Like the Postal Workers

Busy little Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds gotta eat, right? Even in the rain they were out feeding at the feeder. The rain finally stopped today, although we had a brief shower this afternoon. Actually, animals tend to get a bit more active in rainy weather.

Since it has been raining a lot lately, I thought I would dispel a popular myth regarding Wild Turkeys and the rain. There are lots of people who think that: A) Turkeys are stupid, B) Turkeys become mesmerized by rain, and C) Animals always seek shelter in poor weather the way we do. A popular belief is that Turkey look up when it rains to "watch the rain" and end up drowning as a result. Some say the water trickles into their nose holes and drowns them and some say they stand with their beaks agape until they drown.

NOT TRUE!! Just to set the record straight, Turkeys have keen hearing and keen eyesight. They are not stupid, but they are as smart as animals on that end of the evolutionary scale can be. They are much more "street smart" than their Butterball cousins, and they do tend to run together in the same direction to escape danger. (Hence the expression, "flock together") Okay, so a friend of mine told me once that Turkeys come out in the open when it rains so they can better hear predators since sounds are lost in the rain in the woods. I am not sure of the validity of this and am feverishly looking for the answer. I do know that rain and flooding are not good for hatchlings, and that they will often perish in torrential downpours when they are still in the nest.

Finally, where as birds get a bad rap for their intelligence ("bird brain", "turkey"), they do have the ability to learn certain behaviors. For instance, Crows and Ravens have shown problem-solving ability in the wild and have even expressed higher learning behaviors such as using "tools". Green Herons have been observed dropping bread crumbs in water to attract fish to the surface. I think that's pretty impressive. It leads me to believe that my Bluebirds have learned that when I come out to the deck and whistle my weak Bluebird imitation, that they really do know I'm bringing mealworms. Sometimes I don't even see them in their usual spots, whistle and before I turn all the way around, they are on the feeder going to town! So maybe they come when I call them.
At least, I like to think so.........a birdnerd can dream, right?

(Sources: Elphick C.; Dunning Jr., J.B.; Sibley, D.A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, National Audubon Society. Knopf, NY

Eaton, Stephen W. 1992. Wild Turkey. In The Birds of North America, No. 22 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists’ Union.

Early Bird??? Fuhgettaboudit!

Whoever said that the "Early Bird Catches the Worm" obviously never had a camera in their birdhouse! Little Rufus is so loud, that he often gets the attention of his parents and they literally change their minds about who they are going to give the next mealworm to! They look back and forth and Rufus is so persistent and overbearing, that I think they give him the mealworm just to quiet him! It's very amusing.

So, I am officially changing the adage to: "The loudest bird gets the worm, so sleep in!"

Conquering the Scary Tech World!

Okay, I finally figured out how to list links on my blog in the sidebar section! So, I am pleased to direct you to the right-hand column for some of the links I suggested earlier. Click and you will be redirected away from this blog to the link. Simple as that! I also changed the template, but it's still the same blog. Enjoy!

I'm so Sweet

This morning I awoke to a cacophony of bird songs. When I lived alone out in the country, I kept my windows open as much as possible. Part of it was for practical purposes and part of it was the lullaby of forest and country sounds that lulled me to sleep and then woke me in the morning. There was a little Carolina Wren that would sing with all of his might every morning. In the spring, the Towhees scratched around beneath my window and picked up seeds dropped by other birds. In the fall and winter, the White-Throated Sparrows woke me in the pre-dawn hours and then the Bluebirds found my yard and I had their soft, lilting song to entertain me. In the heart of the summer, the Whippoorwills ushered me into sleep, with their back-up singers, the Spring Peepers and Copes and Gray Tree Frogs. It was wonderful.

Thanks to allergies and two monster whole-house HVAC filters, we tend to keep our windows closed as much as possible. Last night, I decided to open the window by my bed, just a crack, to listen to the rain, the frogs and my little fountains below. Several persistent crows, the local Towhee and the Goldfinches woke me this morning along with a new visitor.

"Sweet, sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet, sweet", was the pretty little song that I heard this morning. While my green tea was brewing, I stood at the window, and saw the owner of that little song, an Indigo Bunting. While the male is hard to miss with his brilliant, electric blue plumage that sets him apart from other blue birds because he is entirely blue, the female is easy to miss. She looks a lot like a female House Finch and is even similar to a juvenile Cowbird, but a couple of inches smaller. She has the curved finch beak similar to Cardinals and other finches, but she’s a pretty tawny brown with very fine streaks on her breast that stop about halfway down, topped by a whitish throat. She looks fair and like her song: sweet. The house finch is a little grayer and its body is tilted more forward while the Indigo has a more upright posture.

That’s one of the perks pf leaving your window open; you never know what you might discover in your back yard. We don’t always see the new visitors to our yard, but sometimes we get lucky enough to hear them.

Like an Elephant....

If you listen to NPR at all, and especially What Do You Know?, with Michael Feldman, than you may have heard an interesting tidbit this past Saturday on the show. One of the questions was about Hummingbirds. Apparently, Hummingbirds remember which flowers they have visited when feeding. So, while elephants get all of the credit for terrific memories, I think it's pretty special that a creature with a brain the size of a grain of rice can remember where he's been!

Helpful Links

Here is a list of helpful links for any birder!

For anything and everything you need to know about birds, Cornell Ornithology's Lab website is the place to go. Here you will find information on their backyard bird counts, web cam program and scientific information on birds. For detailed information, sign up for the North American Birds online and join the Birdhouse Network.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/

A great place to buy anything you need for the backyard or to create a backyard habitat. Best Nest carries the recycled plastic houses and feeders that I use in my yard.

http://www.bestnest.com/

I also recommend visiting the Wild Birds Unlimited stores. There is one in Charlottesville that is great! Locally owned and run by real birders. Makes a great excuse to visit Whole Foods (like you needed one!)

http://www.wbu.com/index.htm

For any information specific to Bluebirds, visit the National Bluebird Society's page. There is good information on parasites and troubleshooting problems specific to Bluebirds.

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/

Audubon gives great information on backyard habitats. There is information on conservation, watch lists, information on Avian Flu, West Nile and pesticide use. Sign up to participate in the Backyard or Christmas Bird Count, make a donation and check out John James Audubon's North American Birds. Beautiful!

http://www.audubon.org/bird/index.html


Books and tools I suggest:

Sibley's Guides: He has a guide to birds (it's a biggie to keep near the back door or kitchen window for reference), a guide to bird behavior that is fantastic and now a field guide! He paints each species and gives multiple views, morphs, and descriptions.

Get yourself an Identa-Flier! You don't always see the birds around you and sometimes you may think you are seeing a bird that you're not seeing. Using calls and songs to cross-reference is really helpful! A good site for calls and songs, is: "What Bird" http://www.whatbird.com/ There's also a fun bird identification game!

Stokes has a book called, The Birdhouse Book, the complete guide to Attracting Nesting Birds. This gives you the low-down on various houses for cavity nesters.

Planning a birding trip? Check out National Geographic's Guide to Birdwatching Sites. There are both Western and Eastern U.S. versions. Mel White is the author of the Western edition.


And last but not least, use: ME! I have been to some bird-rich areas around the country and would love to help anyone looking to knock a few species off their Life Lists. From Canada to the Florida Keys, I can give you some helpful tips on where to go, where to stay, where to eat (most important in my book) and other logistics! I have well over 25, 000 miles of cross-country, Caribbean and Central American travel under my belt!

Happy Birding!

Come and Knock On My Door.....

Mr. Roeper might not mind these roommates since they're so cute......

It seems that although Sylvia and Lloyd have plenty of food and had a successful first brood, this one is not going to break any records. Only three of the six eggs have hatched as of today. One of the little guys hatched two days after the first two, so he is a little smaller, but catching up. They have been lolling around, trying to keep comfortable in the heat and with three eggs in their way, but today is significantly cooler than it has been with a nice breeze, so they should be pretty comfy right now.

I already knew I would name one of the babies Syd and Nancy just naturally came next. My husband named number three Rufus, so it seems we have a musical theme going. Anyone who knows me, knows I love music, so it's only fitting. If you are at least 30 years old, then you know who Syd and Nancy were, (although I think it's Sid, not Syd, but I like spelling it with a "y"). As for Rufus, you'll know who Rufus is if you are older than 3o. You might want to check iTunes, if you don't know who they are.

So, I'd love to tell you something good about the other three eggs, but I have a feeling they are not going to hatch. There are multiple factors that can affect an egg, but I don't know how to determine the cause.

Well, back to final preparations for my program on the bird cam for Parks and Recreation tomorrow. I hope many people will show up!

Baby Alert!

I am happy to report that the hatching of the second brood has begun! Mama is fastidiously attending to them and we are patiently awaiting the other four to arrive.

Meanwhile, the fledglings from the first brood are visiting the Mealworm feeder and irritating Lloyd. They are able to feed themselves, of course, but still adopt the fledgling posture when either parent comes near, flapping and crying, mouths gaping. Lloyd amuses them sometimes, but has also started chasing them away, in an attempt to encourage them to find their own territory. Just like human parents! These guys will be the "rejects" of the summer, hanging around for the next few months, but less tolerated than subsequent broods.

Contrary to information I had previously, the babies from the first do not really help raise the next broods. So much for that sentimental idea! On the bright side, they may flock together in the fall and winter months before separating to pair off and develop their own territories.

MAMA-MIA

Sylvia never fails to deliver, or impress! She is a lean, mean, egg-laying machine: determined and focused. She began laying her second clutch on May 29th. I figured she would be done when egg number 4 rolled around (sorry, pun intended). Needless to say she laid another one and then I thought that 5 must be her magic number and since that is in the average range, I was sure she was done. Alas, imagine my surprise when I discovered egg number 6 when I returned home from the volunteer appreciation picnic!

That’s right, folks, six eggs! I am very excited, although worried about how crowded it will be in there after witnessing five little buggars all clamoring for mealworms and attention.

On that note, I have received a lot of questions about “sibling rivalry” and survival of the fittest, etc. In my reading I have learned that Bluebirds very rarely exhibit any behavior of that sort. They are fairly communal and tolerant of one another, especially considering there is a lot of head-standing. By that, I mean standing on one another’s heads! “I can’t see! I can’t see!” This happened a lot toward the fledge date and was quite comical.

There will be plenty of this footage and more comical outtakes at my program. I forgot to add the link last time to Parks and Rec. so here it is: http://www.ci.lynchburg.va.us/home/index.asp?page=86

Supahstah!

I apologize for the long absence, but things have been a little crazy....

There is a lot going on right now bird-wise. Activity abounds it seems and the yard is a-twitter! In preparing for my program on the 20th, I have uncovered many interesting facts about Bluebirds and have been brushing up on my avian anatomy and science. There have also been some exciting personal updates that I am happy to report. First of all, the new Nikon came in along with some power-punching software for digital photo editing. I attended the Nikon School of Photography which I highly recommend, even if you only ever send pictures to friends and family. I have already noticed some improvements in my pictures.

Another exciting update is my television debut on our ABC affiliate's program, "Living in the Heart of Virginia" with Tab O'Neil. I was asked to come on the show to discuss the bird-cam and the show airs June 16th at 12:30. This is great timing because school is out and hopefully some of my students will have a chance to see it.

For those of you who are local, I want to remind you about my program June 20th from 7-9-ish p.m. at the new Nature Zone at Kemper St. Station in Lynchburg. I will post a link to their site for you to register.

So, now you understand the title for this entry: Supahstah!

Thanks to all who have been supporting me and to Laura, Wanda and Tab at WSET and Cable Chris at the Local Access for putting together my disc! Thanks to the angry guy from Lot #149 for calling in and giving us comic relief on that long day in the studio! I appreciate the exposure and so do your local Bluebirds!

More pictures coming soon!!!!