Friday, November 04, 2005
Oops! They're here!
Perhaps I wasn't listening carefully or early enough, but the White-Throated Sparrows are indeed here. It's 8:46 and I have opened the kitchen window and hear what sounds like several of the little guys singing at the edge of the woods. I was hoping to seduce them into coming closer by sprinkling seeds, crumbs and other goodies below the deck, but I think they are still a little tentative. I can imagine they are enjoying the mess of my decrepit garden and all of the dying wildflowers out there. Still no Juncos on the feeders, but that just may be a lack of observation on my part! Now it feels officially like fall. I just wonder what they think of these warm temperatures?
Thursday, November 03, 2005
No Migratory Yet......
Well, so far, I have yet to hear the tinny, whiny song of the White-throated Sparrow. I am not sure if the warm weather has thrown them for a loop and caused them to stall somewhere else, but I suspect that might have something to do with it. I haven't seen any Juncos either. I am still seeing blue bird rallies in the morning. This morning there were several on the deck railing and in the Crepe Myrtle that brushes up against it. I put out some "Mealie Snacks" (dried mealworms", but it seems they haven't seen them yet. The temperatures have been unseasonably warm, but I doubt there is anything such as "seasonal" anymore. My daffodils are coming up once again, just like last year. They are several inches above the ground already.
In other interesting bird sightings, I was recently in Las Vegas and saw my first Road Runner. ("Meep, meep"). It was pretty exciting for me, being a big ole' bird nerd, and I took a million pictures of them. Road Runners do have the ability to fly, but rarely so, preferring to scurry along the ground very fast, so as to deal with the hot desert ground temperatures. It was exciting for me to see these guys in action since I have driven across Texas, NM, AZ, NV, and CA and never saw one. This trip I was actually on a golf course of all places. Just goes to show you that birds like pretty landscaping as much as we do. I was lucky enough on my previous trip across the SW, to see Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Anna's Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds.
Well, that's all for now. I welcome any bird sightings or questions. I will find the answer if I do not know it already!
If anyone has had migrating bird sightings or insight as to the delay this year, I would love to hear about them.
In other interesting bird sightings, I was recently in Las Vegas and saw my first Road Runner. ("Meep, meep"). It was pretty exciting for me, being a big ole' bird nerd, and I took a million pictures of them. Road Runners do have the ability to fly, but rarely so, preferring to scurry along the ground very fast, so as to deal with the hot desert ground temperatures. It was exciting for me to see these guys in action since I have driven across Texas, NM, AZ, NV, and CA and never saw one. This trip I was actually on a golf course of all places. Just goes to show you that birds like pretty landscaping as much as we do. I was lucky enough on my previous trip across the SW, to see Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Anna's Hummingbirds and Rufous Hummingbirds.
Well, that's all for now. I welcome any bird sightings or questions. I will find the answer if I do not know it already!
If anyone has had migrating bird sightings or insight as to the delay this year, I would love to hear about them.
Friday, October 07, 2005
The Juncos are coming, the Juncos are coming!
It is fall almost....in the East and it is probably only a matter of days or a couple of weeks at the most that the Juncos will be here with their migrating buddies, the White Throated Sparrows. As the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammi head up the Eastern Seaboard, it is bringing drenching rain which will hopefully enhance the fall color.
If you are unsure of what the White Throated Sparrow looks like, they are a little more plump than Song or other sparrows and have rather pronounced white stripes behind their eyes (on the supercillium) and under their chin. The 1st winter sparrows, and the adults have yellow lores (just in front of the eyes at the top of the beak) that are easy to spot to tell them from other sparrows.
Another great way to identify them is by their thin, weak, almost plaintive cry that sounds as if they are losing their voice or losing a battle of wills! The written vocalization of their song is described by Sibley as: "Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody", although I like to think it sounds more like: "I'm trying to sing to you, sing to you, sing to you" or "Oy vay is meah, vay is meah, vay is meah". Ok, so I doubt their speaking Yiddish, but to me they sound like a bunch of ladies sitting around complaining about aches and pains. Really, it is more like this "sue, sue, sue wee-wee-wee-wee-wee-wee". So they're calling pigs.
In looking for them, you'll find them on the ground shuffling around kicking up debris looking for food, and under your feeder.
Our friends the Dark-eyed Junco, also known as "snowbirds" have four varieties: the Slate-colored, White-winged, Oregon and Pink-sided. The first variety is the most common in winter and is found all over the country with the exception of Southern CA and AZ. The Oregon is found in part of the East and Central in the winter and most of the year in the Pacific NW. Pink-sided is mostly found in a small portion of the southwest, including the four square area. The White-winged have the sparsest distribution in CO and NM. These guys, like their name implies, have dark eyes and usually dark feathers right around them. I call them Cleopatra eyes because they appear to have khol eyeliner on! They are also found on the ground and sometimes at feeders and look lovely against a snowy background. Interestingly, there is a very rare hybrid between the aforementioned sparrow and the Junco! I would love to see one of these guys!
Their call is a high hard "stip". And they make a buzzy squeak when taking flight. Their voices are not conducive to written vocalizations, you'll just have to listen yourself to figure them out!
Check in a few days for more information on migrating birdies, but keep your eyes and ears peeled for these guys!
If you are unsure of what the White Throated Sparrow looks like, they are a little more plump than Song or other sparrows and have rather pronounced white stripes behind their eyes (on the supercillium) and under their chin. The 1st winter sparrows, and the adults have yellow lores (just in front of the eyes at the top of the beak) that are easy to spot to tell them from other sparrows.
Another great way to identify them is by their thin, weak, almost plaintive cry that sounds as if they are losing their voice or losing a battle of wills! The written vocalization of their song is described by Sibley as: "Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody", although I like to think it sounds more like: "I'm trying to sing to you, sing to you, sing to you" or "Oy vay is meah, vay is meah, vay is meah". Ok, so I doubt their speaking Yiddish, but to me they sound like a bunch of ladies sitting around complaining about aches and pains. Really, it is more like this "sue, sue, sue wee-wee-wee-wee-wee-wee". So they're calling pigs.
In looking for them, you'll find them on the ground shuffling around kicking up debris looking for food, and under your feeder.
Our friends the Dark-eyed Junco, also known as "snowbirds" have four varieties: the Slate-colored, White-winged, Oregon and Pink-sided. The first variety is the most common in winter and is found all over the country with the exception of Southern CA and AZ. The Oregon is found in part of the East and Central in the winter and most of the year in the Pacific NW. Pink-sided is mostly found in a small portion of the southwest, including the four square area. The White-winged have the sparsest distribution in CO and NM. These guys, like their name implies, have dark eyes and usually dark feathers right around them. I call them Cleopatra eyes because they appear to have khol eyeliner on! They are also found on the ground and sometimes at feeders and look lovely against a snowy background. Interestingly, there is a very rare hybrid between the aforementioned sparrow and the Junco! I would love to see one of these guys!
Their call is a high hard "stip". And they make a buzzy squeak when taking flight. Their voices are not conducive to written vocalizations, you'll just have to listen yourself to figure them out!
Check in a few days for more information on migrating birdies, but keep your eyes and ears peeled for these guys!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Busy Bluebirds
Recently, I have noticed swarms of Eastern Bluebirds flitting about making as much noise as bluebirds can make in a group of about 15-24. I have three houses up on my property and one has been occupied the last couple of years by the same pair. Both summers they had three-four broods. Now I am wondering, since I have multiplied the population here if they are staying together in a flock or if this is normal for them. They usually seem dispersed throughout the neighborhood, but now it seems as if they are traveling around and feeding together. If anyone knows anything about this phenomenon, please let me know what is happening here! It's wonderful, but weird.
NO ADS, PLEASE!
Recently somebody posted a comment and it had a link to a dating service website. I am not interested in those types of comments, so please lets stick to the birds, please, thanks!
Falling for birds
Copyright: birdgirljessFor most of us in the country, fall is just around the corner or already presenting itself. Here in the East, the leaves are turning slightly and beginning to drop off the trees, but the warm temperatures belie any indication of autumn. Even so, the birds know what time of year it is and they are busying themselves for the coming winter. This week-end someone told me to take down my hummingbird feeders and I had to gently let them know that it is perfectly fine to leave them up. They were afraid that by leaving them up and full, that the hummingbirds will stay and delay their trip across the gulf and will in turn get too cold and die here or get caught up in nasty winter winds and storms. NOT SO! Birds are smarter than we give them credit for and while they may not be the mist intelligent creatures on earth, they do have a very powerful feature on their side that prevents them from making drastic, population-decimating decisions and that, my birding friends, is INSTINCT! They know when it's time to leave and believe me, right now is the equivalent of a bunch of white folks chowing down at the Golden Corral! They are gorging themselves to store up enough energy for the flight, so please leave your feeders up and full so they can partake of your energizing food!
Information from: Sibley's Guide to Birds and Bird Behavior by David Allen Sibley.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Hummers are EVERYWHERE!
Ok, sorry to disappoint, but this is not a post about something naughty or over-sized, ego-boosting SUV's. It's about our fast little friends: Hummingbirds!
I was talking to a neighbor and was sorry to hear her attitude toward making life pleasant for these special birds. A little extra attention was not worth saving a few hummingbird lives, soooooo...... I wanted to post some tidbits of advice about feeding these guys to try to clear away the misconceptions.
1. You do not have to use "hummingbird nectar" or any of the pre-packaged mixes or juices. In fact you SHOULD not use them.
2. You can make your nectar with one part sugar to four parts boiling water that has cooled and can stay in the fridge up to two weeks.
3. Red food coloring is not necessary or recommended. It can harm these little guys. As long as your feeder is red, they'll see it!
4. You should change the nectar every three to four days depending on how hot it is. Try to keep your feeder out of the sun. bestnest.com sells canopies and umbrellas for feeders to protect them from weather.
5. And last, it is okay to keep your feeders up into the fall. This availability of food will NOT keep them from migrating! It provides necessary and vital fuel for their long flights!!!
I was talking to a neighbor and was sorry to hear her attitude toward making life pleasant for these special birds. A little extra attention was not worth saving a few hummingbird lives, soooooo...... I wanted to post some tidbits of advice about feeding these guys to try to clear away the misconceptions.
1. You do not have to use "hummingbird nectar" or any of the pre-packaged mixes or juices. In fact you SHOULD not use them.
2. You can make your nectar with one part sugar to four parts boiling water that has cooled and can stay in the fridge up to two weeks.
3. Red food coloring is not necessary or recommended. It can harm these little guys. As long as your feeder is red, they'll see it!
4. You should change the nectar every three to four days depending on how hot it is. Try to keep your feeder out of the sun. bestnest.com sells canopies and umbrellas for feeders to protect them from weather.
5. And last, it is okay to keep your feeders up into the fall. This availability of food will NOT keep them from migrating! It provides necessary and vital fuel for their long flights!!!
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