PainterWoman

My Funky Birdhouse

Saturday, 25. April 2009, 06:41:00

As much as I'd like to say I made this birdhouse, I did not. I bought it from a craftsman in the city of Tubac, Arizona at their yearly arts and crafts fair a year ago. He had about 50 of them so it was really hard to choose because they were all so different. I just love this kind of stuff. He had a whole bunch of other things for garden ornaments that he had also made from found objects. This is a teriffic way to recycle.

It was hung underneath my patio eaves so I never thought birds would come near it because it's too close to the patio door where the dogs go in and out all the time. A family of Sparrows have been living in it for the last month. I have tried painstakingly to get pictures of the mom and dad but they are so fast. I've heard babies chirping for the last two weeks and I'm thinking in another week or so, the mom and dad will finally be able to coax the little ones out. I will have to keep a watchful eye on CJ, my little dog, because she is a hunter.

Here I managed to catch the mama leaving the house.

Irma Eisenmann March 30, 1921 - April 7, 2009Ever been stood up?

Comments

Linda # 25. April 2009, 07:12

That is wonderful, Pam. Do you have a camera you could leave running for awhile every day? Focused on the birdhouse? Hope you are able to get shots of the babies. The birdhouse is very cool. I have a decorative birdhouse, too, but keep it inside. Too many cats around to warrant setting up outside.

Dacotah # 25. April 2009, 07:14

Allan # 25. April 2009, 07:16

Funky indeed!

This is the situation where you probably need a single lens reflex camera. It clicks when you do. Those smaller electronic photo-gadgets are nice and handy, but they have to think a while after you press the release button.

Birds in the garden is a charm. I have a lot myself, o maybe they're rather having us? They decide, but we have a lot of flowers here, which call for the insects, which again make the birds appear.

PainterWoman # 25. April 2009, 07:26

Linda, I wouldn't mind having a few more of these. But I'll have to put them in the front yard. Too much chance that CJ will get the babies when they are learning to fly.

I really never expected the birds to take to this because of all the activity so near.

Carol, thanks.

Allan, it's my old Pentax K1000 SLR, 35 mm. It's the only camera I have and it's all manual. It was a hazy day, light was low, so for the light meter to be correctly in the center, I had to have it at a rather slow speed....hence, the blur of the flying mama. I took another one of the mama sitting in the opening but the whole photo is a bit out of focus. My eyes are the fault of that. That's the main reason I'd like to get something with auto focus.

Dacotah # 25. April 2009, 07:29

You are welcome Pam.

studio41 # 25. April 2009, 07:46

very funky indeed! love it.

PainterWoman # 25. April 2009, 07:54

Thanks Jill.

Allan # 25. April 2009, 08:04

But that's a nice SLR! Would be beneficial with autofocus, no doubt. Good luck.

Huong Lan # 25. April 2009, 08:50

Wow, it's an interesting birdhouse. And I like the idea of recycling things.

CelticGlen # 25. April 2009, 10:33

I love this Pam. I feed all the sparrows around our home. I have 8 birds of my own and when i renew their feed every day i empty what they have not eaten out to my local sparrows. We also have families of sparrows who have nest in our eaves for the last several years. They get the left overs from my birds so they have made our home their home. I love sparrows they are cheeky, friendly little birds who have adapted to town or city life.

Linda # 25. April 2009, 14:49

I had to give up planting hummingbird garden when I started feeding so many stray cats. I love the hummers, but not fair to cultivate plants for them when they just become bait. I quit putting water in my birdbath for same reason.

PainterWoman # 25. April 2009, 15:34

Allan, yup a nice camera! It was bought when my son was ten yrs. old. He will soon be 40. It has served me well.

Lan, I thought it was so funny looking, especially with a bent spoon as the perch at the opening. Makes me want to start nailing a bunch of different things to a little ugly shed in the backyard. It would make it more interesting to look at.

Glenyce, 'cheeky' is a perfect word for sparrows. They are so chirpy and hoppy.

I love watching them intereact. There is a leak in one of my sprinkler heads right near the back porch and I have dug a hole around to try and fix it. It's been like that for a month because I can't seem to find the problem. The hole is always filled with water and the birds (sparrows, three kinds of doves, and starlings have been gathering there to drink.

Linda, when I throw out stale bread crumbs, I do it in the front because the dogs would just eat it. I have been leaving the doggie door closed more often when I am home to keep track of the dogs and go out with them when I let them out. This way, when the birds are gathered at their watering hole, they won't be bait to CJ. Camie doesn't seem interested in chasing them at all. Never did. But CJ catches them sometimes and eats them. I came home one day a week ago to find a million tiny feathers all over the carpet. One longer feather indicated it had been an Inca dove. Nothing but those feathers was left. I could hardly believe it.

Linda # 25. April 2009, 16:21

Yes, well, dogs and cats will be dogs and cats. Cats killed two of my pet birds, or one cat did. I always let my birds out of their cages to play every day. There was one feral cat I had tamed and I would let her in the house to eat. She learned to hide from me to keep from having to go back outside.

On both occasions, I thought this cat had gone outside, so I let my birds out as usual. It almost killed me when I found them. After the last one, I chunked her out of the house and never let her back in. I scolded her so hard she, in fact, never came back to my house.

I can't get the pictures out of my head of my little babies dying because of my carelessness. I WILL NEVER get over it.

PainterWoman # 25. April 2009, 16:27

So sorry to hear about that Linda. Yes, I'd feel the same.

Lois # 25. April 2009, 23:46

Such a wonderful birdhouse! It's hard to train the cats to leave them alone. Arthur has managed to tell them, "no, no, no" and they do mind when it comes to the baby chicks, but lizards are another story. I've found several dead lizards and a snake.

scott cumming # 26. April 2009, 01:33

cool birdhouse. it's good the sparrows found it. i think they think they are at the funky hilton.

Edward Piercy # 26. April 2009, 01:37

I'm just glad it has a lock. Much safer that way. Well, unless you leave the keys on the front porch.

My best to CJ et al.

PainterWoman # 26. April 2009, 02:56

Lois, thank you. I have found it hard to train my min pin as I think she is part cat.

Scott,

The Funky Hilton...I like that.

Ed,

Yeah, when you leave your keys hanging around in plain sight, it's hard to keep burglars away. My best to Sasha too.

Angeliki # 26. April 2009, 04:04

Funky Bird House it is Pam!
I wonder how your dogs feel about the new addition?? do they look up and waiting to see the birds too??

a very cute birdhouse indeed !

here are some colorful as well;

PainterWoman # 26. April 2009, 04:31

Love those Angeliki! Thank you.

I can see faucet handles, a sprinkler head and part of an old rocker. These are great!

Angeliki # 26. April 2009, 04:45

as you can see our love for funky can unite us one more time!

PainterWoman # 26. April 2009, 04:59

I had to think about it for a bit as to how my dogs react. Camie couldn't care less. She was never one to chase birds. Plus I think she's going deaf and losing her sight. Now CJ is another story. She hears, sees and chases everything. I've seen her staring up at the bird house because she watched one of the parents go inside. I immediately redirect her attention elsewhere.