Backyard Birding

Lieutenant Jean Audubon introduced his son, John James Audubon, to an early love of nature and especially of birds. He brought back specimens from his voyages, calling special attention to their behavior, their form and their seasonal habits. As Audubon writes in his journal, “He excited me to make me study them.”

When Audubon began school, he was perpetually truant, preferring answering the call of the open field rather than his school master. He returned home with his school basket filled with birds’ nests, birds’ eggs, lichens, flowers and pebbles. His father was much pleased with his son’s curiosity and collections…until he found out what work had been neglected to obtain his specimens.

Yet as a child, he began drawing the birds of France, collecting around 200. Disappointed with the products, he went to his father who gave him a book of illustration.

Although the pages were not what I longed for, they gave me a desire to copy Nature. To Nature I went and tried to imitate her. But for many years, I saw that my drawings were worse than the ones I regarded bad in the book.

The worse my drawings were, the more beautiful did the originals appear. To have been torn from the study would have been as death; my time was entirely occupied with art.

In our studies of Audubon, we have three sources:

Capturing Nature, The Writings and Art of John James Audubon, which is an edited selection meant for children.

The Original Water-Color Paintings by John James Audubon for The Birds of America, which is a massive book. My daughter has sat for hours studying the illustrations, amazed at the detail involved in each of the plates.

A nature notebook. Here, she is collecting her own watercolors of the natural world around her. Here is her first painting. It is perhaps not quite as realistic as Audubon’s flicker (above), but it is most definitely a yellow-shafted flicker.

Nurturing a child’s interest for the natural world often takes only the time to express one’s own interest and enthusiasm for the subject. Perhaps it will turn into a life time hobby, a commitment to conservation, or something greater. This can be clearly seen in the childhood of John James Audubon.

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Chatting with a reader awhile back, she mentioned that her son had made a bird feeder from an old soda bottle. I asked if he would like to write a guest post to share his experience with my readers. Here it is, complete with a problem not exclusive to home made feeders. Enjoy!

Building a Bottle Bird Feeder
by Jacob Deckard age 9

One day my mom took out our wooden bird feeder. I thought I could make one out of a bottle! Here is a good way to make a bird feeder.

1. Gather supplies.

You need:

A plastic bottle with a cap
Sharp scissors or knife
A stick
A rope

2. Our first feeder’s seeds sprouted, because the moisture did not drain, so poke small holes in the bottom of the bottle. Be careful not to cut yourself.

3. About 1-2 inches from the bottom of the bottle, make holes for the perch. Insert stick and make holes bigger, if needed.

4. Cut holes above the perch for the birds to get the seeds. Holes should be slightly bigger than the seeds.

5. Tie teether or rope around the top of the bottle, where the cap is, and tie a loop for hanging.

6. Carefully fill the feeder with sunflower seeds using your hands as a funnel or get a real funnel.

7. Replace cap and hang in a high tree.

8. It may take three weeks for the birds to find it. Be patient.

Happy bird feeding!

–
Visit Life Nurturing Education: http://reflective.homeschooljournal.net

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Seasonal decorating this time of year generally includes a number of items related to the harvest: sheaves of wheat, pumpkins, gourds, bails of straw and Indian corn are all popular. Because harvest time is well represented by just about anything that can be harvested, it is relatively easy to create decorations which will please both human and avian visitors to your yard.

Millet sprays.

These may be hung in small groupings on a fence, on a door or anywhere else they are visible and accessible to birds. They have the same general visual effect as hanging sheaves of wheat, but more of our native songbirds will seek out millet than wheat. They can also be woven into a wreath. The millet is knocked off the spray pretty easily so one of the best places to make your wreaths is over the ground feeder.

Indian Corn.

This seasonal favorite is also a favorite of squirrels. In fact, I noticed several places where homeowners were complaining about the squirrels eating their Indian corn decorations. This may be a problem if you want to keep it, but can be entertaining for those of us who enjoy our squirrels. In moderation at least. “Squirrel corn” and dried feed corn have a similar effect, although not as visually striking as the multi-colored Indian corn. And woodpeckers and blue jays will enjoy the kernels of all variations as much as your squirrels will.

Nature wreaths.

My mom loves grapevine wreaths and hangs them year round. This time of year, she decorates them with some colored leaves, but the same color could be achieved with dried berries. Other seasonal fruit, such as apples and pears, can also be dried and added to a colorful wreath.

Nature’s harvest.

A basket of collected pine cones, acorns and walnuts set near a step welcomes the season and your neighborhood squirrels. Woodpeckers and other insect eating birds might appreciate a hanging dish of cracked nuts.

Decorative feeders.

If you have a few decorative gourds which you set out every year, they are certainly dried by now. These can be made into a variety of scoops, feeders and bird houses, limited only by your imagination. Cut one in half to make a scoop. Or fill a half with seed and hang as a decorative platform feeder. A small hole will make an attractive birdhouse, although it likely will not be populated until Spring. If you want to begin the process for next year, it should only take one season to dry a small gourd.

Scarecrows.

While using your scarecrow to offer birdseed may seem a little counterproductive, these little fellows rarely have any real job in our yards today. Consider hanging a small bird feeder from his hand. Place some suet on his shoulder and you may get a variety of birds lined up for a photo op.

These are only a few ideas to get you started. Taking a moment to look at your decorations from your birds’ perspective will help you think of different ways to incorporate their favorite foods into your seasonal decorating.

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As we drove into the Smokey Mountains, how they got their name was obvious. It looked like the clouds were ascending from a thousand vents in the mountains as they took their place in the sky. Other days, a haze hung over the mountains as if they were covered in smoke. Some of this haze is caused by clouds. Some is from pollution, both natural and man-made.

The Great Smokey Mountain National Park is unique in that it was carved out of private land. Donations were made so that the federal government could purchase large tracts of land from lumber companies as well as from farmers. Many of the old buildings remain, including the remains of stone chimneys

and a graveyard outside a church.

Because of varying altitudes, soil types, moisture levels and light levels, the Smokes boast an incredible diversity of plant and animal life within a relatively small geographic area, including approximately 200 species of birds. There are also trails throughout the park. Some carry you to interesting features, such as this Laurel Falls which features a 75 foot drop.

As we hiked up to the falls, we received an ominous warning.

My son, who is a little leery of heights, hugged the rocks near the edge of the trail When we reached the falls, my daughter immediately tried to join the other hikers who were trying to climb the falls. My son played quietly in a small pool of water while I had my eye on my eight year old for fear temptation would overtake her and lead her up those rocks. Then, for no apparent reason, my son took off toward the other edge of the falls…and quite a long drop ending on jagged rocks below. He was just running around, oblivious to the imminent danger. Luckily, I am not prone to yelling at my children too much so when I yelled, he froze. We left the falls. That is why we have no other pictures and the falls actually do not look all that impressive. But I had nightmares about them.

There are also a number of “quiet walks” with no particular destination that allow you to take a leisurely walk in the woods to enjoy the peace. I realized that if I am ever to get serious about birding outside my backyard, I really am going to have to learn bird calls. We did not see any birds on any of our hikes. They provided us with a continuous, although somewhat muted, concert throughout our trip. Other than than the rather nasal “twack twack” of the nuthatch, however, I had no idea who the performers were.

We did have to stop to allow a rafter of turkeys to cross. They are kind of ugly birds and I do not know why I like them so much. They remind me of wilderness and the fact that we see them on our way into town always makes me feel like we are further from the city than we really are.

The highlight of our ten days was this fellow. He came out of the woods, paused and crossed. On the other side of the street, he changed his mind and walked back, disappearing back into the woods the way he had come. Just long enough to get the camera out, but not long enough to really focus it.

The late freeze and dry summer has affected this area of the country as well. Early in the year, there were concerns that the acorn crop would fail and that severe shortages in other natural food sources would drive an increased number of birds and even bears into residential areas looking for food. Luckily, estimated damage to the food supply were incorrect and we saw a number of acorns on the ground. There has not been an increased number of bears in residential areas which is good both for humans and for bears. No one wants their property damaged by an overzealous bear. And bears that begin to associate humans with food often end up euthanized.

Just running in a field was the highlight for my two year old. This was taken in a meadow in Cade’s Cove.

The baby spent most of her time in the Snuggli, content to explore the world from the safety of my arms. Here she is at the campground, enjoying the dance of the leaves above her.

We had a wonderful time with a perfect mix of hiking and just lounging about the campground.

birding, birdwatching, vacation, Smokey Mountains

This little fellow was a bit of a challenge for me and in attempting to identify her, I did something I have never done before. But more on that below.

Remember, when you come across an unfamiliar bird, do not reach for your field guide first. The bird is unlikely to sit still for the comparison process, and you will likely forget what the bird really looked like before you find it. Instead, sketch or make mental notes of key identification features and get a picture if possible. These are some of the most important things to makenote of:

Coloration

The tail coverts are dark, almost slate colored. Underneath is white. In fact, when I first looked at this bird, all I really saw was her tail and my first thought was, “The juncos are back?” My second thought, as i moved to a better window was, “What on earth is a junco doing on the platform feeder?” I have never even seen them even as high as the ground feeder unless the snow is deep. But the view from the side made it clear that she was not a junco. The wing coverts were dark as well, with white feathers underneath. (The coverts are the feathers which cover the quills.)

Breast

I really could only see her from this profile, but her breast is white with notable streaking. The streaks are dark and form solid lines. This was new for me, because it reminded me more of the female rose-breasted grosbeak we had earlier in the year. This bird was no where near that size, but the house finches I have seen so far do not have such clearly defined lines on their breasts.

Size

She is about the size of a goldfinch. At least that was my first impression. I had no other birds to compare her with, but she seemed on the small side.

Beak

Large and conical. The upper mandible is darker than the lower mandible. The ratio between the beak size and head size seemed more like that of a grosbeak. But all the grosbeaks I know of are closer to a cardinal in size rather than a goldfinch.

Behavior

Not particularly shy. I moved around the window a bit, and she was undisturbed. I opened the back door, and she did not fly off until I actually went out the door (which is about 20 feet from the feeding station). She was picking sunflower seeds out of a mixture of millet, cracked corn and sunflower seed.

Head

Dark and solid in color. No noticeable eye markings, but these may have been masked by the apparent eye disease.

Eye
At first, I thought the eye was missing, but closer examination shows a possible infection. House finches are somewhat susceptible to conjucntivitis, and this appears to be the problem here.

Because of the darker coloration and especially because of the beak size, I was not completely sure what kind of bird it was. So I took another step in the identification process. After comparing the photo to the bird guide and several pictures on the Internet, I consulted with more experienced birders. There may generally be found at a wildlife store or your local nature center. I posted mine at birdforum, asking what it was.

There, the consesnsus was that it is indeed a house finch, probably with conjunctivitis. The beak is a little large for the species, but there can be considerable variation among individuals in any species.

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I recently joined an internet forum for birders in my state. A recent discussion turned up the fact that red breasted nuthatches seem to be turning up in larger numbers than normal. I am quite excited about this because I am yet to attract one of these perky little fellows to our feeding station. Apparently, this is not occurring only here in Nebraska, but in other parts of the country as well.

“Red-breasted nuthatches are here in huge numbers,” which is unusual, said ornithologist Mark McKellar, who operates a feeder supply store and tracks bird trends through customer reports. Kansas City Star

While this fact may be exciting to those of us anxiously awaiting our winter visitors and the increased activity at our feeders in inclement weather, the reason for the increase is not so pleasant for our wildlife.

People may see more of hungry birds, bears and mice this winter, experts say.

A late freeze in April and drought in August zapped the nut, fruit and seed production on many trees and plants. Ibid.

Our pear tree did not blossom this year. The late freeze killed the blossoms on our crab apple tree, and it never produced any crab apples. In fact, it barely sprouted any leaves. Even many of my perennials did not come up this year and I fear the freeze may have killed them. Some of the plants which did survive likely did so because we laid newspaper over them when we realized it was going to freeze again. Plants in the wild do not have such advantages.

Obviously, more is suffering than just the looks of our backyard. With natural food sources in shorter supply, many animals will be tempted closer to humans. It may be more important to keep your feeders stocked this winter than normal, and to take proper measures to care for your birds while away. If you have not yet set up your feeders, now is a good time so that birds will add them to their daily route before the weather turns harsh.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

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If you have an oak tree in your yard or neighborhood, you have a ready source of much needed protein for your feeder birds this winter. Fill your pockets or a paper bag while out on a walk. Acorns can be collected and stored in a cool, dry place throughout the winter. Keep them in a rodent-proof container and you will have a very cost-effective, nutritional snack for your winter visitors.

Nuts have a high fat content, which is important to bids in the winter, especially insect eating birds which have a higher metabolism. Nuts, fruits, berries and oils all will attract a diverse number of birds to your feeders that may not normally come for the seed offered at most feeders. These specialty foods can be very expensive, however. Unless you have an oak tree handy, that is!

To prepare the acorns, simply place a handful in an old sock and tie it off. Hammer the acorns to crack the shell and break up the meat inside. You can place the acorns on a platform feeder for nut-loving birds such as woodpeckers and jays. The pieces can also be mixed with a homemade suet.

Birds can be wary of new foods, however, so do not be surprised if the new offering sits for a couple of days. Scatter the acorns in amongst the seeds you normally place in your platform or ground feeder so that the birds will be more likely to sample them. Once they discover this tasty treat, they will likely be back for more!

Of course, you can also lay out a few whole acorns for the squirrels in your yard. Ours tend to eat the sunflower seed at the feeder and run off with corn cobs and acorns to hide in the lilac bush nearby. Watch your squirrels carefully at this time of the year, and you will likely find several spots where they keep their stores.

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Over the weekend, we drove out to the Loess Hills for the grand opening of their new lodge and the annual Hawkwatch. The Loess Hills in Western Iowa consist of a geologically unique stretch of yellow loess which follows the Missouri River from Westfield, IA to Mound City, MO. The only other place in the world where this type of soil can be found compacted in this way is along the Yellow River in China. Loess soils are important to this region’s economy because it is a very fertile soil. It is soft to the touch and spongy. Even the packed soil on the trails has a certain give to it.

It is an important region to our birds for an interesting reason: the winds which blow along the central plains are forced upward by the hills, creating strong updrafts. Thus migrating raptors are able to ride these thermals for many miles while exerting very little energy.

This region was first described during the expedition of Lewis and Clark as “bald” due to the lack of trees. It was covered by mixed grass prairie, and an occasional burr oak. Meriwether Lewis describes the view thus:

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This is more a bit of roadside birding than backyard birding, but we saw something very exciting yesterday and I am wondering if it is at all possible that we actually saw what we think we saw.

Driving North, we saw a group of very large birds flying fairly low over the cornfield. I pulled off to get a closer look.

There were eight birds flying with their heads outstretched. Their bodies and necks were white, unlike the Sandhill Crane, which is originally what I thought they were (because of the way they were flying).

They were flying in circles and at first I thought they were getting ready to land, but they gradually rose and drifted off toward the Northeast, which is the direction the wind was blowing.

They had black primary feathers which were very distinct. I also caught a flash of red on the head, similar to the Sandhill Crane. But Sandhill Cranes are not white. These birds definitely were, and they were huge.

They reminded me of the storks we have at the zoo just because they were so large, white and had black on the edge of their wings.

So, how possible is it that what we saw were whooping cranes? That is the only thing I can find that fits what we saw. But there are only about 300 left in the wild, making sightings rare.

Whooping Cranes do migrate through Nebraska on their way to Texas. In fact, the Spring migration brings serious birders from all over the world who come enjoy the spectacle of the Sandhill Cranes and are hoping to catch a glimpse at one of these magnificent and highly endangered birds. Their path takes them to the Central Platte River Valley.

They normally pass through about 130 miles West of here, but we have had very strong winds gusting at over 50 mph which might have blown them a little off course.

For those of you more experienced in field identification, what are the chances that what we saw were actually Whooping Cranes? I do not even know of any North American birds which could be confused with them, especially given their size.

I wish I had pictures to share, but here is a video of some on their way to Florida as they are being taught to migrate by Operation Migration. The birds I saw were not flying in formation, but were circling slowly upwards.

There are approximately 100 species of birds in North America that can be attracted to feeders, some more readily than others. Of course, there are many more species may be attracted to the habitat you provide on your property and in your neighborhood. To see what birds are likely to be present in your area this winter, Project FeederWatch is a wonderful resource, even if you do not plan on joining.

From the Explore Data page, you have several interesting options. You can take a look at the species that citizen scientists reported in previous years in your area, take a look at the top 25 feeder birds for your area and more.

Knowing what is likely to be wintering in your area is a good first step to attracting and identifying the birds as they winter with you, or even just stop for a snack while passing through. If you would like to keep track of the birds you sight, try printing of one of these checklists for your family.

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While some species of raptors can become a pest at feeders, they are amazing birds to watch. One of the most exhilarating experiences I have had with my backyard feeding station was the day a red tailed hawk inspected our yard. Each fall, millions of these magnificent birds migrate south and head through a narrow corridor in central Veracruz, Mexico. That, I am sure, is a truly amazing sight. I have read that it is like watching a river of hawks flying overhead as they make their way to their winter homes. I am sure that these pictures do the event little justice.

While nothing quite that amazing shall be occurring here in the United States, our raptors are readying themselves for this migration. In fact, according to the Hawk Migration Association of North America, the peak period for observing the fall migration is between September 20 and October 20. Check here for an interactive map which will help you find where a viewing site may be located in your state. Participating in a count day can be very educational, and experienced birders are generally available to assist in identification and to answer questions. If you cannot make the count day, however, a trip to the area any time during the migration will likely yield a few memorable sightings.

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As many North American birds prepare to fly south for the winter, many species may be in your area for a short time that you are not normally able to see. Some may even stop at your feeders for some needed calories on this arduous flight. During migration, our birds stick to four main flyways which correspond fairly closely to major topographical features of North America: the Atlantic Flyway, the Mississippi Flyway, the Central Flyway and the Pacific Flyway.

Because the birds follow these features for the most part, you may notice some interesting things at this time of year. We used to live a bit south of the Missouri River and the geese in our area used the river as a sort of road to the Mississippi Flyway. So every fall we saw great flocks of geese heading north for the winter. They seemed confused to us, especially since we did not realize at the time they were flying to the Missouri to follow its course.

Watch your birds as the season changes. Some species will become scarcer and scarcer until you realize that you have seen the last of them until spring. Others will begin to form large flocks in preparation for migration. Last year, we had a surprise visit from a small group of blue birds which came every morning for a week before they disappeared. Before the last of your birds head south, however, you may notice your first winter visitors.

Ways to enjoy this spectacle with your family:

1. Set up feeders if you have not already.

2. Sign up for Project FeederWatch.

3. Check with your local parks and birding clubs to see what activities are being offered.

We will be looking at migration all week, so stay tuned!

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Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to go on my first official birding hike. This is the habitat we explored:

A mixed forest, filled with ponderosa pine and aspen.

A mountain stream.

And a beautiful lake, nestled in a valley.

The habitat is very different from what I am familiar with here in Eastern Nebraska. While it isn’t exactly in my backyard, the best sighting of the day was a bird that can be attracted to feeders if you live within its habitat, the Steller’s Jay.

This raucous bird has the widest range of any North American jay, extending from southern Alaska, south to Central America and east to the Rocky Mountains, which is where we saw them. Once in awhile, they may be seen far from their home range, although no one really knows why. These adventurous birds tend to be younger.

They prefer forested areas. All three of the birds we saw were near the woods at about 7,000 feet.

If you live within the range of the Steller’s Jay, you will likely be successful at attracting them with sunflower seed, corn or suet.

In October, we will be going to the Smoky Mountains. I wonder what new discoveries are awaiting us there!

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If you feed birds, you will have dropped seed decorating your lawn. This may even account for some stray, unplanned plantings throughout your yard. While some spillage is inevitable, there are steps you can take to minimize the mess.

Feed your birds the seeds they want.

Many of the cheaper commercial mixes are full of filler seeds such as wheat and red millet which song birds do not eat. Instead, they sweep the undesirable seed out of the way to get to their favorites. We have found that even offering mixes of seeds they do eat such as corn, millet and sunflower seeds causes this sweeping behavior as they select their preferred foods.

Use a dark ground cover.

The ground under our feeders is black from all the sunflower seed hulls and Nyjer seed. If our garden were covered with white gravel, this would be much more noticeable.

Select low growing ground cover near feeders and small bushes.

These plants will hide the spent seed, but not provide a hiding place for cats. Plants also make the area more attractive, and if you choose them with wild birds in mind may also serve as an additional attraction. Birds like flowers, shrubs and even weeds near their feeding sites. But make sure that they have a clear view of any potential predators that may try to use these plantings to aid in stalking.

Buy hulled bird seeds.

These cost a little more, but it is an option if the quantity of hulls is creating an eyesore in your garden. Machines do the work of cracking out the heart of the seed and the waste is deposited elsewhere before you even purchase it. This has the added advantage of attracting birds that are not able to crack open the sunflower or safflower seeds.

Feed less.

Once birds have added you to their dining route, they will continue to come expecting food. If the feeders are empty, they will forage on the ground and pick up some of the mess they left behind. You can let your feeders go empty for a day once in awhile without fear of losing your regular visitors. If you only do this when the weather is fair, you do not need to worry about causing hardship in your birds due to the missing resource.

Or, you could choose not to worry about it.

We really enjoyed our surprise sunflower garden this year. So did the goldfinches when the sunflowers began to produce seeds. Birds at the feeder are interesting to watch, but goldfinches maneuvering on the ends of sunflower heads? They had an intensity I had never seen in them as they perched sedately on the tube feeder. As the flowers moved in the wind and under their weight, they also showed off their amazing agility, sometimes even taking seeds in flight. And all of that waste is biodegradable and provides wonderful fertilizer.

[birdwatching, birding, backyard birding, gardening[/tags]

Today is Constitution Day and what better way to celebrate than with a story from the only one of our founding fathers to have signed all five of the documents which declared our independence from Britain?

January 26, 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to his daughter in response to the adoption of the Great Seal with a poorly drawn Bald Eagle as its centerpiece. He thought it looked more like a turkey. After essentially describing the Bald Eagle as an ignominious coward, perhaps more descriptive of the British than the American, he goes on to say,

I am, on this account, not displeased that the figure is not known as a bald eagle, but looks more like a turkey. For in truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America. Eagles have been found in all countries, but the turkey was peculiar to ours; the first of the species seen in Europe, being brought to France by the Jesuits from Canada, and served up at the wedding table of Charles the Ninth. He is, besides, (though a little vain and silly, it is true, but not the worse emblem for that,) a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on. Franklin’s letter to his daughter, 1784

The wild turkey can be found throughout much of the United States, and even enticed into your yard if you live in a more rural area. Like many wild animals, they love corn. I have heard of them contentedly cleaning up dropped seed under feeders, but I have also heard of them becoming a nuisance. They are large birds and travel in small groups called “rafters.” If they discover there is food to be had in your feeders, they can make short work of them as this blogger describes.

We do have wild turkeys around where we live. It is a treat to see them in the brush along the roadside on our way into town, especially when they cross the street with their poults in a neat little line. The picture above was taken during our recent outing to the Nebraska Sandhills, East of where we live. They have never come into our yard, however. I think it might be better that way.

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