The Zen Birdfeeder

Ch-ch-ch-Changes in My Yard

Just 2 weeks ago the pace of hummingbird activity was frenetic...today, it's negligible.  The 3 tubes of nectar that were being refreshed 3 times during the day now last the entire day.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Such it is the lives of our backyard birds.  Temperatures are cooler and days are noticeably shorter.  With the coming fall, there are plenty of comings and goings to be seen in the yard.

My first brood of titmice arrived with much vocal fanfare in late August.  We always think of goldfinches as late nesters, but in my yard, the titmice and goldfinches consistently fledge their first young around the same time each year - during the 3rd week in August.

Tufted Titmouse fledglings

Red-breasted Nuthatches are back to being plentiful after tending to the nest and young during mid-summer.  Their youngsters joined the flock in early August.

Red-breasted Nuthatch immature

Downy Woodpeckers had a good nesting year, with many young at the feeders, including this inquisitive young male.  So much to see, so much to learn!

Downy Woodpecker immature male

I have another brood of Dark-eyed Juncos that arrived within the last week; juncos will have 1-2 broods and fledglings were seen in the yard in June.

Immature Dark-eyed Junco

Purple Finch and their young seem to have left the area recently.  They fledged in late July, and some of them had pretty entertaining looks to their plumage.  They may be replaced by other Purple Finches that migrate here for the winter.

Immature Purple Finches in all stages of molt

Female Northern Flicker

The flicker family of 4 has dispersed as well; I'm seeing only 1 female flicker in the yard recently.  And the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have also departed to their winter home in central or South America.  They have been known to winter in the lush habitat provided by shade-grown coffee plantations.

Immature Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The Blue Jays are getting their head feathers back, though this guy still looks a bit self-conscious.

Blue Jay

Chipping Sparrows are still around, loving the new suet stackables.  They too will head south soon but their spot will be filled by the "winter chippy", the American Tree Sparrow.

Immature Chipping Sparrow

Fall warbler migration has started and we've seen a Black & White Warbler with its nuthatch-like behavior.  An Ovenbird or two are regular visitors in the deep shade on the west side of the house.

Ovenbird

And we've had multiple Black-throated Green Warblers pass through.  They're not shy - they forage for insects on the leaves of the plum that is not more than 8-10 feet from the Adirondack chairs on the deck.

First fall Black-throated Green Warber

Changes happen - nature happens.  We'll miss what leaves us, but we also appreciate what comes in their place.  And the anticipation of the return of our summer birds carries us through the long months without them.

If the Blue Jays are Bald, It Must Be August

Everytime this year, I make two related observations.  First, the number of Google searches on "bald Blue Jays" skyrockets.  Second, I start seeing bald Blue Jays in my yard.

I did a post with pictures in August 2007 about bald jays.  And I have some other images of bald jays posted in my Flickr account.

Blue Jays go through one complete molt a year in late summer.  This molt usually proceeds in an orderly fashion so that you barely notice that it's going on.  But Blue Jays (as well as Northern Cardinals) often experience a complete molt of their head and maybe even their neck feathers.  Nothing is wrong with the bird and the feathers will grow back.  But for a period of time until they feathers return, they do look rather odd.  Get out a pair of binoculars and look for bald jays in your yard.  Let me know if you see one.

Mystery Bird is a Rose-breasted Grosbeak

We had a number of good guesses at our August 19th Wordless Wednesday Mystery Bird: Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Purple Finch, even Baltimore Oriole (a guess submitted by a duck named Laylah.)  Thanks to those who commented.

Those who posted "Rose-breasted Grosbeak" were correct.  Here's another view of the grosbeak, enjoying birdseed at a WBU Eliminator feeder.  Isn't he beautiful?  (Click on image to enlarge)

What could've posed a challenge with the view I gave you of this bird is the combination of black and brown feathers on his back.  This bird, photographed in late July, is an immature bird, not yet an adult, and not old enough to breed.  Referring to Cornell's All About Birds, it is a "First-summer male (Alternate I) similar to adult, but with more brownish wing and tail, and usually some brown body feathers."  A "first-summer" bird means it was hatched the previous year, in this case the summer of 2008.

Last fall, this bird made the long migration trip to Central or northern South America.  He may have spent his first winter in the tree canopy of a shade-grown coffee plantation.  Then in spring, he made the long trip back to upstate New York.  He'll be departing soon, and hopefully he'll survive two more long migration trips to return again next April to breed.

Goldfinches Going through the Change (no, not THAT one!)

I haven't been at home much to watch birds but have noticed that the goldfinches are starting to molt into their breeding plumage.

 
American Goldfinch male beginning spring molt

• Male will replace the pale yellow winter plumage with bright yellow plumage
• A black cap will develop on his forehead
• Females will replace their very pale yellow winter plumage with a gray yellow plumage
• The bill of both the male and female will turn pinkish-orange
• Adult goldfinches molt twice a year
• Even though they molt in early spring, goldfinches are amongst the latest nesters (late August to early October in our area)

American Goldfinch male in breeding plumage


American Goldfinch female in breeding plumage

How far along are your goldfinches in their spring molt?