The Zen Birdfeeder

Spring Arrivals and Departures (2008 #5)

Here's my fifth report this spring of recent arrivals and departures.

STILL AROUND (NEST IN AREA)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

NEW SPRING ARRIVALS
White crowned Sparrow (May 7; here for 2 days only)

Ruby-throated Hummingbird male (May 8; arrived May 6 in 2007)


House Wren (May 10)

Ovenbird (May 12)


Blackburnian Warbler (May 13)

Baltimore Oriole (arrived and digiscoped May 13)

DEPARTURES
White throated Sparrow (last seen May 11)

OTHER VISITORS
Eastern Bluebird (just another visit - too many trees and not enough open area for these guys...too bad)

Evening Grosbeak (May 7)


Creeping Phlox



Plum Tree in bloom


Black Cherry in bloom


Rhododendren in bloom

STILL TO COME
Grey Catbird
Eastern wood Pewee
Indigo Bunting
Scarlet Tanager
Late warblers

Here's links to 2008 Spring Arrivals and Departures Report 1 from April 3rd, Report 2 from April 13, Report 3 from April 21, and Report 4 from May 6.

Spring Arrivals and Departures (2008 #4)

Here's my fourth report of arrivals and departures this spring.

STILL AROUND
White throated Sparrows (numerous)

Tree Swallows (though we don't have the right habitat for them, we do have lots of Black Flies and other flying insects around)

 

NEW SPRING ARRIVALS
Rose breasted Grosbeak (two females on May 4, males the next day; in 2007, both male and female arrived 5/11). Digiscoped image below; notice the reflection off the feeder.

Savannah Sparrow (May 4; a new yard bird!  One day visit only)  Digiscoped image below.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (a female on May 4; in 2007, both male and female arrived on 4/27)
Northern Flicker (May 5)

DEPARTURES
Fox Sparrows (last seen 4/20)
Song sparrows (last seen 4/17)

OTHER VISITORS
Grape Hyacinth

Creeping Myrtle

Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk

Black Flies  :(
Black Bear (more on that in another post)

STILL TO COME
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Grey Catbird
Eastern wood Pewee
White crowned Sparrow
Indigo Bunting
Yellow-rumped Warbler and Black-throated Blue Warbler (both nest in our area)
Other warblers

Here's links to 2008 Spring Arrivals and Departures Report 1 from April 3rd, Report 2 from April 13, and Report 3 from April 21

Spring Arrivals and Departures (2008 #3)

Here's my third report of arrivals and departures this spring.

STILL AROUND
Fox Sparrows
Song Sparrows

NEW SPRING ARRIVALS
Chipping Sparrow (4/15; 1 week earlier than 2007)

Pine Warbler (4/16; a new yard bird!)

Tree Swallow (4/17; 1 week earlier than 2007)

DEPARTURES
American Tree Sparrow (I continue to try hard to see the American Tree Sparrow and the Chipping Sparrow overlapping their presence at my feeders.  No luck this spring; next chance: fall migration!)

Common Redpolls (when the temperatures headed into the 70s this weekend, so went the redpolls.  Last seen 4/17)

OTHER VISITORS
Pileated Woodpecker

Purple Squill

1st Daffodil (versus May 2 last year!)

First blooms in my "Brigadoon" heath & heather garden

Male American Goldfinch molting

STILL TO COME
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 
Grey Catbird
Eastern wood Pewee
White crowned Sparrow
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
More warblers

Here's links to Spring 2008 Report 1 and Report 2.

Summer Color

Platycodon flower and one ready to bloom.  You can see how they got their common name, balloon flower.

Rose Campion.  In macro mode, this just jumps off the page.

Berries on the Mountain Ash tree.  These could attract Baltimore Orioles, Gray Catbirds, Cedar Waxwings, and other fruit-eating birds.

Monarch butterfly.

If you want it in your yard, it's Solidago.  If you don't, it's goldenrod.  I think it looks like fireworks.

Male Hummingbird at WBU Small Hummingbird feeder.  A suction cup hanger brings it close to the window.

And finally, my last post 3 days ago had a picture of our first coneflower bloom.  Here's how that same plant looks today.

A true test to zen Acceptance.  gggggggrrrrrrrrrr...

Time for a Birdbath Party!

I'm back after a couple of days on the road. It's always nice to be back home.

The first purple coneflower of the season bloomed while I was away.  We used to have a lot more coneflowers in the bed off the deck - again I'll blame the chipmunks for the decline.  HINT: Leave coneflowers in your flower beds even after they've faded and dried - goldfinches will feed on them through the fall and winter.

The nectar in the 4 hummingbird feeders dropped significantly over the 3 days we were gone confirming that hummingbird activity remained strong.  I captured a couple acceptable images today in my quest to get through-the-window-hummer-in-flight photos.

Female hummingbird at WBU Decorative Hummingbird Feeder
Male hummer at Holland Hill window hummingbird feeder

And some other non-flight images I liked.

Mid-day, a couple Broad-winged Hawks were catching the thermals coming off the Adirondack foothills high above the house.  I often hear Blue Jays imitating their high, shrill call.

The goldfinches were glad I returned to refill the sunflower chips in their feeders.  Here they enjoyed a birdbath party on the deck.

They enjoy the mister and also seem to appreciate the slate pieces in the middle of the bath, especially when water levels get low.

Summer Blooms

Lavendar has been in bloom for at least a week.  Looks like the bee is enjoying it too.

I love the lightness of pink Malva.  I used to have a good number of pink and white malva plants, but I think the chipmunks had something to do with its disappearance.

Sedum is in bloom.  It's a good reliable ground cover, transplants nicely, and fills in quickly.

And the first of the Bee Balm has started blooming.  Baby's Breath is in the background.

Hummingbirds will visit the bee balm, so I'll keep an eye out for photo ops.   

A Little of Everything: Squirrels, Birds, and Plants

Being a mama squirrel is hard work! This pooped parent needed a break and took a 10 minute nap in a tree, away from those demanding kids.

A beautiful female Purple Finch enjoying safflower seed from a new WBU Quick Clean Tube feeder.

These feeders make regular feeder cleaning quick and easy.

Hardy Geraniums are in full bloom.  I love these perennials and don't mind when they volunteer in the middle of the yard!

A male hummingbird at the window feeder.

 

Gotta go!

Rain Covered Blooms and Birds

It rained on and off all day today but I still tried to get out between the raindrops to photograph more first blooms.  Here are our first irises.

An early Rose Rugosa bloom,

and one waiting for its own day to bloom.

Candytuft flowers.

The rain and cooler temps kept the birds busy at the feeders.  Here a soggy-looking female Downy Woodpecker gets a mouthful of suet, perhaps to take back to the nest.

Raindrops bead on the back of a Mourning Dove...

and on the back of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  A bit out of focus, but notice the raindrops on his back.

In contrast, the Blue Jays looked soaked to the core during the rains.

 

No crests in sight on this rainy rainy day.

Late May Blooms at Home

Today, our first blue flax blooms appeared.  I just love these plants.  The flowers last only one day, but the next day, an abundance of new flowers appear.  It prefers dry, full sun areas in light sandy soil - perfect for my yard.  Factoid: Blue Flax was discovered by Meriwether Lewis on the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the late 1700's.

Down in the wooded, shady back of the property, I found the starflower and Canada Mayflower.

While trying to identify these two wildflowers, I found a great site on wildflower identification.  It was right on, and forces you to really pay attention to the small details of the plant.  Check it out - it's a new favorite of mine!

Wilton Wildlife Flora

May means Red Trillium is in bloom.

 

Wild Violet, considered a weed in some circles.

Fringed Polygala.  Is it poly-gay-la or polyg-ala??

Even fungi are beautiful!