All God's creatures

   


A Red-tailed Hawk helps keep the
squirrel population under control.

  
       It's like Wild Kingdom around here! First my neighbor kills a big blacksnake in the yard. Then I find out why the snake was here; Mr. Wood Rat comes snooping around under the hanging feeders. The squirrels are jockeying for position. The rabbit is taking interest in the garden.
         Heck, the birds are just a sidelight to the goings on. The only creature I haven't seen - and the one I wish I would - is a good ol' raptor to help maintain order. Where is the Red-tailed Hawk when I need him most?
          The good news is that my traps have done good work. Three squirrels have become former residents of the neighborhood. They are now frolicking happily in a beautiful pecan grove way away from here. Their friends will soon join them. And I have a lovely meadow picked out for the rat.
           The hummingbirds have become regulars again, two at a time at the feeder.

Here is the avian portion of what I saw here today:

PM, sunny, 82 degrees, 20 minutes

Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
House Finch
American Crow
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Brown Thrasher

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Our little chickadees



Here's a Carolina Chickadee in my yard. It looks alot like its cousin, the

Black-capped Chickadee. 

 

Getting to know chickadees isn't so hard. They're bold and curious birds that don't mind getting near people. Heck, you can get them to eat out of your hand if you have the patience.

              But do you really know your chickadees? When we folks in the South see them, we pretty much know they are Carolina Chickadees. You in the Northeast have Black-capped Chickadees. But there are areas where the two species overlap, namely a strip of territory that starts east in Maryland and stretches west into the Ohio Valley to the Mississippi River and into middle Missouri. Since the chickadee species look so similar, if you live in these areas, you may have a tough time deciding whether the chickadee at your feeder is a Black-capped or Carolina.

           They look very similar. The Black-capped is just a little larger. Their songs are similar, too. Chickadees are named for their calls, which go something like "chickadee-dee-dee." And to make matters more confusing for folks in that strip of territory, chickadees there have hybridized and picked up each others’ looks, songs and calls.

               Feeders in the West have Black-capped and Mountain chickadees, and in the northern Great Lakes and northern Minnesota, Black-capped and Boreal chickadees mix it up. The Chestnut-backed Chickadee ranges along the northern Pacific Coast. It’s the easiest of the chickadees to pick out; check the name.

               So chickadees can be tricky. If you're confused about which you have, go to the Cornell site, allaboutbirds.org, and compare.

              Or stop scratching your head and just be happy to have these bright little birds darting to and from your feeder.

Trappin' time!

         The squirrels have gotten out of control around here. Today I had two feeders down and one chewed up (why do I use plastic?).

Where are my Have-A-Hearts? Ahm a goin' trappin'.

Here’s what else I saw in the yard today:

AM, partly cloudy, 80 degrees, 20 minutes

Northern Cardinal

Mourning Dove

Crow  (Common or Fish; not sure)

Brown Thrasher

Tufted Titmouse

House Finch

Carolina Wren

Blue Jay



A 'cover bird'

              The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are in town. They usually drop by for a few days this time of year, munch on my sunflower seeds, then move on to cooler climes. Didn't see one today; maybe they've already headed north.
               But I had two males at the feeder yesterday. I had never seen more than one at a time here.
               I don't have a picture of one here (birds just don't cooperate with my camera). But you'll know one when it shows up, at least a male. He is among the prettiest birds to appear at a feeder; so pretty, he’s a “cover bird” for the Peterson guide. Ooo, baby! His name reflects his appearance; a bright red patch on the breast, and a big, thick beak. The female isn't as brightly colored. She looks more like an oversized sparrow (sorry, sparrows) - brown back and streaks on her breast. Up north and in the Southern Appalachians, you'll have these birds all summer, so be on the lookout.
               Out west you have the Black-headed Grosbeak in the summer. The male looks kind of like an oriole, and the female is similar to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak female.
               Here in the southern tier of states, we get the Blue Grosbeak during the summer. Its name reflects appearance, too. I've never had one at my feeder, though. I know some folks nearby who have, and of course I'm jealous.

Here are the birds I saw today:

PM, sunny, 85 degrees, 20 minutes

Carolina Chickadee
Northern Cardinal
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Finch
Red-winged Blackbird
Tufted Titmouse
Northern Mockingbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Gray Catbird
Common Grackle

A trusty guide

Sparrows blend in to the background pretty well.
Here's a White-throated Sparrow

I get stumped by sparrows. There, I've said it. After years of birding, I still come across these little birds with similar colors and markings, and I often can't tell one species from the other.

               I look - for a key identifying feature.

               I listen - the song can be a dead give-away.

               Then I turn to my trusty bird guide.

   Identifying birds can be tricky. If you are new to the birding scene, it can be downright confounding.  So it is good to have some sort of guide handy. This may be a book, particularly if you are out in the field. If you're simply around the house, a website can be just as good.

               When I first started birding, Roger Tory Peterson was my guide. I say that because I picked up a Peterson's "Field Guide to the Birds." At the time, Peterson's guide was the birder's bible. His first guide was published in the 1930s, when optics had been refined enough to popularize bird-watching. 

               The Peterson guide has detailed illustrations with pointers to key markings, and notes on identification and songs. It also has maps with ranges of each species.

               Then David Allen Sibley came along and expounded on Peterson's work. The Sibley guide has even more illustrations, because it points out the differences in plumage in younger birds. It also has the handy notes and migration maps.

               Audubon has a guide with photographs and more extensive details of behavior.

               If you are new to birding or simply want a guide for your back yard or deck, there are plenty of publications that feature the 30 or so species you're most likely to see around the house. There are lots of regional and state guides - "Birds of the Carolinas", "Birds of Texas", etc. And, yes, there is a "Bird-Watching for Dummies" out there. Why not?

Most likely, though, you'll be stumped by sparrows. They are all about the same size and have brown backs and wings. But the slight differences in their more-specific markings will tell you whether you have a House Sparrow, Field Sparrow or Chipping Sparrow.

               If you're near a computer with Internet, here's a good place to start when trying to ID a bird: 

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse        

           Otherwise, just shop around and find a guide such as my old friend Peterson.

Even without a guide, I ID'd these in my yard today:

AM, sunny, 66 degrees, 10 minutes

Northern Cardinal

Tufted Titmouse

House Finch

Brown Thrasher

Brown-headed Nuthatch                             

 

Swifts, swallows 'n such

A Purple Martin feeds its young

  

       Swifts are twittering high above, swallows are sweeping lakes, and martins are building nests in their high-rises. Around here, that means the spring migration is pretty-much complete.

         This blog has concentrated mostly on bird feeding simply because that's what I do. My experience in housing is limited.
         But having swallow and swift species back for the summer is a reminder of how some birds are reliant on manmade structures. Swallows use bridges, dams and buildings for nesting; Purple Martins are almost totally reliant on the martin houses we put up; and Chimney Swifts are true to their name. They all seem to like to nest in groups.
          In return, these birds help keep the insect count down during the summer. (I think that if it weren't for birds, we would surely be inundated with bugs.)
          Swifts and Purple Martins prefer high places and open spaces. Swallows like to be around water.
           Depending on where you are, it may not be too late to put up a Purple Martin house for the season. But you should look for a big yard or open field, and plan on putting the house up high.
           Purplemartin.org has all you need to know about these birds.

               Here's what I saw in my yard today:

               (AM, cloudy, 66 degrees, 25 minutes)
Chipping Sparrow
Carolina Chickadee
Gray Catbird
Northern Cardinal
Blue Jay
Brown Thrasher
Tufted Titmouse

The big and little

      A couple of Canada Geese dropped in today - literally and figuratively. I don't object to the geese. It's just that they leave their droppings here and there ... and here ... and over there, too. I have to watch where I walk after they've waddled around the yard for a while.
      There's a lake about 100 yards from me, so it is not unusual for the geese to visit my yard. They like bread, but usually feed on the sweet grass in the yard and the nearby field.
       Canada Geese are the largest birds that come to my feeding area. The smallest - the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds - have also visited. But, strangely enough, I haven't seen them on a daily basis as I normally do. I may have put too much, or too little, sugar in my mixture. (Remember: one cup of sugar to four cups of water is recommended.) Or the ones I saw may have been passing through on their way north. Or they may simply prefer the feeders of my neighbors on both sides.
       I'll change out the water in a couple of days and see if more appear.
       Meanwhile, here are the species that showed up today:
PM, partly cloudy, 64 degrees, 25 minutes

Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Canada Goose
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown Thrasher
White-throated Sparrow
House Finch
Chipping Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Blue Jay
Mourning Dove
Carolina Chickadee
Gray Catbird

Mimicry

Kinda blurry photo of a Brown Thrasher - but you get the idea

A Gray Catbird has been hanging around my feeding station for the last few days. It likes to hide in a holly bush nearby and pop out once in a while. Catbirds are heard more than seen, I've found.

               The catbird, Northern Mockingbird and Brown Thrasher form the trifecta of mimics that frequent yards around here. They're mimics because one or two of the sounds they make may sound like other birds.
               The mockingbird is the most vocal, visible and wide-ranging of the bunch. Folks from the Northeast to the Southwest see and hear Northern Mockingbirds. You know ‘em - the gray birds with white wing bars. They go from perch to perch in your yard, staking out territory. Yeah, those ones. They can be downright rude when it comes to territory. Sometimes they get bold and actually swoop down and attack things that approach their nests. I've seen them go after cats. People can be targets, too. Experts say they’re just being protective. I think they’re ticked off from missing the casting call for the Hitchcock film. (I mean, what’s the big deal with crows and gulls, anyway?)
               Northern Mockingbirds sing a lot. And I do mean a lot. During nesting season, they sing deep into the night.
            Bird songs can't be described well in print. But I'll give it a try here, and then send you to a place where you can actually hear a song. Northern Mockingbirds repeat phrases usually three or more times; something like "tu-tu-tu; we-we-we-we; churew-churew-churew," and so forth.
               Brown Thrashers (photo above) only repeat phrases a couple of times, then move on to the next. The catbird, which looks a like a smaller, darker version of the mockingbird, doesn't repeat phrases. But at the end of its repertoire, the catbird often punctuates with a "meeeww" sound; hence the name.

               Check out the Gray Catbird song here:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gray_Catbird/sounds

              

       A squirrelly day

                  Squirrels ruled the roost today. Don't worry; I'm not planning to trap ... yet. But here are the birds that made it to the feeding area:

               AM, cloudy, 50 degrees, 20 minutes

               Northern Cardinal
               Northern Mockingbird
               Blue Jay
               Common Grackle
               Northern Flicker
               Mourning Dove
               Red-winged Blackbird
               Brown Thrasher
               Brown-headed Cowbird
               Chipping Sparrow
               White-throated Sparrow