The Birders Report

The Great Backyard Bird Count For Camera Critters

by Larry Jordan on February 15, 2009

A Flock Of Finches Gather In An Oak Tree photos by Larry Jordan

So I get up early, as I always do, walk out on the back porch to greet the day for my first counting day of the Great Backyard Bird Count, and what do I see but trees full of birds! Hundreds of finches do I see! Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches, Purple Finches and Pine Siskins not only in the trees but flying to and fro in large flocks.

It’s Valentine’s Day and unfortunately I had to work on the first day of the GBBC so I will begin in earnest on this gray, rainy of and on, day of bird watching and counting. You see I filled up all the bird feeders when I got home from work Friday as they had been ravaged over the past couple of days with the return of cold, wet weather (I’m not complaining, we need the rain)!

I was greeted with lots of loud squawking from a group of nine Steller’s Jays, the most I’ve ever had in my yard at one time. The jays come in and take over the tray feeder while the smaller, less aggressive birds wait their turn, patiently.

This Golden-crowned Sparrow waited its turn and had a few choice words for the greedy Steller’s Jays. The Golden-crowns were joined in the tray feeder by Dark-eyed Juncos, House Finches, Purple Finches, Pine Siskins, Lesser Goldfinches and, at one point, a Spotted Towhee. The finches were primarily feeding at the thistle feeders and the sunflower seed feeders which I had to refill by the end of the day.

I got a visit from one Western Scrub Jay and one American Robin. Several Mourning Doves always grace my yard, feeding on the ground below the feeders, then flying up into the trees at the first sign of danger.

Other birds of note for my first count day were Anna’s Hummingbird, Oak Titmouse, Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) and White-breasted Nuthatch.

I’m thinking that I have a break in the rain now so I’m goin to go out and see what’s going on today. Have a wonderful GBBC weekend and I will keep you posted 😉 In the meantime, check out more critters at Camera Critters.

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Valentine’s Day – A Tradition Of Birds And Spring

by Larry Jordan on February 14, 2009

Mourning Dove photo by Larry Jordan

There are many stories of the origin of Saint Valentine’s Day but my favorite one is simple. Europeans believed that February 14th the birds began to choose their mates. The tradition of birds choosing their mates on Valentine’s Day led to the idea that boys and girls would do the same.

This European Christian tradition of drawing names for Valentine’s Day meant that the young boy who drew a girls name, wore it on his sleeve and protected that girl for that entire year. This made the girl his valentine and they exchanged love tokens throughout the year. Many engagements and marriages were begun this way.

These sentiments of Saint Valentine’s Day were expressed by Michael Drayton, a contemporary of William Shakespeare, this way:

Must, bid the Morn awake!
Sad Winter now declines,
Each bird doth choose a mate;
This day’s Saint Valentine’s.
For that good bishop’s sake
Get up and let us see
What beauty it shall be
That Fortune us assigns.

When I came upon two Mourning Doves recently, they were sitting in a pine tree. They looked as if they were kissing and “rubbing noses” as they were choosing each other as their Valentines.

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Red-tailed Hawk Takes Off For Skywatch Friday

by Larry Jordan on February 12, 2009

Red-tailed Hawk Just Taking Off photos by Larry Jordan

Not a very interesting sky, but on my way home from work last night, this is the sky I saw. I caught this Red-tailed Hawk sitting in the top of an oak tree right on the road. Obviously I had to try to capture a couple of pictures. It was an overcast day and getting pretty dark so not much contrast but I liked the bird’s form as it takes off.

The Red-tailed Hawk is the most common and widespread hawk in North America. It’s most distinguishing field mark when seen from below is the dark patagial bar at the front edge of the wing as seen in this photo.

This coloring is the most common morph in the West but there are several intermediate colored birds between this bird and the very dark “Harlan’s” race. There is also a very light colored morph called the “Krider’s” Red-tailed Hawk that is very pale with a whitish tail, found in the central plains of Canada and the US.

You can find other Red-tailed Hawk posts by typing “red-tailed hawk” into the search in the right sidebar and hitting the “enter” key. You can also find some really great sky photos at Skywatch Friday.

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Audubon Study Shows Birds Moving North Due To Climate Change

by Larry Jordan on February 11, 2009

Boreal Chickadee photo by Jeff Nadler

Audubon’s latest report, Birds and Climate Change: Ecological Disruption in Motion, looks at the last 40 years of Christmas Bird Count data and concludes that 58% of the species studied have moved significantly northward as winter temperatures increase, with the Purple Finch shifting the furthest — 433 miles.

What are Purple Finches, Boreal Chickadees and Black Ducks trying to tell us about climate change? They are all telling us that climate change is here, now. They are telling us we must act now to address this urgent problem. They are showing us a pattern of ecological disruption that tells an alarming story.

Read the report by clicking on the link above then go to the Audubon Action site to sign the petition and let your lawmakers know you want to take action now on global warming.

While we’re on the subject, our neighbors to the north need our support to help save the Boreal Birds that live and breed in the expansive boreal forests of Canada. Go to Save Our Boreal Birds to see what it is all about and sign their petition.

We birders, acting together, can not only help save bird species from extinction, we can help the planet and everyone on it, live a healthier more fulfilling life by protecting our environment.

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