Crazy Bird People

Let me just say it.  We're crazy bird people.  Well...Bob mostly, but I like 'em too.  But not as much as Bob.  Some of you may already know about Bob's crazy hobby....and some of you have NO idea.  I'll explain in a minute.  I recently saw a hummingbird in our back yard.  So we decided to go to Lowe's and purchase a feeder.  There are SO many types of hummingbird feeders....it was a little mind boggling.  But we finally decided (well...I decided) on this "really cute" one.  (Bob knows when he can't win).  So we came home and carefully looked up the correct formulation of hummingbird "juice" to put in the feeder.  I guess what we're doing is working, because we now have about 8 or so hummingbirds that have set up roost in our back yard.  And boy are we having fun.  Bob has identified at least 2 different species of hummingbirds.  One is the standard Ruby Throat Hummingbird that you see most commonly in this area.  The other is a Black Chinned Hummingbird.  He sits out back with his "sexy binoculars" (don't ask) and tells me which ones are males and which ones are females.  Did I tell you that he knows EVERYTHING about ANY bird??  Well....he does.  He's like a walking, talking field guide.  He comes in handy at times.  Anyway....here are a few shots of our little darlings....

Have you ever seen a hummingbird sit still?  I haven't until now.  Bob hung up a make shift "perch" next to the feeder.  They love it....along with their really cute feeder.

See??  Isn't it really cute?  The feeder I mean.

A completely accidental good shot.  But turned out pretty cool. 

We also like to feed other birds.  We have made a (very large) group of House Finches completely and utterly dependent upon us.  They are about to bankrupt us with their little eating habits. But they're just so darned cute. So we continue the madness.  We've seen several families raised in our yard. 

House Finches

We also get Gold Finches.  These are our favorite.  They unfortunately don't hang around all year.  So we always get excited when they migrate through.  Very pretty. 

Gold Finches

So there you have it.  A quick glimpse of the Roberson back yard. I hope you enjoyed the "tame" side of things.

Now...remember I told you earlier I would explain to you about Bob's crazy hobby?  Well....here it goes.  BTW...I know Bob and the other Falconers who might read this will be offended by me saying "crazy" (and hobby for that matter)...and I'm sorry in advance...but honestly....most people who hear about what he does....just stare at me and say....CRAZY.  Bob is a falconer.  When looking for something to sum it up in a nut shell for you...I just couldn't find anything that would fit in a nut shell.  So I opted for just the simple definition:  Falconry - The sport of hunting with falcons, hawks, eagles, etc.  The art of training hawks to hunt.  And there you have it.  And he's been doing this sport/art most of his entire life.  He's been in love with falconry since he was a little boy.  Bob IS falconry.  I've not known him any different.  And that's one of the reasons I love him.  He's devoted....plain and simple.  He loves what he does.  That's the life of a true falconer.  And he also loves his yearly (what I call) "bird trips."  He loads up who ever will go with him....his boys, his friends (not me) and heads to Wyoming/Colorado.  It's a big deal really.  It takes weeks to prepare for the trip.  It's quite unbelievable how much he can pack in his truck.  What is the goal of this trip?  Looking for Goshawk nests.  Yes....nests.  And sometimes the cute little Goshawk babies that are IN the nests.  And he's good at it.  He can find the Goshawk nests.  It comes naturally to him.  He has a built in GPS for them.  That's the goal of the trip.  Well....they also hang by the fire and eat (I've seen the pics of the gourmet camp food) and they fish...and run into the occasional moose.  And they climb trees.  Really tall, tall, tall trees.  Because....that is where the nests are. 

See the crazy guy on that tree?  It's not Bob.  But he DID find the nest.

And here's what they find.  A baby gos.

AND mama gos.  And she's NOT happy when someone with climbing gear is near her nest.  And she can get nasty.

                                                                                  

She's gonna get 'em!

And here's Bob....the master goshawk nest hunter.  He's pointing....

And here is the prize.  Well....after the babies grow up!

I hope you've enjoyed the "tame" and "wild" Roberson bird tales.  We always seem to entertain ourselves around here pretty well.  Life certainly isn't boring when you have a falconer in the house.