The Zen Birdfeeder

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!!!

Red is Not Mandatory

Here are a couple recent pictures of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds on feeders that are NOT red, and of course, not filled with red nectar either.

 

Hummingbirds visit purple flowers; why wouldn't they visit a purple hummingbird feeder?  Or how about an orange feeder?

You don't need red nectar to attract hummingbirds either.  In fact, it is recommended that you not use red nectar since the effect of the red dye on hummingbirds is unknown.  And if you don't need it, why risk it?

Still Blogging After All These....Months

Mike Bergin of 10,000 Birds recently posed this question to the bird blogging community:

"Why are you still bird blogging?  Why, despite the difficulties, time-pressures, and other things to do (like birding), are you still at it?"

So, what IS my motivation to write The Zen Birdfeeder blog?

The first thing that came to mind for me was LEARNING.  To keep The Zen Birdfeeder blog interesting (and I hope you do find it interesting), I've found that I have to really observe, read, listen, and constantly, well, just pay attention. We all do this to some degree anyway, but keeping a blog vibrant and alive pushes it to a much higher level.

I love the opportunity to showcase creativity.  Admittedly, creativity doesn't come often or easy for me, but when a fun idea like the SOM Seeks SOF post comes along, I love being able to share it!  And I love getting comments that provide a big "thumbs up" to my work.

The Zen Birdfeeder also provides a great opportunity to share my passion for the birds, especially the birds we see everyday.  The Zen Birdfeeder blog has been around for 14 months now, and my 248 posts are mostly about the birds in my yard.  Chickadees and Downy Woodpeckers and Blue Jays and Purple Finches.  The usual suspects.  But I still have yet to tire of seeing these "commoners" in my yard and sharing my observations.

The abundant but always appreciated Black-capped Chickadee

Lastly, I think the The Zen Birdfeeder blog helps fill an important niche in the bird blog community.  Specifically, it helps bridge the gap between serious birders and the people that "just" feed the birds.  There are literally millions of people that care deeply about the birds.  And the majority of those millions do not follow rare bird alerts or maintain life lists.  We just show our love and appreciation for birds by maintaining  feeders in our yard.  And we are thrilled every day by the most common of birds that visit those feeders.  The Zen Birdfeeder blog is THEIR blog.  And to all you hard-core birders, I hope you find it enjoyable too.

Welcome Renee

I'd like to welcome my sister Renee to the readership of The Zen Birdfeeder.

Renee hung her first birdfeeder this year - a hummingbird feeder.  She has added more colorful flowers to the area where it is hanging in the attempt to lure these little jewels to this new feeding source.

Renee: good luck in attracting your first hummingbird! They will come, and when they do, I think you'll discover why so many people are entranced by these little beauties.  I love you and welcome you to my world of feeding the birds

Courtship Time for Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks returned this year on May 4, a full week earlier than 2007. A female returned first; a number of males appeared the following day.  (Click on images to enlarge.  Images 1, 2, and 6 were digiscoped.)
 

There have been numerous rose-breasteds at the feeders since then. When observing the males, note the red pattern on their breast - the shape and pattern of red varies from bird to bird. With good powers of observation, you can use this to identify individual birds.

For about the first week following their return, there wasn't a lot of singing going on. That changed this week. Both male and female Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have started singing like crazy.

Their song has been called "a robin with singing lessons".  Stokes Nature Guides to Bird Behavior describes it as "a robin in a hurry". The other day, one was repetitively singing "Blame it on the bossa nova." I haven't heard that song in years!

Now is the perfect time to listen for their sing-songy, rising and falling, up and down song. You can also hear their characteristic metallic-sounding "chink" call.

Grosbeak courtship and nest-building activities are now in progress here in upstate New York. I'm looking forward to seeing young grosbeaks, like this fledgling that landed on the deck and visited our birdbath a couple summers ago.

 

Fortunately, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are frequent feeder visitors. They prefer tray feeders or hopper feeders with generous perching areas.  Fill feeders with a quality seed blend like WBU Supreme, which has black oil sunflower, safflower, sunflower chips, and striped sunflower.

They also enjoy seed cylinders; this one is the WBU Supreme seed cylinder (same stuff as in the loose seed blend). Here a pair share a meal on a cool seed cylinder feeder.

Enjoy your Rose-breasted Grosbeaks this season!