For the past few years, I have tied old shiny computer discs to the fruiting trees - apricot, plum, apple - along with partially deflated mylar baloons. The balloons dance and move with the slightest breeze, and the discs spin and emit flashing lights if the sun can shine on them. This has been quite successful, although my greatest predator this year has been squirrels, both ground and gray types. We managed, however, to harvest most of our fruit, except for the almonds, which the squirrels eat, even though the seed kernels weren't ripened I am hoping that the ground burrowing critters will not find the young tree roots. Good luck. Bejay

I'm not a squirrel 'hater'. Actually love watching their antics, but they chase the birds away when they are hanging on the pole, and I'd go broke trying to keep up with their appetites.

I haven't seen a parent on the nest in the last 2 or 3 days, but it may be that the parents are being extra careful not to reveal the location of the nest. Yesterday I was watching the tree from about 40-50 feet away, and I saw a mourning dove sitting at the top of my neighbor's roof not far from the nest. After about 10 minutes, I thought maybe the dove was waiting for me to go away. So I walked around the far side of my house, and from my back deck, I could see that same place on my neighbor's roof -- and no dove. I got down off the deck and started walking toward the nest on the near side, and I heard that flying-up sound that mourning doves make, from the direction of the nest. And this morning I saw a pair of mourning doves loitering in my driveway in front of the garage, about 35 feet from the nest. That's as close as I have been able to confirm that the parents are still visiting the nest. I would like better assurance, since mourning doves are commonly in the area to visit under my bird feeders. I cringe to think that they are abandoned, cold, hungry, and dehydrated. But I also hestitate to interfere. - Jim

Yes, male House Finch. They vary a lot in the amount of red. I put this pic together to help distinguish House Finches from Purple Finches. Now, all you have to do is figure out which is which... :) This post was edited by birdguy on Mon, Sep 8, 14 at 18:07