I've decided I really need to clone myself, lol. That doesn't mean that I'm in great need or anything so dramatic ... it just would help to have more than one of me to do everything I either want or need to do. I suppose that is a common feeling among most people in today's world.
One of the reasons I feel need for a clone is to do a better job making posts to my blogs. After starting my first blog ... which admittedly was a little scarey in the beginning ... I've found it to be fun and kind of relaxing and stress-relieving. Blogging provides an avenue to "talk" about things wandering around in my mind and I feel better after chatting about the bird related things in my life. But because I have a lot on my agenda at the present time I'm not finding the time to post as often as I'd like to. Thus the need for a clone.
Since I've been pressed for time it was strange to find myself sitting down at the computer a few days ago and creating a second blog. However, I'd been thinking about creating it ... with a focus on pet birds ... for sometime and I suppose I found myself working on it because it was a pleasant diversion and the comfortable thing to do at the moment. The new blog is called Pet Bird Buzz! The word "buzz" means news to me as it relates to creating posts, so that is why I've used it in the title of both my blogs. If your love of birds extends to those we keep as pets come and visit the new blog. If you have comments or interesting pet bird experiences to share I hope you'll leave comments. One of the enjoyable things about having a passion that others enjoy is connecting and sharing information and experiences.
As far as my summer backyard bird visitors go ... the Orioles raised their family and have definitely departed ... perhaps it was time to start heading south. The Blue Jay now has the grape jelly feeder all to himself and is definitely taking full advantage. I'm beginning to wonder if grape jelly is all that good for him when he eats it throughout the day. I'm trying to keep the peanut feeder full to give him some food to cache away and to create a diversion from the jelly. But he takes ALL the peanuts to hide them away and does so until the peanut feeder is empty ... then its back to the grape jelly. I think this bird is becoming a bit spoiled, lol.
After going missing for most of the summer, with only an occasional visit, the male peacocks are back almost on a daily basis. Other than hanging around the front door (to look at their reflection in the glass panes) I'm glad to have them back. Having them at the front door just means cleaning up a little more bird poop ... which I have enough of with my pet birds, lol. Oh well, I suppose its okay since long along I had to admit that I'm a bird slave. But, I'm not complaining ... even the best life has to offer isn't always perfect.
The answer to that question boils down to just an extension of my last excuse. It's pretty embarrassing to make another entry that doesn't start off talking about birds ... but rather just to explain the absence of posts. It has everything to do with the continued work on the new BirdCagePortal website, which is now fully functional ... if not complete. It probably never will be truly "finished" because new products and content will be continually added. However, the pet bird supply shoppers have found it and seem to like what it offers. It is still sadly lacking in the kind of basic bird care information that I hope to include. So much to do ... so little time, lol. Anyway, it is progressing, however slowly. That is just the nature of website development.
Anyway, it has been a delightful summer of backyard bird observation. Once again our feeders were graced with the presence of Hooded Orioles ... with the added pleasure of having a pair raise a new family, once again. These birds love grape jelly and that seems to keep them coming back. I put up jelly feeders prior to their arrival in the spring and keep them up past the time they leave just to make sure they know they can depend on me, lol! Anway, I think I should buy stock in Welch's or Smuckers for the amount of grape jelly we purchased this year. It was much more than last year ... so perhaps we had more than one pair staking out the feeder. I've wondered whether last year's offspring might have wandered back in addition to the parents. It really was fun watching the parents bring their babies to the feeder. The little guys would hang on to the feeder and beg their parent to feed them. Finally, they caught on and began diving into the jelly themselves.
The jelly feeder holds a small plastic cup within a wooden platform and has a pitched roof over the top. The platform isn't very large so it was entertaining to watch one parent and two chicks trying to balance themselves on the feeder at the same time on a couple of occasions.
The only competition for the jelly continues to be our resident blue jay. I believe he watched the orioles and decided what was good enough for them was perfect for him, too. Just a couple of days ago we had some unwelcome competition from an ant colony who I believe were on the march to find water during a horrendous heat spell we are still experiencing. Believe it or not, the temperature has been in the low 100's eventhough we aren't more than 15 miles to the ocean ... as the crow flies. We haven't had ant problems until this very hot weather arrived. The ants were crawling over the jelly feeder on one day ... which perhaps discouraged the orioles from feeding ... but they were gone the next. Perhaps they were being urged on in their search for some water. I haven't seen the orioles since and I'm not sure if the ants discouraged them or it was time to begin heading south. I can't remember when they left last year, perhaps it was about this time.
The photo above is of my jelly feeder sans orioles. Actually, it is very difficult to get any photo (good or bad) of the birds at the feeder because they are very nervous by nature and fly off at the slightest movement or site of a human. Although I must admit they were a little more tolerant this year than last. But still impossible to photograph. Perhaps next year I'll be lucky enough to have them trust a little more. We'll see.
I've decided I really need to clone myself, lol. That doesn't mean that I'm in great need or anything so dramatic ... it just would help to have more than one of me to do everything I either want or need to do. I suppose that is a common feeling among most people in today's world.
