tjarc@sleepy.bmd.trw.com (03/03/90)
Dropping in for the first time and reading the postings has left me with some rather melancholy feelings; making me realize just how much I miss the bird life where I *used* to live. Out here in Northern Utah, we have quite a wide diversity of birds. It is not that unusual to see eagles sitting on the light standards adjacent to the interstate freeway. The place I used to live, about four miles from my present home, used to be open farm land at the base of the local mountains. The houses erected maintained an open feel as they were on 1/4 acre minimum lots. Many lots had "oak brush" in large clumps. Depending on the time of year many species of birds could be observed: long-tailed mag pies (very common), black headed groosebeaks, lazuli buntings, several varieties of humming birds (doing that "J" thing, which always amazed me), scrub jays, and I even saw a western tanager outside my bathroom window once. Of course, there were also the ubiquitous house finches and the ever present american robins (I really like them). About a year ago we moved into Ogden city proper. Suburbia at its most common; houses packed tight together, just off of a main blvd. Now all I see are the house finches and an occasional deranged woodpecker trying to get a meal off of one of the power poles. There is one other bird, who has recently returned with the moderating weather, that I still haven't identified but has a very distinct and pointed cry. Seems to like high trees. All this talk of owls and such makes me wish some nice bird would take up residence in my backyard. Such is life. Nice to hear all the stories though. =Tim= disclaimer: who would expect a disclaimer when discussing birds? Sheesh!
shafer@elxsi.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer (OFV)) (03/03/90)
Well, I live in a standard Southern California tract--1/4 acre lots,
block walls, etc. For the third straight year we have ravens nesting
in our backyard, hummingbirds in the atrium, and mourning doves in
the front yard. The mockingbirds are in the neighbors' yards.
The ravens are fascinating, since it takes a lot of training to be
a predator.
Why do mourning doves sit in the _middle_ of the street? They don't
move until you're about 5 ft from them.
--
Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov or ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer
NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA
Of course I don't speak for NASA