The Zen Birdfeeder

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.

New Things on The Zen Birdfeeder Page

You may have noticed some new features and items on my blog.

First, I've added more links to other blogs.  These are the blogs I subscribe to or check nearly every day.  I find their content interesting and vibrant.  Check them out - you may find them interesting as well.  As I find additional blogs, I'll watch them for awhile and then add them to my Blog Links.

Second, I've added links to "subscribe" to The Zen Birdfeeder.  You can either subscribe to receive an email each time the blog is updated or subscribe to a "feed", which is a spam-free, virus-proof delivery channel that will show my latest update. 

To stay up-to-date on The Zen Birdfeeder posts, take a minute to subscribe.

Third are my new Photo Albums. I have four out there to start with. In the Photo Albums, you'll be able to see some cool pix that might not have made it on the blog. In Photo Albums (actually, anywhere in the blog) you can click on a picture to see a larger image.

I will add more Photo Albums and add more photos to existing albums on an ongoing basis.  Keep checking.

Finally, I reluctantly added a photo of The Zen Birdfeeder.  I didn't want to remain faceless to those of you who haven't met me in the store.

I mentioned early on that I'm just learning this blog stuff as I go along.  Let me know if you like what you're seeing and reading!

 

Hummingbirds through the Window

Lots of hummingbirds again today, unfortunately, I didn't have much time to take many photos of them. 

I've been practicing taking images of hummingbirds in flight from inside the house.  Getting good light on the front of the bird is difficult.  On overcast days, it's even more of a challenge.

But when you can catch light on the male's gorget, I just glows!

 

The Stokes Birding Blog, which I visit often, has GREAT photography and has offered tips for taking photographs through windows.  Here's a link to that helpful post. 

The Good (hummers), The Bad (grackle), and The Ugly (jay tail)

Hummingbirds have fledged and during the cool rain today, they sure were busy.  Hummingbird activity had seemed slow earlier in the summer, but I've been needing to refill the nectar more frequently of late.

Young Ruby throated Hummingbird at WBU Large Hummingbird Feeder

Our customers' reports on hummingbirds are mixed - some are seeing good hummingbird activity and others are reporting little activity.  The Stokes blog recently polled readers and many reported that hummingbird numbers were down.

Here's a young hummer that visited today.  Notice the white tips on the outer tail feathers. 

I noticed a Blue Jay at the feeders that had only two tail feathers.  Couldn't get a great photo but you get the idea.  I thought I remember reading that these feathers will eventually grow back.

Woodpeckers were also busy at the suet feeders throughout this cool, damp day.

I practiced some Zen Acceptance when a Common Grackle visited the feeder during the rains.

Had another visit from the Northern Goshawk.  Again, warning calls from the jays and the quick scattering of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks alerted me even before it appeared.

 

Here are my ebird counts for the day.  16 species, 56 individuals.

Hairy Woodpecker  4
Common Grackle  1
Blue Jay  13
Dark eyed Junco  2
Mourning Dove  5
Northern Flicker  1
Red breasted Nuthatch  2
Purple Finch  10
Downy Woodpecker  2
Rose breasted Grosbeak  1
American Goldfinch  8
Chipping Sparrow  1
Ruby throated Hummingbird  3
White breasted Nuthatch  1
Black capped Chickadee  1
Northern Goshawk  1
 

Keep Your Feeders Clean

Sometimes it just amazes me when a feeder is brought in to the store for repair and the feeder is absolutely filthy.  Some feeders look like they've NEVER been cleaned and unbelievably, when we ask the customer if they've ever cleaned it, they answer "no".

One focus of The Zen Birdfeeder is RESPONSIBILITY. 

"Birdfeeding comes with responsibilities to the birds and the environment we share with them. If you are unwilling to accept these responsibilities, you shouldn’t feed the birds."

Female Purple Finch on WBU Peaked Window Feeder

Dirty feeders and messy, overcrowded feeding stations contribute to the occurrence of infectious disease and increase bird mortality.

Keep feeders clean by cleaning and disinfecting  feeders regularly - that means once or twice a month.  Use a solution of one part bleach to nine parts of water and let your feeders soak in this solution for a few minutes, rinse, rinse again, then air dry.

I have a couple extra feeders so that when a feeder needs cleaning, I have one to fill the spot right away.

Hummingbird feeders should be cleaned every 4-5 days if in the sun or 5-6 days if in the shade.  If the nectar is cloudy or you see black spots in the feeder, empty it and disinfect it.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird at WBU Small Hummingbird Feeder   

Clean up waste under your feeders periodically.  Make sure your birdfood is fresh.  If it smells musty, is wet, looks moldy or has fungus growing on it, throw it out!

And remember to always wash your hands after filling or cleaning your feeders.

Keep your favorite birds healthy by keeping your feeders CLEAN.

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.   

Eight Random Facts

I've been tagged by Delia of Beginning to Bird to share my Eight Random Facts.

Here are the rules for Eight Random Facts:

Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

And here are the eight random facts:

1. Believe it or not, I was born and raised in a town called Hometown, Illinois.

2. Since leaving my corporate job last year, I have taken up the ukulele.  Cal at The Hawaiian Ukulele Company set me up with a great uke. If you visit Oahu, stop by his store in the Aloha Tower. 

3. I am an avid public radio listener, taking in WAMC Northeast Public Radio whenever I can, even if by podcast.  Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs is a WAMC underwriter.

4. I am hooked on listening to podcasts. Favorite podcasts are Fresh Air, Marketplace Money, Washington Week with Gwen Ifill, BEEKS A Birding Geek, and WAMC's Roundtable
and Legislative Gazette.

5. I am a Chicago Cubs fan.  Never question a Cubs fan's ability to be loyal.

6. I climbed Mount St. Helens, post-eruption, in 1989.

7. I swam competitively in high school and college, in the early days following Title IX.

8. I enjoy yoga, done at home, in private, taught one-on-one by Rodney Yee (okay, taught by one of his DVDs).  Namaste.

I'm having trouble finding 8 bloggers to tag, so I'll start with these three:

Andrew Acomb (who got me started blogging)
Fun Saratoga
Andy Wolfe (a newly discovered blog for me)

Additional tag to Marty Bird of Technology, Marketing & Birds (another WBU-er)

A Birdiful Fourth

With the store closed, we had a full day to observe the birds.  They never seem to disappoint.

We have many many young Blue Jays, though only a couple seem to be as whiny and high maintenance as this guy.

Around 10:30am, we were clued into the presence of a Northern Goshawk by the loud warning calls of the jays.  This goshawk has been cruising the yard often - we've seen it 3 straight days now.

We're especially alert now when we hear the jays' raucous calls.

The rain started in the early afternoon, the temperature dropped, and the feeders got really busy.
Purple Finches fill a WBU Quick Clean feeder

Rose breasted Grosbeaks and Hairy Woodpeckers on WBU Ranchette with Catch-a-Seed tray

Soaking wet Blue Jays stayed busy feeding.

Blue Jay on WBU Copper Mesh Peanut Feeder

And providing colorful "fireworks", a beautiful male cardinal...

a male Rose breasted Grosbeak,

and a group of American Goldfinches at our WBU Copper Mesh Finch Feeder on an APS® deck mount.

I hope you, too, had a "Birdiful Fourth"!

Hungry Baby Birds

Baby birds are showing up everywhere!  My June 28th post highlighted a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker youngster.  Here's a young Hairy Woodpecker being fed by dad.   

This young Blue Jay spread out its wings and called out for food from a nearby parent. 

Check out our Wild Birds Unlimited - Saratoga Springs website for things to look for to identify young birds in your yard.