Birdscapes

Who Am I ???

2010-07-19T21:38:00.002-05:00

Any idea who will pop out of this cocoon? It spent about an hour yesterday creeping along the deck. I suppose there was something of nutritional value that kept him crawling along.

Brilliant Sunset

2010-04-11T19:29:00.002-05:00

As I walked out onto my westward facing deck, I saw the most awesome brilliant orange red sunset. I ran in to grab my camera .... had to put the lens on .... and when I came back it had sunk further down. I wish I had seen it just a few minutes earlier, but I did manage to take this photograph.

What really floored me, and warmed my heart, was the Dad and his two preteen sons riding their bikes down the street. One of the sons stopped and asked his Dad if they could watch the sunset. And they did! Unbelievable in this age of video games and kids barely getting outside to play. This Mom and Dad are raising great kids.

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Touching Base

2010-04-08T19:10:00.002-05:00

Oh my, it's been almost three months since I've posted. It has been a busy three months: took a new job, moved out of state, bought a new house, still trying to sell my St Louis house. Anyone out there interested in a well-located, updated 3BR/2.5ba house with plenty of birds that visit feeders? :)

I'll leave it at that for now. I'm looking forward to posting again about the birds and gardening once things settle down.

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Highlight this PFW Count: White-Breasted Nuthatch

2010-01-17T20:05:00.002-06:00

The little fellow hasn't shown up much at all for the past few weeks, PFW count or regular days. So I was thrilled to see him/her today coming back time and time again to the BOSS and Suet feeders. Must be stashing for potentially harsh weather conditions to come.

No pictures this weekend, but I did have a fairly decent count with 15 species and 80 individuals. Still no House Sparrows taking over (unbelievable that they aren't here) but a flock of the Darling Snarling Starlings has been hanging around and eating up the Suet. There were about 6 Starlings in the feeder area throughtout the day, but then I looked out at the front yard and there must have been a hundred grazing in the yard. At one point there were about 40 in the feeder area. Thank goodness they didn't stick around!

Mourning Dove	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Northern Flicker	1
Carolina Chickadee	2
Tufted Titmouse	3
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
Carolina Wren	2
European Starling	40
Song Sparrow	1
White-throated Sparrow	6
Dark-eyed Junco	6
Northern Cardinal	1
House Finch	5 (0 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch	9 (0 with eye disease)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	1

Total Species / Individuals	15 / 80

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Project FeederWatch - First Count of 2010

2010-01-10T19:42:00.006-06:00

I wasn't able to count last weekend as I had a houseful of visitors in to celebrate the New Year. Wishing everyone the best for 2010!

A little bit of snow fell on St Louis Thursday and temperatures were frigid through the weekend. Guess that brought the birds to the feeders as I had 17 species and 61 individuals. The most active were the White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncoes and American Goldfinches. The chickadees and titmice only came around sporadically, but at least they showed up to be counted and, more importantly, filled up on the seed and suet to help them get through the cold nights.

White-throated Sparrow checking out the patio furniture

Getting a little nervous. A couple of times throughout the weekend a small flock of Starlings ascended upon the yard and feeders. Hopefully they won't become regulars. They are so annoying and terrible pigs!

Starlings invading the platform feeder

Count for the weekend:

Mourning Dove	1
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Northern Flicker	1
Blue Jay	1
Carolina Chickadee	2
Tufted Titmouse	3
Carolina Wren	2
Northern Mockingbird	1
European Starling	10
Song Sparrow	2
White-throated Sparrow	10
Dark-eyed Junco	8
Northern Cardinal	2
House Finch	4 (0 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch	10 (0 with eye disease)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	2

Total Species / Individuals	17 / 61

Blue Jay

American Goldfinches fighting for position on the thistle sock

The Red-bellied Woodpecker and Northern Flicker were my favorite birds this weekend. Since I moved here, I know that they are around, but it wasn't until this weekend that they spent any time at all at the feeders.

Northern Flicker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

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Another Low Count

2009-12-27T23:11:00.006-06:00

Bird visits were still off this weekend for PFW. I was only in town a short while the first day of the count and absolutely no birds were at the feeders. It snowed early Sunday morning, yet the number of birds was still off. Conspicuously missing were the Chickadees, Titmice, Downy WP, and House Finches.

A very quick visit from the Mockingbird was a pleasant surprise.

Checklist for FeederWatch Missouri Birds

Mourning Dove	1
Carolina Wren	1
Northern Mockingbird	1
Song Sparrow	1
White-throated Sparrow	4
Dark-eyed Junco	6
Northern Cardinal	3
American Goldfinch	7 (0 with eye disease)
Total Species/Individuals	8 / 24

I was off work today and of course just about all of them returned, including a Northern Flicker and the Eurasian Tree Sparrows. Ah, the fickleness of birds.

Dark Eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal

Frosty Napping (Christmas Inflatable on the neighbor's porch blew over.)

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Cat Mischief

2009-12-22T21:16:00.004-06:00

Lucy & Topaz are sweet, but sometimes you can't turn your back on them for a moment.

This was after I had already cleaned up after them once tonight. Then they try to look all innocent. Notice how Lucy (on the left) is looking upward? She's just itching to keep digging in the plant.

I have too much to do tonight to monitor them! Guess that's what doors are for. At least they haven't knocked the Christmas tree over, yet.

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Rule of 3's Ignored

2009-12-20T18:24:00.006-06:00

Every count this season has been a multiple of 3 until this weekend. There were 11 species and a relatively low number of individuals. The temperatures hovered just under freezing and there was light snow cover after it snowed Friday night. I can't complain, though, considering the storms in the Northeast of the US this weekend.

No unusual birds showed up. With the exception of the juncoes and finches off and on, the feeders were very quiet.

Checklist for FeederWatch Missouri Birds

Mourning Dove	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Carolina Chickadee	1
Tufted Titmouse	3
Carolina Wren	2
Song Sparrow	1
White-throated Sparrow	3
Dark-eyed Junco	14
Northern Cardinal	1
House Finch	7 (0 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch	8 (0 with eye disease)
Total Species / Individuals	11 / 42

Happy Holidays to All

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Return to Normal

2009-12-13T19:50:00.005-06:00

I still don't know what "normal" is here, so maybe I should say the Bird Counts met my expectations this weekend with a total of 15 species and 66 individuals. A far cry from 3 species last weekend! The only bird missing that I would have expected is the White-breasted Nuthatch which seems to always come around with the Chickadees and Titmice. Perhaps it showed up while I was out.

Checklist for FeederWatch Missouri Birds

Mourning Dove	7
Downy Woodpecker	1
Northern Flicker	1
Blue Jay	3
Carolina Chickadee	3
Tufted Titmouse	4
Carolina Wren	2
Song Sparrow	1
White-throated Sparrow	4
Dark-eyed Junco	16
Northern Cardinal	3
House Finch	7 (0 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch	9 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow	2
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	3

Total Species/Individuals	15 / 66

The juncoes were here in full force with a total of 16 at one point. I've noticed that the birds tend to come in spurts of about an hour at a time. They'll be here, then disappear for a while. Guess they are visiting other feeders on the circuit, or a predator came into the area.

With heavily overcast skies, it wasn't the best weekend for photographing birds, but here are a few:

White-throated Sparrow

Tufted Titmouse

Carolina Wren

American Goldfinch

Downy Woodpecker

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The Birds Return!

2009-12-08T18:25:00.003-06:00

So the birds have practically vacated the neighborhood these past two weeks. I have a strong suspicion that a predator is prowling the area. This morning as I was drinking my coffee before going to work, I saw a large hawk fly across the sky and land in a tree a couple doors down. It wasn't long after that a Blue Jay or two started buzzing and dive-bombing the hawk perched in the tree. I saw the hawk fly off to the west, then another hawk flew off higher in the sky.

After the hawks departed, the Blue Jays flew into the neighbor's magnolia tree and started screaming again. Was there another hawk, or perhaps an owl, roosting there? Evidently not. The screeches must have been an "All Clear" signal because all of a sudden, dozens of birds started flying to the magnolia and the surrounding yards. It was a constant flow of birds as if the flood gates had been opened.

And yes, even though I was 10 to 15 feet away sipping my coffee, they started coming to the feeders! For 15 minutes in the morning, and a short time when I was home at noon, I saw Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, a White-breasted Nuthatch, a pair of Carolina Wrens, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, Cardinals, House Finches, a lone Mourning Dove, a single Am Goldfinch, and of course the Blue Jays on the perimeter.

And to top it off, there was a fall-out of Juncoes and White-throated Sparrows! There were at least a dozen Juncoes and half a dozen WT Sparrows in the morning. Winter is definitely upon us.

It's great to know that the birds haven't completely abandoned the neighborhood. I'm sure the hawks will be back from time to time, and my counts will fluctuate because of it, but that's just how nature works. The hawks have to eat too and if they see a good source of food, they will be around.

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Birds have flown the coop/neighborhood?

2009-12-06T17:33:00.002-06:00

I have had worse counts when I was at the apartment last year, but I couldn't believe the meager number of birds to count for Project FeederWatch this weekend. I don't even need to put it in a list format, there were so few: House Finch - 3, Northern Cardinal - 1, Blue Jay - 3. The neighborhood was practically void of birds and bird song.

I have noticed the decline in the birds for about a week now. Last weekend, I know there was a hawk prowling the area, but it hasn't been visible since. I do have a guess though. The three Blue Jays that I counted this weekend were rowdily screaming at something in the neighbor's magnolia tree. Unfortunately, magnolias don't drop their leaves so I couldn't see what was upsetting them. But I'm speculating that it could be an owl. Last night at about 9:00 I heard a Barred Owl calling, then a commotion as it flew to the ground to catch something. I could see hardly anything, but I did see its shadow flying away. So I'm wondering if it is roosting in the magnolia.

No birds so no bird pictures. I'll share a couple pictures of my other favorite subjects: Lucy & Topaz lounging under the Christmas tree.

This is their first Christmas tree so I was kind of worried. Lucy did try to climb it the first day, but luckily they haven't broken any ornaments. They do like to gently swat at them to hear the bells tinkling. Well, I guess they like the sound of the bells. Who knows with cats.

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Low Count and Reality Check

2009-11-29T17:08:00.005-06:00

Hope everyone in the U.S. enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. I was out of town for a few days and didn't return until late Saturday afternoon. My Project FeederWatch count days are Saturday and Sunday so I only had a couple of hours of daylight to count Saturday. The number of birds was way down despite the beautiful weather. The highlight Saturday was this White-breasted Nuthatch.

The only other birds I saw were a couple of House Finches, a lone Mourning Dove and an unidentified Hawk species. It flew into the "birdy" magnolia tree in the neighbor's yard. Wonder if that kept the birds away?

Today there was only a one hour period where the birds showed up in numbers, but I only saw an additional eight more species bringing the total number to 12 for the weekend. A picture of one of the Carolina Wrens that visited, then the total count list for the weekend.

Checklist for FeederWatch Missouri Birds

hawk sp. 1 Confirmed
Mourning Dove 4
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 4
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 2
Northern Cardinal 6
Common Grackle 15
House Finch 4 (0 with eye disease)

TOTAL 12 species / 46 individuals

Last week I "celebrated" a milestone birthday: 50. I have no problem with it. It's just a number, you know. But when I visited my Mom, she presented me with the mailing from AARP. I'm not a senior citizen; I am no where near retiring. So why do they have to send these to 50 year olds? Guess, like every other organization, they need the money.

What baffles me up is that they mailed it to my Mom's house. 300 miles away. I've never lived there. My name has never been linked to that address in any way. I think the AARP mail administrators must be senile.

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Grackle Mornings

2009-11-24T18:00:00.000-06:00

Second week of PFW wasn't as active as the first, but still a pretty good showing with 15 species and 58 individuals. The total individuals count was boosted by the 20 (or so) Common Grackles that showed up early Sunday morning.

Apparently there is a place about a mile from my house where the Grackles roost every night. When the sun starts to rise at about 6:30 you can hear them waking up and their calls start getting louder and louder. Eventually they take off and fly in the direction of my house. The noise they create is amazing as they disperse to wherever they go for the day. Sunday morning, they made a stop across the street at a neighbor's house. They were behind a tall fence so I couldn't gauge how many were there, but it had to be at least a couple hundred.

But about 20 of them stopped in my oak tree so I was able to count them for Project FeederWatch. I knew they were up there when the acorns started raining down! Good thing my patio is covered or it would have felt like a hail storm on my noggin.

Here's the total count for the weekend.

Project FeederWatch Count for Nov 21 & 22

Mourning Dove 5
Downy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 5
Carolina Chickadee 1
Tufted Titmouse 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
American Robin 3
Northern Mockingbird 1
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Northern Cardinal 6
Common Grackle 20
House Finch 6 (0 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch 1 (0 with eye disease)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow 1

Totals 15 Species / 58 Individuals

I didn't take any bird pictures, but it's been a while since I posted photos of the Lucy & Topaz. Not the best photo, but it sure shows how much Topaz (on the left) has grown over the past few months.

And she's not nearly as ornery as she appears here.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!!

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Great Start to Project FeederWatch

2009-11-15T20:21:00.004-06:00

Yesterday started my sixth season to count birds for Project FeederWatch and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. There were a total of 18 species to visit my feeder area at the new house. This is significantly more than seen at the apartment last year when I was lucky to see double digit species and the average was maybe six. The 18 species this weekend is even higher than seen during the last season at the old house.

What is even more amazing is the lack of birds that tend to commandeer the feeders such as house sparrows, grackles, starlings and house finches. I hope this continues throughout the winter, but I don't dare tempt fate. I'm sure it could change at a moment's notice as the weather changes.

The first day, Saturday, was beautiful with sun all day and temps in the upper 60's (F). Early there was a flurry of Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice coming to the feeders and taking seeds to stash around the yard.

Carolina Wren

Today was overcast and colder. Bird activity was very low in the morning but picked up in mid-afternoon. The larger birds noisily and furiously dominated the scene as the American Robins appeared to be defending their territory in the neighbor's magnolia tree from Blue Jays, a Mockingbird and Grackles.

Carolina Chickadee

The total count this weekend:

Mourning Dove 3
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 2
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 5
Carolina Wren 2
American Robin 12
Northern Mockingbird 1
White-throated Sparrow 4
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 9
Common Grackle 2
House Finch 4 (0 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch 1 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 2
Eurasian Tree Sparrow 3

TOTAL: 18 Species & 61 Individuals

Tufted Titmouse

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Signs of Fall

2009-10-10T19:08:00.006-05:00

The dog days of summer are definitely behind us here in St Louis. The temperature has fallen with an overnight low of 38 and it never got past the mid-50s today. The houseplants have been brought in. I wore a jacket while running errands today.

I finally caved in and closed the windows and turned on the heat in the house (for a short while.)

The days are shorter and shorter. I do appreciate the daylight saving time extension! The leaves are starting to change color. Do not appreciate (at least this time of year) the seven large trees in the yard that will be dropping those leaves soon.

The neighbor put up Halloween decorations today!

What really made it hit home for me today was my first seasonal sighting of the White-throated Sparrow! They are back for their winter vacation in the southern tropics. Huh? This wouldn't be my choice for a winter vacation but compared to staying in Canada, the White-throated Sparrows are making a wise move. I wasn't able to photograph the White-throats today, but here is a photo I took a couple of years ago:

The Dark-eyed Juncos can't be too far behind.

Of course, winter birds arriving also means the summer birds are heading south. There are still plenty of reports of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the area despite the cold temps. A St Louis birder (John Curran) posted this wonderful video of a hummer plumping up for its imminent migration: Golf Ball Sized Hummingbird
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Suet Cakes - The Real McCoy

2009-09-22T19:39:00.002-05:00

I've been making "suet" cakes for the birds for almost four years. The recipe consists of quick oats, cornmeal, flour and sugar combined with melted lard and peanut butter. The birds love it (as do the squirrels, of course.) The cakes attract woodpeckers, chickadees, jays, titmice, wrens, black birds, and I've even heard of cardinals and thrashers eating it. It's particular good to have around in the winter as a good source of fat to help the birds through cold periods and when other natural food sources aren't readily available.

I put "suet" in quotations because obviously there is no suet in the recipe. True suet cakes would be made with rendered beef suet (fat), but how many of you know of a grocery store that has beef suet in the meat case? It probably wouldn't be a big seller. So lard has become the standard substitute. I hear that even lard is hard to find in some areas of the country. [When did real pie crusts lose favor to those found in the freezer section?]

But my grocery store fortunately does carry lard. At least they always have. I went in to pick up a package tonight and it was no where to be found. I talked to the butcher in the meat department (where I always find it) and he said they changed suppliers and the new company doesn't carry it.

I'm thinking, this isn't good, what to do now, when I thought of beef suet. So I asked him if they had any in the back. He says that as they trim the meat, they toss it in the garbage, but he would go back and check. Sure enough, he had about 3/4 of a pound which would be enough for me.

This is when I had to shake my head and laugh. He brings it out to me in a package with a price tag on it ..... $0.69 a pound or $0.49 total. His logic was that it was half the price of what I would have paid for the lard, so he was giving me a deal for the inconvenience. And I'm thinking, "you're charging me for your garbage?" Does that make any sense? But I graciously accepted it and thanked him.

So I made REAL suet cakes for the first time and it was so easy to render the fat. If they look to be a hit with the birds, I will go back to the grocery store and negotiate a reasonable price to pay for the butcher's garbage.

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Another Eurasian Tree Sparrow Chaser

2009-09-20T21:49:00.003-05:00

I submitted the "Distinguished Visitor" post and the next night, there's another birder contacting me, hoping to see the Eurasian Tree Sparrow at my house. Phil was coming into St. Louis from Michigan for his college roommate's wedding and had some time to search for the ETS. That's so cool, so I told him he was more than welcome to park at my kitchen table for while.

Phil was here for about 30 minutes in the early afternoon during the "prime" ETS period. I had a really good feeling that he would see the bird because there was one at the feeder just as he pulled into my driveway. But it didn't happen.

Sounds like it was a fantastic wedding celebration as he had a couple of hours to kill between the first reception and the second reception so I told him to come back over. We watched, scanned, and talked for a while, but I had a bad feeling about it. I'd never seen the ETS this late in the day so I suggested we take a quick drive over to Creve Coeur Lake/Park where they are known to hang out.

We scoured a couple of places with no luck and then finally came upon a field where there were hundreds (if not thousands?) of sparrows. Every minute or so they would rise out of the field en masse. It was an awesome experience. Phil, as an experienced birder, must have been laughing at me because I have never seen such a sight. I think I giggled a couple of times.

But after watching for a while, the flock was obviously weighted heavily toward the House Sparrow. There were also some American Tree Sparrows, and I'm pretty sure others I couldn't identify, but definitely no ETSs. I guess my appointment as Eurasian Tree Sparrow Ambassador of St. Louis will be delayed until my track record improves!

I really wanted Phil to see the ETS, but birds are finicky. There are no guarantees. But if it is any consolation to Phil, his visit made my weekend. He may not be a big time government official, a financial wizard, or the director of a nature conservancy, but he is a VIP in my books. I learned a lot from him, such as:

Listen carefully to the sounds around you. Even if it is a mile away, you may still hear the bird calling. Birding is more than a visual experience.
Look closely. Phil saw so many birds in a tree right in front of me that I missed. Next time I look through my bins, I will take my time. I might even do a better job of keeping the lenses clean!
Know the habitat of the bird you are seeking. Know what it eats. Quit searching blindly. And when the much more experienced birder tells me that "maybe we should stop here" I will listen.
If you see an unfamiliar sparrow, quickly consider that it might be a female house sparrow. Otherwise, you might waste a lot of time. (This would be funny if you had been there. I just needed to put it in writing because his stories made me laugh.)
And beyond lessons learned, Phil helped me identify Bird #102 on my life list. I saw a warbler in the trees, pointed it out to him, and he knew exactly what it was: Black-throated Green Warbler!

If you're ever in search of the ETS, drop me a line. There are no guarantees, but I'll do what I can.

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Distinguished Visitor

2009-09-17T18:40:00.006-05:00

I'm not a big time birder. I don't go chasing zooties. I don't start a new list every year. I am very content to watch the birds in my backyard and see a few others here and there when convenient. I'm pleased that my life list has surpassed the 100 mark.

Nevertheless, I do follow the Missouri Bird List-Serve just to hear what birds are out there, to keep apprised of migration patterns, to learn more about birds, and to live vicariously through reading the adventures of the many experienced birders in Missouri.

Yesterday morning a request was posted on the list-serve. A gentleman from Canada would be in St Louis Thursday and Friday and he wanted to see a Eurasian Tree Sparrow (ETS). The ETS was introduced to St Louis in the late 1800's by European migrants. Unlike other introduced species, specifically the House Sparrow and European Starling, they bred here but never expanded very far out of the St Louis area. So any birder looking to add the ETS to their life list must visit St Louis.

Well, I have about a half dozen European Tree Sparrows everyday at my feeder during the lunch hour. I thought there would be a number of experienced birders offer to show him the bird, but what the heck, I'll offer an invitation myself. So I emailed him with the time I see the bird and a general idea of where I live. If that would be convenient, please email or phone me. It wasn't an hour later that the gentleman, Jim Coutts, called me. Thursday (today) he had a meeting until about noon but then he could have his driver bring him to my house at 12:30. Perfect, we had it arranged.

DRIVER???? Who is this Jim Coutts? Well of course I'm off to Google right away. Wikipedia has an entry on him. To summarize, Mr. Coutts was the top advisor (Principal Secretary) to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau from 1975 to 1981. Previously he had been an advisor to PM Lester Pearson. After he left politics, he was the founder, President and CEO of an investment capital firm. Other web entries pertaining to Mr. Coutts show that he is currently on the Board of Directors of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

OMG, this powerful man will be visiting my modest home to look at a bird. The pressure is on. I get home that night and clean the main rooms, mop floors, and meticulously clean the sliding glass doors that open to the patio and bird feeders. Don't need any cat paw prints to diminish the view!

The next morning at work he calls me for assurance that the ETS is still around. Yes, I saw them yesterday. So he confirmed that he would be at my house at 12:30. He arrives in a tasteful limousine and the impeccably dressed driver opens the doors for Jim and his colleague Debbie Casey. I invite them in and since there are no birds at the feeder, we take a step outside for a quick look around the area with our binoculars to see if any are in view. No, so I suggest we sit in the kitchen and wait. The ETS is a somewhat timid bird and won't come around humans.

So we're sitting at my kitchen table (in my modest home) making chit chat. I tell Jim & Debbie that the usual routine is that I walk into the kitchen and my reflection shoos the birds away. After 5 or 10 minutes they start to come back to the feeders: first the House Finches, then the Cardinals and MODOs, perhaps a Chickadee or two, and eventually the Eurasian Tree Sparrows are starting to feel less threatened and they return.

"Chit Chat, Chit Chat" for five minutes. No birds at all. Ten more minutes of small talk, no birds. I'm getting very nervous. I swore to him that the ETS is a regular at my feeders! Terrible thoughts go through my head. Maybe the squirrels are being aggressive and keeping the birds away. Maybe there's a hawk out there looking for lunch. Did the neighbor finally decide to fill his feeders and the birds went there? Dang! Where are the birds?

So I tell Jim & Debbie that I'm going to check out the view from different windows in the house; keep looking from the kitchen. And as I'm in a back room, I hear them get excited about a bird at the feeder. I come back in for a look ... it's a House Finch. But that's a good sign. At least a bird is at the feeders.

Sure enough, the finches start coming in one by one. The Mourning Doves arrive. A chickadee. And FINALLY, the Eurasian Tree Sparrow!

[Inaudible] sigh of relief from me! And over the next 15 minutes or so, more and more ETS's arrived. They are a flighty little bird and don't stay very long at a time, but Jim insisted that he got at least one good photograph of an ETS. I do hope that is true.

Here's a picture of the target bird that I took a couple of years ago.

And for the gentleman Jim Coutts, the ETS was Bird #713 to check off on the ABA (American Birding Association) checklist. That is an awesome accomplishment that very few attain. I may be a novice/backyard birdwatcher, but I do know it is an achievement to be proud of. And I'm honored to have played a small part.

Congratulations, Jim.

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Family Reunion 2009

2009-09-13T21:55:00.002-05:00

I feel fortunate to have a very close family, not only my immediate family, but my extended family including cousins and their children and their children's children. Wow, as much as I love to see the young ones, it reminds me that I'm no longer the young 'un!

This weekend was the annual reunion for my Dad's side of the family. My grandparents Leo & Rudina Klarer (long deceased) had 8 children and only one still survives, my Aunt Rita. And there are two daughters-in-law from that generation: my Mom and my Uncle Bill's wife, Rita. Grandchildren total 22. Great-grandchildren 36. Great Great Grandchildren (to date) 8. Not counting spouses, that's a total of 69? And the attendance at the Reunion was close to 60. Not a bad showing.

I feel horrible that I only took a couple pictures. Here's the best of the day (I'm embarrassed!)

But what can I say? As Lyle Lovett writes in his song "Family Reserve":

So mama don't you make such a stir
Just put down that camera
And come on and join up
The last of the family reserve

And that's what I did. Put down the camera and spent the whole day enjoying my family. And I have one of the best!

It was a Red-Bellied Woodpecker!

2009-09-03T19:42:00.002-05:00

I was back to work today feeling marginally better, but since I wasn't contagious, there was no way I could stay out another day. I did make it home for lunch and once again heard the familiar call of the Red-Belly that did it's best to stay out of view.

I was walking out the door to return to the office, looked at the feeders on the patio, and lo & behold, there he was on the platform. Looks to be a juvenile male. He stuck around and I was able to get this half-way decent photograph. Then he flew off for a brief tiff with a Downy Woodpecker on the telephone pole before he went on his merry way.

Hopefully this is a good sign for a very birdy 2009-10 Project FeederWatch (start date 11/14/09).

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Sick Day

2009-09-02T18:33:00.004-05:00

Sure-fire way to get in to see your doctor that day .... tell them you have flu-like symptoms. Almost guaranteed to work with the H1N1 scare going around. I've been sick since Sunday and started worrying that maybe I did have the flu and heaven forbid it would be the swine-flu. My entire family was in town last weekend so I called around to make sure no one else was sick and happily no one was.

I called in sick to work this morning and made an appointment with the doctor. Luckily it wasn't the flu, but some sort of bronchial infection or something. All I know is that I'm on meds and should be feeling better soon.

There is an upside to being sick. I got to watch the birds at the feeders today, although I spent most of the day at the doctors, pharmacy or sleeping.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of birds. There was a constant stream of House Finches, Cardinals, a pair of Carolina Chickadees, a number of Mourning Doves, about 15 Grackles, and half a dozen Eurasian Tree Sparrows (a refined house sparrow that was introduced to St Louis a 100 years ago.) I also saw out and about a pair of Flickers, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers, a few Starlings, and a Blue Jay.

I know I heard a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, but it never came into view.

All in all a good day despite being sick. I didn't take many pictures, but here are a couple.

House Finch

Carolina Chickadee

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Bird #101

2009-08-16T21:06:00.002-05:00

I was sitting on the patio last week as the sun was starting to set. I saw what I thought was a house finch on the neighbor's fence, but something about it told me it was different. I put the bins on it and realized it was different. It sat on the fence and would fly up to catch bugs over and over. Then it flew to the overhead lines and sat there with its mouth wide open .... guess the bugs were flying right into its mouth! I also noticed the bright yellow lining of its mouth that must be its way of attracting the bugs.

A few months ago I bought the iBird field guide for my iPhone. Actually, it is "WhatBird" for the iPhone. I love it! (Can we say "i Geek") Anyway, I entered a few parameters, came up with several possibilities, but knew right away it was an Eastern Wood Pewee. YaHoo! 101 on my life list.

Photo below is not my own. Photo courtesy of "All About Birds"

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Landscaping at the New House

2009-08-14T19:51:00.003-05:00

One of the (many) things I like about my new home is the nice landscaping along the front of the house and side yard. And there are lots of healthy trees, although I paid a nice sum this week to have just three of them trimmed up. Ah, the joys of home ownership. But because of the trees most of the plants are early bloomers. There is very little full or even partial sun throughout most of the yard.

And even though I like what is planted, I doubt any of them are my favored native plants that provide benefits to wildlife such as birds and butterflies. There are a few berry shrubs, but that's about the limit of it.

Another "negative" is the decent slope at the west side of the lot. It doesn't look like much of a slope, but try mowing next to the fence line. It takes a lot to control the mower and keep it from sliding and taking out the fence.

So after struggling a few times, I thought about it. I don't like mowing over here. And this area of the yard gets the best sun. Hmm, this might be the best location for native landscaping! A couple of weeks ago, I placed a 3' wide strip of black plastic over it and pinned it down. In a couple of months, the grass should be killed off.

It will be too late to start planting (I think?) but at least I'll have the garden started. This Fall I can till the soil and perhaps put up a stone border in preparation for Spring planting.

It's so wonderful to be back to home ownership!

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Topaz

2009-08-04T19:23:00.004-05:00

My cat Lucy is such a sweetheart. She's not one you can hold for more than about 10 seconds, but she does love people and sticks close by you. So close that she is constantly underfoot when you least expect it. My sister was visiting a few weeks ago and stepped right on her, to which Lucy's reply was to bite her. I felt so bad for MB & Lucy. The next week, I must have stepped on Lucy three times.

And now that I'm at the house, I spend a lot of time outdoors while Lucy sits at the door staring out at me, lonely.

So I get the notion that maybe Lucy needs a friend to run with and keep her occupied. I thought about it a while and finally decided I had to adopt another cat. I wanted a cat about one to two years old since Lucy is 18 months. I didn't want a kitten. As cute as they are, I'm not sure I can deal with the energy level any more.

But when I get to the Humane Society, the only cats they have are older cats or kittens. I knew that an older cat that is less active wouldn't be a good choice. And how can you not look at a kitten and want to take it home. I saw "Teko" and knew she was the one. The other kittens were just too wild while "Teko" seemed a bit more laid back. Plus, I love "blue" furred cats.

After I got her home, I let her explore a while and meet Lucy. Of course, Lucy wasn't too happy at first but by the next morning things were working out great. Lucy finally has a friend she can run with. I wanted to change "Teko" to a name more suitable and to my liking. I saw those golden brown eyes and decided on Topaz, my birthstone.

Nine days later everyone is happy with only a few spats here and there.

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Is it raining where you are?

2009-07-29T20:13:00.004-05:00

For the first year since I've been in Missouri, the amount of rain has been just about right. I know others around the country are complaining about too much rain. Other areas not enough.

Whichever way the rain is falling (or not) where you are, you might enjoy this. I don't know where it originated. Let me know if you do.

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Birds at Feeder - YES!

2009-07-28T18:13:00.005-05:00

It just took a little patience and the birds have found my feeders. House finches dominate the feeders, but I have also seen house sparrows, cardinals and mourning doves. This morning a bright yellow goldfinch wanted to approach, but I was sitting outside enjoying coffee before work and scared him off. At least he knows the kitchen is open.

House Finches & Cardinal

House Finch

The biggest thrill came Saturday morning when I saw a solid gray bird approach the sunflower feeder. It quickly flew off before I could positively ID it, but I thought I knew what it was. I sat patiently, camera in hand and ready to shoot. Just as I thought, it was a Tufted Titmouse. It came back a couple more times and gave me good photo ops.

Tufted Titmouse

It has probably been three years since I've seen one, other than at my Mom's house in Louisville. Of course, she has a great location for seeing birds as her small back yard backs up to a protected creek with lots of trees and snags. She even has a Pileated Woodpecker flying through her backyard! I was lucky enough to see it when I visited the weekend before last.

Tufted Titmouse

Lucy is enjoying the new house with a lot more room to run around. But she still wonders why she has to view the wildlife from inside. Sorry little one. That's just the way it has to be :(

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"Bring 'em Closer"

2009-07-14T19:14:00.004-05:00

I took the plunge and bought a 2x teleconverter for my Canon DSLR. I bought a generic model for less than half the price of the Canon model. I wasn't sure that twice the price would be worth it so I started at the low end of the price range.

My telescopic lens has a 75 to 300 mm focal length, so this little baby will double it. This first picture is taken at the 75 mm length without the teleconverter. The red truck is about 150 feet away (although I am terrible at judging distances, but close enough.)

And this is with the teleconverter at 75mm focal length. Not too shabby. And it's lovely that the camera's auto-focus works just fine at this length. Actually, it's based more on aperture size, as I learn later on. At this focal length, the aperture wide open is 4. At a longer focal length, the maximum aperture value is 5.6. The teleconverter only auto-focuses at aperture values of 4.0 or "less".

So I took another picture at 300mm without the teleconverter. Works great for large objects, but my favorite subject is birds, not vehicles.

And with the teleconverter, this is the result.

Notice the lack of sharpness in the picture? Three issues. The first is that auto-focus doesn't work with the teleconverter at the longer focal length because the aperture size is smaller. So the lens has to be focused manually. That's not such a bad thing according to a photography instructor I learned from. He thinks it is better than relying on auto focus.

The second issue is the ability to keep the camera very very steady as you are shooting. This can be accomplished through not moving at all (yeah, right) or using a tripod and/or remote shutter release. In a lot of situations, I could live with that, but when you are photographing birds that move around quickly, I find a tripod to be a hindrance. Plus, if you have to manually focus, even if it takes just a second, the shot can be blown.

Finally, my lens doesn't have image stabilization which would correct some of the blur. My dream lens is one with image stabilization and up to a 400mm focal length. I don't think I'll be getting one of those very soon. The price is way more than the Canon DSLR camera itself cost.

So, while I'm glad I have it, I see that it will take a lot of practice and patience to take decent pictures with the teleconverter. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some "incredible" pictures soon.

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Bird Envy

2009-07-12T19:04:00.004-05:00

It appears that the fellow two doors up from me has a monopoly on the birds. There are always birds at his feeders including lots of house finches, goldfinches, chickadees. Since my feeders have been up, I've had a rare pair of cardinals and one lone house finch with conjunctivitis. One of these days, I'm sure they will find their way over.

At least my fence looks much better than his !

This picture reminds me how badly I want an extender for my camera lens. I was thinking about it this morning and realized that I've made all the purchases planned for the house, and am way under budget. I was going to put the rest of it back into savings. I've done more than my fair share of stimulating the economy. Hmmm, maybe I'll hold a little back for a new toy.

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Life Bird #100 !!!

2009-07-05T18:28:00.003-05:00

And what a majestic bird it is: the GREAT BLUE HERON. It is a year-round resident in Missouri. Fish is its primary diet and this 38" to 54" bird is found in a marsh habitat. Wingspan is anywhere from 66" to 79".

I've seen this particular bird in a small pond near my home. It can usually be found standing on a rock in the pond looking for fish. In this picture, it is fishing from the edge of the pond.

I was getting ready to leave when it took flight! While it's not the best picture, I was thrilled to catch it in flight about to land on its favorite rock.

Thanks to my BOAF friends for ID confirmation and All About Birds for detailed information.
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Chicken Little Update

2009-07-04T18:49:00.002-05:00

Oh yes, it's a chicken. I saw the neighbor outside so I walked down the street and asked him. He said someone gave it to him so he has a chicken. He couldn't tell me if she has frizzle in her (as a friend suggested to me). It's just a chicken. And it's about one month old. He feeds it and lets it wander around the yard and it sleeps in the shed at night. He's Russian or Bosnian or some eastern European nationality, I think. And he has a chicken.

He also has a cute little girl. I saw her in the window.

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Chicken Little ???

2009-07-02T19:13:00.004-05:00

It's been a long time since I've seen a chicken in its fancy clothes. The last time I saw a chicken it was wearing an egg/flour coat and sitting in a bucket. So I'm driving down the street, look over, and there is this chicken-like bird strutting around in a neighbor's yard.

I took these pictures (unfortunately they aren't very clear) because I couldn't figure out what this strange bird was. I am still confounded, but I swear it looks like a chicken. I never see it fly so I'm guessing clipped wings. It walks like I would imagine a chicken would walk. Do you think the kids got chicks at Easter?

I'm hoping to see a person outside the house so I can ask them what it is. In the meantime, what do you think?

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Where's Waldo

2009-07-01T21:11:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting on my patio, enjoying the break in the horrific heat wave that had beset St Louis for the past week, when I heard this bird calling out over and over. I knew it was coming from the tree in front of me, but couldn't see it. Do you see the bird?

Finally, I could see the fluttering of wings ... it was a baby Robin. Look to the left side of the picture on the tree trunk.

He was screaming and screaming with no adults coming his way to feed him. But he did get around quite well despite his inability to fly. He left the tree and then hopped over to the patio. Wasn't happy there, so he spent a lot of time in the vinca.

He definitely has a good set of lungs. I never saw an adult come his way to feed him, but I do believe I heard him the next morning. Hopefully that's a good sign that he is on his way to becoming an adult bird.

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Coopers Hawk - TOO Up Close

2009-06-25T20:24:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, the adult Coopers Hawk I saw up close was deceased. I looked out to the side yard and saw him crumpled up and humbled. It didn't appear that he had any physical injuries, although a MO-Birder has suggested that he could have had a broken neck due to a collision. Another suggestion was West Nile Virus. I'll never know, but it was sad to see such a beautiful bird grounded. I won't post the pictures here, but they can be viewed at my SmugMug album.

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Apartment Ups and Downs

2009-06-14T19:23:00.003-05:00

I've been thinking about apartment life and realized there's not much I will miss. The best I can say is that it was great to have free maintenance on hand. Bathtub clogged with hair? Sink backs up? Just call and they will take care of it ASAP. Raccoon nearly busts through your closet ceiling? (Yes, that actually happened one night.) Nothing for me to worry about. I suppose the pool was a nice perk. I was there quite a bit last summer. Other than that, I am only grateful that I was able to find a decent place to live until I was able to become a homeowner once again.

I can list quite a few things that weren't to my liking, but the number one problem, at least with my unit, was the STAIRS! 35 steps up from the parking lot to my front door. And 52 paces total including the landings between stairs. And once inside the apartment, another 15 steps up to the bedroom.

Looking Down

Looking Up

On a day to day basis, it wasn't so bad. But you quickly learned that a trip to the grocery store meant buying ONLY what you needed at the time. You do anything to minimize trips up and down the steps lugging bags and packages that weigh you down.

A small ranch home is sounding better all the time.

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Chipmunk

2009-06-08T18:03:00.000-05:00

The birds found the feeders, and of course the squirrels, but how in the world did this little chipmunk know that there was food three stories up?

He found the suet cake and returned over and over to gorge himself. I wonder what the capacity of those cheeks is.

Evidently, he thinks it's quite a lot. Here he is trying to take off with the entire suet cake, but just couldn't handle it.

On another note, in anticipation of the move I've been collecting boxes. Although I do not look forward to packing once again:( But anyway, Lucy has to check out each and every one of them. If she's not careful, she'll move to the new house in the moving van instead of my car in her carrier.

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Could this be #32 on the apartment list?

2009-06-04T19:42:00.003-05:00

After work tonight, I looked out and saw this Hawk sitting on the antenna atop the office building. That antenna really does attract a lot of birds! But of course, it is extremely difficult to get a clear view at that distance with my bins and camera. Based on the field marks I saw, I am almost certain this is a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. [Feel free to offer an opinion if you disagree!]

I wish the hawk would have turned to give me a view from a different angle, specifically a look at its tail, but it wasn't going to happen. The only movement I saw in half an hour was when an American Crow swooped at him, causing him to ruffle his feathers.

The feeder birds were tenuous about being in the open with a predator hanging around, but after he continued to maintain his position, they dared to venture over for a bite to eat. This Common Grackle must have a mate and babies on a nest. He came over time and time again to fill his beak with sunflower hearts and fly off with them.

I had business to tend to and left with the RT Hawk still on his perch. An hour or so later when I returned, I saw a huge hawk flying low over the road as I was turning into the apartment complex. It had to be the same hawk based on the markings on his chest & belly. Wonder if he was able to catch dinner?

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Cease Lease Please

2009-06-02T17:53:00.002-05:00

If it wasn't for the dang lease on the apartment, I could be in the new home by now. Patience, Amy. It will happen soon enough. In the meantime, I wish I could at least add more birds to the apartment bird list as a reward for my patience. The list is only up to 31 with the latest addition being the Barn Swallows swooping through the air gleaning insects. I've seen them plenty of times before, but have never been able to positively identify them until the close-up views of late.

I also had a closer view of the Green Heron this morning. He landed on the power lines and sat still long enough for a decent photo.

Lucy is still trying to keep the squirrels at bay, but they usually ignore her. I do appreciate her continued attempts even though most times the squirrels realize she won't get to them. The element of surprise does the trick, though, every once in a while.

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Happy Birthday, Pops!

Starling Update

2009-05-20T17:27:00.003-05:00

Good News! The metal plate has been removed and there is still activity in the Starling nest. There must be another bird lover in my building. Starlings may not be the most desirable birds, but what Critter Control did was cruelty to animals and unacceptable.

Now we have the raucous screaming fledglings to look forward to! Maybe I will have moved before they leave the nest. :)

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European Starlings Trapped

2009-05-19T18:19:00.004-05:00

Last month I turned in but heard a horrible racket up in the attic. Animals were running back and forth at a frantic pace and then I heard a strange noise in close range. I looked into my walk-in closet and the access panel to the attic was cracked in half. I reported it to the apartment management and they said it was probably raccoons and Critter Control would be sent out. They've been out here regularly since and I saw one of them today and asked if they had caught any raccoons .... yes, 4 or 5. The guy was patching up a hole above the garage where I knew European Starlings were nesting. I asked him if he removed the nest and he said that they all flew out.

Guess not. I came home tonight and a Starling Mom or Dad was at the metal covered opening with food looking frantic. I could hear the babies screaming inside, trapped. I guess most people would say good riddance since they are an invasive species and not protected. But it saddens my bleeding heart. I feel so sorry for any suffering creature. I guess they will be in birdy heaven by the morning with no food or ventilation. They had to be too young to survive in any event.

Starling on the Balcony

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Apartment Bird #30

2009-05-17T19:11:00.003-05:00

I made it to 30: a Brown Thrasher popped in for a few seconds then was off again.

Blue Jay on the Balcony

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Downy Woodpecker vs. House Sparrow

2009-05-15T20:58:00.004-05:00

Occasionally a Downy Woodpecker will show up on the balcony to see what's available, but not often. After a long absence, this fellow made an appearance tonight and really really wanted to go at the homemade suet. Unfortunately, he was up against this aggressive house sparrow and they fought it out beak and claw. The Downy held his own!

But something about this Downy looks different. Notice that he has the red feathers on his head, but they don't appear to be completely filled in. Is he a juvenile? Isn't it too early for fledgling DOWO's in the Midwest? Or perhaps his feathers are just ruffled because of the altercation with the HOSP? What do you think? (Click on any photo for a larger view.)

Sorry about the poor quality of the photos. No matter how good your camera may be, it's difficult to shoot through [dirty] double-paned glass plus a screen :(

No matter, it was a good show and I'm happy the Downy fought off the HOSP as best he could. If you have an opinion, please feel free to leave it in the comments section.

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Goldfinches & Apt List Grows

2009-05-10T18:51:00.002-05:00

It was dreary and overcast all day, but the presence of American Goldfinches in their full breeding plumage goes a long way to brighten the view. Until this weekend, I have seen one Goldfinch pair, when they were seen. Today, at least five showed up to the thistle feeder and they came back over and over throughout the day.

American Goldfinches

I added TWO new birds to my apartment bird list today. The Swainson's Thrush pictured below is migratory in Missouri. It was foraging in the parking lot and shrubs outside my apartment.

The other I saw is also migratory and a real surprise to see. An American White Pelican was circling the area and looked like it might have flown to the man-made pond on the other side of the building. I was talking to my Mom & wishing her a Happy Mother's Day at the time so I couldn't walk/drive over there to see it close up, if in fact it did land over there.

So my apartment list is now up to 29. Still time to reach the 30-bird mark before I move.

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Apartment Bird List

2009-05-09T21:46:00.003-05:00

As my move to the new house rapidly approaches, I've been thinking about all the birds that I've seen here at the apartment, whether at the feeders or in the immediate area. I was surprised that there were a total of 27 including one life bird: the Great-horned Owls that were courting on the office building roof late one night.

One bird on the non-feeder list was the Common Grackle. That really surprised me since they are so, well, "common" and at the old house they were reliable feeder visitors. The bird deities must have been listening because right on cue I looked up and there was a grackle on the railing! He came back to the platform feeder a couple more times, but I could never get a photograph.

Here's my apartment list, and pictures of a couple birds seen today.

Feeder/Balcony Birds

House Sparrow (daily)
Song Sparrow (often)
White-throated Sparrow (common in Winter)
Dark-eyed Junco (common in Winter)
House Finch (daily)
American Goldfinch (off and on .... regular right now)
Carolina Chickadee (fairly common)
Mourning Dove (daily)
Northern Cardinal (daily)
Northern Mockingbird (common now that the home-made suet is out)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (migrant ... only once so far)
Downy Woodpecker (used to be regular, rarely seen now)
Northern Flicker (showed up a couple times)
Blue Jay (rare)
European Starling (common now that the home-made suet is out)
Brown-headed Cowbird (rare, maybe twice)
Common Grackle (rare, just once so far)
American Robin (big flock last Fall, but now every once in a while)
Cedar Waxwing (big flock last Fall)
Sharp-shinned Hawk (half a dozen times)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (last Summer, and a couple times this Spring, so far)

Non-feeder Birds

American Crow
Rock Pigeon
Canada Goose
Green Heron
Mallard
Great-horned Owl

Chickadee

Cardinal with feathers fluffed up

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Spring Migration

2009-05-08T21:15:00.000-05:00

I didn't expect to see many migrants here at the apartment, but I've heard a lot of songs that are somewhat familiar from past Springs at the house. It's just hard to pick them out in the trees and bushes. Generally, the migrants don't come to feeders. So I was so excited last night when I saw this female Rose-breasted Grosbeak on the feeders.

I kept waiting for the male to show up. The female is a beautiful bird in her own right, but I just love the bold coloring of the male. I kept checking the feeders, but only the "usuals" were coming around. But as I was watching, I noticed a House Finch with wings all a-flutter begging to be fed. A Baby! house finch. Too cute with the downy tufts atop its head.

Not much later, my patience paid off! The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak showed up. He didn't stick around long .... I'm guessing he kept seeing movement behind the glass doors while I was trying to take pictures. This is the best I got through sunny reflections on the dirty door.

Migration will be over by the time I close on the house, but I'm looking forward to the move. The yard has several mature trees and lots of pretty flowers currently in bloom. I hope it will be a good bird environment.

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Pileated Woodpecker!

2009-04-27T19:23:00.005-05:00

An acquaintance from a bird group I belong to is a bird bander in the Washington, DC area. Last weekend he banded a Pileated Woodpecker and shared photos of the bird as he was holding it. I lamented to the group, once again, that I had never seen a Pileated. Another member of the group from the St Louis area told me about a sure-fire place to find one just 20 miles to the south of here.

I had business out of the office early this afternoon so I thought, what the heck, I'll just take the entire afternoon off and look for it after my meeting. It had been raining off and on all day, but I really wanted to see one to add to my life list so I took a chance.

I wandered around the park in the drizzling rain for about half an hour when I heard one and then saw it. I couldn't get a photograph because of the nasty weather and the fact that it was up high in the trees. Didn't care though ...... I had finally seen a Pileated Woodpecker!

I was happily driving out of the park when I looked over and saw it again. This time it was low on the tree trunk. I turned around, parked and grabbed my camera. He cooperated and I was able to get a couple of decent shots as he flew from tree to tree. What an awesome sight.

I can't wait to go back on a decent sunny day with my good camera.

Thank you, Angel!

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FOY Hummingbird

2009-04-25T20:27:00.003-05:00

Today I saw my first Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the year! Since 2005, this is the earliest I have seen the first of the year. Previous earliest date was May 5th. Today's hummer was a beautiful male.

I was able to capture the shimmer of his gorget, but unfortunately it was through double-paned glass and a screen. Is it just me, or do you also seem to think the gorget is more orange-colored than ruby?

Other birds visiting the feeders today were the usual house sparrows, house finches, cardinals, mourning doves, starlings, and the lone mockingbird.

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Rooftop Birdwatching

2009-04-19T21:09:00.003-05:00

The past few days I've seen quite a few birds up on the roof of the office building across the way. Canada Geese are quite common around here with the pond on the opposite side of the building, but they rose to new heights early Friday morning, spending time on the roof strutting about.

Right before the geese landed on the roof, I saw this Green Heron on the railing. Now that is an unusual bird. I'm not sure what attracts them to this suburban location, other than the pond, and I have only seen one here just once in the past. The day I moved in last July, one landed on the apartment roof just above me. The Green Heron is not a year-round resident in Missouri, but they do breed here. Wonder if the one I saw Friday was the same from last year returning to a familiar location?

The next bird was seen yesterday and is the one that makes me really want a lens extender for my camera (the pictures were severely cropped). If I wasn't about to purchase a house, I probably would have forked out the money this weekend. When I first saw the bird fly to the roof, my first thought was an oddly colored Rock Pigeon because of its size and flight pattern. Without a clear picture, I wasn't 100% comfortable with that ID and asked some on-line birders what they thought. Most concurred with the Rock Pigeon ID, although a couple suggested a Ringed Turtle Dove or another type of dove bred for the white coloring. It's a possibility, and I won't rule it out, but it would have to be a domesticated bird that had escaped or was let loose irresponsibly. A leucistic Rock Pigeon is more likely.

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A Perfect Spring Day

2009-04-11T20:54:00.005-05:00

While I am anxiously going through the due diligence required to finalize the contract on the house, I thought I'd spend some time walking through the neighborhood. You've seen the view of the office building from the apartment, and it's not all that attractive. This is the front side of the office building showing the man-made pond with fountain. It attracts lots of Canada Geese and I also saw one Mallard today.

Grazing geese. There are about five buildings in the complex and management does a great landscaping job. Lots of flowers in bloom and the trees are budding out. But other than the geese and lone mallard, the only bird on the grounds looked to be a robin or two.

Canada Goose wondering why I am following him.

Spring blooms.

Canada Goose on the pond.

The setting sun highlights the fountain.

Side note: Congratulations to the Lady Cardinals for a fantastic season. You may not have won the last game on the court, but you are champions to all your fans. And congratulations to Angel McCoughtry for being the #1 pick of the WNBA draft.

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Go Lady Cards!

2009-04-05T20:17:00.006-05:00

Woo Hoo!!!!

The Lady Cards have advanced to the NCAA Championship Game in St Louis. Who'd have thought it. And as our star, Angel McCoughtry said, the Lady Cards are a team without a high school All-American. They may not have the talent of the players of a UConn, Oklahoma, Stanford, or Tennessee, but they work hard and play the game drawn up by Jeff Walz, and get it done.

So who will they be playing Tuesday night???? The overwhelming favorite is UConn, a team that beat them twice in the regular season. But whether it's UConn or Stanford, it's a new game and the Louisville Cardinal Fans will be behind the Ladies all the way!

GO CARDS!

Update:
YIKES ... it will UConn and arrogant Geno. I guess anything is possible, but dang, they are tough. Yet still I have to say:

GO CARDS!

Offer Accepted

2009-04-02T21:45:00.004-05:00

Sweet! I have a contract on a house. As soon as I jump through all the hoops of inspections, financing and all the other necessities of home purchase, Birdscapes will be back in business and moving away from this temporary, but self-imposed (with good reason), apartment lifestyle.

The house I intend to purchase has a nice yard with decent landscaping, but I can't wait to add my touch to it with native plants that will attract birds and butterflies. The location of the house is very similar to my original Birdscapes location so I am hopeful that I will have a lot of birds.

PFW - Last Weekend Count

2009-03-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

Very strange weather this weekend. It ran the gamut from flip-flops Friday to snow boots Sunday. Pretty much all of the typical birds showed up at the feeders, but even though it was the last weekend to count for Project FeederWatch, I didn't maintain a list. My focus was concentrated on the Louisville Cardinals basketball teams.

The games started out great with both the men and women winning the first games, but unfortunately, the men didn't advance to the Final Four. They had a great season, but just couldn't get it going today against Michigan State. The women play tomorrow night. Maybe they'll make it to the Final Four which will be here in St Louis! If they make it, I'll have to find tickets.

Even though the guys lost, it was still a great weekend since I had friends and family in from Louisville to watch the games and have a fun. We decked up the apartment with banners, balloons, and pom-poms, and everyone was decked out in their Louisville Cardinals gear with pride.

On a bright note, I found what looks to be the perfect house last week and I made an offer on it today! I don't want to jinx it, so more to come later if the seller and I can reach an agreement. Wish me luck.

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PFW - Week 20: Hummingbirds Heading North

2009-03-22T20:41:00.005-05:00

Spring is finally here so the hummingbirds will be here soon too. hummingbirds.net tracks the spring migration and it looks like the Ruby-throats have made it to Arkansas and southwest Tennessee this weekend.

NOTE on 4/11/09: This map has been updated since I originally posted it so you can see how much further north the hummingbirds have made it. To see the progress to the east, click the map to open in a separate window. They are showing up all around St. Louis, but I still haven't had one visit here.

I didn't watch birds much this weekend, but instead decided it was a good weekend for house hunting. It's a little early, but I did stop by Ace Hardware to pick up a hummer feeder. You never know when an early migrant will show up.

The count for the weekend:

Mourning Dove 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 7
Song Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 4 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 3

And March Madness is going well for the Louisville Cardinals. They have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen after close games with Morehead State (through the early part of the 2nd half) and Siena. The Cardiac Cards always keep it exciting. The Lady Cards, as a #3 seed, are playing their first game tonight against Liberty.

Go Cards!

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PFW - Week 19: Otherwise Distracted

2009-03-15T19:15:00.006-05:00

March Madness has begun so I didn't have much time to look at the feeders, but overall the count was decent.

Mourning Dove 2
Carolina Chickadee 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 10
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 4 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 4

Now onto the most exciting news: my Louisville Cardinals were selected as the overall number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament after winning the Big East Conference outright, and outlasting a very tough Syracuse team to win the Big East Conference tournament last night. My hat's off to Syracuse that hung through six overtimes Thursday night to oust a great UConn team.

"Sadly" the Big Blue Nation is calling for Billy Gillispie's head as the University of Kentucky missed the tournament for the first time in 17 years! I shouldn't be so gleeful, but UofK fans get under my skin with their "little brother" comments toward Louisville. It is a great rivalry so I expect attitude and just ignore it as much as I can. And this year it is so much easier!

Up next: the Women's field is set tomorrow night. Will the Louisville Lady Cards get a #1 seed as well? A #2 seed would be good.

Go Cards!

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PFW - Week 18: March comes in like a lion

2009-03-08T18:24:00.019-05:00

March is living up to its reputation with wind gusts up to 30 MPH this morning and afternoon. For the most part, the birds must have been hunkering down in a sheltered place. Only the Starlings were determined to brave the gales for the suet cake, but more times than not they had to give up.

Are you wondering why the pole and feeders didn't tumble over? Well, Weebles wobble but they don't fall down! NO, that's not it. Bungee cords. I secured the pole a couple of months ago after it did topple.

Despite the high winds, there was still a decent showing of birds throughout this weekend's count.

Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 3
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 5
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 6
Northern Cardinal 1
House Finch 4 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 3

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Birdscapes has been blogged

2009-03-05T18:23:00.004-06:00

The English Clergyman over at "The Thinking Grounds" came upon Birdscapes while checking out other blogs and it caught his attention. I have to thank him for the kind words and it would be great if all two of my loyal readers would jump over there to see what he has to say. I'm flattered that a young, intelligent, Canadian male would take an interest ;)

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Good vs Evil

2009-03-04T17:58:00.002-06:00

My suet feeder filled with the homemade "suet" cake that is known to be a bird magnet around the country (ask anyone else on PFW) has largely been untouched all winter except when an occasional (rare) Downy Woodpecker shows up. That has changed I'm happy to say! A Northern Mockingbird has finally discovered it. That's the Good.

Northern Mockingbird

The flip side is that the "evil" starlings (or as a friend has so aptly named them the "snarlings") have also been enticed to the suet feeder. UGH!

European Starling (through the vertical blinds & a screen)

It's not that I categorically do not like starlings. They are great parents (very attentive to the young ones) and they are pretty cool looking. But when a starling arrives, it brings ALL of his aunts, uncles, cousins, friends. And just like in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" they all talk at once and have to be heard. What a racket! At least in "MBFGW" the characters have charm. Starlings are simply obnoxious in a crowd.

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PFW - Week 17: Happy Bird Days

2009-03-01T20:10:00.004-06:00

Saturday morning, as I was brewing the coffee, Lucy created her own blind to hide behind for bird watching. Bird activity at the feeders was finally up, at least between 7:00 and 10:00.

Friday night, my Mom called all excited to tell me about the three Flickers that showed up at her feeder that day. She must have brought me good luck as a Northern Flicker also showed up here. I had only seen one once before and that was the first weekend of PFW. Later in the day, a Downy Woodpecker after a long absence.

Northern Flicker

Downy Woodpecker

American Robins are in the area quite often, but I've never had one visit the feeder area for the purpose of eating until Saturday morning. I had crumbled an older suet cake made of, among other things, peanut butter and raisins. One or two Robins showed up throughout the day to feed upon it. Remembering how much they enjoy raisins from my days at the house, today I placed some on the railing and the Robin continued to come back.

American Robin

Another rare visitor also stopped by for a while. The American Goldfinches are getting brighter and brighter ....... Spring will be here soon! Another sign of Spring .... the Cardinals continue to sing throughout the day.

American Goldfinch

Northern Cardinal

Full weekend count for Project FeederWatch:

Mourning Dove 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
American Robin 2
European Starling 1
White-throated Sparrow 6
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 6 (1 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch 1 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 7

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PFW - Week 16: Snow & Birds

2009-02-22T20:39:00.004-06:00

Saturday morning it was snowing between 7:00 and 8:00 which brought in more birds than I've seen in a while. Once the snow stopped and the sun came out, bird activity declined once again. But you know, even though it's only February, I am yearning more and more for Spring. This cold weather is growing old. Tulips and daffodils in bloom are being reported to the south so hopefully Spring is not too far off for St Louis.

Bird numbers weren't great as has been the case here, but I did have seven different species including the two winter birds: White-throated Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco. And a pair of Mourning Doves has started to come around on regular basis this past week or so.

Mourning Dove 2
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 2 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 3

Mourning Doves

White-throated Sparrow

Lucy & the Squirrel

If there are any typos in this post ..... it's Lucy's fault!

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PFW - Week 15: Other Things To Do This Weekend

2009-02-16T19:04:00.002-06:00

Not only did I skip Project FeederWatch this weekend, I also missed the Great Backyard Bird Count. But I had to take advantage of the long weekend to visit family and cheer on the Louisville Cardinals Men's basketball team in person. Louisville routed DePaul 99-54. The team seemed to be having a lot more fun yesterday after being routed by Notre Dame last Thursday. It was certainly a lot more fun for me and the rest of the fans.

GO CARDS!

Earl Clark #5

Louisville Scores !!!

Another Louisville Basket
(#21 Jared Swopshire / Hometown: St Louis)

PFW - Week 14: Repeat Performance

2009-02-08T20:17:00.002-06:00

Gee, how discouraging. Another week of low low counts. The total this weekend was 5 house finches and 1 cardinal. But on a bright note, the weather has improved. The snow has melted and the temps rose to the upper 60's. The Cardinals were singing off in the distance. Spring can't be too far off!

Basketball

2009-02-04T19:31:00.005-06:00

Well, it is college basketball season. If I don't have birds and a garden, I can post about this other favorite topic.

Unfortunately, Louisville's men's team lost to UConn Monday night. The Cardinals are still a good team, but UConn & the giant Thabeet just look too strong this year. The Lady Cardinal team is on a roll with the leadership of Angel McCaughtry. They've only had two losses this year ..... one of them to UConn. Go figure. Can both of UConn's teams win a National Title once again this year? I certainly hope not!

The Tennessee Lady Vols also lost Monday night to #2 Oklahoma. Hopefully Pat Summitt will reach her 1000th win tomorrow night against Georgia. In the meantime, check out this ESPN feature on Coach Summitt and her 18 year old son Tyler. It's a wonderful story and shows what a great person she is both on and off the court.

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PFW - Week 13: Where were the birds?

2009-02-02T17:47:00.002-06:00

I don't know where they all went. I had a total of 7 house finches and 1 cardinal all weekend. At least it's college basketball season. Tonight the Louisville Cardinals take on #1 UConn. Let's see if my Cardinals can beat the #1 team once again this season. A couple of weeks ago they beat the then #1 Pittsburgh Panthers.

And while I'm watching the Cardinals, I'll be keeping my eye on the Tennessee Lady Vols game, cheering them on to Pat Summitt's 1000 win.

PFW - Week 12: First Goldfinch

2009-01-25T19:49:00.002-06:00

Last summer after I first moved here, I did see an occasional American Goldfinch. But this weekend was the first time I've had one visit the feeders. He didn't return today during the light snow that fell, but at least I know they are out there and I'm looking forward to seeing them more often. Especially as they molt and the bright yellow feathers come in.

The total count for PFW this weekend was higher and included the return of the Carolina Chickadee and American Robin. The numbers picked up today, the second day of the two day count, with the arrival of the light snow. Temperatures stayed below freezing all weekend.

Carolina Chickadee 2
American Robin 6
European Starling 5
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 6
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 9 (0 with eye disease)
American Goldfinch 1 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 1

Northern Cardinal

Dark-eyed Junco

Carolina Chickadee

Song Sparrow
scratching in the snow to find the sunflower chips

PFW - Week 11: Just the Count Results

2009-01-18T21:10:00.002-06:00

Mourning Dove 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 5 (0 with eye disease)

Looking Up to Lucy

Early Signs of Spring?

2009-01-14T19:49:00.008-06:00

Last weekend I mentioned hearing the Cardinals singing, invoking thoughts of Spring despite the brutal cold weather we are experiencing. This morning I also heard a Red-winged Blackbird singing in the distance. But even more interesting was this female Cardinal perched in the tree in front of my next door neighbor's window.

Over and over she would fly to the window in attack mode. Evidently, she saw her reflection and was trying to run off the intruder. This is common behavior in the Spring when mating starts up. I thought it was kind of early in the year for this to happen, but apparently I was wrong.

From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology:

Q: The behavior .... often occurs in spring. This is the time of year when most birds are busy establishing their territories, finding a mate, laying eggs, and raising their young. They are very protective of their territory and will attack and try to drive away any bird they view as a possible competitor or a threat to their young. When they see their own reflection in your window, they assume they’re seeing a competitor and so they attack their own image. Both males and females may do this, especially species that often nest close to houses, such as American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Chipping Sparrows, and Song Sparrows.

This territorial reaction may be so strong that the bird may exhaust itself, but it usually doesn't result in fatal injury.

PFW - Week 10: Winter Birds

2009-01-11T21:47:00.005-06:00

While I never look forward to winter and the cold weather, I have always been able to look forward to the winter birds to make it bearable. Just about the time Project FeederWatch starts the White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos arrive, steadily increasing their numbers throughout the season. It hasn't happened here, however, until today. I've seen one or two here and there, but this weekend, there were 10 WT Sparrows and 3 Juncos brightening the dreary winter landscape.

I was too happy to see them to even think about taking pictures, but managed to capture the female and male Cardinals today. Even though it is a ways off, the Cardinals quietly singing Cheer-Cheer-Cheerio in the bushes brought a harbinger of Spring.

PFW Count:

Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 10
Dark-eyed Junco 3
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 5 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 4

Lucy doesn't think I see her, and I didn't have the heart to tell her the camouflage wasn't working. She's a young'un. Why discourage her.

PFW - Week 9: Ho Hum (unless you're a CARDINAL fan)

2009-01-04T20:49:00.005-06:00

This weekend's count, nothing exciting:

Song Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 4 (0 with eye disease)

Even Lucy seemed bored by the lackluster showing of birds. I'm just waiting for the weekend when I have to check this box on the Project FeederWatch data entry form:

Check if you watched your feeders but NO BIRDS were present.

The weekend was saved when the Louisville Cardinals beat rival Kentucky Wildcats in a basketball game that was won at the buzzer by a long three from Edgar Sosa. Another one of my favorite teams, the Tennessee Lady Vols, also pulled out a tough win against Rutgers yesterday. Unfortunately, Tennessee's men's team couldn't make it happen.

Song Sparrow on the platform feeder

Goodbye 2008

2008-12-31T20:02:00.000-06:00

In Memoriam, [Ring out, wild bells]
by Lord Alfred Tennyson

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Moon & Venus

2008-12-31T19:53:00.005-06:00

A New Year's Eve special - Crescent Moon and Venus shining brightly below it.

PFW - Week 8: First Hawk Sighting

2008-12-28T18:17:00.004-06:00

There were plenty of Cooper's and Sharp-Shinned Hawks stalking the feeders at the house, but today was the first time I saw one here at the apartment. I saw a bird about the size of a large pigeon buzzing through the trees and recognized the striping on its breast and realized that it was a short-shinned hawk, confirmed by the straight tail (as opposed to a cooper's with a curved tail and generally larger.)

Lucy wanted to help me keep a record of bird sightings, but without opposable thumbs she was having a hard time handling the pencil.

Total count for the weekend:

Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
American Robin 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 7 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 9

My family is onto my love of birds and here is one of my Christmas gifts. Of course, it's also a Cardinal ..... as in the University of Louisville Cardinals, my favorite college sports team.

Happy New Year & best wishes for 2009.

Merry Christmas to ALL

2008-12-23T21:27:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season, spends time with family and loved ones, reflects upon good fortunes. May we all be blessed with rare birds, but never neglect the birds that are always with us.

PFW - Week 7: Cold, Windy & Finchy

2008-12-21T19:14:00.004-06:00

Woke up this morning to 3*F temperatures this morning at 8:00, and windy to boot. Notice the thistle sock blowing sideways along with the feeder.

The weekend brought the normal house finches (10) plus a few house sparrows, a Northern Cardinal, and the last-minute Downy Woodpecker.

Late Night Birdwatching

2008-12-17T23:35:00.004-06:00

I stepped out on the balcony to hear what sounded like more than one owl hooting it up. I thought they were in front of me in the trees, but looked up to see two figures flying through the air from behind. They landed on an antenna attached to the office building across the way. Put my bins on them and there were definitely two owls! They were out there for a while doing the mating ritual. The male is wooing the female, lifting his tail while hooting. She coquettishly turns away.

Too bad I can't get a good picture in the dark to ID them. But what a treat to see this in the middle of an urban area.

Last check, he's still there, but looks like she flew off. Must have discovered his dark side.

PFW - Week 6: Windy & Almost No Birds

2008-12-14T17:16:00.003-06:00

It was so windy this weekend my feeder station with large metal base actually toppled over and feeders went flying everywhere. I wonder if that would explain the lack of birds. My count was a meager 6 House Finches. That's it. Even away from the feeder area there were only a few Cedar Waxwings, a Robin and one Chickadee.

The Downy Woodpecker has been excavating a hole in a small dead tree just below my unit the past month. Unfortunately, the winds took out the top half of the tree, probably further weakened by the excavation. Too bad. I was looking forward to seeing baby woodpeckers next Spring :(

PFW - Week 5: More of the same

2008-12-07T16:47:00.004-06:00

Just the typical birds for this weekend's PFW count. Yesterday's temps were somewhat moderate for this time of year, but extremely windy conditions which probably kept some of the birds away. Today it was much colder, 15 degrees at 7:00 a.m., and not much warmer throughout the day, but at least the winds were much calmer. The bird count was:

Downy Woodpecker 1
American Robin 2
Cedar Waxwing 8
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 2
House Finch 8 (0 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 4

No bird pictures, but I have to post the latest of Lucy.

Early this morning as the sun was rising, I noticed the clouds reflecting in the office building windows across from me. I liked the way they were distorted and took a few photographs.

Have a great week!

PFW - Week 4: Return of the Waxwings & Robins

2008-11-30T18:09:00.002-06:00

There were dozens and dozens of Cedar Waxwings and American Robins flying around and through the trees and shrubs all morning and into the early afternoon. I am not sure what they are eating since it appeared that they had stripped all the berries a couple of weeks ago, but obviously there was something of interest to them out there.

I woke up to a light snow that continued on and off throughout the day. Temperatures never got above freezing. These must be favorable conditions for the birds as there were a total of nine bird species venturing into the count area and a total of 11 in the vicinity.

Project FeederWatch Count:

Downy Woodpecker 1
Carolina Chickadee 1
American Robin 6
European Starling 3
Cedar Waxwing 30
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 1
House Finch 9 (1 with eye disease)
House Sparrow 9

American Robin

Cedar Waxwing

Northern Cardinal

American Crow
strutting along the office building roof across the way.

PFW - Week 3: Where'd they all go?

2008-11-23T20:29:00.003-06:00

I am back to where I thought I would be when I first set up the feeder station here at the apartment -- almost no birds. My count this weekend was 7 House Sparrows, 5 House Finches, and 1 Downy Woodpecker that came to the suet feeder at the last moment to be counted. That's it! Even the bird numbers outside the feeder area (those not counted for Project FeederWatch) were way down. Yesterday morning about 60 Cedar Waxwings flew in briefly, but haven't been seen since. It looks like the berries have been stripped so the Waxwings, Robins and Starlings have probably moved on in their nomadic way to greener pastures (or berrier locales.)

So if there are no birds, I'll just have to show pictures of my favorite birdwatching partner, Lucy.

I am learning that she has talents other than birdwatching, sleeping and eating. She obviously has a green thumb and is helping me maintain my houseplants.

She has no problem jumping right in to pull the dead leaves.

I shouldn't laugh. Houseplants can be very dangerous for cats. But honestly, I cracked up when she did this. Of course, it wouldn't have been so funny if she had knocked it over or tracked dirt through the apartment.

Cedar Waxwings Galore

2008-11-20T21:44:00.005-06:00

I've been noticing the Cedar Waxwings on occasion during my PFW count days, but I came home for lunch this afternoon and was simply overwhelmed by the number of Waxwings outside my apartment! They were in the trees, perched on roofs, foraging berries in the many shrubs, and calling their very high pitched "bzeee" notes. It's one thing to hear a dozen Waxwings calling, but at times there must have been about 200 of these beauties in sight. It was an amazing experience.

The Cedar Waxwing gets its name from the "red, waxlike tips on the secondary flight-feathers of adult birds." But as I looked at all the photos I took, a few shown below, none of the Waxwings had the red tips, meaning none were adults. I wonder if only the juvies were bold enough to come within range of my camera? It's hard to believe that in the entire flock there were no adults. The last picture below shows a Waxwing I photographed a couple of years ago. Notice the red wing tips indicating that it is an adult.

Here's the picture of an adult Cedar Waxwing

(notice the red wing tips)
taken in April of 2007 at "the house."

PFW - Week 2: Fewer Birds, but is that a blessing?

2008-11-16T19:20:00.004-06:00

Lucy is resting after a hard weekend of birdwatching. She single-pawedly ran off a dozen house sparrows, but still gets no respect from the squirrels. I'll have to teach her to look more menacing. I only had eight species this weekend, down from eleven last week. Still topping the list were the dozen house sparrows and seven house finches. The Cedar Waxwings are still foraging on berries in the periphery of the feeder area, but once again one showed some curiosity in the feeder area and came by to be counted. Other curiosity seekers were an American Robin and Northern Mockingbird.

I suppose I should look on the bright side of having fewer birds than when I was at the house. I don't have to buy seed very often. While birdwatchers and feeders across the US and Canada are complaining about the increasing seed prices, it looks like I might be able to get by on only 20 lbs of hulled Black-Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS) this winter. In the past, it wouldn't be unusual to go through 20 lbs (unhulled) every two weeks or less.

Like everything else right now, bird seed prices have rapidly escalated over the past year or so. By some reports, the price has increased anywhere from 40% to 100% (depending on type) since the beginning of 2007. Naturally, rising fuel costs (until recently) play a part in the increase since the seed has to be transported from the midwest growing areas to the rest of the continent. (Can you believe gas is below $2.00 a gallon now? Never thought I'd see that again, but how long will it last?)

However, fuel costs are not the primary reason, at least not directly. The primary reason is corn. More of it is going into ethanol production as an alternative fuel. Because there is greater demand for corn and the price has gone up, less acreage is being planted with other ag products such as sunflower, millet and safflower ..... all seeds fed to the birds. With less product, price goes up. And this is further compounded by Frito-Lays decision to switch to sunflower oil. Therefore, even less BOSS is available for the birds in order to make our snack foods "healthier". (I say that tongue in cheek.)

So I'll just be happy with my few birds and hope the hoards of starlings that hang out continue to stay away from the feeders.

House Finch (I know, another house finch. What can I say, they are always here!)

Northern Cardinal - male
(The female also showed up this weekend, but I couldn't get a decent picture.)

(Another) Downy Woodpecker

Song Sparrow! Something new.
Do you think he's a bit wary of having his picture taken?

Have a great week!

PFW - Week 1: Yard to Apartment, any success???

2008-11-09T18:44:00.007-06:00

My birdwatching and Project FeederWatch counting started in a nice backyard with lots of trees that attracted so many birds. I didn't know how successful I would be in an apartment with only a small balcony, and surrounded by office buildings and parking garages. The one thing going for my unit is that there are lots of trees and shrubs with berries separating the apartments from the office buildings. Evidently, that clinched it for the birds. And perhaps the cold spell that came through this weekend.

The mornings between 7:00 and 9 or 10 have been a bird frenzy, particularly the Robins and Starlings foraging for the berries. But the feeder birds also came out in numbers. My biggest dilemna is establishing the boundaries of my feeder area so as not to expand it to include everything I see. That was a real challenge when the flock of Cedar Waxwings arrived and I desperately wanted to count them, but couldn't. My restraint paid off however. One of them came over to investigate the bird bath before I scared it off unintentionally. Maybe I couldn't count all 15, but I got the one!

All total, I had 11 species for PFW and 13 total. The two that couldn't be enticed into the feeder area were a couple of American Crows and a single Blue Jay (even though I do have peanuts!) That's not bad. I looked up first week counts from years past and twice I had only 12 species.

And now, my favorite part ..... photographs! I did my best despite having at times to shoot through a double paned glass door and screen. There are a few photos here, but please keep going to the last one. You'll see my birdwatching partner trying her part to keep the squirrels away. Yes, there are squirrels even here. Put up a bird feeder and they will come.

House Finch

Carolina Chickadee

European Starling
(I only took this picture because of his unusual head coloring)

[NOTE: Cornell wonders if this bird is actually lacking feathers on its head.]

American Robin

Northern Cardinal

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Flicker
(one of the biggest surprises of the weekend)

Downy Woodpecker

Lucy & the Squirrel seeing eye-to-eye (not really)

Hope Revived

2008-10-19T18:50:00.002-05:00

It was a beautiful October day and I had time this morning to watch the birds at the feeders, and a couple of new ones [for this location, anyway] showed up. Of course, the usual suspects - House Sparrows & House Finches - were around.

Later, a pair of Carolina Chickadees came around, sharing the feeder if need be with the House Finch.

They would grab a sunflower seed and take off to the shrubs across the parking lot. Return for another, and repeat over and over again, chattering all the way back.

This male Downy Woodpecker didn't actually feed from the feeder, but hung around for a short while to check it out. Now that he knows what's here, maybe he'll come back for the suet this winter.

I've been wondering why there have been so few birds. Do you think my bird-watching partner could have something to do with it?

Project FeederWatch - Preseason

2008-10-12T17:01:00.003-05:00

Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the highest numbers of each species they see at their feeders from November through early April. FeederWatch helps scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.

Project FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.

This season will be my 4th [correction -- 5th] and it starts November 8th. I put up the feeders after I moved here hoping that the birds would find them and start flocking around them on a regular basis. But if last weekend is any indication, bird activity will be sparse. My count would have been:

House Sparrow - 3
House Finch - 2

These aren't difficult birds to attract to a feeder. Where are the Downy Woodpeckers that stopped by briefly a couple of weeks ago? The Northern Cardinals that were the first visitors? Nope, HOSPs and HOFIs.

This poor fellow is suffering from conjunctivitis, and respiratory disease that is common in House Finches. It causes the eyes to become inflamed and a crust to form on them; making it difficult to see, forage, and avoid predators. He comes around several times a day for the easy pickings.

The poor eyesight also makes it difficult for him to even find the feeder. He'll make several passes at it before he finds the platform.

The only other interesting visitor over the weekend was this praying mantis that found something good (to him) to eat.

Birdscapes sans Garden

2008-09-07T20:48:00.003-05:00

The native garden is on its own and I won't be able to have one with apartment living, but at least I can feed and watch the birds for Project FeederWatch. This is a view of my minimalistic feeder area as seen reflected in the office building across the parking lot of the apartment complex. Right now I have thistle, sunflower hearts and a bird bath.

The house finches found the feeding station in no time flat.

After a week, the cardinals showed up today. This juvenile was the first to investigate.

He finally figured out how to get to the food. Later this afternoon, the adult female and male cardinals came by as well.

This molting Blue Jay perched on the wires, but didn't stop by the feeders. I may have to add peanuts to the menu.

Not birds, but I saw some interesting flying machines up in the sky. The MetLife blimp was in town for the PGA tournament at Bellerive Country Club this weekend. Looks like this balloonist thought he would enjoy the view as well. I wonder how close to each other they really were?

This is it for the time being!

2008-07-06T22:46:00.006-05:00

Orange Coneflower

Rough Blazing Star (soon to bloom!)

Shrubby St. John's Wart (with encroaching Coneflower)

Meadow Rue

Well, I've only been at this for a year and now I am moving on due to the realization that I've made poor choices on the personal front. Next Friday I'm moving to an apartment but hope to be back to gardening adventures next Spring. In the meantime, I am so thrilled that the plants have done so well and the birds are enjoying them. Goldfinches feeding on the Ohio Horsemint seeds and House Finches on the Meadow Rue. The Rough Blazing Star has spread a lot and the Coneflowers that I thought didn't make it are blooming as we speak.

I am grateful for the experiences of the past year and look forward to the time that I can use these learning experiences to create a new and better garden in the future. And as long as the original Birdscapes Garden exists, the birds will be grateful as well!

Birdscapes - A New Year

2008-04-15T20:41:00.004-05:00

I did a survey of all the flowers and shrubs I planted last summer to see which survived and which seemed to have perished. Maybe a few are still dormant?

First, I have to say I love flowers and birds and nature, but can you also say "Geek" in the same sentence? My analytical mind controls ...... I need the statistics. Survival rate of the 130 I planted ...... 67%. I was hoping for a larger ratio, but I'll take two-thirds.

The biggest disappointments were the coneflowers. My greatest victory was seeing flowers I thought that the squirrels had demolished rise again. Granted, most demonized by the furry little critters were the coneflowers, but a few others have shown their ability to withstand their playful nature.

Sorry the above is of such bad quality, but I am having trouble inserting a table into blogger. I also took photographs of some of the plants. The first is the Celandine Poppy which is starting to bloom today. They others are still a ways off, but hopefully there will be some action to be enjoyed soon.

Celandine Poppy

Columbine

Ohio Horsemint

Pussy Toes

Wild Sweet William

Sedum

Purple Finch Finally

2008-04-15T19:40:00.003-05:00

Finally a Purple Finch (PUFI) to go along with the Pine Siskins. I was hoping to see one before they moved on to their breeding grounds and I was lucky enough to see a pair. The male didn't stick around for photographs, but I did see him very clearly, and it was apparent that he was indeed a Purple Finch. The past couple of years I have looked at brightly colored male House Finches and so wanted them to be Purple Finches. But now that I have had a good view, I know without a doubt that you could never confuse Purple and House Finches. It is true that the male PUFI looks (1) like a house finch on steroids and (2) as if he was dipped in raspberry juice.

Grackle Invasion

2008-03-28T21:20:00.009-05:00

The common grackle has returned and I'm sure they will be nesting in the area and bringing babies to the yard once again this summer. The past few days it seems all the relatives have been here to check out the neighborhood. Besides the black oil sunflower seed, they are very fond of the peanuts in the shell and the bird bath.

They are extremely noisy birds with all their squeaking and cawing and screeching. A friend once described their calls as being similar to a rusty swing. Very apt, but imagine hearing hundreds of those swings at once. I took this video, not so much for the visual quality, but for the audio.

I wonder if my neighbors hear this and curse me for bringing all the birds to the neighborhood?

Robin = Spring

2008-03-19T23:12:00.005-05:00

You know Spring is just around the corner when the Robins start showing up. Robins are resident birds here in St Louis, but during the winter they seem to vanish from the backyard. From my limited knowledge, I understand that they form large roosts and forage ...... somewhere other than my backyard. I have seen them in numbers at Creve Coeur Park during winter time.

But, it's amazing how much information they retain despite being "bird-brained." Here's the annual routine.

The Robins build nests in the trees in my yard. I've watched many fledglings feeding in the yard and taking their first bath in my deck-mounted bird bath. And some have grown accustomed to seeing me with a handful of raisins and fly up for the freebies. They patiently wait for me toss them out to them. I don't want to humanize the relationship, but yes, we get to know/understand each other. Then they leave for the winter.

Last week, one of my summer residents showed up again. He landed upon the deck and waited for me to toss him a few raisins. It's become a daily ritual once again. They are smart, you can't convince me otherwise!

Siskin/Finch ID-Challenged

2008-03-16T15:07:00.003-05:00

If these guys would just come around on a regular basis, I'd be much better at ID'ing them! I cropped and enlarged these pictures and figured out that the first three are Pine Siskins. You can barely see the yellow coloring to their wings. The third picture seems to be the best view. This is my 2nd sighting of the PISI this season .... yes I am worthy ;~) It seems there was a pair of them "beaking" in the tree. I thought they were just a winter bird here ........ could they be pairing up before they head north?

Then I looked at the picture below and saw something different in the top bird. See the eyestripe? Could this be a female Purple Finch?

Love Is In The Air ......

2008-03-16T13:26:00.006-05:00

..... and on my deck rail. The pictures tell it all. What more can I say? (Get a room?)

PISI - I am finally worthy

2008-02-12T23:00:00.000-06:00

Big hype -- the Pine Siskins [PISI] are in town! This has gone on since late Fall/early Winter. Do I see Pine Siskins? Absolutely not. All around me, birders in Missouri are reporting the PISIs all day long. I'm thinking, I'm not worthy. But today, Today, TODAY ... YEE HAW! I am worthy!

From the MOBIRD List-Serv, it was noted earlier this winter that the date of appearance of Pine Siskins at one's feeders is at an inverse ratio to the measure of "deservedness" of the feeder owner.

"Thus, you are either very deserving (that is, they will show, but only at the very end of winter) or you are totally undeserving (they ain't gonna show, never!). Only time will tell. Patience, luv, patience." Edge Wade

Deserving or not, I added a lifer to my list today!!!

A New Predator

2008-01-23T18:26:00.000-06:00

Just as I'm getting used to the Cooper's Hawk hanging around and intimidating the feeder birds, a new predator (and a new life bird!!!!) shows up this morning. A Barred Owl was sitting in the apple tree looking down at the bird feeders.

A few Cardinals and a mourning dove were warily hanging around as I went out to fill the feeders. The owl didn't mind my presence and allowed me to talk to him and get up close and personal for photo opportunities.

I came home at lunchtime and he was still perched in the same place. And quite a few birds were around seeming almost oblivious of him as they flew to and from the feeders just feet away from him. They would fly past him and perch just a couple of branches away and the owl just sat there.

This squirrel was real funny though. He would climb in the tree and get closer and closer to check the owl out. Then approach him from another angle. I guess he finally figured out the owl wasn't in the mood to cause any harm.

After work tonight, he was still in the yard, but had moved 15 feet away to the redbud tree. I didn't see any feathers on the ground so it doesn't look like he ate any of the little birds. It was dusk and he finally took off. How awesome to see such a huge wingspan on a relatively small bird. I think I read that the wingspan can be up to 3-1/2 feet.