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BIRDS

Started by Bro. Noble, December 16, 2004, 10:19:33 AM

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miking

Saw 2 common moorhen today with about 10 chicks. I've seen about a bazillion coots but no moorhen until today. Even the chicks have red bills.
Echo CS530, 600 and 680 chainsaws, SRM410U brushcutter, PB500 blower and PP265 power pruner. Also a Stihl 192c for the lil' stuff.

chain

Quote from: chain on June 28, 2011, 07:09:54 PM
At long last, a pair of eastern bluebirds have begun nesting in our yard bird box this last couple of weeks! I was showing the bird box to our 5yr. old grandson when out flew the female, I had no clue the birds were there. First ever. ;D

Eagles are back fishing the pond morning and evening, when will they bring out their fledglings? Last year seems was late July.

I know everyone must be on pins and needles awaiting the annoucenment of our latest addition to our new bluebird family. Sometime last Saturday one fledgling left the box, apparently one was all they were able to propagate.

From the box to an autumn-olive, to a cypress tree and on to a half dead apple tree the little blue bird was escourted; the parents brought him worms throughout the day and guarded from molesting young mockingbirds. Yesterday [Sunday] the little bird was able to fly fairly well as he headed to a thick cypress just before a thunderstorm hit.

Other than the eagles coming to fish in our lake the bluebirds are the most surprising of all and most welcomed of birds! ;D

Ron Scott

Michigan's Kirtland's Warbler benefits from Arbor Day Foundation Grant. The Department of Natural Resources has planted 500,000 trees in the
Roscommon, MI area this spring with funds provided by the Arbor Day Foundation.
The trees will form habitat for the federally endangered Kirtland‟s Warbler, which nests in young jack pine stands.The planting project covered about 850 acres.

DNR list server

~Ron

miking

I trust they planted jack pines?
Echo CS530, 600 and 680 chainsaws, SRM410U brushcutter, PB500 blower and PP265 power pruner. Also a Stihl 192c for the lil' stuff.

Ron Scott

Yes, only jack pine on large clearcuts.
~Ron

ely

we have a small wren that built a nest in a potted plant on our front porch. when we spray water in it the bird flies out.... when the wife waters she does it from the porch and the wren flies into her face everytime... loads of fun right there... maybe i should have posted that in the simple pleasures thread :D

SwampDonkey

I'm wondering if tree planting density is a factor for the birds. Wild jack pine regeneration after fires around here are wicked thick. Plantation jack pines I see here usually result in very brushy/limby trees.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Ron Scott

The Kirtlands Warbler only nests in young closely spaced jack pine stands up to 7 feet tall.  The management program for it are jackpine clearcuts up to 570 acres, then prescribe burn for slash removal and new jack pine regeneration and planting at a 6x6 spacing. Young stands of jack pine in northeastern Lower Michigan near Mio, Harrisville, and Tawas on the Huron National Forest and State Forest lands are the primary nesting area of the Kirtlands. They then winter in the Bahamas and return to Lower Michigan to nest each spring.

Bird watchers come here from all over the world to get their "card punched" for a Warbler sighting.
~Ron

beenthere

One can only wonder what those birds are costing us each (per bird and per person).
I recall when there was a prescribed burn for these warblers, and it got away and burned many, many more acres than planned. I figured that must have shot the bird count up by a similar factor if burning was really effective. Sorry to sound negative here. ;)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

WDH

Does the jack pine have any market value when it is older?
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

SwampDonkey

Interesting warbler non-the-less, to be confined, or to be found only in MI during breeding when there are millions of acres of jack pine forest further north. ;)

Jack pine is part of the SPF stamped on lumber in the east. It's also pulped. Quite a bit has been planted here where it was not growing naturally. It's native here in NB but further North and East  from the head of the Mirimachi River toward to NE. They show it being all over NB, but it's not true. Here in NB it's typically growing in with black spruce, white pine and white birch. It would never grow in a hardwood forest type around here. In NB, it likes that brown glacial sand the best with a thin reddish top soil. Doesn't seem to like the igneous sand so well though. Most of it in plantations I've seen around here might just as well be burnt. Needs to grow thick to be straight and self prune well. My grandfather commented on the quality of the plantations 30 years ago. He wasn't too impressed. I've seen some nice old stands of wild jack pine, straight and tall and well pruned.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Ron Scott

Yes, we have a lot of good jack pine in the warbler areas that goes for pulpwood, the rest is chipped for cogen fuel.
~Ron

doctorb

Many years ago, I traveled to MI to see the Kirtland's.  I'd go back again.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

Ron Scott

Did you get to see one? We've gone from a low of 100 pairs back in the early 1960's to now over 1000 pairs which was our planning goal for a viable population.
~Ron

SwampDonkey

I was just checking on some prices for jack pine: pulp is $35.56 a short ton, studwood is $44.45/ton, sawlogs grade 2 $53.35/ton. Spruce logs are always worth more, probably $5-10/ton more. JDI is the only buyer of jack pine around that I know of. Most of our pricing up here is zoned by mileage from the mills.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

WDH

Not a bad price for the pulpwood.  It is a good bit lower here, but our production costs are a good bit less than in the frozen north. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

SwampDonkey

Roads can be cheaper up here if you only have to stump them and drive over the top on frozen ground. ;D ;) Just don't get caught on a block in late spring, it could turn to a soup mess or frog pond. :D I would think the differences are probably fuel, average piece size and intensity of establishment silviculture. But forest companies get a lot of fringe benefits from the government. Can't pull them machine leavers any quicker than we can. ;) We cut an awefully lot of small second growth.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

WDH

The cost difference is mainly in the equipment cost.  Processors, forwarders, and debarkers are much more expensive than skidders and knuckleboom loaders.  You can buy two fellerbunchers for the cost of one processor.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

SwampDonkey

Machinery cost up here, no matter which you buy is a good 30-40% higher in price. Even if you compared buncher to buncher.

Even a pickup truck will likely be $8-10 grand more. And to think my grandfather could buy a new Ford F150 for $7000 every other year in the 1970's. Pension cheques went a heck of a lot further back then.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

SwampDonkey

Today I was sitting in the car for a spell on the edge of the plantation I'm thinning. Along a corner of the field road and highway, as you enter the block, it musta been prime bird real estate. I'm talking of an area that would be 20 feet wide by 20. I saw 2 pairs of cedar wax wings, a pair of chipping sparrows, 2 pair of robins, a wood thrush, 2 pairs of black pole warblers and a couple pairs of really small sparrow like birds (vesper sparrow ?) and a couple humming birds.  :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Norm

A few weeks back Patty and I were out checking on the oats that had been recently swathed. I noticed 4 huge birds feeding in the field and couldn't believe it when I saw they were sandhill cranes. I've never seen them in our area before although I've seen huge flocks while in Nebraska. Figured they were just passing through but yesterday I saw them in the alfalfa field we had just baled. Then last night they flew low past our saw shed heading over to the oats field again. What a beautiful bird and the sight of four of them flying by was awesome. Sure would be nice to see them start nesting in our area more.

Mooseherder

We are at the cabin and I spent 13 hrs Bush hogging yesterday.
This huge Raven followed and was around me all day being opportunistic on field mice scurrying away from the tractor.   I hope he gets his fill. ;)

Norm,  The Sandhills make a very distinctive call.  I call them Taradactles. :D

SwampDonkey

They are now found here in New Brunswick nesting. Never seen here before 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ06xI4pCEo
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Woodcarver

The sandhills are fairly common in this area.  There numbers seem to be down this year for some reason.  We aren't seeing or hearing them as often as we usually do.
Not a very scientific but the change is certainly noticeable. As Mooseherder said, their call is distinctive.
Just an old dog learning new tricks.......Woodcarver

Mooseherder

Here is the Raven that was hanging out with me for a couple days pickin' off the field mice. :)
He is one of the biggest I've had around me.  You may want to turn the volume down because I am in the tractor.
I was crawling along because the field was high, wet and full of tall brush.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMXVito6AnQ

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