Recycling

For those of you who enjoyed Saturday's nest photo, you'll be happy to hear that this afternoon the nest was being being disassembled for recycling by a very happy goldfinch.

Bitter? Me?

Two green herons just perched on the snag in the backyard. I grabbed my camera, only to find that I'd left it turned on last time and the battery was dead. Of course, by the time I raced to get a charged battery, the critters had moved on.

Just seeing them was fun, but it would have been a great picture.

I'm sitting on the deck with laptop and camera, in case they come back. There's a doe grazing in the far field, the barn swallows are swooping over head, and there's a fair representation of blackbirds, doves, robins, bluebirds, grackles, starlings, and sparrows. Swallows always seem particularly joyous, and today they are chattering quite energetically as they swoop.

I love it here. I've never felt this strongly about a place, but I just love it.

At a distance, beauty

Baby, baby

Baby killdeer. I've been trying for weeks to get a photo of mama bird as I've seen her around the neighborhood. Then today, I'm out for a walk, and there she is with papa and three babies. Too cute for words.

Weekend Roundup

There were two articles of interest in the New York Times today, the first a depressing but not surprising story about the decline in bird species that make their home in meadows. Development, not global warming is the identified culprit. If you needed another reason for making your yard wildlife-friendly, here you go.

Meadow Birds in Precipitous Decline, Audubon Says - New York Times

The second, more upbeat article, focuses on "garden coaches" - a service for the clueless (among which I number myself) who need advice and help but don't want to merely write a check and hand over the garden to a landscaper. So there goes your last excuse ....

Plant! Water! Weed! - New York Times

in the right hand column, you'll see a section titled "The Buzz on Other Blogs." This is a list of posts I've found interesting in my surfing and reading. Most, but not all, come from sites in my blogroll; you can click on any title to go directly to that post and read the full text. You can also click at the bottom of the list, where it says "read more" and be taken to a page with all the current past Buzz posts compiled. Broaden your horizons with a new blog!

Backyard birding

If your backyard is the Grand Canyon.

Since I'm still somewhat under the weather, I'm spending time cleaning up electronic things - the computer, the blog, the website - you know, the usual. So I'm uploading some of the pictures that used to be buried on my website to flickr and every now and then one pops up that sparks a memory or idea or is just a favorite. Yesterday's grackle photo was one such, but here's another, very different one. I know some of you reading this will understand when I say that despite the overwhelming beauty and majesty of the canyon, I would have been disappointed if I hadn't seen a condor at least once while I was there.

Darn!

I was hoping to get a picture of baby robins learning to fly, but they flew the coop when I wasn't watching. I'll keep an eye for them around the yard and hope to get a second chance. Still, as a proud godmother, I'm happy to see them launch themselves into the world and wish them every success in it.

I've had the flu or something similar this week, so while I'm recuperating, I've been cleaning up the website, catching up on email, and going through some of my older photos. I came across this one, taken several years ago at the San Antonio zoo. I'm partial to grackles, and this pair, with the female holding nesting material in her beak, caught my eye.

Kids grow up so fast these days

Remember the baby robins from last week? They're already the avian equivalent of teenagers. At casual glance, it's hard to tell if this is the nestling or the parent.

I have a couple more snapshots I'll put up on flickr.

The Bluebird of Happiness

Right now he's on a branch in my backyard, and that's not a bad place, for either of us. There are other colors, other birds: Joy, light, laughter, love, peace... like the bluebird, they are easier to find some times than others. They come and go no matter what you do.

If you try too hard, you're doomed to miss them.

They are easier to find if your eyes are open.

What rules for birding life do you live by?

You might be a birder if ...

... Someone yells "Duck" and you ask "Where?"

Why maintain a backyard wildlife habitat?

because ...

Namesake

Wonderful Weekend

This picture is from the Wrenaissance Era in Virginia, and is the first digiscoped picture I took, ever. Not bad, eh?

I spent this past weekend with a dear friend, visiting from my former life down south. It was wonderful to share the vista, the comings and goings of the local birds and wildlife, and good weather with someone who appreciates them all as much as I do. Reconnecting was wonderful. We spent a lot of time "vegging" - reading, playing with scope and binoculars, chatting about nothing and everything. I used some veg time to update my website and set up a flickr account, in between catching up on life, solving the problems of the world, and deciding the important issue of what to do for dinner.

House Wren Chicks at IBM Almaden Research Center

This picture has been on the internet for years, but it's still a favorite of mine. House Wren Chicks at IBM Almaden Research Center. The picture was taken by Chuck Tribolet who has an ibm.com email address. Here's more info about the facility and its wildlife

IBM Almaden is situated on about 700 acres, of which only 40 are developed. The remainder is wild, and has everything up to and including mountain lions. Adjacent wildlands include Santa Teresa County Park (1680 acres), IBM Santa Teresa Lab (1180 acres) and other private property (1000 acres). The site has been certified as a corporate wildlife habitat by the Wildlife Council, a nonprofit organization.

The one that got away

Last night, while doing some chores out back, I saw our resident Canada geese and realized they had a gosling with them. Cute, as all baby animals are, but it was dusk by that time and no hope of a decent photo.

So, in the spirit of spring, I give you the mallard duckling I saw in San Antonio a few years ago instead.

Baby Sandhill Crane Pix

Too good to miss

I thought the adults were great, but the baby's just adorable. If a tiny sandhill crane shows up at Wrenaissance, I'm taking the day off from work and camping out in the wetlands with my camera.

I'm famous!

Wren brand Florida Citrus Fruits.

I hadn't been aware of this brand until my husband gave me a pillbox which had the label design on its top. Isn't it great?

Friday night visitors

And what's more

The egrets have flown, but I'm still overwhelmed with sights and sounds. The frogs, reclaiming the creek, are even louder. The robins, blackbirds, grackles, and golfers are in full voice as well (pay no attention to that man on the cart ...), and the mourning doves are cooing softly in the background, barely audible above all the clamor of the great outdoors.

In the past hour, in addition to the egrets, I've seen a killdeer, a vulture, a hawk (accipiter sp.), grackles, robins, a pair of finches building a nest, two chickadees, mallards in groups of two and three, mourning doves, countless male blackbirds, the swimming groundhog, and two goldfinches playing arial tag.

Update: The bluebird of happiness came by later and perched on the snag, followed shortly by the old grey (Canada) goose.

Wow!

As I type this, I'm watching three beautiful great egrets out back. One of them is stalking something in the creek, so far unsucessfully, but I am in awe of his grace as he seeks his prey.

It's a beautiful day - sunny, just warm enough, and not too windy. The frogs are in full voice, despite the close proximity of the predator. The sparrows, blackbirds, and finches flit about the yard. I am glad I am inconsequential in the shadow of the deck, as this as near to perfect as life can be.

Another day, another blackbird

Amazing Resilience

It would be hard to believe this, if it weren't reported by a trustworthy source: Dharma Bums: One Bird, Again.

I like survivors and fighters, the scrappy little mutts that take on the world and triumph over the odds. So here's to Robin's robin, and his examplification of fortitude.

Red-throated loon » Graf Nature Photography; Notes from the woods

I asked a colleague this morning if she ever saw loons at her lake front home, and was disappointed when the answer was in the negative. By coincidence, I saw Mark's photo of a Red-throated loon at his blog, Graf Nature Photography; Notes from the woods as soon as I got home tonight.

I've been watching the Planet Earth series on TV (it's fabulous, but that's a differnet post)and enjoying the short trailers at the end that go behind the scenes and explain how the series was made. It's clear to me that my fondness of central heat and indoor plumbing is a barrier to world renown as a nature photographer. While Mark was taking pictures of loons in sub-freezing weather, I was complaining under my breath about the 1/2 block walk from car to office (uphill both ways!).

Guess what was in my backyard this morning?

This is the best sighting on my yard list in my entire life - bumping the previous #1, a red-tailed hawk to second place.

On the road again...

I came to Virginia for a meeting, and am staying on to visit friends. I woke this morning to the sound of a Carolina Wren, the first I've heard since moving to Michigan.

Signs of spring

While I am waiting for the waterfowl to migrate through (April is supposed to be the best month for them around here) and earnestly hoping for some really interesting ones to land in the backyard, I am appreciating the other signs of spring that are flitting about.




The bluebird is sitting on a branch of the snag I mentioned in an earlier post, but the cardinal has chosen a living tree for his perch. He appears to be the mate for "shes-no-einstein" female that keeps knocking at our windows.

She's sweet, but she's no Einstein

My little friend, pictured here, was repeatedly perching on the window sill and trying to tap her way into the house.

Unfortunately, she moved from this window to the front of the house where she could get up more momentum. To stop her repeated flying into the window, we bought a balloon and tied the string to the window sill. It moves around when the furnace comes on, and I guess it looks human enough to discourage her hanging around that window. I hope she doesn't decide to try another one. I don't want her to hurt herself, but I also don't want a housefull of balloons.

If my next post is titled "the balloons are coming, the balloons are coming" you'll know what happened. When it comes down to the decision, I care more about cardinals than I do about interior decorating.

Good news, bad news

My outdoor photography plans for the weekend are on hold until it gets a little warmer and last night's snow melts. Yes, major bummer, springophiles - so go look at Wayne's photos of daffodils instead if you need a warm-weather fix.

The one advantage of the snow is that birds come to the feeders - already this morning I've seen finches, blue jays, starlings, doves, a red-bellied woodpecker, and a pair of cardinals.

The cardinals are interesting - the female repeatedly flies over to the outside window sill and tries to come in. It's not like she's crashing into the window, it seems very deliberate perching on the sill. She's done this about 20 times in a row now.

Photo Failure

It was doomed from the start. A hand-held zoom lens in the rain at dusk from the deck didn't have a chance. But I had to try - it was the first great blue heron of the spring, just standing out back.

And now I have something special to anticipate. Check out this post from Cindy at Woodsong, who writes

And if you REALLY want to be entertained, find a craft store that sells small white feathers- take them out in the field with you where Tree Swallows are numerous and hold them out so they’re visible to the birds. They’ll pick them up right from your hand. They’ll often fight over them, as white feathers are a favorite nesting material.

Our swallows haven't returned yet, but I am sure going out to buy white feathers this weekend.

It must be spring

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the word

-- lyrics by Eleanor Farjeon; as sung by Cat Stevens

Today I saw the first red-winged blackbird of the year.



I also saw the first Eastern Bluebird.

Two days in a row of sunny weather, and the start of Daylight Savings Time. Life is good. The Canada Geese certainly think so. It's fun to watch them react to other flocks as they pass overhead, but mostly they are quiet neighbors.



The mallards are present in larger numbers. Apparently, despite the shallow water, there's something worth eating in Honey Creek.



In addition to the bluebird, blackbird, ducks, and geese, this morning I saw:

• A song sparrow
• Several finches
• A few juncos still hanging around
• Pair of cardnials
• Two blue jays
• Mourning doves
• Beaucoup de starlings
  
• A robin
• Three squirrels, none of them in my birdfeeders

The household chores are calling, but hopefully I'll have time later today to get out and explore a little more.

Update: I can now add a chickadee, a grackle, a house sparrow, and a red-tailed hawk to the count.

The Zen of Doves

It was a glorious day today: warm, sunny, and overflowing with birds. I watched the ducks and geese congregate in the wetlands - they seemed to be having a wonderful time splashing around, like kids in a wading pool. The deck visitors were more mellow, except for the starlings who squabbled like pundits on a talk show. The doves were more typical - soaking up the warmth and placidly watching the passing scene.

Hope *is* the thing with feathers

On the good news front, Live on the Internet: Eagle protects egg - Yahoo! News. An encouraging story for those of who remember the Bald Eagle's near extinction. The cam is linked from http://www.briloon.org, but I couldn't access it this morning, probably due to overload from people who read the story. I periodically checked in at a different cam last year, and I can attest that they are a great experience as well as a tremendous time sink. Enjoy!

This is really depressing

The Scotsman - International - Unhappy feat: biologists baffled as millions of penguins vanish

Yes, this story is from December, which makes it old news. However, being particularly fond of penguins (even though I have none in my backyard habitat), I am distressed that one of the species is declining so sharply.

As Marcus illustrates in his post Overheard on the Corner of 45th and 8th, it's easy for people to joke about global warming in the winter or in a cold climate. I've done so myself, and even jokingly called for a little more global warming. But when you stop and think about it, it's not so funny.

Hairy woodpecker in flight - Cindy Mead photo

I have always been particularly interested in woodpeckers - they are neat birds to watch, for both appearance and behavior.

Check out this photo by Cindy Mead of a hairy woodpecker in flight - isn't it wonderful?

Is this a good sign or a bad sign?

This morning, as I left for work, I saw open water in the wetlands behind our house. Six waterfowl were taking a swim.

Now, should I be happy that it's warm enough to thaw open water and provide sanctuary for waterfowl, or concerned that I've lost it, because no one should be this excited over two Canada Geese and four Mallards?

Spring! Spring!

The bird is on the wing!
My word - absurd!
The wing is on the bird.

What is it about spring that brings out our deep-rooted silliness? Joy that winter is leaving us? Physiological response to more hours of sunlight? Elevated temperatures overheating our still-frozen brains?

I don't know, but I'm rejoicing in each and every sign that spring is approaching. This morning I heard a Phoebe - I'm not great on IDing birds calls, but that one's pretty unmistakable - so the migrants are returning. Seconded by the multiple flocks geese flying overhead, the sunlight still visible at 7pm, and the second day of greater than 40 degree temperatures. Not only are there mud puddles, there are vast clear swaths of street, sidewalk, and driveway, and even a few bare patches of lawn.

Maybe the red-winged blackbirds aren't all that far behind!

How is a blue jay like a politician?

They both make a lot of noise and when they stop, you still have no idea what they've just said.

Today at the feeders, in addition to the two blue jays who inspired the thought above, there were 5 or 6 mourning doves, three downey woodpeckers (one male and two females who didn't like sharing - I'm not sure if they were competing for the male or the food, or maybe both), a red-bellied woodpecker, three jumcos, two house sparrows, a chickadee, two nuthatches, eight finches (both male and female), and a pair of cardinals.

I really enjoy watching them - the feeders here in Michigan are much closer to the house than they were in Virigina, and natural food appears to be harder to get, so I'm both seeing a larger number of birds and having a closer look at them. I enjoy hearing the downeys chirp, a sound Sibley describes as "a short, gentle, flat pik."

The doves cluster round the feeders as well as forage on the ground below, and when done eating are quite content to sit on the deck railing and watch each other and the rest of the parade. The juncos also come to the feeders as well as eat below them, but aren't much for sitting and watching. Whereas the doves seem to be channeling zen practitioners in their absolute stillness, the juncos constantly move their heads or tails, even when their feet stay in one place. They, the doves, and the rest of the ground feeders left an interesting pattern of birdy footprints in the snow beneath the feeders, one which I was frustratingly unsucessful in photographing.

The cardinals, a male and a female, were another interesting pair. The female flew repeatedly between the feeders and the window sill, where she tapped the window with her beak, then returned to the feeder. I don't know if she was seeing her reflection there, or if she was looking through the glass to something interesting inside. Apparently, neither did her mate, who ate at the feeders and watched her watch fly back and forth, reminding me of the patience demonstrated by human partners who think their beloved is slightly daft, but lovable none the less.

What's in your backyard?

Today, I've seen a dozen or so mourning doves, around 20 house finches, a few house sparrows, two juncos, a female downy woodpecker, a blue jay, six Canada geese, and one chickadee.