pests? You bet! They have an entire arsenal to help get rid of various Wasps, Gnats, Fruit Flies, House Flies, Japanese Beetles, Ants, Moths, Carpenter bees and more! Check out their Amazon store here: Rescue! Amazon Store link . Have you tried another brand or style of trap from Rescue! or another company? We’d love to hear about your experience! Please leave us a comment below!

What are some Bird-Safe Cleaners for cleaning birdfeeders, birdhouses, birdbaths and more! Questions come up frequently from our neighbors that feed birds, about the cleaners we use to keep them safe and healthy. Here we will give you several examples for each category of cleaners. We did the research so you don’t have to! This is not intended to be a complete list of all of the cleaners out there, however many of these you’ll already have in your pantry. And for the few that you may not have, we’ve included links to purchase them from Amazon so you can get them delivered directly to your door! Bird-safe cleaners for cleaning bird feeders Vinegar solution: A mixture of one part white vinegar and nine parts water is a safe and natural way to clean bird feeders, as vinegar is a natural disinfectant that won’t harm birds. Here is a great value on White Vinegar on Amazon: Happy Belly White Vinegar. Mild dish soap: A mild dish soap like Dawn or Ivory is a good option for cleaning bird feeders. However, it’s essential to rinse the feeder thoroughly after cleaning to remove any soap residue. We prefer Dawn after seeing the images in the news years ago from oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico and in Alaska, where Dawn was used to clean the oil off of birds and other animals. In fact, they now also have a “ Free and Clear ” product which would be perfect for cleaning different bird feeders, bird baths and bird houses! Hydrogen peroxide: A solution of three percent hydrogen peroxide and water is also effective at cleaning bird feeders. Be sure to mix it in the correct ratio (one part peroxide to nine parts water) to ensure it is safe for birds. Here is a link to a 1-gallon size jug of Hydrogen Peroxide for cleaning. Bird-safe commercial cleaners: Some manufacturers offer bird-safe cleaners that are specifically designed for cleaning bird feeders. These products can be a good option if you prefer a pre-made solution. MICROBE-LIFT makes a cleaner that is Soy based just for this purpose! You can check it out here on Amazon (Direct Link to product page on Amazon.com ). Hot water: While boiling-hot water can also be used to clean bird feeders, by pouring it into the feeders and letting it sit for several minutes before scrubbing, then rinsing the feeder thoroughly. However, this method may not be effective at removing tough stains or disinfecting the feeder, so it’s best used in combination with other cleaning methods. Not to mention the dangers of carrying around boiling water. Bird-safe cleaners for cleaning bird houses Vinegar solution: Mix one part white vinegar with nine parts water to create a natural and safe disinfectant for cleaning birdhouses. Hydrogen peroxide : A mixture of three percent hydrogen peroxide and water (one part peroxide to nine parts water) can also be used to clean birdhouses safely and effectively. Commercial birdhouse cleaners: There are several bird-safe commercial cleaners on the market that are specifically designed for cleaning birdhouses. One popular product is “ Birdhouse Cleaner ” by JCS Wildlife . They make a lot of products from feeders and houses to cleaners and even some clothing! Unscented soap: Use a mild, unscented soap such as Castile soap to clean the birdhouse. After cleaning, rinse the house thoroughly to remove any soap residue that may be harmful to birds. Bird-safe cleaners for cleaning bird baths Vinegar solution: A mixture of one part white vinegar and nine parts water is a safe and effective cleaner for bird baths. It is a natural disinfectant that won’t harm birds. Hydrogen peroxide : A solution of three percent hydrogen peroxide and water (one part peroxide to nine parts water) is also a safe and effective cleaner for bird baths. Bird-safe commercial cleaners: Some manufacturers offer bird-safe cleaners specifically designed for cleaning bird baths, such as “ Bird Bath & Statuary Cleaner ” by JC's Wildlife products. Unscented soap: A mild, unscented soap such as Castile soap can also be used to clean bird baths. Be sure to rinse the bath thoroughly after cleaning to remove any soap residue. Bleach: If used carefully , bleach can also be used to clean bird baths. A solution of one part bleach to nine parts water can be effective at removing tough stains and disinfecting the bath. However, it’s essential to rinse the bath thoroughly after cleaning to remove any bleach residue, as even small amounts of bleach can be harmful to birds. For this reason we typically avoid Bleach. Do you have a favorite cleaner for Bird Feeders, Bird Baths or Bird Houses that isn't listed here? We'd love to hear about it! Please leave a comment and we'll be sure to check it out!

In this blog, Birds of West Cobb visits the Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch - Read more to find out how Alpaca fur can be beneficial to nesting birds! Back in late Spring, Lisa and friends heard about a nearby Alpaca farm . They host several activities including yoga with the Alpacas, craft nights and more. We had no idea that there was a place like this so close to us. Okay, okay, but what does this have to do with birds? Well, Alpacas are typically raised and bred for their fur. Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch provides visitors with some of these ultra soft fur trimmings for crafts. Participants can sit in front of the Alpaca barn (which is a nice tidy area covered by a small roof and ventilated well with multiple fans) and your group can stuff various colors of Alpaca fur into dried woven balls made of vines or twigs. During nesting season, all sorts of birds will look for soft materials to use for nesting material. When you are finished stuffing the fur into the hangable vine spheres, Tina (the hostess) will happily provide you with some additional “to go” fur so you can refill your sphere once birds take the initial stuffing out and use it for nesting. UPDATE 11/22/2023 : We also cleaned out all of our bird houses for the Winter in mid-November, and put a bit of Alpaca fur in these bird houses in case they are to be used as roosting boxes when the temperatures drop. Lisa’s initial visit with friends was unfortunately canceled due to rain. The owner was super easy to talk to and happy to reschedule for free. The second time the group of friends made it to the Alpaca farm, a huge storm rolled in and the visit was cut short. So June became July and then finally a full visit was possible for several of us on September 22nd. The weather was absolutely amazing. Behind the Alpaca farm area is a large meadow with several garden beds and many species of wildflowers which attracted a ton of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. We were able to snap a few photos of these hummers on the fence while we were visiting the Alpacas. If you’re in the Marietta Georgia area and you would LOVE to meet the Alpaca family and the gracious hosts Dave and Tina, you can check out the Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch here: https://lostmountainalpacaranch.com/ They are also on Instagram and TikTok if you use either of these social media platforms! Here are some additional photos of the property, Alpacas, and a few birds (of course) we captured while visiting the Ranch: Also, here is a quick video of an Alpaca munching on sassafras at the Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch! Thanks for reading this blog post "Birds of West Cobb visits the Lost Mountain Alpaca Ranch" and checking out our photos and videos above! Have you ever seen Alpacas? What did you think? We'd love to hear your story!

So what is the best birdseed for Southern Backyard Birds? Is it Sunflower seed, Safflower seed, Suet or Mealworms? This actually depends heavily on what types of birds you intend to attract! When we started feeding the birds from our backyard, there were quite a few uncertainties, and quite a bit of discussion took place about what we wanted to attract (as well as what we didn’t!). Over the past 8+ years, we have experimented, learned, and refined the menu to near-perfection. These are our TOP 4 picks which we hope will save you time, and also make the time you have more enjoyable! Pick 1. SAFFLOWER SEED Safflower is our number 1 choice overall and one of the best birdseed options to use for Southern Backyard Birds . This delicious white seed (for the birds, silly) is a bit smaller than sunflower seed, but it attracts a pretty large variety of birds. Also, the flavor of the seed does not usually attract squirrels or chipmunks (at least at first, later in the Summer when it gets hot we’ve seen them eat Safflower seeds and even dried mealworms !). Where can you find Safflower seed? While we do support our local shops, they don’t always have it in stock. However, if you’re in West Cobb area here are a few options. I’ve put them in order of “most likely to be in stock”. Our favorite store to visit is Wild Birds Unlimited which is located in East Cobb. The folks there are friendly, filled with knowledge and want to help you enjoy birding more than just selling you a product (and it really shows!). Birdwatcher Supply Co. see locations here Wild Birds Unlimited ( our favorite! ) o ne location in Marietta Pike Nursery West Cobb Home Depot West Cobb Tractor Supply Co located on Cobb Parkway in Acworth Due West Pharmacy one location in West Cobb Sometimes you just want to buy online. That’s fine! Here is a link to our favorite brand on Amazon. They process / package the seeds right here in Kennesaw Georgia! Cole’s 5lb Bag of Safflower Seed . What birds can you expect to see feeding on this seed? We have seen: Mourning Doves, House Finches, purple finches, Northern Cardinals, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, rose-breasted grosbeaks, red-bellied woodpeckers, tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees, and more! Large birds like Blue Jays that can be pests don’t seem to like it and this means more of our friendly, colorful songbirds will hang around! Pick 2. DRIED MEALWORMS Our 2nd pick isn't a birdseed at all, but ranks very highly for the sheer amount of birds it attracts so we couldn't skip mentioning it in this article " Best birdseed for southern backyard birds " Dried mealworms are definitely in our top-two spots here @birdsofwestcobb . Without these treats, we likely never would have had our Eastern Bluebirds start to visit and later move into several bird houses in our property. What birds can you expect to see feeding on dried mealworms? In addition to the Eastern Bluebirds, you will likely also see these species; Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Grey Catbird, multiple species of warblers, Carolina Wrens, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, Rufous-sided towhees, Northern Mockingbirds, and even more still! Where can you find Dried Mealworms? What’s a fair price? Dried Mealworms seem to be a tough one to find locally for a good price. Currently we are ordering dried mealworms from Amazon because it is substantially more at Pike Nursery for a 10 lb bag, even though the store is only a mile away. Home Depot doesn’t seem to stock them in West Cobb. However, I’ve found 1 lb bags or 12 oz bags (expensive though!) at the Brookstone Ace Hardware, and Kroger in the pet food aisle. We spend about 59.00 currently for a 10 pound bag – and this lasts us several weeks even with several plates and a feeder with mealworms! What do we recommend? Here is the link to the 10lb bag of dried mealworms on Amazon. If this seems like too much (either in weight or in cost), don’t worry they have smaller bags available also! Pick 3. C&S SUET NUGGETS (also referred to as ‘Scoob Balls’ around here), the CS Suet Nuggets (Peanut flavor) are a staple. We usually pick them up at the local Home Depot, because if you buy 6 bags you save some additional money but you can also find them at other major retailers nearby. Don’t have a Home Depot nearby? Well don’t worry! We’ve got a link here for you to order them also! C&S Suet Nuggets on Amazon. C&S makes some great quality bird foods and you will be impressed by the activity you see on your feeders when using high-quality seeds and suet, versus 10 year old stale bird food mixes from other big box stores. Currently the link above shows the nuggets 23% off! Normally 24.99, these are currently going for only 19.29! What birds can you expect to see feeding on suet nuggets? Very similarly to the dried mealworms because of their high fat and protein content, you will also see these energetic species; hermit thrush, brown thrasher, grey catbird, multiple species of warblers, Carolina wrens, tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees, rufous-sided towhees, northern mockingbirds, and even more still! Pick 4. C&S SUET CAKES Suet Cakes are typically hung in in a special feeder, the cakes drop-in from the top and don’t take a lot of extra effort to maintain. What birds can you expect to see feeding on these suet cakes? Woodpeckers usually find these first but often are followed soon after by many species including White-breasted Nuthatches, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Pine Warblers, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-Rumped Warblers, Grey Catbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, and Northern Mockingbirds and more. The biggest difference we’ve found though, is by switching up the flavor and the brand of the suet cakes! We usually buy these in bulk packs – If we haven’t stocked up any and have just run out, we’ll typically make a trip to Wild Birds Unlimited in East Cobb, or grab some from West Cobb Pike Nursery. However, in the event that you are in no rush and can wait a day or two for your Amazon deliveries to sustain your feathered friends, here is a link to some top-notch suet cakes on Amazon also. What is your personal backyard bird food favorite? Comments are welcomed below!

Driving down the road and you may have thought you were hallucinating! Was that a turkey? Do Wild Turkeys live in Marietta, Georgia? Read below to find out the answer to these questions and more! So you may be wondering if you can find wild turkeys in Marietta, Georgia. You certainly can. There are a lot of them! A few days ago, I woke up and started to get ready for work. For whatever reason, I looked out of the front window and saw a funny-looking bird at the edge of our yard. It was a bit fluffy, and at a glance had colors similar to a duckling. Considering that this was likely 70-80 feet from the window I am not surprised that I was wrong - it was not a duckling, but instead was a very young turkey. There were more than just the one as it turns out…we counted 10! We jokingly call them “turklettes”. We first counted 8 little turkeys, and then later we saw 10. Apparently 2 are very, very close to each other and often take naps, one will tuck it’s chin under the other and they will pass out. It has been very hot lately here (last week around 97F with a heat index of 106F for most of the week) and so the birds are out foraging for food. We had a turkey visit our feeder last summer and he walked the majority of the yard before leaving. We have a feeling this is the “daddy” turkey and now he brought back the female and the children as well. What would you do if you woke up and found a DOZEN turkeys in your backyard? After walking around the front yard, this family did move to the back. They somehow got over the fence which surprised me considering the majority of it is 6′ privacy fence. As it turns out, the young turklettes can actually fly a little bit and a 6′ fence is but a mere obstacle for them. They do need a little bit of launching space before the fence to make it all the way over. For the most part, the turkey youngsters will stay between their parents, in case of predators attempting to get an easy meal. I actually went outside and tossed a few handfuls of mealworms toward the adult male, and at first he was a little alarmed and moved away, herding the children away too. Then I threw some mealworms out into the grass and he ran back over immediately and started scooping them up. Several of the babies followed him and were able to get some much-needed protein too. Update: They’ve been coming now for 6 days in a row, at least twice a day. All 10 babies are still with them looking healthy and we have even seen a hawk get a little too close for comfort! That was exciting to watch! A Red-tailed hawk came swooping in, just over our back privacy fence and very close to the ground. The parents saw this and both fanned out their wings to a full-width and RAN straight at the hawk very quickly! The hawk did a U-turn in mid-air and quietly went back over the fence where it came from. Amazingly, the baby turkeys all knew there was something wrong also, and they all piled together into one large heap, and tucked in all of their necks and feet. They looked like a medium-sized boulder! They stayed this way until Mom and Dad came back and let them know things were “all clear”. Then they started to forage again in the yard! If you’d like to read more about the breeding habits, mating calls or the seasonal ranges for the Eastern Wild Turkey, check out this page on the Audubon Guide to North American Birds website .

Help identifying the hawk species of Marietta, Georgia including: Red-shouldered, Red-tail, Cooper’s and Broad-winged hawks I’ve recently had neighbors, co-workers and family members tell me they saw either eagles or falcons in their yard and then they showed me a photo of a cooper’s hawk, red shouldered hawk, broad winged hawk, or a red tailed hawk. Now to be completely honest with you, I’m not a formally educated ornithologist. I’m just a passionate birder that spent a lot of time in the woods growing up with a camera, pencil and paper, watching and sketching the local wildlife. While I never saw an eagle locally, I have seen a few at Lake Allatoona nearby and even Lake Acworth. I’ve seen them at Lake Oconee and at 2 different lakes in Rome Ga. We have also had Ospreys (Also known as fish hawks) spotted in our neighborhood lake by several neighbors. I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing a small falcon (American Kestrel) once in John’s Creek Ga. With that being said I’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands of hawks in Georgia in my lifetime. They are typically either; Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk or the Broad-winged Hawk. I may not have a photo of an adult and a juvenile for each of the species to help you but I’ll certainly dig through my archives to help you identify them as well as I possibly can. You can even send us photos and we’ll try to help identify them with you. Red-shouldered Hawk We captured one short video in Winter of the Red-shouldered hawk looking around and then calling to it’s mate from high up in a tree in our yard. See the video here on YouTube . Similar to the details on the red-tailed hawk below, I’ve included a couple of links to Audubon Society’s website as well as Cornell’s “ All about birds ” so you can learn more about these beautiful birds! Red-tailed Hawk The next in our list in this blog "Identifying the Hawk Species of Marietta, Georgia" We have captured a couple of short videos on YouTube, as well as the images below for your viewing pleasure. Video 1 and Video 2 . Red-tailed hawks are the largest hawks in North America. They can be found perched high up in tree tops (top-left image below) or soaring with their lighter underside visible with reddish tail feathers backlit by sunlight. They primarily hunt rodents including chipmunks, squirrels or rabbits, but also can be found eating snakes, lizards or even roadkill in the winter months if hunting is slow for them. They have a high pitched scream of a whistle that often will cause nearby creatures to freeze. The hawk below (and in the videos we posted to YouTube) just finished eating a Gray Squirrel, so he was a bit lethargic and allowed me to take pictures from nearly every angle (for over an hour!). If you’d like to view more photos, videos or learn more about the Red-tailed hawk, there is a great educational page on The Cornell Lab’s “About Birds” website . Additionally, the Audubon Society has a similar page with fantastic images and educational content. Cooper’s Hawk Cooper’s Hawks are pretty intense-looking birds. As adults their eyes turn Bright red and they appear to have a “hairline” of darker feathers which are met with lighter grey and orange mottled feathers on the neck and breast. They are very agile in flight and primarily hunt smaller birds. Young mourning doves, sparrows, starlings and even Blue-Jays can be meals (as well as plenty of other birds). Any backyard birder in the Southeast will likely have knowledge of these hunters. Older generations here in the South will sometimes even refer to these birds as “Blue Darters”, because the darker grey colorations on their backs, wings and head can appear bluish-gray in certain lighting. If you’d like to read more about these awesome birds, here are some links for you: Cornell Lab’s “ All About Birds ” and additional information can be found here on the Audubon Society’s Field Guide . Broad-winged Hawk (Photos coming soon – as soon as we see one again). Osprey (also known as "Fish Hawks")

In this blog we wanted to share with you some great news about many of the Spring Eastern Bluebird babies in Marietta, Georgia. A couple of years ago, Lisa and I were lucky enough to find a local park which was seeking volunteers that would "lease" an Eastern Bluebird nest box for 2 years for a small fee. This fee included 2 years of mealworms for the area feeders on the property. This property is known as " Kemp Park " which is a 94-acre property with gorgeous rolling hills, meadows and forest and even includes a couple of streams and a small pond. Kemp Park is located off Burnt Hickory Road. If you'd like to read more about Kemp Park specifically, and get involved or make a donation to this beautiful property for a few improvements, here is the " Friends of Kemp Park " link. Initially, we paid the fee and then went to walk at the park sometimes and look at the nest boxes. After the 2 years passed, the volunteer group "Friends of Kemp" reached out and asked if we'd like to renew. OF COURSE we w did... then we were also invited to participate in the Spring and Summer bird house nest-checking process that they have implemented. It's a pretty cool gig! This is how it works: A number of volunteers get together in Early Spring, and are given a fairly simple schedule to follow. The people that are enlisted will need to come to the park when it's their scheduled turn. During their visit, they (in a few cases "we") will check each nest box for eggs, fresh-hatched young and also record their findings for the group on a clipboard. One of the tools used will include a small mirror, which can be used to look downward into the nest after opening the front or side of each bluebird box. During our preliminary tour of Kemp Park with the group lead and several of the other volunteers, I also brought along a pretty cool tool which is usually found in many auto-mechanic toolboxes. This tool is called a " boroscope ", which is a tiny flexible camera with a 25' coiled cable which can be fed into small, tight spaces so they can be inspected. I've even used ours to find a small pinhole leak in a copper pipe which was deep in our laundry room wall. The idea for this tool being used for bird house checking was simple: most bird nests are built neatly into the birdhouses, several inches thick, and the nest materials often conform to the shape of the box which is fine if you only open a door temporarily. However, I prefer NOT disturbing the nest material or the eggs, hatchlings, and even the nesting parents, if at all possible. So, the boroscope is perfect. It has two different cameras; one that is on the end and looks straight ahead, and has a dimmable LED light around it. The second camera lens is located on the side, and depending on which way you point it, can see easily up, down etc. During our first volunteer Nest Box check at Kemp Park, we found Eastern Bluebird eggs or hatchlings in 7 of the 9 nest boxes. Using the provided "volunteer tool kit" we checked for wasp nests in any early stages of being built, checked for ants that may be infiltrating the nests, we counted the eggs and young hatchlings and made notes of anything that needed attention on the property. It was exciting, and we loved to see the young (and the eggs!). I was also extremely pleased that we didn't encounter any eggs from Brown-headed Cowbirds, European Starlings or House Sparrows. In addition to the nest boxes at Kemp Park, we returned home and used the Depstech Boroscope on our own birdhouses. We found that our 4 Eastern Bluebird eggs had hatched as well! Here are some photos of the eggs when we first checked the box a couple of weeks earlier, and an image of the hatchlings nestled into each other's wings and shoulders. They were ADORABLE ! 3 short weeks later, the fledglings left the nest box and would not return (they don't go back to the nest once they are able to fly, instead they will fly around with their parents and beg for food for 2-3 more weeks until they will follow them to the deck railings (and our dried mealworm stash) or the "house feeder" which we also stock with mealworms. Once they have fledged, we clean out the birdhouse nest material using a mild vinegar solution or some simple green, and scrape off any chunks of infant-rearing that may be adhering to the sides of the birdbox. It was funny, when I removed this nest material, it seemed like there was a slight layer of new pine straw on top of the original nest. Maybe it was my imagination. The very next morning while we were filling the bird feeders and bird baths for the day, I saw a female Eastern Bluebird land on the box and go inside. Are you kidding? Not in the slightest. The bluebirds wasted NO time whatsoever rebuilding a completely new nest. In 48 hours we poked our little boroscope camera back in the hole, and found Bella was sitting in the nest already! She didn't even get up/fly out of the box so we left her alone. The following evening, we checked it again and there was already an egg! Did you know that Eastern Bluebirds will only lay one egg each day. Usually a clutch (a clutch is the total number of eggs that a female will lay at one time) , is 4-5 eggs, but sometimes there are 6 or even 8 at a time! Another interesting thing we learned, was that sometimes the juveniles from the last brood will sometimes help feed the young hatchlings in a nest! We had no idea this occurred. They take care of their families! Here is some more interesting information for you Eastern Bluebird fans (if you are on Facebook, we found a couple of fantastic pages which talk a lot about Eastern Bluebirds and have very active groups that provide feedback, tips, tricks, and more details to help you with your feathered friends! Eastern Bluebird Landlords Backyard Bird Lovers Managing House Sparrows and Starlings ( Not for the faint of heart ) Here are the product links from this blog also, in case this helps you avoid scrolling back through the whole blog post to find the links we mentioned: Depstech Flexible Boroscope Camera Hanging "house style" composite feeder Dried Mealworms (5lb bag) Natures Way Eastern Bluebird Nestbox (Bird house) 1.5" nest box hole reducer As always, thanks for reading and checking out this blog featuring our Spring Baby Bluebirds from Marietta, Georgia! -Lisa and Dan from https://birdsofwestcobb.com

In this blog, the wild turkeys return to West Cobb! The young turkeys are getting larger but all of them are still very timid! After only a few weeks, we captured the image above... the poults are growing very quickly and look bigger each day! Turkey update for July 2, 2022: Okay, okay, they never left! They have been covering more ground though as the poults (we jokingly called them “turklettes”) have and we have heard from friends in the neighboring subdivision West Hampton that they have seen them in their yards too. Sadly the family has lost a few of the poults now, (likely due to predators like Coyotes or Hawks/Owls), but 7 still visit with Mom and Dad a few days each week. At the time of writing this, 6 of the 7 poults were getting much bigger and one that we refer to endearingly as “the runt” was slowly getting larger too, but it is substantially smaller than the other brothers and sisters. We have seen some of the funniest behaviors in these young Eastern Wild Turkeys that you would probably not believe. Travis and Tilly sharing a breakfast plate of mealworms. these guys are getting big! @birdsofwestcobb We witnessed the whole family flying up and over our 4′ fence gate, and then starting to work their way across our yard to our neighbor’s yard. 6 of the poults and Mom and Dad made it 15-20′ into the yard and one of them lingered behind. Our first thought was “oh no, he is sick or something” but that wasn’t it at all. He tucked in quietly behind a pine tree trunk and stuck his head around the base to watch his family walk further and further away. One of the other poults noticed he was gone and started looking around. They started softly chirping and we watched the one behind the tree start running left and right, sticking his head around the tree on one side and then the other. We realized they were playing hide-and-seek! The other poult saw him sticking out from behind the tree eventually and ran/flew straight to him and chased him out from behind the tree, back to the group. It was hysterical! The video above shows the Adult male (front, closest to camera) and the Adult Female (White - referred to as "smoke plumage"), shepherding their 7 young poults that all made it to adulthood. Sadly they started with 10, however we think a coyote, fox or a hawk contributed to the equation. If you watch the video above until the end, you will see Mama turkey fly down by the young poults. The adults loved to get up high and have a better look out for predators. They didn't mind us much at all or threaten us in any way. We've seen videos where other turkeys will chase people especially when there is a nest or young nearby! So keep that in mind and always approach with caution. They are wild animals after all! We added a couple of short videos to YouTube with our Eastern Wild Turkeys also! Check them out on our page: Birds of West Cobb “ The wild turkey family returns. “ We kept seeing them for a few more days after writing this and the young poults were now the same size as the adults and it was getting harder to tell them apart! However, the 4th of July fireworks seemed to terrify them enough to flee the area and we didn’t see them again until Spring 2023, when a single male turkey came back for several weeks to our feeders. Similarly, we didn’t see him again after the 4th of July… however we are hopeful that they return in Spring 2024! Thanks for reading and we hope to see you again when the Wild Turkeys return to West Cobb in the future!

Identifying House Finches, Purple Finches, Gold Finches and Pine Siskins - the Finches of west Cobb! Greetings fellow birders! We’d like to introduce you to some of our most frequent guests here in Georgia (the state, not the country). Meet the Finch family! Finches are mostly seed eaters and will commonly visit your feeders if you have sunflower, safflower and especially thistle. They seem to love the hulled sunflower meats or whole safflower the most, with the one exception mentioned below. Let's get right into it: What are the various types of Finches of West Cobb? Let’s start with the most common, and most likely to nest in the grocery store or local home improvement warehouse signage: The House Finch. The male has a reddish purple head for the entire year but it becomes quite a bit more pronounced during the Spring and early Summer months as they grow their “breeding plumage” or the feathers that help them attract a mate. The female is identical in size and shape but completely lacks this red/purple coloration. She is entirely brown and off-white, with small streaks. Next, let’s introduce everyone’s favorite Finch: The American Goldfinch. The male is typically bright yellow with a very sharp, contrasting bit of black on the head, wings and tail. When perched or in flight, you’ll even see some bright white accents. The female American Goldfinch looks identical in size and shape, however her colors look quite a bit more dull or subdued. You may even notice a bit of brown mixed into the yellow. She also will lack the dark black on the head, wings and tail. If you see one that has some black, but not nearly as much as the adult male pictured here, it’s likely a juvenile male. Our next feathered friend is one that many people confuse with the House Finch. This is the Purple Finch. The male Purple Finch has more of a purple hue than the male house Finch, and there is also some brownish streaking/patterning on the head. Purple Finches are typically seen here in Georgia during the winter months when many have migrated South for the holidays. Now our least favorite here at Birds of West Cobb (kidding! Although they sure do leave a lot of tiny poop spots behind when they have visited in the past). Of course we are talking about Pine Siskins. These smaller finches travel in massive flocks in the Fall/Winter and we may not see them for several years, but then they will really show up in full force. During the Winter of 2020 we counted around 80 and then lost track. They are constantly moving and changing positions so we took a photo and tried counting them while they were still. These birds are mostly brown and off-white with small streaks much like a female purple or house Finch, however they will have small yellow accents on their wings and tails. The Male will have a bit more coloration.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks migrate thousands of miles each year so it’s always a treat to see them when they return to Marietta, GA! A few years ago I was walking back across the deck, after refilling the bird feeders. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of white and red and knew immediately what it was. Here in the metro Atlanta area of Georgia it’s not super common to see a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and they are merely passing through so they are easy to miss. In many years of feeding birds in 3 different counties of Georgia, I never saw one. I managed to snap a couple of blurry photos with my cell phone that year before it was gone. Luckily it came back several more times and brought females along with him. That first year we saw 1, but the following year 7 or 8 at a time visited, several times within a few weeks before they departed. If you’re like me, you’ve been looking at these birds on bird-seed packaging, books about wild birds, art about wild birds and more for years. When you finally get to see one in person, it’s pretty impressive! The adult males have much sharper contrast between the black & white and red coloration. The females look much more brownish and lack the red, but otherwise look very similar. The large beak is used for cracking open seeds, and they seem to navigate to the black oil sunflower seeds in open trays/plates, and safflower seeds. Maybe they just enjoy cracking the shell open with that big beak of theirs? Who knows! The Rose-breasted grosbeak is one of the species we enjoy seeing here in Marietta because of the journey that they make each year (2 times per year!) If you were to hop on a jet and fly from “Southern Newfoundland, Canada” to Northern Ecuador, you’d be looking at a flight of around 4300 miles one way. The birds can’t fly non-stop though so it’s really impressive to think that they probably cover 5,000-6,000 miles!!! With that kind of trip you’d make Diamond Status with Delta Airlines in no time at all! September 2024: Update Nearly a year to the day September 24th, 2023 I photographed some adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, with some adult female Grosbeaks and a few juvenile males (like the one pictured above). This year we had Hurricane Helene approaching and I was a bit worried the birds would circumvent us this year to avoid the storm. However, On September 28th I looked out the back door to see a female and a juvenile male once again! Two days later, I saw an adult Male as well! Here is a short video of our juvenile Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, who seems very uninterested in Cardinals and Titmice and more that get close to him. I think he is a bit tired from all the traveling and the rain delays as well! I'm finding it interesting that these birds know where we are even after travelling literally thousands of miles, they find our back yard, and feeders, nestled in some 30-40 year old maple trees, pine trees, dogwoods and more. They seem to like eating in the mornings from 7-10am. After noon and you won't see a single bird (at least this has been our experience). Here are few photos I've take from this recent migratory group! Have you ever seen any Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at your bird feeders? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!

That's right! It's Spring in the South, now it’s time to clean out your birdhouses! (If you waited until mid-March, play it safe!) Well folks, it’s finally Spring here in the southern United States. How do we know? Here in Marietta there are a few reliable signs of Spring: Woodpeckers have started drumming their beaks against trees (and chimneys) to attract their mates. The Cherry trees have bloomed already and immediately afterward we had another hard freeze. We’ve also seen 2 instances already of white-breasted Nuthatches building nests in old Bluebird boxes. These birds are usually the first of our backyard birds we see nesting. When the Cherry Trees bloom, we hope that this will be a reminder for you to clean out your birdhouses. That's what we mean when we say "It's Spring in the South!" It's just our reminder for you to clean them out before the nuthatches start building new nests! Certain birds like the Eastern Bluebird could have 3-4 broods per year and raise a lot of baby blues. However, other birds like the white-breasted nuthatch only breed one time each season. In either case, you should watch the nest box carefully. Once all the young fledglings have left the nest, it should be cleaned out carefully. Why is this important? I’m certain that you have seen the birdhouse placed on top of a fence in the neighbor’s yard, or maybe in the community garden nearby. But more often than not, people buy these and hang them and never clean them again. These old nest boxes will have a nest in them and they probably won’t be re-used. The old nests could also contain a bad egg, or even an entire clutch of eggs if something scared off the parents or worse. In addition, old nest material could contain bacteria mites or parasites that could harm your future tenants. Late Winter or Early Spring is definitely the best time to clean out the birdhouses in case you didn’t get to them at the end of Summer last year. But it is important to clean them out after each brood also. This way you could potentially have even more species of birds raise their young in your little birdie condo! It is very exciting!