as i sit at the computer, i have a wonderful view of the bird feeders outside the kitchen windows. busy busy!
tufted titmice: 5
Carolina chickadee: 2
white-breasted nuthatch: 1
red-bellied woodpecker: 1
blue jay: 7
mourning dove: 11
house finch:14
purple finch: 2
goldfinch: 1
cardinal: 2
white-throated sparrow: 1
downy woodpecker: 1
slaty junco: 4
this is the highest totals i get after watching for two days. then i go to http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/PFW
and enter in my information to be used by scientists! its called Project Feeder Watch, its done by Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and its a layman's science project. and its awesome! the season lasts from nov thru april.
since i'm always counting the birds at the feeder anyways, why not have it "count" for something? (pun fully intended!)
birding rule #5: be a part of something bigger than yourself! find others who share your love. after all, we birders come in flocks...
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
today i was driving down the highway, headed home, and i drove under a red-tailed hawk. the telephone wires crossed over the road at this particular point, so the hawk was sitting directly over the road. as i approached, he lazily stretched out a leg and wing. i smiled. i'd had my special bird moment of the day.
birding while driving. no, its not safe, but it really cant be helped. if one is a true birder, one cannot turn off the birding urge! and traveling presents such a wonderful assortment of habitats to view.
first, practice birding while you r a passenger in the vehicle. once u know what to look for, and where, u can move on to birding while driving. u will be able to wisely use the split seconds u can spare from driving.
where to look: telephone wires. these modern advances have had a huge impact on birds. they love them!!! perfectly sized for perching. perfectly placed for birds that want a good view (like a hawk) or birds that like to stay in the skies all day (like a swallow). also look at fenceposts. both of these can be scanned pretty far into the distance. the great big sky is your other place to look.
the key to birding while driving is to scan quickly, assuming empty spaces, and looking for where its broken by a bird. so u r scanning a telephone wire. wire, wire, wire, bird, wire ... etc.
what u can expect to see.
in the sky: vultures. they will be soaring in circles.
crows. flying in a straight line w/ their characteristic rowing wingbeat.
heron. huge, w/ neck tucked in and legs extended.
hawk. soaring. know the common hawks in your area. usually, if the bird is black, its a vulture, and if its white its a hawk. the red-tail is most common. if u have time, u may see some orangeish on the tail as it circles.
on a fencepost/fence: meadowlark. yellow breast and black necklace.
red-winged blackbird.
eastern kingbird. black back, white front.
bluebird.
hawk.
on a wire: hawk. the common red-tail has a distinctive white belly w/ a loosely speckled black band across the chest.
kestrel. (one of my favorites) this guy is a little hawk.
bluebird.
swallow.
dove.
of course, pigeon. and starling.
grackle. bigger black bird than a starling.
kingfisher.
also easy to id on the go: bluejay, mockingbird (look for white flashed by wings and tail), robin, cardinal
*safety note* other drivers DO NOT appreciate birding. it doesnt matter that u have just seen a bald eagle; u r in the middle of a bridge, and u cannot slow down, let alone stop. i'm sorry.
birding rule #4:wherever u r, whatever u r doing, keep an eye out for birds!
hey! birding makes one more observant, and that is a must also with driving, right??
birding while driving. no, its not safe, but it really cant be helped. if one is a true birder, one cannot turn off the birding urge! and traveling presents such a wonderful assortment of habitats to view.
first, practice birding while you r a passenger in the vehicle. once u know what to look for, and where, u can move on to birding while driving. u will be able to wisely use the split seconds u can spare from driving.
where to look: telephone wires. these modern advances have had a huge impact on birds. they love them!!! perfectly sized for perching. perfectly placed for birds that want a good view (like a hawk) or birds that like to stay in the skies all day (like a swallow). also look at fenceposts. both of these can be scanned pretty far into the distance. the great big sky is your other place to look.
the key to birding while driving is to scan quickly, assuming empty spaces, and looking for where its broken by a bird. so u r scanning a telephone wire. wire, wire, wire, bird, wire ... etc.
what u can expect to see.
in the sky: vultures. they will be soaring in circles.
crows. flying in a straight line w/ their characteristic rowing wingbeat.
heron. huge, w/ neck tucked in and legs extended.
hawk. soaring. know the common hawks in your area. usually, if the bird is black, its a vulture, and if its white its a hawk. the red-tail is most common. if u have time, u may see some orangeish on the tail as it circles.
on a fencepost/fence: meadowlark. yellow breast and black necklace.
red-winged blackbird.
eastern kingbird. black back, white front.
bluebird.
hawk.
on a wire: hawk. the common red-tail has a distinctive white belly w/ a loosely speckled black band across the chest.
kestrel. (one of my favorites) this guy is a little hawk.
bluebird.
swallow.
dove.
of course, pigeon. and starling.
grackle. bigger black bird than a starling.
kingfisher.
also easy to id on the go: bluejay, mockingbird (look for white flashed by wings and tail), robin, cardinal
*safety note* other drivers DO NOT appreciate birding. it doesnt matter that u have just seen a bald eagle; u r in the middle of a bridge, and u cannot slow down, let alone stop. i'm sorry.
birding rule #4:wherever u r, whatever u r doing, keep an eye out for birds!
hey! birding makes one more observant, and that is a must also with driving, right??
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
A bird in the hand...
(a note on the table):
"MB I tried to revive an injured bird... but alas it died and is waiting for you to identify it--on the dryer. Love, Dad"
i knew what it was at first glance, but i want to show u that there's actually a process to identifying.
first, shape/size. fairly large bird (note that all birds are "small" compared to anything in the human world. so really, this bird fits in my hand, but in the avian world its large.) there really arent many large birds. 11.5" shaped like a typical passerine, or song bird. has thin, pointy beak, longish tail, slim body, u know, the typical idea of a bird. come to think of it, the size and shape of a robin. good comparison bird!
overall coloring: brown. brown everywhere except the underparts, which r streaked w/ brown.
things to note: two wing bars, bill long, tail long.
ok so now i'm in the thrush family, just cuz of the shape and cuz its brown w/ stripes. the thrushes actually have spots (plus, only one, the hermit thrush, would be here in the winter) but the thrasher has its spots lined up more to make stripes. plus, the thrushes only ever have one wing bar.
the two wing bars and the brown streaked chest of an otherwise all-brown bird clinches it: brown thrasher.
its just kinda weird to see it so close, cuz i've always needed magnifying binoculars in the wild...
up close i notice how his stripes are formed by the overlaying feathers. i even notice whiskers around the base of his beak. kinda like a cat! goodness, his tail really is as long as his body! and his beak as big as his head! i feel like i could study this specimen for hrs, comparing the drawings in my identification books. they really dont seem to completely represent the real thing!
but i'm probly making ppl start to stress for my health (and sanity). "what about bird flu?!?!" that reminds me of a story i will save for another time, about ppl who didnt support my fascination w/ dead birds.
[birding rule #3: identification marks are what its all about. but there really is never anything to compare w/ holding a bird in your hand. i guess "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" :p ]
"MB I tried to revive an injured bird... but alas it died and is waiting for you to identify it--on the dryer. Love, Dad"
i knew what it was at first glance, but i want to show u that there's actually a process to identifying.
first, shape/size. fairly large bird (note that all birds are "small" compared to anything in the human world. so really, this bird fits in my hand, but in the avian world its large.) there really arent many large birds. 11.5" shaped like a typical passerine, or song bird. has thin, pointy beak, longish tail, slim body, u know, the typical idea of a bird. come to think of it, the size and shape of a robin. good comparison bird!
overall coloring: brown. brown everywhere except the underparts, which r streaked w/ brown.
things to note: two wing bars, bill long, tail long.
ok so now i'm in the thrush family, just cuz of the shape and cuz its brown w/ stripes. the thrushes actually have spots (plus, only one, the hermit thrush, would be here in the winter) but the thrasher has its spots lined up more to make stripes. plus, the thrushes only ever have one wing bar.
the two wing bars and the brown streaked chest of an otherwise all-brown bird clinches it: brown thrasher.
its just kinda weird to see it so close, cuz i've always needed magnifying binoculars in the wild...
up close i notice how his stripes are formed by the overlaying feathers. i even notice whiskers around the base of his beak. kinda like a cat! goodness, his tail really is as long as his body! and his beak as big as his head! i feel like i could study this specimen for hrs, comparing the drawings in my identification books. they really dont seem to completely represent the real thing!
but i'm probly making ppl start to stress for my health (and sanity). "what about bird flu?!?!" that reminds me of a story i will save for another time, about ppl who didnt support my fascination w/ dead birds.
[birding rule #3: identification marks are what its all about. but there really is never anything to compare w/ holding a bird in your hand. i guess "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" :p ]
Sunday, December 20, 2009
winter visitors
have i said yet that i dont like winter? i grew up in the tropics, and i think i'm just not used to it. but birding helps me appreciate it more. there's some special birds i only get to see this time of yr.
ducks--the only ones here all yr are the mallards and the wood ducks. in the winter we get all kinds of species! and lots of mergansers and grebes and loons and gulls, etc, and the famous and adorable coot.
white-throated sparrow. popular feeder bird.
brown creeper. looks like a piece of a tree's bark!
yellow-bellied sapsucker. tamest woodpecker, and laziest.
yellow-rumped warbler. also tame. flashing yellow.
junco!!!! <3 so adorable. like theyve gotten snow all over their bellies.
and if i keep my feeder filled, i may get an unusual sighting (for me, not necessarily for the area) as a hungry bird travels thru the area, trying to stay warm these chilly months.
ducks--the only ones here all yr are the mallards and the wood ducks. in the winter we get all kinds of species! and lots of mergansers and grebes and loons and gulls, etc, and the famous and adorable coot.
white-throated sparrow. popular feeder bird.
brown creeper. looks like a piece of a tree's bark!
yellow-bellied sapsucker. tamest woodpecker, and laziest.
yellow-rumped warbler. also tame. flashing yellow.
junco!!!! <3 so adorable. like theyve gotten snow all over their bellies.
and if i keep my feeder filled, i may get an unusual sighting (for me, not necessarily for the area) as a hungry bird travels thru the area, trying to stay warm these chilly months.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Cockatiel
i sure wish we had some wild parrots here in the US! apparently there used to be, but they went extinct due to hunting...
at work there's a cockatiel. i whistle at him (her?) when i walk past, and he gets all attentive and whistles back. LOUDLY. today i approached his cage and stuck my finger in. he was a little shy, but warmed up when i reached the back of his head and started rubbing it. he nibbled on my finger when i would stop.
(birding rule #2: love on caged birds, and NEVER cage a USA wild native bird--they're protected by the feds!)
at work there's a cockatiel. i whistle at him (her?) when i walk past, and he gets all attentive and whistles back. LOUDLY. today i approached his cage and stuck my finger in. he was a little shy, but warmed up when i reached the back of his head and started rubbing it. he nibbled on my finger when i would stop.
(birding rule #2: love on caged birds, and NEVER cage a USA wild native bird--they're protected by the feds!)
Monday, December 14, 2009
12 days of christmas
(christmas music is everywhere! like birdsong is in the spring)
"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of Christmas..."
ever notice that the first seven days have something to do w/ birds?? except the 5 golden rings, ok. so this is what i see the 12 days of christmas:
1. (what's a partridge? a quail?) i'd love to see a bobwhite sitting in a bradford pear. tho i seriously doubt i will. too conspicuous for that bird.
2. the Eurasian collard-dove is VERY similar in appearance to the turtle dove. the domesticated birds have been finding their own niche in North American fauna, and spreading north from Florida like wildfire. i'm always excited to see one, tho its really an introduced species, like the starling or pigeon.
as i'm driving i see a dove on a telephone wire. it may be the ever present mourning dove, but i take a close look at its tail to make sure. if it has a long tail that's blunt, rounded, w/ a big white tip contrasting a black base, its not a mourning dove! yay! i've got my smile for the day!
3. North America's not so good for ground-dwelling birds. i have domesticated hens tho. but theyre not french. theyre just spoiled. they kinda dont even belong in the sphere of birds, just b/c theyre not wild.
i did see a turkey hen today tho.
4. "calling birds"??
most birds dont sing this time of yr. that's really reserved for claiming a nesting territory and calling a mate. nowadays they just chirp in the underbrush. but a few still burst joyfully into a medley! i hate winter, but one of the birds i really miss in the summer is my white-throated sparrow. this chubby sparrow likes to make a rucus in the leaves, looking for food. he's faithful to my feeder too. and i can often hear him in the distance, whistling his song. "poor sam pea-body-body-body-bod" w/ the first three notes descending in pitch and the last pitch repeated however long the bird has breath.
well, that's enuf of a rabbit trail from a christmas song!
[rule one of birding: reference as many things in life as possible, to birds]
"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree. On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. On the third day of Christmas..."
ever notice that the first seven days have something to do w/ birds?? except the 5 golden rings, ok. so this is what i see the 12 days of christmas:
1. (what's a partridge? a quail?) i'd love to see a bobwhite sitting in a bradford pear. tho i seriously doubt i will. too conspicuous for that bird.
2. the Eurasian collard-dove is VERY similar in appearance to the turtle dove. the domesticated birds have been finding their own niche in North American fauna, and spreading north from Florida like wildfire. i'm always excited to see one, tho its really an introduced species, like the starling or pigeon.
as i'm driving i see a dove on a telephone wire. it may be the ever present mourning dove, but i take a close look at its tail to make sure. if it has a long tail that's blunt, rounded, w/ a big white tip contrasting a black base, its not a mourning dove! yay! i've got my smile for the day!
3. North America's not so good for ground-dwelling birds. i have domesticated hens tho. but theyre not french. theyre just spoiled. they kinda dont even belong in the sphere of birds, just b/c theyre not wild.
i did see a turkey hen today tho.
4. "calling birds"??
most birds dont sing this time of yr. that's really reserved for claiming a nesting territory and calling a mate. nowadays they just chirp in the underbrush. but a few still burst joyfully into a medley! i hate winter, but one of the birds i really miss in the summer is my white-throated sparrow. this chubby sparrow likes to make a rucus in the leaves, looking for food. he's faithful to my feeder too. and i can often hear him in the distance, whistling his song. "poor sam pea-body-body-body-bod" w/ the first three notes descending in pitch and the last pitch repeated however long the bird has breath.
well, that's enuf of a rabbit trail from a christmas song!
[rule one of birding: reference as many things in life as possible, to birds]
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