First Bluebird

April 1, 2014.  No, not a joke.  I saw my "first" Eastern Bluebird of this spring season at the edge of the wild wild woods this morning.  What a welcome sight after the longest winter ever!

more feathers close up

Aren't they amazing close up?

The feathers on the birds in the wild wild woods are showing some wear since last summer.  Flying, preening, and roosting crowded into a hole or huddled together in a box causes feathers to wear out.

These three examples -- Dark-eyed Junco (right), Northern Flicker (below right), and Redbellied Woodpecker (below left) -- all have beautiful feathers!

eye shields

I've occasionally noticed something about the eyes on some of the birds I observe: milky or filtered texture.

According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://www.allaboutbirds.org, birds have what is known as a nictitating membrane or “3rd eyelid”.

This membrane is a translucent or clear eyelid, closest to the eyeball. A bird will close these membranes over their eyes but can still see through them to protect their eyes when needed, such as in flight, while hunting, or to dive under water.

This Northern Flicker may have been trying to shield his eyes from flying bits of bark as he probed for insects.

critters at the woods' edge

This Eastern Cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus) has a thick fur coat in cold weather, but does not turn white like the native hares do.  This may be the rabbit that saunters around the fenced veggie garden all spring, looking for new lettuce to enjoy. They live in the brush pile at the edge of the woods, and like to munch on corn and other seeds that blow out of the tray feeders on windy days.  There seemed to be some accumulated in the sheltered depths of the toad haven, half buried by snow.

still sub-zero

Watching the feeders and counting birds today for Cornell FeederWatch http://feederwatch.org/.

All the birds are fluffed up as they hunt frantically for food today; it was near 20F below zero overnight.  The wind makes it feel colder.

A pair of House Finches tried to outdo the colorful beauty of the male Northern Cardinal as they flitted to and fro between the seed tray and the Ninebark bush.

Sub-zero

Sub-zero!  Really sub-zero.  Thanks to Winter Storm Hercules, a polar vortex is invading most of the nation with record-setting low temperatures.  Tonight's forecast low: minus 24F.  Tomorrow's high temperature: minus 13F.  All with high winds.

Today, with the sun shining and only 3 degrees below zero, all the critters were stocking up on food.  I put extra suet and nuts out in the bird trays, and corn on the ground. This Bluejay was trying to fluff up his down underlayer for maximum effect.

nit-picker hawk

This Sharp-shinned Hawk appeared again near the edge of the wild woods.  He perched for a while on the top of the feeder poles, grooming feathers and stretching a bit.  At one point he dropped a leg and let it hang, relaxed, as he picked nits around his neckline.

winter berries

At the edge of the woods, I found some raspberries that did not ripen before frost.  These berries are evidently too dessicated for the birds to enjoy, but the fruits on nearby black chokeberry and dogwood are nearly gone.

180 degree swivel

Cold, sub-zero windy day.  In the sun against dark tree bark was a safe place for this female Red-bellied Woodpecker to rest for a while.  Fluffed into a ball of feathery down, claws dug in and red belly against the bark, she was able to bask in the sun as long as she kept watch for predators  . . .  hence the head swiveled around over her back!

too many non-native HOSP

FeederWatch, the citizen science project with Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is one way to learn birding.  Along with learning the habits and characteristics of native species, I'm learning how and why these non-native House Sparrows Passer domesticus became very successful residents across this country.  They are messy, bully other birds at feeders, and harass other birds out of their nests.  Unfortunately, the flock in my neighborhood seems to number 25 to 30.

snow and rose

Now that snow cover is complete, the House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus are more visible . . . rosey red against the white of winter.  They are hardy little finches that nest early in the Spring here.  Their bright color is a joy on the sunny winter landscape.

suet choices

We have several types of suet feeders to accommodate different sizes of birds.  The male (red moustache) of our Pileated Dryocopus pileatus Woodpecker pair hangs onto the cage for big birds but leans over to taste the suet flavor in the offering next door.

winter water

 
A heated water bowl at the edge of the woods has been our bird oasis through several cold winters.  It keeps water available for the birds, even when the rim accumulates a crust of snow and long icicles around the perimeter.  It is close to the "woody tree" where many roosting holes provide avian accommodations on cold nights.

Northern Flicker

yellow shafted

A Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus has been coming out of the woods almost every day, to get some of the suet from our feeders.  We see this one is a male since he has a black mustache; female Flickers have a brown face.  This is a "yellow-shafted" Flicker, meaning the undersides of his wing and tail feathers are yellow.  In western North America, Flickers are typically "red-shafted".

At a distance, as they often feed on the ground for ants and beetles, a Flicker will appear brownish.  But up close, you can appreciate the black spots, bars, and crescent shapes that create the Flicker's rich patterns.

November Jays

Cold winds of November have all the birds hanging on with clenched feet and fluffed feathers.
They are beginning to look like holiday tree ornaments: feathers stuck onto foam balls.

berry buffet

This flock of Cedar Waxwings browsed through the viburnum, bayberry, black chokeberry, and dogwood shrubs looking for berries.  They gathered for a few minutes high up in the trees before taking off to find another buffet.

moth

A sunny late-summer afternoon at the edge of the woods . . .  this White-lined Sphinx Moth Hyles lineata joined the butterflies scouting nectar from the various blossoms.  At first we mistook it for a hummingbird; it gracefully flexed its body and "tail" as it moved among the blooms. 

garden buddies

 

The veggie garden at the edge of the woods has a mesh fence around it.  Although the deer walk over the fence and help themselves to my crops, the rabbits cannot get in.  They amble around the perimeter every morning, nibbling grass while longing for access to the lettuces.   

The chipmunks can go up, down, and around any obstacle except the feeder pole encased in a “slinky”.

juvenile bird training

Juvenile birds are quite visible this week, as they follow their parents to our feeders at the edge of the woods.  The young ones seem to be as large as the adults, but show their immaturity by flapping wings and frantic calls for food while the parents demonstrate how to find it.  One goldfinch had four young begging around him on adjacent branches.

Ruby

We watched this Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris over several days as it flew from flower to flower, taking an occasional rest on a bare tree branch high above the flower gardens at the woods' edge.

new feathers

Adult birds are molting now that they are finished with nesting season.  Most of them stay hidden in leafy branches and bushes while their old feathers have dropped and they are growing new ones.  Without a full complement of feathers, they may not be able to fly and maneuver well enough to escape predators.  This female Northern Cardinal cautiously peeked out among the branches outside my window.

sunflower snack bar

 

The sunflowers at the edge of the woods 

invitingly ripen seeds in the sunshine.  

This year, the goldfinches are the 

primary customers at this snack bar.

juvenile Grosbeak

This young Grosbeak has been coming to the suet feeder.  Juvenile Red-breasted Grosbeaks are streaked brown and white with a bold face pattern and enormous bill.  As an adult, it will have a stout triangular bill, and use it to eat a variety of seeds and crunchy insects. If a female, it will remain similar to this feather pattern and coloring; if a male, it will molt into a black-and-white theme with a brilliant rose breast.

gooseberries

Gooseberries Ribes hirtellum blossomed in the wild woods early June.
The berries developed but did not last long with so many hungry birds in this dry summer.

deep in the wooods . . .

The Red Baneberry Actaea rubra finished flowering in June and set berries (left).  When the berries are mature, usually by September, birds forage deep in the shady woods to enjoy them (right).