The Zen Birdfeeder

Wordless Wednesday

YARD SENTRY
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Watercolor Effect

More Young'ens

Here's more of the young birds in our yard, a mix of fledglings (have left the nest but are still not independent) and immature birds (no longer dependent on parents).

Mourning Dove - note the light edging of the feathers.
 

Downy and Hairy Woodpecker males - red is on the top of the head versus the back. The young females are a little harder - they are just fresher- and cleaner-looking than frazzled mom. 
 
 

Dark-eyed Junco - streaked appearance versus solid grey
 
 

Red-breasted Nuthatch - junior is on the left.  A little shorter bill, and newer, neater appearance (raising kids is tough on the adults!)
 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak - there's the start of that beautiful rosy breast!
 

Hummingbird Success with Birdcam

 
Three times I had tried to use the Wingscapes Birdcam to take motion-activated images of hummingbirds at my feeders. Each time, a whole day of shooting produced nothing.  I had the sensitivity set HIGH, the camera up close and set on the appropriate distance, the number of pictures per event set at between 5 and 10, the aim was right, the rest in between event set at 2min.  But no luck. Admittedly it was set up on the shaded side of the house, but I've taken Birdcam pictures in deep shade before.

I talked to Birdcam developer Bart Stephens and my friend Melissa Morgan of Wingscapes while they were at the Wild Birds Unlimited vendor mart; they were very interested in the problem I was having and suggested moving the camera back. They asked me to keep them posted.

Last week, I set up the Birdcam in a position slightly above the feeder (I had previously had it aimed upward toward the feeder).  And I moved it back a little, just at about 2 feet.  At the end of the day, I checked my memory card with much anticipation:  SUCCESS!
 
 

I think the difference was the aim of the camera. Aiming at the feeder from below it may have caused the motion sensor to miss the action ABOVE the feeder. Aiming slightly downward from a camera position above the feeder may have helped catch these tremendously fast birds.
 

I'd be interested in hearing from other Birdcam users about your experiences taking images of hummingbirds.
 

The Wingscapes Birdcam is available at Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs NY and at many other WBU stores across the country and in Canada. By purchasing the Birdcam at your local WBU store, you'll be able to talk to experienced folks, many of whom have tried the Birdcam and would love to share their experiences with you!

Fledgling Identification Tips

My yard is FILLED with Blue Jay fledglings! Each day as these young birds become more independent, they seem to be replaced with more youngsters just emerging from the nest.
 
 

With so many young jays around, it's a good time to look for the things that help us identify fledgling birds. (Click on any image to enlarge to see greater detail).

Watch for wing quiver behavior as they beg for food.
 
 

Their landings are sometimes clumsy and they'll stumble on to perches.
 
 
 
Listen for whiny, squeally calls that come from one area for a period of time.
 

Their plumage appears softer and more "downy-like" than the adult.
 

Their beak is a bit shorter too.
 
 

They learn to preen their downy-type feathers.
 

Look for a soft, fleshy part at the edges of their beak.
 
 
 

Watch for baby jays!
 

Read "Backyard Mystery Birds" for more hints on identifying juvenile birds.

Summer Evening Grosbeaks

A pair of Evening Grosbeaks has been around since the 4th of July. This past winter, we had more Evening Grosbeaks than we've ever had, with a count as high as 27.  Their return in the summer months is appreciated.

They have nested in the vicinity before, though I have yet to see any sign of young this year.

In 2007, Audubon included the Evening Grosbeak on their list of "Common Birds in Decline", saying that in the last 40 years, the population of this bird has declined by 78%, from 17 million to 3.8 million birds.

Are you seeing Evening Grosbeaks this summer?

Wordless Wednesday

Why we get mad at Blue Jays.

Earning My Birds Back

As you could probably tell by the infrequency of posts in June, I was really busy all last month.  Besides a 1-day trip to Saranac Lake NY for the Adirondack Birding Celebration, I was also gone 4 days mid-month in Illinois, back home, then gone for 8 days in Indiana.  When we returned from Indy, every feeder in the yard was empty and the bird activity was slow.  I had to EARN my birds back.

I filled the hummingbird feeders and added one more, and the hummingbirds came back very quickly. 3-4 have been very competitive at the feeders and adding more feeders can help break that up a little.
 
 

Purple Finches returned when the safflower was put back in the tube feeder.  Isn't he beautiful?  If only the darn chipmunks didn't eat the stuff too...ggggrrrr.
  

It didn't take long for the Blue Jays and Mourning Doves - adults and young - to return when I refilled the hopper feeders. And there was still a smidgen of niger left in the finch feeders to take care of the goldfinches during my absence.

Luring the woodpeckers back took a little while longer.  The suet logs were picked clean and the seed cylinder was long gone.  The hairies had fledged their young before I left, but the downy young were still in the nest. While I was gone, the downies fledged and they now share time on the suet log feeders.
 
 

It took a couple days for the 3 male and 2 female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks to return.  They have since fledged their young.
 

Things seem almost back to normal.  And I promise to return to more "normal" bird posting activity (if work doesn't get in the way!)  It's so nice to get back behind the camera!!!

Zen Nature Lessons

This monthly feature highlights 3 blog posts from the past month that exemplify the Zen nature lessons of Attention, Acceptance, and Responsibility. I encourage you to take a moment to enjoy these thoughtful posts.

Attention
My friend Tom of the Monarch blog spotted some hard-to-see Killdeer young and shares his observations of their and mom's behavior in his post "Killfawns". Baby Killdeer are the absolute cutest babies - check out this post with great pictures and fun narrative.

Acceptance
Toni of The Spattering blog tells the sad tale of the loss of an baby oriole, which is always a good lesson in zen acceptance. She then concludes with a good message of zen attention.
I enjoy reading The Feather and the Flower blog, another upstate New York blog.  In "There Goes the Neighborhood", Mike questions our dislike of the Brown Cowbird. "Is it fair to hate the native cowbird for an ingrained behavior, coded in its genes, that's evolved over thousands of generations?... Cowbirds do what cowbirds do". Take a read and let me know if Mike changes your thinking about cowbirds.

Responsibility
Zen responsibility challenges us to share the birds and nature with the next generation.  Mike of 10,000 Birds shares their readers' ideas on "How to Get Kids Excited About Birds". Commit to get a child interested in the birds and nature; here's some ideas to get started.

Namaste

I and the Bird #79

Congratulations to the 10,000 Birds blog as they celebrate the 3rd anniversary of "I And The Bird"! 

What IS "I And The Bird" you ask?  It is a "blog carnival", a periodic traveling event featuring the best bird blog writing on the internet. 

Periodic in that it appears once every 2 weeks.  Traveling in that each IATB is compiled by a different blog author from around the world. Event in that it a celebration of the bird blogging community.  Best bird blog writing in that it includes, all in one post, links to recent posts by the bird blogging community, selected and submitted by the bloggers themselves.

I And The Bird #79 is compiled by Charlie of 10,000 Birds himself, and it features bird bloggers' response to an obvious, but seldom asked question "Why are you STILL blogging???"

Take time to enjoy Charlie's response as he waxes poetic his response to the question (ok, he just waxes).  Read on to links to other bloggers' thoughts on the subject as well.  The Zen Birdfeeder blog replied, and got a stamp of approval saying TZB has "just the sort of attitude we here at 10,000 Birds thoroughly approve of…"  Thanks guys and keep up the good work!

Wordless Wednesday

Who is this guy?