Kathleen
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Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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Thinking about plantings in the yard now. Wouldn't have occurred to me before. Always thought those yards with "butterfly gardens" were ugly. Now I am thinking that I could use a bit more "ugly" in my yard. Since I am new to the bird count, this has been a real learning experience. From this course, I plan to focus on note taking and yard planting. I also think I will ask my daughter to help me purchase an affordable camera with a longer lens than my iPhone to photograph "my" birds. See attached for my biggest find this year.....a Pileated WoodPecker. Sadly he damaged so much of the tree over time that I had to take it down. It was too close to the neighbor's wires. I hope he will find another nearby tree to visit.
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My "field notes" are scratches in a notebook that I keep handy as I do my bird count. I use binoculars from my dining room window to see birds at my multiple feeders about 40 feet away. I've been making notes about the weather, the snow, the squirrels and any unusual sightings (Beautiful Pileated Woodpecker a few months ago that I was able to share with my daughter who was visiting that day). Currently I am focusing on the house finches vs the purple finches. This has been an ongoing challenge. I believe all my finches are actually HOUSE Finches, but every now and then I see what just might be a PURPLE Finch. This gets me hustling back to my ID Quiz that I save on line and two books to confirm. I'm still not sure if it really was a PURPLE Finch or not. I think now I will make better notes as to why I think it is a PURPLE Finch.
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It always amazes me that the 2 (M&F) Cardinals that come to my feeders never show up at the same time. Since it is winter, they are probably not caring for a nest. I watch and watch, but one shows up, then disappears, then the other shows up.....but never at the same time. There are 3 gregarious Blue Jays that almost always arrive at the feeders at the same time. They hang in the branches of the big tree, drop down for a seed and then back to the branches. The WB Nuthatch always eats upside down at the seed feeder, but the downy always eats right side up at the suet feeder. There is a group of House Finches that eats regularly. I suppose there could be a Purple Finch in there once in a while. However, the one that I suspect moves so quickly that I cannot get a good look at the bird. The House Finches are happy to sit and eat and eat. I am able to focus on every detail. The one suspect bird is in and out and not to be identified.
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By Shape - House Finch vs Downy Woodpecker. (House Finch) Small sparrow-like bird that spends the day at the feeders and happily chases away other birds. Downy Woodpecker is larger and hangs off the suet feeder. He visits only intermittently. By Color - Red - Cardinal is red all over. House Finch is raspberry on head and back. Common Flicker has spotted chest but a bit of red on the back of the head. By Food finding behaviors - House Finches eat seeds from the feeder almost continuously. Downy Woodpeckers eat suet from the suet feeders intermittently. Mourning doves eat seeds from the ground under the feeders for most of the day. Favorite Bird - It must be the Northern Cardinal because I gasp every time I see one. Cardinals are bigger than a sparrow but smaller than a crow. The Cardinal might be just a little bit smaller than the Blue Jay that visits once in a while. The Male Cardinal is really red all over. The Female is a lighter shade.....almost a salmon to dusty orange. They are shyer than the chickadees or the finches and fly away quickly if there is any movement near the feeders. I'm pretty sure I have a pair living in my yard which has a lot of tree cover because I can hear the cheer, cheer, cheer high in the trees when I am working in the yard.
Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)