When I took a walk through he woods yesterday afternoon, there was several chickadees singing in the trees. They always sound so cheerful and happy no matter if the weather is nasty or nice.
Cheerful Chickadee
Picture of the Day for December 29, 2015
Some people complain that cardinals bring the snow since they are often seen at the feeders before a snow storm and the red birds do stand out more more against the white snow. And with four cardinals in my pine tree this morning, they looked like decoration red balls on a Christmas tree.
Cardinal in the Snow
Picture of the Day for December 5, 2015
The spring flowers are not the only thing which involves a four or five month waiting period to see again. The non-wintering birds will spread their return dates out over several months and some of the early arrivals may have to deal with some late snow showers before they build their nest and start raising their young. It is a rather tough for bluebirds to find insects to feed their young when the ground is covered with snow.
Bluebird Bringing Lunch
Picture of the Day for November 7, 2015
Now that the summer birds have headed south again, the year round resident birds are more noticeable, like the cheerful Chickadee, who are visiting the feeders very frequently on this chilly morning.
According to Cornell Lab of Ornithology, every autumn Chickadees literally “allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons” so they can adapt to change in the next season. And with a fresh mind, which I don’t have, the Chickadee can hide seeds to eat later. Each item is placed in a different spot and the chickadee can remember thousands of hiding places.
Black-Capped Chickadee
Picture of the Day for October 27, 2015
The Bald Eagle has been the national emblem of the United States since 1782 and while not really bald, their white-feathered heads gleam in contrast to their chocolate-brown body and wings. At one time, the word “bald” meant “white,” not hairless. Young bald eagles attain adult plumage in about five years so the young are often overlooked without their ‘bald’ heads. One adult and two immature bald eagles were hanging out by the side of the road and this one is about two years old.
Immature Bald Eagle
Picture of the Day for October 14, 2015
The only time I see a big body of water is on vacation, so I don’t get to see seagulls that often but I have noticed that if you want to see a lot of them at one time, you need to go to a harbor where fishing boats are as they wait for scraps. They ride the waves when floating on the water, perch on objects on land and even pick up a piece of 2×4 board to drop on my head as they fly over.
Feathers are very important to a bird so they spend lots of time caring for their feathers. Seagulls use their beaks and feet to clean and arrange their feathers as the preen. They have an uropygial gland (or preen gland) which produces an oil that waterproofs as well as conditions and improves flexibility of the feathers.
Seagull Preening
The video shows the seagull preening itself as the waves crash on the rock below.
Picture of the Day for October 3, 2015
In a window near the top of a old building, a pigeon watches the two-legged critters invading its sanctuary on the coast of Lake Superior.
The Watch Bird
Picture of the Day for August 27, 2015
The male black and white bird with the brilliant red chevron extending from the black throat down the middle of the breast is a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Females, like many species, are more plain in their brown streaked body. Their large triangular bills make it easy for them to crack sunflower seeds (as you can see in the video), but at least they drop the shells outside the feeder tray. They also eat insects and fruit, especially during their migration to Central and South American, which they would be doing now as I haven’t seen any grosbeaks for several days. Apparently they heard that meteorological summer ends on Monday and they left in a hurry.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Picture of the Day for August 19, 2015
With a crown of yellow, orange, or red feathers on its head (although normally concealed), the Eastern Kingbird looks rather stately in its tuxedo look. And it defends it territory like a king, harassing other birds that venture too close during the breeding season, while catching insects to eat. But its lifestyle changes during the winter months in the Amazon, where it eats fruits and travels in flocks.
Eastern Kingbird
Picture of the Day for July 23, 2015
I don’t know what changed this year; whether more of the baby orioles survived or there is a better communication system pointing to the feed lunch but I am having trouble keeping the sugar water feeders and grape jelly can filled. The hummingbirds have to take a number as I have seen three orioles on the sugar water feeder at the same time and more than a half dozen lined up at the jelly, at least until the male Baltimore Oriole shows up. He scares the rest away so he can have it all to himself but the smaller Orchard Oriole male (the dark bird in the picture) has no trouble eating with the other females and youngsters.
Unlike many other fruit-eating birds, Baltimore Orioles seem to prefer only ripe, dark-colored fruit like the deepest-purple grapes and will ignore green grapes and yellow cherries even if they are ripe. I guess that is why they like the grape jelly over other types of jelly. The orioles forage for insects, drink nectar from flowers and eat berries. According to the All About Birds website, Orchard Orioles “sometimes visit hummingbird feeders or eat orange slices or jelly at feeding stations.” Well the sometimes seems to be a constant thing this year with the number of jars of jelly and bags of sugar I have gone through so far this season.
The Grub Line
Watch the video below to see the crowded grub line.