The Zen Birdfeeder

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?

Care for Birds - Care for the Environment: Join Today's Audubon National Day of Action for the Arctic Refuge

Join concerned citizens across the country and welcome back your elected officials from their July Fourth recess with a quick phone call. Urge your Representative NOT to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or our coastlines to drilling. Together, let's demand that Congress stand up to Big Oil and protect these areas for future generations.

For those of us in the Saratoga area:
You can reach our U.S. Representative — Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand — in Washington DC at (202) 225-5614 or by calling the Capitol Switchboard, (202) 224-3121.  Just urge her not to open the Arctic Refuge and other special places to drilling.  Follow this link for help on what to say and to report your call to Audubon.

It's easy, believe me - I just made my call!  A staff member will answer the phone.  Just give your name, tell them the city where you live, and tell them that you are calling to ask Representative (name) to not allow opening of the Arctic Refuge to drilling.  This was my first telephone call to Gillibrand's office, I was nervous, but I just read the suggested text.  It was easy to make sure my voice was heard!

For those outside of this area:
Follow this link for easy instructions to look up your US Representative and make your call.
 
And while we're doing our part with a phone call, Audubon staff and colleagues from sister organizations will be on Capitol Hill meeting with key members of Congress to reinforce our message.

Even the Bush Administration's energy experts at the Energy Information Administration admit that oil from places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could not be brought to market for ten years and even then would have no significant effect on gas prices at the pump. Conservation is our best tool for fighting high gas prices.

Big Oil and their friends in Congress aren't going to stop trying to force their "drill everywhere" agenda through the legislative process. It's up to us to keep reminding our elected officials in Washington that more drilling is good for Big Oil, not American families.

If you read this post after the National Day of Action or cannot make the call on Tuesday, July 8, please make your call as soon as possible — it is vital that members of Congress hear from their constituents on this issue.

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?

Book Review: Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America

I recently received for review a copy of Harper Collins' latest field guide "Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America".  The guide, published in May, was written by Ted Floyd, Editor of Birding Magazine.

My review will be from a dual perspective: first, that of a birder whose primary focus is on the more common birds, those that casual birders are more likely to encounter. Secondly, from the perspective of a Wild Birds Unlimited store owner in terms of the needs of our customers.

The guide is the first to include a disk with digital recordings of 138 of the 750 species included in the guide.  The recordings come on a DVD (not a CD) in an mp3 format that can be copied to a computer or portable mp3 player for use in the field.

Other features include:

• More than 2500 color photographs
• Up to date range maps
• Emphasis on bird behavior and a "whole bird" philosophy of field identification
• Interesting essays on each bird group with vital information on behavior and ID tips

What I liked

• Multiple images of each species to help differentiate male/female, molts, immatures, spring/fall, etc.
  Would be useful in identifying variations in plumage due to age, season, geography, though coverage of the variations could be more complete.
• While the birdsong files cover only about 1 in 5 birds, they do include multiple vocalizations for each species including song, flight, and call.  The recordings are longer than those on the Thayer-brand software products, while similar in length to those on Backyard Birdjam.
• Bird weights are shown
• Range map color-key easy to find inside the front cover
• Indicates when there are significant visible weight differences between male and female
• Summarizes natural variations within the species including molts, sex-related, age-related, and seasonal differences
• Quick index by common name as well as full index
• Bird checklist with ABA coding
• Glossary with example of usage

What I didn't care for

• Lacks a single list of key identifying characteristics of each bird and opts for descriptions alongside each individual photo.  This makes it more time-consuming to use and less than ideal for beginning or casual birders.
• While focusing on natural variations and differences within the species, doesn't do nearly as complete a job differentiating between species.  Example - lacks key identification hints to tell a Sharp-shinned from a Cooper's Hawk.
• Images accompanying the birdsong files are too small to be useful on iPod Nano (though similar in size to Backyard Birdjam images).  And I'll have to work within iTunes to get the birdsongs organized to more easily locate them on my iPod since the mp3 file names are not user friendly.

How I will use this guide and how I would recommend it to customers

• I personally would not use this as an in-the-field guide due to its size as well as its features.
• I would not recommend this to a beginner as their first guide (field or otherwise).
• It is not the first guide I would pick up to aid in identifying a bird.
• It would, however, function well as a 2nd or 3rd reference guide to research/confirm initial impressions, especially for age, seasonal or other variations within the species.
• The included birdsong DVD adds to its value on the bookshelf.

Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America
Published by Collins 2008
ISBN  978-0-06-112040-4
$24.95