Re: Great Tailed Grackles, Mourning Doves, and Me

"Reunite Gondwanaland (Mary Shafer)" <reunite.gondwana@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote 
in news:89r924tc28ijiicc9tclvh26teq5l4r1k0@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> The developed areas of the Coachella Valley are home to a surprising
> variety of birds.  We regularly see ravens, hummingbirds, roadrunners,
> California quail, great tailed grackles, mourning doves, rock doves,
> tanagers, and orioles in our yard.  I hadn't been paying much
> attention to them, except to notice that we have mourning doves
> nesting in our lemon tree.

Today I saw my first broadtailed hummingbird of the season, she was 
sipping fresh water coming out of the hose where I was softening the 
ground as part of a rock garden.


>  A roadrunner dropped by to see what was
> happening, but left and hasn't returned.  The guides say they'll eat
> strips of raw meat; they sure don't eat bread.

Where I used to work there was a roadrunner that would each tortilla 
chips if you tossed them to him. Later that same bird got a broken leg. 
It didn't slow him down a bit, it would just run one-legged. Where I 
live now, a few roadrunners come around now and then.

> 
> As I write this there are four grackles picking up bread and a fifth
> sitting on the edge of the waterfall.  There are a couple on the roof,
> too.  Dinnertime, I guess.
> 
> I've ordered tray feeders and bird feed that all the birds we have
> (except the roadrunner) are said to like.  These should show up on
> Monday.  I'm very interested in seeing how the birds transition from
> bread cubes scattered on the concrete to seeds and nuts in a tray
> feeder.

I might feed birds this winter, right now the house finches are 
courting, their songs are much nicer than those english sparrows.

Sean

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