Nine Finches Flocking

This morning I saw what could have been a verse of the 12 Days of Christmas. A flock of nine goldfinches nibbling away at the birch tree.

Merry Christmas!

Nine Finches Flocking

Tiny Prints

With all the beautiful snow we've had, I had to pull this photo out. I took it last December on our front steps because the little snowy prints completely melted my heart.

Flying Drunk

While watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade at my mom and dad's house we were startled by a loud bang against the big front window. Whatever it was had hit with such force we thought maybe someone had instigated a snowball fight with a misfire on the house.

There on the ground below the window was a robin who had flown too fast and smacked into the reflection. He had landed on his back on the sidewalk below and panted in his shocked state for several minutes. We were pretty sure he was "flying towards the light" but a few minutes later he began moving his head around like he was trying to figure out what the heck just happened. All of us watching were relieved when he managed to flop onto his feet, and he even allowed my dad to pick him up and place him on the planter in front of the house, out of the way any hungry neighborhood cats.

The poor little guy sat there looking pathetic as he watched his robin buddies buzz around the crabapple tree eating its fermented fruits. That's my theory anyway- that the berries that never fell from the tree have become an intoxicating treat. Maybe that's why this guy lost control as he left the Crabapple Bar. He eventually flew away, a little worse for wear.

Juncos! Part II

After our big snow yesterday I put out some bird seed making sure there was some scattered on the ground to attract the juncos. Here is one happy little guy. The photo doesn't do him justice; his charcoal black coat and fluffy white underbelly look so cozy atop of blanket of clean snow.

Winter is coming, just ask the birds

I haven't posted much lately and that's not for lack of bird activity.

Birds are migrating, with some leaving us for warmer southern temps, and some joining us from their northern summer homes, like juncos. The geese have been practicing their Vs. It's funny watching some of those younger geese try to figure out where they are supposed to fall into line. By now those formations are getting tighter and coming together quicker than a few weeks ago. Some might have left already but there are still flocks who haven't yet.

I noticed a few weeks ago that the goldfinches have already donned their "winter coats." From the back they still have their signature finch design with the wings creating a stripey V, and no longer bright yellow but more of a dull taupe.

Everyone is taking advantage of the bountiful natural seed harvest, trying to gain their winter fat stores. We have a few sparrows who have fattened up considerably since the last of their offspring left the nest. My feeders have been empty for the past few months because I know there is plenty of food for them to find in the seeding flowers and weeds, like my sunflowers and the neighbor's coneflowers, both favorites of the goldfinch.

The birds know it won't be long now before the weather changes!

Juncos!

The slate juncos have returned! These little snowbirds are about the size of a sparrow and have beautiful gray feathers and soft white bellies. In flight their tails fan out into a contrasting slate and white sail. They look especially pretty on a snowy day. I startled one the other day and he called out in a hard tic sound, but I think they also have a few songs in their repertoire.

Pictures don't do them justice this time of year. I'll wait for the day when they cluster under my feeder atop a clean blanket of snow.

Sunflowers

I planted sunflowers on the side of the garage, knowing that goldfinches and others like to nibble at the seed heads in the fall. Beneath each flower head there is a collection of white bird droppings- proof that the seeds are ripe and birds are hungry.

Another obvious sign....

Blue Jay

A pair of blue jays took turns at the feeder this morning, leaving a line of sparrows waiting for them to move on.

Sparrow Dirt Bath

A few sparrows enjoying sun-baked dirt for a little bath. They dug bowls (or bathtubs?) in the ground by scooting around on their tummies, then fluttered their wings to kick the dirt over themselves.

Momma Squirrel and the Hungry Birds

For a while a little black squirrel and a larger gray squirrel would visit our feeder for breakfast each day, and sometimes for an afternoon snack. Sometimes I try to chase them away because they spill birdseed from the tube and toss aside less preferred morsels as they dig through the tray in search of the good stuff.

In addition to being messy eaters they keep the birds away. The other day I noticed several sparrows standing on the sidewalk, watching the bird feeding station longingly as if they were helpless to feed themselves. I followed their gaze to the giant gray squirrel sitting in the tray. Poor little birds were waiting for her to leave!

I was just about to run out there in my pajamas and spout something crazy like, "get outta here, you varmint!" But then the squirrel reached up to the tube to grab a sunflower seed and I noticed she had recently nursed (I won't describe her personal details here, but I've included her picture so you can see for yourself). I stopped myself - I can't bring myself to shoo away a squirrel who is nursing babies!

So for now, as long as momma squirrel is nursing, I will leave her to stuff her face with as much bird food as she needs. The birds will just have to wait their turn.

Sock Feeder

Because of an increase in goldfinch activity, I bought a nyjer seed sock feeder to accommodate these sweet birds. It went unnoticed for a day, but now even the sparrows and chickadees are enjoying it. I positioned the tray underneath the sock so the seeds won't drop to the ground and plant themselves, and the sparrows have found it's a convenient platform from which they reach up to the sock to grab a few bites, and it's also a great place to politely wait one's turn.

Salt and Pepper

My sister-in-law gave me these salt and pepper shakers for my birthday this year. Aren't they perfect?

Feather

On a walk through a wooded area of our neighborhood where the blue jays make their homes, I found one of their feathers on the ground. The child-like urge to pick up this treasure lead me to bring it home where it now adorns the kitchen window. I was amazed to feel the air resist against the feather as I swung my arms; it's no wonder birds can soar so easily.

Two by Two

I went for a walk this morning and passed this storm pond. There are four pairs of ducks in various stages of the head under butt up feeding position.

Geese Crossing

Taken at Phalen Park in St. Paul a couple of weeks ago.

Good As Gold

Yesterday as I filled the feeders I heard goldfinches everywhere. I was surprised because I usually only see one mating pair at the feeder together so my assumption was there were few of these birds in my neighborhood. When I looked up in the birch tree, directly above me a male leaned over to his fluttery winged companion and fed it, meaning they've got a brood fledging. Goldfinches tend to mate later in the season than most birds.

This morning is no different with the goldfinch population. After this was taken a fourth joined but I wasn't quick enough to photograph it. They are very hungry today.

Nature's Alarm Clock

Earlier this spring we took advantage of the warming weather to air out the house by leaving the windows open all day and overnight. It felt so good to get fresh air blowing through the house. Even Tokyo's spring fever starts when she can sniff at the open patio door. With that luxury of fresh air comes what some may consider a downside: early morning bird calls.

I will admit that some people, my dad for instance, find a sort of peace in the early dawn light listening to birdsong with a cup of coffee on the back patio. Others, like me, prefer to sleep until the alarm clock has gone off at least a couple times. For several weeks it had been my habit to peacefully fall asleep to a fresh spring breeze, then wake up at 4AM to shut the bedroom window when what began as sweet birdsong became like a crowded diner during the lunch rush, then hope to squeeze in a couple more hours of sleep before the beeping reality on my nightstand ordered me up and at 'em.

In the spring and early summer, the robins provided my 4AM wake-up call. It usually began with one robin sending out what sounds like a maniacal laugh of "tuh tuh tuh tuh tuh!" Then the rest of the robins within earshot would start their "cheerup cheerio cheerup." It's actually quite charming, but I still had to shut the window.

Lately I've noticed the robins are quiet and it's the cardinals sending out their pre-dawn chirps. On nights cool enough to leave the air conditioner off, mornings usually begin with one cardinal starting its day with a friendly "purdy purdy purdy," which they sing as many as 12 to 14 times. I've also heard "shirp, shirp, teew teew teew teew teew." I began counting the number of "shirps" versus "teews" and noticed it's 2 and 6, with a few variations.

Although I complain about being woken before I would like, I will admit that I can appreciate hearing such friendly songs as cheerup, cheerio, purdy and what-cheer, first thing in the morning. It's as if they're saying, "cheerio! What a purdy morning, cheerup and you'll see what-cheer is in store for you today!"

Cranky Pants

Today I am cranky. I'm allowed to be cranky. 

A Few Items Worth Mentioning

• Just a few hours after I posted about male cardinals feeding the females, I actually witnessed this! I don't think they were mating because it seems too late for that, and the female was not scruffy like the juvenile I had seen a few weeks prior so I assumed it was an adult female. It looked like she was receiving a sweet kiss from her love. 

• Later that day a bluebird took a quick respite from flying in the heat to perch on the top of the shepherd's hook. I have never seen a bluebird before so this was very exciting for me. He had his mouth wide open. I've seen other birds do this and I wondered if it's a cooling mechanism, much like panting for a dog. Turns out it is, the internet says. It was pretty hot that day. 

• The blue jays have been very noisy today! I rarely hear them, and usually only so when I walk through the parts of the neighborhood where the trees are thicker. They're so loud I expect a flock of them to land in my yard to begin the Angry Blue Jay Territory Convention.  

• On my way to the library yesterday I saw a dark wide wingspan circle over the street a ways in front of me and land over some road kill. I was able to drive right up to it before it flew away revealing itself to be a turkey vulture! Before I knew what it was I was describing it to Rob and said it looked like a big black bird with a red turkey head. I wouldn't call them "pretty." 

• I love it when I surprise the birds at my feeder. Many of them are so focused on eating that they don't hear me walking from the car to the front door. When I get right next to the feeder they all scream, fly to the nearest branch, and if they're chickadees, they scold me until I shut the front door behind me. Last week I surprised a goldfinch. He looked right at me, paused as if processing what he saw, then gave a startled warble before flying away. 

Barred Owl

This post comes all the way from Illinois. I bet my Uncle Todd doesn't know he's a contributing editor to this blog!

Thought you might get a kick out of the new resident in our birch tree 10 feet from the front porch.

Its a barred owl. I’ve never seen one before. He just sits in the tree (no nest) and gets chased occasionally by other birds (for the last few days) but always returns. The limb is over the sidewalk and besides the white splots he emits, there are also grayish balls consisting of tiny bones, fur, and feathers of the creatures he has dined on. He looks pretty well fed.

Anyway, its kind of neat. We are enjoying his company. He is a pretty good size owl.

Breakfast Date

I often see a pair of cardinals feeding in the yard together. I've read that during their courtship the male actually feeds the female, though I've never actually witnessed this myself. As that early romance fades, the simply sweet companionship remains. These days when hormone levels are lower, I see the female eating from the tray while the male forages on the ground.

Here they are on a breakfast date, chaperoned by a baby bunny (the brownish blur above Mr. Cardinal).

Maybe My Current Favorite

Look at this little sweetie! This is a chipping sparrow. Smaller than the house sparrow, they have a chestnut colored cap on their head. I saw one bouncing around restlessly, almost wren-like. Their call is much like their name would suggest, a high-pitched trill, and a chip, chip, chip!

Dallas Meets Skye

Hey Dallas, what are you looking at?

Oh, nothing............

My parents' parakeet fascinated her for hours. 

"One Good Tern Deserves Another"

To continue my Duluth Birdservations, here is a shot of a sandy island in the St. Louis Bay where hundreds of gulls and terns nest. The guide of our boat tour told us that terns like to nest mate for life, which prompted him to say "one good tern deserves another!"

As we approached the island, their perpetual and tortuous shrieks became the sort of soundtrack I imagine my brain would play if I ever went crazy. Instead of voices, I'd hear seagulls. Hundreds and hundreds of seagulls.

Duluth Hummingbird

A hummingbird, getting its morning nectar from my Mom's feeder.

Duluth Birdservations!

A few weeks ago I got a visit from a white-breasted nuthatch. In Duluth this weekend I managed to snap a few photos of his cousin, the red-breasted nuthatch. They were so tame I could stand right under the feeder and they'd keep eating, with an occasional glance in my direction. 

Goldfinch

Goldfinches are nearly impossible to photograph because they always have their backs turned towards the house, or they're concealed by birch tree leaves.

Then I got lucky.

Wrens

These are the wrens that have been hanging out in our garden areas. I followed one as he slipped into a canopy of leafy plants. When he realized I was there he flitted to the fence where he scolded me. I apologized but he wasn't ready to forgive me, and he flew away.

Another wren was in our front yard by the perennials. 

Then I struck gold when I looked out the kitchen window and saw three of them sitting in a row on the fence. I grabbed the camera and went outside. I got even more scolding for these photos.

Weekend Update

• I'm thrilled to report that the Indigo Bunting returned twice today after gracing me with his presence for the first time yesterday.

• Wrens, wrens everywhere! They have been hanging out in our garden areas so there must be a nest somewhere nearby. I received many baleful scoldings from them as I got too close in my attempts to photograph them. 

• Lately I've been really lazy about filling the hummingbird feeder. A wave of guilt washes over me whenever I look at it, and the hummingbirds haven't returned (from what I've seen). But yesterday there were two sweet little butterflies resting on its red plastic base so I felt better knowing someone was getting something from it. Speaking of butterflies, they're everywhere! It's fun to watch them.

• A cowbird with a most embarrassing situation visited our feeder yesterday. As it turns out, humans aren't the only ones who must watch for bird poo bombs from above. Yes, that's what the streak of white is on his back. Hopefully it was an accident and not a malicious attack, but when you've got a reputation like the cowbird, you never know...

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Delicious Birdseed!

Knowing the chances of seeing a bald eagle fly majestically over my yard on Independence Day were pretty low, I was wondering what other patriotic theme I could go with to celebrate today. And then, an Indigo Bunting stopped by (which is so exciting because I haven't seen one since I left Duluth)!

Thanks to the inspiration he provided, here's the Official Birdservation Salute to America:

RED!

WHITE!

BLUE!

Red-winged Blackbird

I have fond memories of red-winged blackbirds from my childhood. They remind me of making the drive to my Grandma and Grandpa's farm in Chisago County. I remember staring out the car window at the wash of golden farm land and being thrilled to see their bright colors as they perched on the cattails growing in marshy ditches.

When I first saw one at my feeder I was so excited! And since that first visit I only need to hear them sing to know one is in my yard. It's a distinct call; very different from the ongoing medley of finch and sparrow song.

I have a pair of red-winged blackbirds who visit my feeder, most often just the male.  Sometimes his girlfriend stops by, but it's almost never a "date" as they usually visit the feeder solo. I've read that these birds are polygynous (meaning, one male bird mates with many females), so the female I see might be one of several girlfriends. Out for a quick meal away from the sister-wives. Kind of like the Big Love of blackbirds.

From the photo below you can hardly see any red on his shoulders, it's mostly hidden by black top feathers.

But when he's air-borne his color pops (as you can see from the blurry blob at the top of this picture!). 

Hay Bale Owl. I Think.

As seen in Bayfield, WI in October 2008.

Not So Darling Starling

I don't see a lot of starlings in my yard. In fact I see more while I'm idling in the highway's on-ramp on the way to work than I do in my whole neighborhood.

This one walked all the way across the yard to the marigolds and savagely tore a few petals off (don't ask me what that was all about).

Then he scrounged in the dirt, presumably in search of a creepy crawler for lunch.

An Unfortunate Nesting Location

As my mom would say, "Robins must be really dumb."

To explain, over the past several years Mom has taken note of all the bizarre locations that the robins in Duluth have chosen to nest.

There was the summer of 2005 when one robin made her nest in the hanging basket right outside the front door to their house. We tried to accommodate her as best we could by avoiding use of the front door, and I think it was working pretty well. Then we threw my dad a retirement party and all the extra humans made for one nervous momma. Sadly, she did not hatch any babies.

Two years ago another robin also nested in a hanging flower basket. My mom would keep tabs on her, with one update to us saying, "Mother robin is stoically keeping to her nest, trying to hatch those babies."

More recently, there was a story in the Duluth News Tribune about a robin who made her nest in a $14.95 rose bush at the Cub Foods garden center and would chase unsuspecting patrons away. 

In the end though, I'm not so sure that robins are dumb, but that we make it really easy for them to nest in inconvenient places. 

Thunderstorm

We're under a thunderstorm warning. About 15 minutes ago the sky got so dark I had to turn on some inside lights which, unless it's winter, is unnecessary at 6:00 PM. Then I heard the eerie sounds of the siren as it blasted its song through the streets in 360 degrees.

Not to worry! The birds are still chirping away as if nothing is wrong. I watched as two robins got cantankerous with each other in their quest for worms. The rolling thunder that causes the dog's ears to flatten against her head, giving her a look of bewilderment, is the same noise that seems to go unnoticed by the birds. Life as usual here in bird land!

Another Installment of Weekend Birdservations!

• A baby chickadee with a particular bald spot on his forehead finally learned how to eat from the suet grate.

• Never before seen in our yard, a white-breasted nuthatch made an appearance. Since the visit I've heard their nasal "yaank yaank!" call from both ends of our front yard. I was able to get pretty close to one too as he waited in the tree for me to fill the bird feeder.

• A raptor (falcon? kestrel?) stalked the feeder until he snagged his evening meal of sparrow. He came back for a second meal Sunday morning, and later awed the guests of our Father's Day picnic as he flew across the backyard.

• The hungry baby chipping sparrow I mentioned the other day ended up being a baby cowbird that a family of chipping sparrows fostered. I guessed this because the markings on the baby was not consistent with sparrows of any kind, was twice the size of its parents, and much hungrier than most sparrow babies. A week after I captured those photos I noticed them again and learned that those sparrows are actually raising two cowbird babies. 

• Juvenile robins have been practicing their songs as the afternoons fade to evening. A little sputtery at times, but sounding more and more like their parents every day. 

Hungry Baby Bird

This happened June 12.

I watched this little baby bird for about 15 minutes. At first I thought he had been abandoned or got lost because he was all alone on the sidewalk (seen here with a few house sparrows who didn't acknowledge him), looking around as if he was waiting for his mommy to come back.

Then mom (or dad) chipping sparrow swooped in and fed him for about 10 minutes. He was very, very hungry.

Downy Woodpecker

A series of shots of a female downy woodpecker feeding her little one (photos taken June 5). The last one is of her baby taking flight from the feeder. Look at that wing pattern!

Bird of Prey

This guy landed under the feeder and I was intrigued. I even went outside to get a better look but lost sight of him as he slipped behind a bush. Then I heard a scuffle, and several small birds screaming in terror. My final view of him was as he flew away with a sparrow in his evil clutches. I just about cried.

I heard this could happen, that hawks or falcons stalk small birds at the feeders. Unfortunately I didn't recognize that behavior until it was too late. After checking my book I still couldn't figure out what kind of bird this was. He (or she) was grayish in color with a striped tail, and about the size of a crow. My best guess based on its small size is that it was probably a falcon. Now with a tasty sparrow in its tummy.

White-Breasted Nuthatch

Wow, this is exciting. I've never seen a nuthatch in my yard. There was a pair of them and they flew in synch with each other- hovering at the feeder but not landing, tracing an arc across the yard to the birch tree, then swooping up onto the roof where they stayed only long enough for me to snap a photo.

Our Little Black Squirrel

He's back at it. This time he put his butt in the water tray so he could reach the sunflower globe. He gave up on the suet grate after nearly falling off. I think he's cute.

Naughty!

This picture should get my dad all worked up.