Kathie's Birds: backyard

Showing posts with label backyard. Show all posts

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Spring Yard Birds on Mere Point

Yellow-rumped Warbler (male, Myrtle) 4-25-2015

During Spring Migration I see many birds in my yard that I do not see the rest of the year. This spring I saw some familiar birds as well as at least one new yard bird. Here are a few of the species I was able to photograph as they passed through, along with the dates they were seen. Some visited several times, or hung around for a few days; some I only saw once and they were gone. And some have stayed to raise their young, which they are now bringing to my feeders! Scroll down to see who came to visit me!

Eastern Phoebe 4-27-15

I only seem to see this species in my yard when they pass through during migration but, after that they seem to disappear. I have not seen a phoebe in my yard in weeks!

Pine Warblers 4-27-15

Pine warblers were here for a few weeks in early spring, but have since moved on. They love to eat suet! Still, sometimes I wonder if that is one I hear calling from the tops of the tall pines that surround my yard, but since chipping sparrows have a similar call it can be difficult to tell. I know I have Chipping Sparrows because I see and hear them. I have not seen a Pine Warbler here in weeks.

Northern Mockingbird 4-28-2015

This was a new Yard Bird for me this year!

European Starlings 4-29-15

Once the starlings arrived, they never left. They gobble up all my seed and suet. It’s no wonder they have survived and multiplied in this country, they eat everything! I quit putting out meal worms because these greedy birds eat them all in one day!

Rose-breasted grosbeak 5-5-15

Every now and then this species shows up again, so they must be nesting nearby.

Great-crested Flycatcher 5-7-15

This species is still hanging around and I often hear its noisy call through my open windows!

Red-bellied Woodpecker 5-12-15

I had this female Red-bellied hanging around all winter, but I never saw a male. I knew she needed a partner in order to nest and reproduce but one never showed up. She must have moved on, because I have not seen her in a long time. She was always very shy and flew off at the slightest sight of me. I was lucky to get this picture!

Male Purple finch (left), Male House Finch (right) 5-12-15

Both these species are still being seen in my yard.

Carolina Wren 5-12-15

This was a one day wonder and this was my only chance at a photo through the window. I never saw this species again. Last year I had the same experience where a Carolina Wren passed though the yard one day and then was gone.

Song Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, and 1 White-crowned Sparrow

All the above sparrows were seen in my yard on May 12, 2015. This was an overlap in seasons with White-throated Sparrows being a winter species here, White-crowned being seen only during spring and fall migration, and Song Sparrows being a returning summer breeder! The Song Sparrows and an occasional Lincoln or Savannah Sparrow are all I see now.

Indigo Bunting (male) 5-12-15

I have not seen this species in my yard in awhile.

Northern Parula 5-12-15

I think you can tell that May 12 was a very busy migration day here!

Gray Catbird 5-12-15

There are still plenty of catbirds hanging around!

Baltimore Oriole 5-13-15

I had hoped this species would hang around and I tried to find an Oriole feeder to encourage them, but none of the stores sold them! Rats! Still, it was nice to see them while they were passing through.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male and female) 5-21-15

I had at least 4 Ruby-throats in this yard at one time, but then their numbers dropped. For awhile I was only seeing 1 male hummingbird on rare occasions, but just yesterday I finally saw a female again. They are very fussy about the feeder and like fresh nectar. I have to change it every 2 to 3 days to keep them coming and to keep the feeder from growing mold, which is deadly to them.

Hummingbird feeding tips: It is important to remember not to use red dye in making their food, and do not be tricked by companies trying to sell “flower nectar” at ridiculous prices. Hummingbird nectar is easily made from traditional white sugar and water. Just dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 4 cups of water warmed on the stove and stirred until it is dissolved. Cool and refill your feeders. You can store the extra in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Do not try to use honey to make nectar. This could also prove deadly! Wash your feeders in plain water as dish soap leaves a residue. If you find it necessary to use soap, please rinse the feeders in a mixture of white vinegar and water to remove any residue and prevent mold. Never put warm or hot nectar out in your feeders as hummingbirds lap up their nectar with their long tongues which would get burned!

During the peak of migration I was seeing 20 to 30 species of birds in my yard every day. Now that number has dropped back to 14 to 18 species a day. If I get 20 species right now, I feel lucky! I feel lucky anyways because I love to see the birds. it is so nice to hear their calls through the open windows, or see them at the feeders and in the yard! Birds make my yard come alive, and I feel alive then too!

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

More Yard Birds

Hairy Woodpecker in yard 3-31-15

These are a few of the birds I have seen in my yard as winter has transitioned into spring. Species names and dates they were seen are noted below each photograph.

American Goldfinch 2-25-15

Black-capped Chickadee 3-16-15

American Robin 3-16-15

Red-winged Blackbird 3-17-15

European Starling 3-24-15

Black-capped Chickadee 3-24-15

Common Redpoll 3-24-15

On this date this bird became a rare bird in my yard. However, I continued to see redpolls until April 12!

Northern Cardinal 3-24-15

On March 31 as I came home from counting birds at the boat launch I saw something in my back yard tree where some of my bird feeders hang.

Do you see what I see?

Adult Cooper’s Hawk 3-31-15

Cooper’s Hawks stalked my bird feeders all winter. I saw both juveniles and adults. One even ate my only Hermit Thrush that was hanging around my yard for a little over two weeks in January and early February. I paused in my steps but this bird was so focused on finding food it didn’t even notice me, or care if it did see me. It jumped down onto the ground and started walking around in search of prey.

It even ran into the thicket hoping to catch a bird, but they were long gone!

I’m afraid this bird went hungry this time!

Links:

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Mere Point Yard Birds in Two Seasons

Junco and Cardinal in snow 1-4-2015

Winter Birding in my yard is often viewed through through windows.

The waters of Maquoit Bay have long ago frozen over for good.

House Finches still fill my treetops.

Occasionally I still see a female Purple Finch or two.

White-throated sparrows were everywhere in Autumn,

but gradually their numbers dwindled. I now only see one occasionally.

Juvenile Cedar Waxwings were as thick as autumn leaves on October 24, 2014, but their numbers have dwindled as well. The most I have seen recently is five birds, but I know they will return. I had two adult birds in the yard today.

Last November I had this juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk in the yard.

By December 1st we had some of our first snow and our last Red-winged Blackbirds!

The White-breasted nuthatches are here year round!

And the crows like to hang out in the Sentinel Tree by the driveway!

It took me awhile to get use to feeding meal worms to the birds. I hate the look and smell of them, but the chickadees and titmice love them, so I hold my breath and fill the feeders with a canning jar funnel so I don’t have to touch them! Occasionally I see the nuthatches eating them as well. In this cold winter with such deep snow, the birds really need the protein!

Black-capped Chickadee at one of my feeders 12-21-14

Mourning Doves in the treetops 12-21-14

Female Hairy Woodpecker on apple tree by driveway 12-21-14

I moved the meal worm feeder and the finch feeder to this location by the driveway for the winter. I remembered that last year it was hard to get to the feeders on the side of the house and I knew I would not be able to shovel a path to that location this year. This proved to be a wise decision, for little did I know then how deep the snow would get this winter.

In summer I hung a hummingbird feeder here, but with the approach of winter, I exchanged the nectar feeder for a finch feeder. This feeder is located right out my back door across the driveway in an easy access location.

I was thrilled when the Common Redpolls showed up in January!

But so did the woodland hunter, who stalked the forest like a ghost.

The birds fed on berries in the thickets, like this Happy Hermit Thrush 1-18-15

But the Cardinal was wiser and more wary.

By January 21 we had just a bit of snow and a few Common Redpolls.

The grass was still visible and it was still easy to get around the yard.

January 25 it was still easy to get in and out of the driveway!

But then the snows came.

And the bitter cold.

The snow started to pile up! 1-28-15

It got deeper and deeper 1-31-15

Soon I had to move the finch feeder from the hook to the bush by the edge of the driveway. I could not climb over the snow bank, and the bird bath disappeared into the ever deepening snow! The snow took its toll on everyone, and hunger made the birds even more desperate and more bold.

So it was not surprising that during a snow storm I looked out the window to see a young Cooper’s Hawk dining beneath my feeder. I know this is the way of the wild but I was a bit sad that it ate my Happy Hermit Thrush! The Hermit Thrush’s hunger made it careless. The Cooper Hawk’s hunger helped it to hunt. Hunger drove them both to this end result. It is the way of Nature.

We had even more snow on this past Sunday, but it didn’t last long.

It was my birthday, so Gus took me out for breakfast and birding along the coast of Maine. We stopped at the Wild Birds Unlimited of Portland, where I spent the gift card a friend gave me for my birthday. Gus chipped in a few bucks as well and I was able to buy everything I wanted! I was so thrilled. After birding Biddeford Pool for the very first time (a future post), we drove home in sunshine and warm temps.

It was almost dusk when Gus mounted this new feeder platform on the pole for me. I had wanted one of these for a very long time but since moving this feeder to this location I had noticed the birds did not use it as much. I use to have the other bird feeders over here as well but I moved them to the side of the driveway for the winter as the yew tree I hang them from gets too weighed down with snow in winter. Once thing I have learned from all this bird feeding is that the birds like to feed near each other. I guess it is because of that old adage, there is safety in numbers.

With the addition of the feeder platform, the birds are visiting this feeder once again! They just love it! I have had whole flocks of finches on it already, as well as Mourning Doves, Blue Jays, chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and woodpeckers! However, I am guessing it will be mobbed by blackbirds when spring migration begins! And really, that is not too far away now! Just a few more weeks, right?