BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Birding Mosquito repellent, barn swallows and fireflies

I have had a lot of success with Skin So Soft, but I can no longer stand the smell. I tried something made of lavender, eucalyptus and other natural stuff, and that worked pretty good. It washed away in Hurricane Ivan, I will see if the store still carries it and let you know the name if it is still available. A lot of people in my astronomy club use Bounce sheets, I have not tried it personally, but I can get back to you on that. Since Ivan, we have had huge mosquitos all winter, their bites hurt. We got a one week break in early spring, now they are back.
There was an article in our newspaper re: mosquito spraying, big controversy, and one official stated: "So what if we kill a few birds?" They were spraying at 5:30 p.m., walking to tennis one evening I crossed paths with the truck coming and going. I could not hold my breath long enough and had to run! They now spray at 8:30 p.m. I have to drive 45 miles north to watch the fireflies, and I stay in my car, I do not want to wear repellent and repel them! Last week 150+ barn swallows landed on my windowsill, perched on the balcony rail and clung to the stucco, two feet from my face. By the time I got the camera loaded, most were back over the marsh eating the bugs and I only photo'd six. They must have been passin through, now we just have the regulars out there, nowhere near the number that day. They were escaping from the rain. This was my first encounter with them, up close and personal, it could not have been much better. <img src="/images/graemlins/rolling.gif" alt="" />

What an unbelievable experience all those barn swallows.

I've read that bounce is very good for a lot of things. Perhaps another fragrance of SSS would work for you; however, perhaps the insects don't like it for the same reason you don't - it stinks. I'm sorry to hear about the problem with the mosquitos. They can be a dangerous carrier of disease as well as the unpleasant bites. We had fireflies last summer - it had been awhile since I'd seen them. As kids we used to collect them in jars.



Angie

I was really psyched, thinking I would get some close-up photos of the b. swallows. I am just thrilled I was sitting here when it started raining; I will mark my calendar for this time next year. The elusive pileated woodpecker lives on my property in the woods north of here, and I have only seen them about five times. I have photographed them several times, once with slide film. I showed the slides as far back from the wall as possible, and the woodpecker was huge, and awesome. I have not seen them in a couple of years. I hear them early in the a.m., but they do not come out to play much. I love feeding, watching, and photographing birds. I planted some bird seed, and some of the plants have absolutely gorgeous flowers. The birds really enjoy their garden.

Have you ever read the articles on enature.com about making your yard a habitat for birds? I have great success with deer although they are not what I am trying to attract <G>

I would like to add a small fountain or pond to my yard. That is the one thing I always have a problem with - water and bird baths.

Do you have one?

I am new to all this and have never heard of enature.com. Thanks, I will check it out. My life has been shared with birds forever. I find them and they find me. I realized at a young age, after spring storms there were eggs on the ground or baby birds to help. I love birds and they seem to find me. I think that is why the sora was on my porch, and this is not the first time I have opened my front door to find a baby or juvenile bird right there. With the Sound at my back door and the marsh at my front door, I am seeing new birds now, all my life I have lived inland. I have a small bird bath here, in a tree. Don't want to encourage the snakes. I have a great pic of a bird bathing in a teacup. I was not wearing much at the time and when I got the pic back, I was reflected in the mirror. My kids love that one!

eNature.com is a great resource - pictures, descriptions, bird calls as well as other animals.

I need to buy a new bird bath but don't want a concrete one this time as I leave them out all year and the winter cracks and ruins the concrete. I would love to have a small fountain or pond. I'll have to design one or maybe my son in law will. He does nice work.

I have a lot of wild life around me but never see many birds at one time. There is enough brush and wooded area for the birds to hide in and then they take their turns at the feeders.

Angie