Birds in my birdbath, formerly "Need help on GoPro or equivalent camera"

[jztemple2]

First time I've seen this happen, one of our ubiquitous lizards pays a visit to the rail. If you listen closely you can even hear the lizard running on the rail. Most of the video is the lizard just standing on the rail, but since this is a rare occurrence I left it in for your viewing pleasure. Further down the rail he is hard to see since he sticks to the shadows.

[jztemple2]

Oh wow!

[Isgrimnur]

You should submit that to some photo competitions.

[jztemple2]

This is a short video of a bluejay near my birdbath and I've never heard a bluejay make this sound before. I'll be posted a video of all of today's events later on, it was quite a day.

[jztemple2]

What a day for bird watching! Early on we have a very noisy bluejay who is joined by his friends (that's for TheMix ). Then some mockingbirds show up and later still we get a woodpecker. And then even later we get a couple of little blackbirds, but a bluejay there doesn't like that and makes the weirdest sound I've heard a bluejay make.

[jztemple2]

Over the past three days we had some mockingbirds and bluejays visit the bath. Nothing too special, but it is fun to watch them.

[jztemple2]

It's a good day for a bath, as feisty bluejays and cautious mockingbirds drop by for a drink and a splash. The bluejays are their normal noisy selves and are quick to hop into the water. The mockingbirds tend to dance around the rim and make sure it is all clear before they take a dip, but later in the video is a rare scene of two mockingbirds taking a bath together, only spoiled when an Amazon truck drives by!

[Unagi]

Sweet thumbnail.

[TheMix]

Sweet thumbnail.

No kidding. +1

[jztemple2]

This is a short video but an unusual situation. A crow comes to the bird bath to get a drink, but two mockingbirds are not very happy about it!

[jztemple2]

The birds show up early, take baths all day and one even comes just after sunset to say goodby.

[Hrdina]

This is a short video of a bluejay near my birdbath and I've never heard a bluejay make this sound before. I'll be posted a video of all of today's events later on, it was quite a day.

That is one of the Blue Jay calls that the Merlin app will recognize with Sound ID. If you head over to this page (All About Birds - Blue Jay) it sounds like this Call recorded in 1998 by Will Hershberger. The notes say this is a very unusual vocalization, and even mentions the "two pumping jestures [sic]".

This is a short video but an unusual situation. A crow comes to the bird bath to get a drink, but two mockingbirds are not very happy about it!

Geez, looking at that temperature no wonder the birds are all angry!

[jztemple2]

That is one of the Blue Jay calls that the Merlin app will recognize with Sound ID. If you head over to this page (All About Birds - Blue Jay) it sounds like this Call recorded in 1998 by Will Hershberger. The notes say this is a very unusual vocalization, and even mentions the "two pumping jestures [sic]".

Thanks, I'll look that up!

Geez, looking at that temperature no wonder the birds are all angry!

That's the temp inside the camera case, which gets hit by the sun in the afternoons. If it starts being an issue I'll be adding a sunshade, but I didn't want to freak out the birds with anything new just yet. I'm already contemplating tossing some ice cubes into the bath just to make it more appealing

[jztemple2]

Today it was mostly about bluejays taking baths. Lots of baths. Honestly I'm surprised they can fly after spending so much time in the water. A couple of times while the bluejays are lounging around a pair of mockingbirds blast through chasing each other. But the real surprise is the sighting of a new bird, at least new to the bird bath camera. It appears towards the middle of the video at the five minute mark. The Merlin bird ID app identifies it as possibly a brown thrasher, so in lieu of any other ID I'll go with that.

[Hrdina]

Cool, we once had a bunny named Thrasher. We called him that because he had markings on his back that reminded us of the alternate logo for the NHL Atlanta Thrashers.

[jztemple2]

A white ibis wanders around on the lawn and doesn't take a bath. A small blackbird has an argument with a blue jay over whose bird bath it really is. And some other birds take baths. Well, that last thing isn't different, but they are cute anyway.

[Daehawk]

How do you keep it clean? It looks heavy to tilt over to pour out and refill often.

[Unagi]

How do you keep it clean? It looks heavy to tilt over to pour out and refill often.

I would think you just put a hose on it for a minute. Flush out the debris and it's basically filled with clean water.

[jztemple2]

How do you keep it clean? It looks heavy to tilt over to pour out and refill often.

I would think you just put a hose on it for a minute. Flush out the debris and it's basically filled with clean water.

The birdbath is plastic. I just use a brush to clean and then tilt it to dump the water. I refill from gallon jugs with tap water. I clean it each day.

[jztemple2]

A white ibis walks past the bath to kick things off. Later some blue jays and mockingbirds take really long baths. That's pretty much it

[jztemple2]

This video starts off with a fight, two mockingbirds harassing a crow. Then a mocking bird get to enjoy a nice long bath, followed by another mocking bird doing the same. Then I cleaned and filled the bath to overflowing so the birds could see all the water. Apparently this made the bath so appealing that two mockingbirds start fighting over it. Later another mockingbird has another long bath.

Still later blue jays show up and take properly long baths. A crow makes a quick guest appearance (listen to the mockingbirds carrying on in the background!) and more blue jays drop by. Mockingbirds then takes some *long* baths as the sun starts to set. One more blue jay takes a final bath.

[Jeff V]

I don't have birds in a bird bath, but today MiL found a baby turtle in the yard. It looks to me like a baby snapping turtle, but a few people commented that it was a baby painted turtle. We have both in the subdivision, but it sure as hell looks like a baby snapper to me.

Anyway, the mortality rate of baby turtles is somewhere north of 99%, so I figured (and, surprisingly, got wife to agree) to attempt to raise it. I know nothing about raising turtles, but the ever-so-helpful folks at Petsmart got me started to the tune of $150. Has anyone here raised turtles before and have any suggestions? When I setup the aquarium, it was swimming in the pool part. When I got home, it was on the pebble beach, sunning itself under the heat lamp. Can't tell if it ate any of the turtle pellets or swiss chard I put in the tank.

[Kasey Chang]

FWIW, cut some shorts out of those videos, and you'll get tons more views.

[jztemple2]

Has anyone here raised turtles before and have any suggestions?

Nope, sorry, I haven't a clue, but maybe someone today will be able to give some help.

FWIW, cut some shorts out of those videos, and you'll get tons more views.

Thanks, but I don't really care about view counts.

[Unagi]

I don't have birds in a bird bath, but today MiL found a baby turtle in the yard. It looks to me like a baby snapping turtle, but a few people commented that it was a baby painted turtle. We have both in the subdivision, but it sure as hell looks like a baby snapper to me.

Anyway, the mortality rate of baby turtles is somewhere north of 99%, so I figured (and, surprisingly, got wife to agree) to attempt to raise it. I know nothing about raising turtles, but the ever-so-helpful folks at Petsmart got me started to the tune of $150. Has anyone here raised turtles before and have any suggestions? When I setup the aquarium, it was swimming in the pool part. When I got home, it was on the pebble beach, sunning itself under the heat lamp. Can't tell if it ate any of the turtle pellets or swiss chard I put in the tank.

And why on earth would you come into this thread to post that?

[Unagi]

Has anyone here raised turtles before and have any suggestions?

Nope, sorry, I haven't a clue, but maybe someone today will be able to give some help.

FWIW, cut some shorts out of those videos, and you'll get tons more views.

Thanks, but I don't really care about view counts.

JZ, you're a saint.

[jztemple2]

I don't have birds in a bird bath, but today MiL found a baby turtle in the yard. It looks to me like a baby snapping turtle, but a few people commented that it was a baby painted turtle. We have both in the subdivision, but it sure as hell looks like a baby snapper to me.

Anyway, the mortality rate of baby turtles is somewhere north of 99%, so I figured (and, surprisingly, got wife to agree) to attempt to raise it. I know nothing about raising turtles, but the ever-so-helpful folks at Petsmart got me started to the tune of $150. Has anyone here raised turtles before and have any suggestions? When I setup the aquarium, it was swimming in the pool part. When I got home, it was on the pebble beach, sunning itself under the heat lamp. Can't tell if it ate any of the turtle pellets or swiss chard I put in the tank.

And why on earth would you come into this thread to post that?

Makes sense to me, thinking about nature's creatures. I'm happy that he cared to post here.

[Unagi]

I don't have birds in a bird bath, but today MiL found a baby turtle in the yard. It looks to me like a baby snapping turtle, but a few people commented that it was a baby painted turtle. We have both in the subdivision, but it sure as hell looks like a baby snapper to me.

Anyway, the mortality rate of baby turtles is somewhere north of 99%, so I figured (and, surprisingly, got wife to agree) to attempt to raise it. I know nothing about raising turtles, but the ever-so-helpful folks at Petsmart got me started to the tune of $150. Has anyone here raised turtles before and have any suggestions? When I setup the aquarium, it was swimming in the pool part. When I got home, it was on the pebble beach, sunning itself under the heat lamp. Can't tell if it ate any of the turtle pellets or swiss chard I put in the tank.

And why on earth would you come into this thread to post that?

Makes sense to me, thinking about nature's creatures. I'm happy that he cared to post here.

You're a saint.

[jztemple2]

I don't have birds in a bird bath, but today MiL found a baby turtle in the yard. It looks to me like a baby snapping turtle, but a few people commented that it was a baby painted turtle. We have both in the subdivision, but it sure as hell looks like a baby snapper to me.

Anyway, the mortality rate of baby turtles is somewhere north of 99%, so I figured (and, surprisingly, got wife to agree) to attempt to raise it. I know nothing about raising turtles, but the ever-so-helpful folks at Petsmart got me started to the tune of $150. Has anyone here raised turtles before and have any suggestions? When I setup the aquarium, it was swimming in the pool part. When I got home, it was on the pebble beach, sunning itself under the heat lamp. Can't tell if it ate any of the turtle pellets or swiss chard I put in the tank.

And why on earth would you come into this thread to post that?

Makes sense to me, thinking about nature's creatures. I'm happy that he cared to post here.

You're a saint.

Actually myself and my two brothers-in-law who have married my wife and her sisters are considered saints for putting up with them. Their words, not mine

Meanwhile, I've seen cardinals around the neighborhood many times, but this is the first time one has shown up at the bird bath. Unfortunately a blue jay keeps wanting to hog the bath!

[jztemple2]

There have been some more crows around lately and boy the mockingbirds do not like that. Several times today some poor crow tries to get some water and is harassed big time. Later in the day a white ibis comes by to drink and get caught up in the ruckus.

[Unagi]

Unfortunately a blue jay keeps wanting to hog the bath!

Blue jays can be just the most awful birds, in that they actively seek out and kill/destroy other birds' nests. At least around here, that's what they do.

[jztemple2]

Just a very short clip of a very wet mockingbird in a rainstorm who probably decided it didn't need to take a bath.

[jztemple2]

Sometimes the camera picks up things besides birds. Like my neighbors walking across as they try to see where the fire it.

[jztemple2]

One crow is eating... something in my birdbath while another one looks on. Finally the first crow flies away and the second crow picks up whatever it is and leaves too.

[Unagi]

I think it's a dead bat. I'm basing that on the few times we see the object being pulled apart and a very long thin 'boney' spider-leg-like thing is seen. I think that's the bat's main wing-bone, which is really one of their fingers.

Also, it looks like a very romantic dating spot for two crows and a dead bat.

[jztemple2]

I think it's a dead bat. I'm basing that on the few times we see the object being pulled apart and a very long thin 'boney' spider-leg-like thing is seen. I think that's the bat's main wing-bone, which is really one of their fingers.

Thanks, that sounds interesting. I've never seen bats around here, but I guess they are mostly nocturnal so I wouldn't be seeing them.

Also, it looks like a very romantic dating spot for two crows and a dead bat.

I was thinking about setting a little table next to the birdbath with a tiny cafe table and an umbrella, but my wife wouldn't hear of it

[jztemple2]

A couple of blue jays decided to check out the camera by getting really, really close.

[jztemple2]

Some selected highlight of the bird bath in the past two days. Highlights include some birdie closeups (already seen in a previous video) and a crow very unusually taking a bath, which is tough because it doesn't seem to be deep enough. Finally a blue jay take a bath in the rain.

[jztemple2]

We got a new birdbath, a bit fancier than the old one. I had both out there together this morning as the first part of the video shows, then I moved out the old one so the birds could get used to the new one. At the 2:40 mark two mockingbirds show up and both end up on the ground dancing or something, anyway for the next two minutes they move around each other. Even a crow checks out the new bath.

UPDATE: And now it's working!!

[jztemple2]

And YouTube finally processed my video in the above post, so it is now available.