Nothing of interest happened to me today, unless you count the vomiting.
We were on our way to Swami's, a few minutes from our house, and I said to Geoff, "I feel like I am going to be sick."
He took me home, I laid down, got back up, got sick, then collapsed on the couch for the remainder of the day.
I was later able to take a quick nest inventory of the yard:
Wrens: All have fledged.
Chickadees: At least two bright yellow gapes seen in the nest box.
Tree Swallows vs. Purple Martins: Looks like the TRES have won the nest site. Damn.
Bluebirds: Haven't seen even ONE since winter.
Frogs: One very loud amphibian has been calling from the area around the fountain. I need to look up frog calls. Last year we had bull frogs.
I hope someone had a more exciting day than I did...
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Bounty at the Oxbow
I had the day free today, so I headed out to the Oxbow.
I am so glad I did. I have never been there during spring migration (Why? I don't know.)
Let's do the ho-hum stuff first:
I am so glad I did. I have never been there during spring migration (Why? I don't know.)
Let's do the ho-hum stuff first:
As I saw this fly in, I was hoping that it was a loon, seeing the pale chest.
But it was a juvenile double-crested cormorant. I've never seen a juvenile, but cormorants are a dime a dozen up at Lake Erie.
But it was a juvenile double-crested cormorant. I've never seen a juvenile, but cormorants are a dime a dozen up at Lake Erie.
This was pretty cool. I saw what I thought was a water bug skimming along the water about 20 feet away. But I realized that it was moving way too fast to be a bug.
A snake! A Northern Water Snake, to be exact. Not venomous, but aggressive. Glad I didn't get close. If you click it to enlarge, you can see his tongue flicking!
Okay, onto the good stuff:
*(Note: I am 95% sure of these ID's. But if anyone has an opinion, I would love to hear it. I am weak in warblers, shorebirds, vireos...well, I'm weak in a lot of areas. But I rock at raptors!)
A snake! A Northern Water Snake, to be exact. Not venomous, but aggressive. Glad I didn't get close. If you click it to enlarge, you can see his tongue flicking!
Okay, onto the good stuff:
*(Note: I am 95% sure of these ID's. But if anyone has an opinion, I would love to hear it. I am weak in warblers, shorebirds, vireos...well, I'm weak in a lot of areas. But I rock at raptors!)
I'm calling this one a Northern waterthrush. But parts of it make me lean just a bit towards Louisiana. The habitat is wrong for a Louisiana, though. This was swampy, flat shoreline.
I'm called this one a Palm warbler, and though you can't see it well in the photo, he had a faint reddish cap.
With a better view, I could probably ID this one better. But all I got to see was his eye ring and a very faint yellow wash on his flanks. So I am saying Warbling vireo, but I like to hear if anyone thinks Solitary.
I heard way more birds than I saw today. The warbler family is a tough one to learn when it comes to songs.
Other birds seen today:
Robins
Mallards
Killdeer
Canada geese
Tree swallows
American coot
Some warbler smacking a caterpillar against a branch
6 Days until Magee Marsh!
I am especially jazzed about this year's trip, not just for the alone time, but also because my confidence as a birder is stronger now than in past years. The first year we went, I was new at birding, and Magee Marsh is an overwhelming place to go on a first bird-trip. I didn't know the landscape, or most of the birds I was seeing.
Last year, I was better at it, but still a little unsure.
Now, I am ready to rock it hard on the Boardwalk. I've heard that some birders never make it out of the parking lot, it's so birdy there.
Anyone who reads my blog and is planning to go up to Magee, let me know. Maybe we can meet up and stumble over some warblers together!
Friday, May 04, 2007
It's the Final Countdown...
...anyone remember that song?
I would love to live at the Cincinnati Nature Center.
Every turn leads to a new gasp of delight. It's great in every season.
Spring, though, is special.
I have created two little monsters in Isabelle and Lorelei. They expect me to take them somewhere cool every day.
So yesterday, I took them to the CNC.
I am meeting lots of the CNC staff, and that's nice, because the new RAPTOR property used to belong to the CNC, and we have a nice, friendly relationship with them. One of the CNC's trails leads right to the Red Barn.
I really need a wildflower field guide.
I Googled until I couldn't Google any more, looking for the names of these flowers.
I saw yellow ones:
I would love to live at the Cincinnati Nature Center.
Every turn leads to a new gasp of delight. It's great in every season.
Spring, though, is special.
I have created two little monsters in Isabelle and Lorelei. They expect me to take them somewhere cool every day.
So yesterday, I took them to the CNC.
I am meeting lots of the CNC staff, and that's nice, because the new RAPTOR property used to belong to the CNC, and we have a nice, friendly relationship with them. One of the CNC's trails leads right to the Red Barn.
I really need a wildflower field guide.
I Googled until I couldn't Google any more, looking for the names of these flowers.
I saw yellow ones:
...and some purple ones:
...and many, many white ones:
I would really like to learn more about botany...it makes you a better birder and all around smarter person.
And I don't like to brag...well, okay, I do...but we had an indigo bunting in the yard this morning!
When I come down every morning, I am in the habit of looking out our front window at the feeders. And this blue cutie was sampling the spilled seed.
That's yard bird #46, for those keeping score.
I am so proud of our property. Everywhere around us, there are street after street of manicured, perfect, boring lawns. And then there's us.
I watch birds as I leave our neighborhood, and everyone else has starlings and house sparrows. We have everybody other species in the area.
We have two things going for us...
1. We don't think like people. We think like birds.
2. The back of our house faces mature forest across the state route we live on.
Like I have said before, I am bad about answering comments.
Laura asked the other day what we had in the prairie besides grass.
Answer: Cosmos, black-eyed Susan's, a bayberry bush, blackberry brambles, and left over from last year (I didn't get them into the ground in time) Queen of the Prairie, swamp milkweed and a cup plant. And I want to add more this year.
This time next week, I will be settling into a hotel room in Port Clinton, Ohio. International Migratory Bird Day, my birding pilgrimage every year.
And I will be going alone. Now, I love my husband and sweet precious children, but two days of unfettered birding? With no whining from the back seat on the drive up? And no one to worry about but me? Me, set free to run amok in one of the top ten birding areas in the country?
Oh, yeah. Heaven on Earth.
...and many, many white ones:
I would really like to learn more about botany...it makes you a better birder and all around smarter person.
And I don't like to brag...well, okay, I do...but we had an indigo bunting in the yard this morning!
When I come down every morning, I am in the habit of looking out our front window at the feeders. And this blue cutie was sampling the spilled seed.
That's yard bird #46, for those keeping score.
I am so proud of our property. Everywhere around us, there are street after street of manicured, perfect, boring lawns. And then there's us.
I watch birds as I leave our neighborhood, and everyone else has starlings and house sparrows. We have everybody other species in the area.
We have two things going for us...
1. We don't think like people. We think like birds.
2. The back of our house faces mature forest across the state route we live on.
Like I have said before, I am bad about answering comments.
Laura asked the other day what we had in the prairie besides grass.
Answer: Cosmos, black-eyed Susan's, a bayberry bush, blackberry brambles, and left over from last year (I didn't get them into the ground in time) Queen of the Prairie, swamp milkweed and a cup plant. And I want to add more this year.
This time next week, I will be settling into a hotel room in Port Clinton, Ohio. International Migratory Bird Day, my birding pilgrimage every year.
And I will be going alone. Now, I love my husband and sweet precious children, but two days of unfettered birding? With no whining from the back seat on the drive up? And no one to worry about but me? Me, set free to run amok in one of the top ten birding areas in the country?
Oh, yeah. Heaven on Earth.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
I better stop going to Lake Isabella, or I will run out of birds to see at Magee Marsh next week.
I almost wet myself when I saw a brilliant blue blur fly past my car (I do my best birding from my car, it seems. Read-made bird blind.)
An indigo bunting! Now, it's not a life bird, but it was thrilling anyway. How can something be so blue?
My life indigo bunting was actually on top of Bill and Julie's birding tower last summer.
So this bird's for you, BT3 and Zick!
An indigo bunting! Now, it's not a life bird, but it was thrilling anyway. How can something be so blue?
My life indigo bunting was actually on top of Bill and Julie's birding tower last summer.
So this bird's for you, BT3 and Zick!
So the bunting wasn't a life bird. But this one was.
A Swainson's thrush. Hot damn.
All of the thrushes make my eyes cross, but when I saw the eye ring, yellow/brown/gray color and the lack of any reddish-brown on the back or wings, not to mention that we are in range for Swainson's, I knew I didn't have a wood, gray-cheeked or hermit.
A Swainson's thrush. Hot damn.
All of the thrushes make my eyes cross, but when I saw the eye ring, yellow/brown/gray color and the lack of any reddish-brown on the back or wings, not to mention that we are in range for Swainson's, I knew I didn't have a wood, gray-cheeked or hermit.
White breasted nuthatches are just cool. That beautiful tuxedo they wear, and their ability to creep down a tree trunk. And look at his top foot....he has his pinky toe stuck out like he is at High Tea.
Ms. Genius here finally figured out how to get a good close-up of the wrenlets. But they are barely wrenlets anymore. They are filling up the nest box (remember, there are five in there!) and it looks like they are started early on the disapproval.
I can see the beginnings of that beautiful, saucy rust color on their heads and back.
I can see the beginnings of that beautiful, saucy rust color on their heads and back.
I can't seem to get away from birds. (Not that I would want to) I spotted this robin on a nest in the McDonald's parking lot!
And they may be everywhere you turn, but they sure start out cute!
(Baby Canada)
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
It's all about BALANCE, people!
Lorelei and I stopped at our favorite pet store today (Jack's Aquarium and Pets) for dove and rat food (Why doesn't Kroger carry rat lab blocks? I mean, honestly.)
As we made our way back to the car, I almost stepped into a big pot of trouble...
Let's play "Spot the Goose":
As we made our way back to the car, I almost stepped into a big pot of trouble...
Let's play "Spot the Goose":
See her?
The goofy thing was sitting on a nest on one of the parking lot "islands".
I led Lorelei up onto the island, because she has the unnerving habit of dashing in front of oncoming cars in parking lots.
And if I had taken one more step, we would have had a pissed off Mother Goose under foot.
So I grabbed Lorelei out of harm's way and put her in the car, and of course grabbed my camera and went back over to take a few photos.
I led Lorelei up onto the island, because she has the unnerving habit of dashing in front of oncoming cars in parking lots.
And if I had taken one more step, we would have had a pissed off Mother Goose under foot.
So I grabbed Lorelei out of harm's way and put her in the car, and of course grabbed my camera and went back over to take a few photos.
On the way out of the parking lot, I saw another poorly chosen nest site.
Considering the population of Canada geese, it's probably extremely hard for them to find more "normal" nest sites, like beaver dams or elevated areas near water. How many lakes can you think of that don't allow fishing? People and nesting geese do not mix. We created a Mecca for this species (and for white-tailed deer, etc) and when they move in, we get pissed.
Along the same vein, we have introduced house sparrows and starlings to a continent that cannot remain balanced with their existence. For a good debate on HOSP, check out Julie's post about active HOSP management.
Something I like to incorporate into my educational programs is our role in animals' lives and well-being.
Take DDT, for example. We created it, sprayed it everywhere, and it took a few decades for us to realize that birds of prey, water birds and so on were dying off rapidly.
The reason: In a nutshell, DDT biomagnifies. It builds up in the food chain until it reaches the top of it (example: raptors and humans!) and in the case of birds, breakdown products are toxic to embryos and can disrupt calcium absorption, making the egg shells very soft. The female would lay the eggs, and when she went to incubate, her weight would crush the eggs.
(Did you know that the man who created DDT got a Noble Prize for it????)
Another bit of info I like to talk about is our lawns. I try very, very hard NOT to be preachy. Nobody wants to hear a sermon on how awful we are at managing nature.
People ask me what they can do to attract raptors to their yards.
My answer: Absolutely nothing. If the food is there, the birds will be there.
Instead, I show people things that they can do. Or more correctly, that what they don't do makes a huge difference.
Here at Williams Manor, we call it "judicious laziness".
What anal-retentive twit dictated that our yards had to be LAWNS?
What is a lawn? A grass farm.
And Nature not only abhors a vacuum, but also abhors a monoculture.
Why do you have to trim every corner down to the ground? Why not leave a few patches of tall grass? Or when you trim back the ever-so-invasive honeysuckle, why not start a brush pile?
Creating a brush pile is an inexpensive and easy way to provide critical shelter and cover for ground-nesting birds, reptiles and amphibians, chipmunks, rabbits, and other small mammals.
Why are people spraying their yards with pesticides? In a yard with native plants and a natural balance of beneficial insects, you don't need pesticides. If you have a healthy supply of insects, you will also have a healthy supply of insect-eating birds.
And why, in the sweet name of God, do people fertilize their grass? So that it grows thicker and faster, so you have to mow it more frequently, using more gasoline to chew through the thick carpet of unnatural green? Not to mention adding to the stinky fumes that hang around in the air and choke the trees.
Deep Breath....ahhh.
I feel better.
But seriously. This way of thinking and "managing" our yard has been so rewarding.
Aside from the 45 bird species we have seen in our yard, (5 of which were birds of prey), we have also seen:
Raccoons
Possums
Chipmunks
Squirrels
Field mice
Deer mice
Meadow voles
White-tailed deer
Little brown bats
Eastern cottontail rabbits
Midland brown snakes
Black rat snakes
Countless dragonfly species
And I don't know how many insects.
All this was seen on 0.75 acres.
I'm pretty well spent now.
But I am adding a nice cleansing picture:
Considering the population of Canada geese, it's probably extremely hard for them to find more "normal" nest sites, like beaver dams or elevated areas near water. How many lakes can you think of that don't allow fishing? People and nesting geese do not mix. We created a Mecca for this species (and for white-tailed deer, etc) and when they move in, we get pissed.
Along the same vein, we have introduced house sparrows and starlings to a continent that cannot remain balanced with their existence. For a good debate on HOSP, check out Julie's post about active HOSP management.
Something I like to incorporate into my educational programs is our role in animals' lives and well-being.
Take DDT, for example. We created it, sprayed it everywhere, and it took a few decades for us to realize that birds of prey, water birds and so on were dying off rapidly.
The reason: In a nutshell, DDT biomagnifies. It builds up in the food chain until it reaches the top of it (example: raptors and humans!) and in the case of birds, breakdown products are toxic to embryos and can disrupt calcium absorption, making the egg shells very soft. The female would lay the eggs, and when she went to incubate, her weight would crush the eggs.
(Did you know that the man who created DDT got a Noble Prize for it????)
Another bit of info I like to talk about is our lawns. I try very, very hard NOT to be preachy. Nobody wants to hear a sermon on how awful we are at managing nature.
People ask me what they can do to attract raptors to their yards.
My answer: Absolutely nothing. If the food is there, the birds will be there.
Instead, I show people things that they can do. Or more correctly, that what they don't do makes a huge difference.
Here at Williams Manor, we call it "judicious laziness".
What anal-retentive twit dictated that our yards had to be LAWNS?
What is a lawn? A grass farm.
And Nature not only abhors a vacuum, but also abhors a monoculture.
Why do you have to trim every corner down to the ground? Why not leave a few patches of tall grass? Or when you trim back the ever-so-invasive honeysuckle, why not start a brush pile?
Creating a brush pile is an inexpensive and easy way to provide critical shelter and cover for ground-nesting birds, reptiles and amphibians, chipmunks, rabbits, and other small mammals.
Why are people spraying their yards with pesticides? In a yard with native plants and a natural balance of beneficial insects, you don't need pesticides. If you have a healthy supply of insects, you will also have a healthy supply of insect-eating birds.
And why, in the sweet name of God, do people fertilize their grass? So that it grows thicker and faster, so you have to mow it more frequently, using more gasoline to chew through the thick carpet of unnatural green? Not to mention adding to the stinky fumes that hang around in the air and choke the trees.
Deep Breath....ahhh.
I feel better.
But seriously. This way of thinking and "managing" our yard has been so rewarding.
Aside from the 45 bird species we have seen in our yard, (5 of which were birds of prey), we have also seen:
Raccoons
Possums
Chipmunks
Squirrels
Field mice
Deer mice
Meadow voles
White-tailed deer
Little brown bats
Eastern cottontail rabbits
Midland brown snakes
Black rat snakes
Countless dragonfly species
And I don't know how many insects.
All this was seen on 0.75 acres.
I'm pretty well spent now.
But I am adding a nice cleansing picture:
"I feel YELLOW,
Oh, so YELLOW..."
Upcoming Appearances
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION | PUBLIC |
| | | | No |
| 06-12/26-07 | | St. Al’s Summer Camp | No |
| | | | Yes |
| | | | No |
| | | | Yes |
| | | | No |
| | | | Yes |
| | | | Yes |
| | | | Yes |
| | | Madiera Library | Yes |
| | | | Yes |
| | | Fayetteville-Perry Library | Yes |
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Flycatcher? Pewee? Phoebe?
I need help.
Well, maybe that's not news.
Lake Isabella has been a pleasant surprise this Spring. I have been parking on the river side of the park and warblers and lots of other birdies are hanging from the trees.
Well, maybe that's not news.
Lake Isabella has been a pleasant surprise this Spring. I have been parking on the river side of the park and warblers and lots of other birdies are hanging from the trees.
Who was the first person to discover a blue-gray gnatcatcher? He or she must have had eyesight like a microscope. They are so tiny!
Okay. What the hell is this?
I have been pouring over my field guides, and I admit that this particular branch of the bird family tree is confusing to me. I felt better when I read in the Stokes guide that even "experts" have trouble with the empidonaxes and usually have to rely on song for ID.
Well, I didn't hear this one singing, so I am stumped.
At first, I thought Eastern Wood Pewee.
Then I thought maybe an Acadian Flycatcher.
Then I thought it kind of looked like a phoebe.
Each new picture I see, I change my mind.
Someone who knows what they are talking about has to help me.
Oh! I forgot to tell everyone that I got a life bird the other day on the way to a program.
An eastern kingbird! Whoot!
But I was too busy trying to find the group I was presenting to, to get a photo.
Geoff took the girls to the grocery store with him tonight (is he great or what?) so Nellie and I spent some time in the yard. It sure is nice to be able to walk through it without worrying that a snake or Jimmy Hoffa isn't going to jump up out of the grass.
This is the enlarged prairie. I would like to make it even larger, but I have to go slow and keep Geoff from freaking out about it. I personally would love it if all the grass died, so I could easily fill the yard with native plants.
The robins came out of the woodwork when the grass finally got chopped.
I love to watch them probing for worms in our nice, chemical-free lawn, because they won't be bringing mutated babies into the world.
Who wants to see baby robins with three heads and that glow in the dark?
The purple martin is still here. And the tree swallows have been checking out the bluebird house. No nest building from them yet, but I hope they stick around.
We won't have to worry about too many flying insects, will we?
And if we get the new bat house up, the mosquitoes will be taken care of too!
"I ate before you ate, tee"?
Tee? What does that mean?
"See" would have made more sense.
Either way, I love it when people get creative with the seven characters the BMV gives us.
Okay. What the hell is this?
I have been pouring over my field guides, and I admit that this particular branch of the bird family tree is confusing to me. I felt better when I read in the Stokes guide that even "experts" have trouble with the empidonaxes and usually have to rely on song for ID.
Well, I didn't hear this one singing, so I am stumped.
At first, I thought Eastern Wood Pewee.
Then I thought maybe an Acadian Flycatcher.
Then I thought it kind of looked like a phoebe.
Each new picture I see, I change my mind.
Someone who knows what they are talking about has to help me.
Oh! I forgot to tell everyone that I got a life bird the other day on the way to a program.
An eastern kingbird! Whoot!
But I was too busy trying to find the group I was presenting to, to get a photo.
Geoff took the girls to the grocery store with him tonight (is he great or what?) so Nellie and I spent some time in the yard. It sure is nice to be able to walk through it without worrying that a snake or Jimmy Hoffa isn't going to jump up out of the grass.
This is the enlarged prairie. I would like to make it even larger, but I have to go slow and keep Geoff from freaking out about it. I personally would love it if all the grass died, so I could easily fill the yard with native plants.
The robins came out of the woodwork when the grass finally got chopped.
I love to watch them probing for worms in our nice, chemical-free lawn, because they won't be bringing mutated babies into the world.
Who wants to see baby robins with three heads and that glow in the dark?
The purple martin is still here. And the tree swallows have been checking out the bluebird house. No nest building from them yet, but I hope they stick around.
We won't have to worry about too many flying insects, will we?
And if we get the new bat house up, the mosquitoes will be taken care of too!
"I ate before you ate, tee"?
Tee? What does that mean?
"See" would have made more sense.
Either way, I love it when people get creative with the seven characters the BMV gives us.
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