eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Hi all,

Well, it’s about that time of the week again, so I thought we might take a look at the ubiquitous Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata of the Corvidae family).

Blue Jays make their presence known with a variety of calls such as whistling, making a “creaky door” noise, or shrilling an “eeeet! eeeet! eeeet!” sound. Keep in mind that this list of sounds is far from complete. In any event, the fellow below is typical of the breed.



The Blue Jays around here usually stay on the Cape year round, although the species seem to thrive from the Rockies eastward, up into southern Canada, and down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Interesting/fun facts about the Blue Jay:

• The migratory habits of these birds is still somewhat unknown. Sometimes they go, and sometimes they stay. In any event, when they do migrate towards the Northwest, they tend to stick to flocks numbering from 5 to 50.
• Sadly, no state has chosen the Blue Jay as its “State Bird”.
• Blue Jays have an undeserved reputation for marauding the eggs and young of other birds. While that behavior can and does happen, it doesn’t happen that often. By far and away, Blue Jays derive most of their sustenance from seeds, nuts, and suet.
• Like their cousins the crows, Blue Jays call out warnings and engage in mob behavior when they see a predator, be it hawk, owl, or neighborhood cat.
• Blue Jays tend to be fussy eaters, and will send feed flying just to find the perfect morsel.
• Male and female Blue Jays pretty much look the same.

Another week, another bird... (Please feel free to post a comment if you would like to suggest a “Bird of the Week.”)

See you by the feeders.

CapeCodAlan

References used for this post are listed below:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Wikipedia
• Audubon Society
• The National Audubon Society’s “The Sibley Guide to Birds”
• ”Birds Of North America” published by Golden
• ”Birds of New England” from Smithsonian Handbooks

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, here we are, about to lurch into 2007. (It will take some of us a month just to write the correct date on our checks... I’ll be leading the parade on that gaffe.)

Anyway, I thought I might look back on the “backyard-feeder borne” events of 2006.

• I got to write for this blog... Very cool. (I also got the chance to work with Kathryn and Gordon... Very cool indeed.)
• The wife and I got to see a bunch of different birds including hawks, hummingbirds, and owls.
• And speaking of owls, we now have a permanent guest – “Otis.”
  
  

  

• In general, both Suzie and I have become much more conscious of the birds. Now it’s virtually impossible to work during the day without at least catching a few of the bird songs outside.
• One of the neatest things about 2006, the feeders, and this blog is that it has jumpstarted my interest in photography. The wife and I have even been looking at some 10-megapixel digital SLR cameras. (With a little luck, there’ll be a whopping New Years Sale somewhere!)
• And in the “Guilt Dept.”... I finally finished building the wife’s kayak so that she could take her new-found birding interests onto the water. The following are photos taken from her craft of a cormorant (or merganser), a great blue heron, and below that, a picture of the 13’ 'yak itself. (Funny how a little thing like feeding the birds in the backyard leads to larger endeavors...)

  

  

  
  
  So that’s 2006.
  
  Wonder what 2007 will bring???
  
  As always, your comments are welcome.
  
  See you by the feeders,
  
  Alan
  

  Posted by CapeCodAlan at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Weekend before last, it was cold enough here for snow in the higher elevations.

This past weekend, I drove up into the mountains. There were still patches of snow on the ground and some piled along roadsides. Curious to see what birds were still around, I found the Dark-eyed Junco plentiful and active around the bird feeding station.

While Americans east of the Rockies do have Dark-eyed Juncos, only West Coast residents have the sub-species with blackish hood and pinkish body, sometimes called Oregon Junco.

Sibley says the Junco "winter in small flocks in patchy wooded areas; forage on open ground, flying into brush or trees when alarmed." From my observation, that is a perfect description. I found a flock foraging on top of snow-covered ground for seed from a fallen feeder.

They let me move in fairly close to photograph them, but, when startled, they would fly into surrounding trees...

only to return within moments to the ground to continue eating scattered seed.

Their well-defined black hood sometimes makes it difficult to see their dark eyes. However, it's that hood which makes the Dark-eyed Junco so distinctive.

You may comment on this or any post by way of the comment button below.

Happy New Year!

California Kathryn
Fallbrook, CA

Posted by CaliforniaKathryn at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi all,

As I start this post, Christmas 2006 is now 40 minutes old, and I thought that I might offer this entry as a sort of “gift.” Let me explain...

When I took this job, I thought, “Yeah, a few posts a week... A few pictures a week... I’ll just dump everything into a simple, single Windows folder and work from there.” But it didn’t quite work out that way. Make absolutely no mistake about it... Photographing the backyard birds is every bit as addictive as fishing. Yesterday alone, I took 20 snapshots of the denizens of the feeders in the backyard. And when I added those JPGs to that “simple, single Windows folder”, I discovered that I had almost 300 picture files. Uh oh! Clearly, some system of organization was called for.

So I spent the next three hours setting up and fleshing out a simple system of organization using folder and file names. (The folder names can be seen below. Note that I didn't go crazy concerning capitalization, etc. I just got the job done.) A typical file name might take the form of: “bird name_photo type_camera settings_date.jpg”, e.g. “robin_left side profile_ISO 400_Jan 5 07.jpg”.



There are several advantages to that type of system:

• Obviously, it gets all your ducks in a row. (Pun intended.)
• It lets you get a real feel for your current collection of existing bird pictures. (Right now, the wife has 36 pictures and one movie of just two owls - in her words, “I think I’ve got enough.”)
• A taxonomy like this lets you quickly catalog all your backyard sightings.
• This arrangement doesn’t require special software.
• Backing up your bird portfolio is just a matter of burning a single set of folders to a CD or DVD.... Once again, there’s no need for special software. And ditto for the restore.

So that’s my Christmas present to you. (Yeah, I know... I’m “cheep”. But if this post saves you time and hassle setting up your own organized folder and file structure on your computer, it’s probably better than a fruit cake.)

Anyway, Merry Christmas...

See you by the feeders,

Alan

P.S. So what did Santa bring you? Click on the “Comments” button below and let us know!

P.P.S. There is one other advantage to consolidating all your pictures in a logical system... You’ll never know what you’ll find.

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, it's December 23rd, 2006, and if you're like me, you're probably just now thinking about buying Christmas presents. Good for you brother! Uhhh... Read that, "Shame on you!" (My wife is sitting right beside me.) In any event, it still isn't too late to order an eBirdseed.com Gift Certificate. Even during Christmas the certificates are sent immediately. (Is the Web cool or what guys?)

Now back to them birdies...

So far for us here on Cape Cod, it really has been a non-winter, which means that it will probably start snowing tomorrow and not stop until next August. (And yes, as the pictures below show, we can get more than our fair share of snow.)

A few thoughts...

• First, be safe. If you're not safe and well, your birds will also be in jeopardy. The following site offers exceptional downloadable advice for almost every type of natural-disaster preparedness including that for winter storms. http://www.capecodcommission.org/projectimpact/handbook.htm. The bottom line is that we all need to be ready. (Ask anyone in Denver about this.)
• If you can, keep a little bit of extra seed on hand, just in case “Old Man Winter” keeps you housebound for a while. My wife and I buy extra and either store it in plastic sealable bins in the garage, or perhaps better yet, in the trunk of the car. The advantages of storing it in the trunk include:
  • The feed stays dry.
  • It’s immediately available.
  • Rodents can’t get at it.
  • In a pinch, you can spread the seed under your wheels to help in the process of getting unstuck from a snow bank.
  • And the extra weight in the rear end gives rear-wheel drive vehicles a little better traction.
• Also remember, birds need water in the winter.

So there you go. We’re all ready for the snow. In this neighborhood, we expect to see the usual suspects such as chickadees, titmice, juncos, nuthatches, cardinals, blue jays, robins, gold finches, sparrows, carolina wrens, woodpeckers, crows, sea gulls. In addition, with a little luck, we’ll get a few visits from our owl and a hawk or two.

And what do you expect to see around your place? Just click on the “Comments” button below and let everyone know!

See you by the feeders,

Alan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi all,

Before we get started, please join all of us here at eBirdseed.com in congratulating Maria for winning the “’Tis the Season to be Jolly (to the Tune of $100)” contest. (Maria’s entry may be seen here.) Well done Maria! And a tip of the cap to all the other entrants as well. You guys did some great work.

Now on to this post...

The photo below, (sorry for the repeat, but it's one of the only decent pictures I've ever taken) got me to thinking about an old debate in philosophy... “Do animals have souls?” Roughly 350 years ago, the brilliant mathematician and philosopher René Descartes claimed that non-humans had no soul. He referred to them as soulless machines. That sentiment lingers even today.



And much more relative to this blog, “Do birds have souls?”

Hmmm...

Where to begin? First understand... I am not religious. I was raised in a Christian household, but I am an agnostic. I am an engineer. What follows is from an engineer’s point of view.

Now, do birds have souls? Well, let’s start at the beginning... What’s a soul? The classic definition is that a soul is defined as the ethereal essence of a thinking, self-aware, being. I guess the key terms here are “thinking” and “self-aware”...

The first question asks if birds can think... DUH! Try stopping crows from getting at the feed you set out for small birds. We’ll see who can think.

But the second one isn’t so easy... Are birds “self-aware”? I’d say “yes” for several reasons.

• It’s been my unfortunate task to watch several small creatures, (including birds) die, “up close and personal”. And without exception, I saw creatures cognizant beyond fear and pain. Bluntly, I’m pretty sure that they knew that their own beings were coming to an end. Ask anyone who’s ever been present when a pet cat or dog has been put down – the animal knows of its own impending demise.
• One of the hallmarks of self-awareness is awareness of others. And close to the top of that calculus is the interaction of “play”. Consider this... Eagle pairs will frequently snatch snakes, carry them aloft, and then drop them only to take turns snatching the prey before it hits the ground. It is, quite simply, an aerial game of “catch” or “tag”. And that takes an awareness of “your turn, and my turn”. Once again, we have self-awareness.
• And then there’s DNA... Genetically speaking, how close would you guess that humans are to birds? Do we share 1% of the same DNA code? 5%? 10%? No, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute the number is more like 60% to 75%. Like it or not, we are hard wired to birds. And that most likely relates to a thinking, self-aware being.

So there you go. I for one think René was wrong. Besides, an afterlife without birds is just too silly to propose.

I’d like to end this on a happy note, but I can’t. Take a good look at the face above... Look at the legs... Look at the neck... Maybe we’re asking the wrong question about birds and souls right from the git go. In this day and age of suicide bombers in the Mid East, and kids killing each other in America for possession of clothing and jewelry, maybe we need to ask the tougher question of whether humans can be self-aware or even think... What of our souls?

This is a tangled world we live in, but at least there are the birds.

See you by the feeders,

Alan

P.S. Comments most welcome. Just click on the "Comments" button immediately below this post.

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This past summer, a friend spent several days carefully building a bird house. He mounted it on a pole and set it out back near a tree and some shrubbery.

He really hoped that some of the many wild birds which visit his backyard trees might find the bird house a fine place for nesting.

Well, the birds didn't move in, but look who did!

Any ideas of what might have caused the bees to move in?

Has anyone else had problems (if you want to call it a problem!) with bees in their bird houses?

Any suggestions for keeping the bees out - besides chemicals!?

Thanks, and I welcome your comments,

California Kathryn
Fallbrook, CA

Posted by CaliforniaKathryn at 6:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Christmas is about giving right? Here is a story about birds giving back to another winged creature, the moth. Read a snippet from the New Scientist website:

A species of moth drinks tears from the eyes of sleeping birds using a fearsome proboscis shaped like a harpoon, scientists have revealed. The new discovery – spied in Madagascar – is the first time moths have been seen feeding on the tears of birds.

Read the full story here

Posted by eBirdseed.com at 4:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi all,

First things first, the “How Feeding the Birds has Improved My Life" contest is over, and we’ll be announcing a winner shortly. Keep an eye out for possible future contests!

I thought I’d offer a new approach to this blog, and occasionally highlight one particular bird and just talk about him.

Today’s guest is the adult eastern variety of the Northern Cardinal, (Cardinalis cardinalis of the family Cardinalidae). The one below was at our feeders today – a very bright spot in a blustery, overcast December Sunday.



Sorry if the picture above is a little blurry, but the wife has started her holiday baking, and I wasn’t able to set up the tripod and pre-focus the camera in the kitchen as normal. That means that the picture was taken freehand by the wife. (If I on the other hand had taken the picture freehand, you’d be gazing at a wildly-out-of-focus shot of our ceiling.)

A couple of quick tidbits on the Northern Cardinal:

• Supposedly, the cardinal was named because its bright red color matched that of Catholic cardinals’ vestments. That sounds plausible to me.
• Cardinals (the birds that is) only live a year or so.
• It’s the state bird for seven states, (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia).
• During breeding season, the hormone level of cardinals (once again, I’m talking about the birds here) increases by a factor of 300. (No wonder they only live a year...)

One last point... Don’t forget that bird and birding supplies make great holiday gifts!

Well, that does it for me...

See you by the feeders.

CapeCodAlan

References used for this post are listed below:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Wikipedia
• Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
• Audubon Society
• The National Audubon Society’s “The Sibley Guide to Birds”

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

More about the contest in a minute... But first about the crows... As I’ve mentioned, the wife and I take a lot of pictures of the birds. Some pictures come out quite well, and some don’t. (My photos fall squarely in the latter category.) And usually, the ones that are unfocused junk, (mine) just get deleted, and that’s that. But there was something special about the following three photos.

The first is of a crow taking flight. And yes, I know that the picture ain’t great – but the subject is. Look at the lean and launch of the thing, and the incredible arc of the wings.



The next is a photo of the same crow perhaps a second later. The remiges (or flight feathers) are shown in all their glory as he climbs for altitude.



Finally, there is this guy coming in for a “landing”... The twelve retrices (or tail feathers) are visible - extremely cool.



Now, back to the contest!

It’s still not too late to enter the “’Tis the Season to be Jolly (to the Tune of $100)” Contest!

Once again... Here are the rules...

All you need to do is respond to the original contest post (see above for the link) by entering a comment describing How Feeding the Birds has Improved My Life using 200 words or less by midnight 12/15/2006. The winner gets a $100 eBirdseed.com Gift Certificate. Multiple comments (entries) for this contest are acceptable, but each must be unique, distinct, and will be judged as such. Finally, the ruling of the judges (owners Dan and Gordon, bloggers Kathryn and Alan) is final. Employees of eBirdseed.com (and their families) are ineligible.

But time is getting very short!

See you by the feeders,

Alan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

More favorites from 2006: Brewer's Blackbird, Goldfinch, sleepy Western Gray Squirrel, Western Bluebirds, Dark-eyed Junco in red-barked manzanita tree and Mountain Chickadee.

By the way, if you have a favorite photo of your backyard wild birds or animals, I'd be happy to post it here! Just send it as an e-mail attachment to californiakathryn@ebirdseed.com. Please include your name, city and state.

Thanks, and I welcome your comments and photos,

California Kathryn
Fallbrook, CA

Posted by CaliforniaKathryn at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hi all,

Today, I was struck by the peace, normalcy, and slight humor of it all...

The wife rose earlier than I (she can keep her mornings and I’ll keep the nights), and ran her errands. I on the other hand took care of this and that, and then set up the tripod and camera in the kitchen and readied for the important stuff – football! (And yes, this Sunday, when all was said and done, the New England Patriots got their “collective clock” cleaned... Wait ‘til next Sunday... Just wait ‘til next Sunday... Now back to the birds!) With the camera rig focused on one of the feeders, we simply left the camera “on”, (we have an AC adapter that allows the camera to remain “on” and focused indefinitely) and went about our business.

And that’s where the fun begins... Any trip to the kitchen could turn into a photo session. The pictures that follow are from just such a serendipitous shoot of crows eating old pizza.







What a difference some birds and feeders, a camera, a football game, and a loving wife can make.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures of those goofy crows, and I’ll see you by the feeders,

Alan

Time's running out... But it’s still not too late to enter the “’Tis the Season to be Jolly (to the Tune of $100)” Contest!

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

No, no, no... The wife and I haven’t been fending off alien visitors like “The Blob”... (Well, the wife may argue that, but anyway...)

What I’m talking about is the unexpected backyard guest, (often at dawn or dusk). He’s the skunk, or coyote, or deer, or turkey, or whoever happens to find your yard just a little bit special for whatever reason. The simple fact is that if you feed the birds, sooner or later, you’re going to have other visitors. Things to be aware of...

• First, all wild animals are wild... Give them the distance they deserve.
• Now, as for the skunks... Please don’t freak out when you come across a skunk. I’ve had hundreds of “up-close-and-personal” encounters with “Pepe Le Pew” and have never been sprayed. So long as the animal isn’t sick, it’s not going to hose you down unless you kick it, shriek, and then break into a tango. Soft talk, a deflected glance, and a slow retreat go a long way.
• For some unimaginable reason, folks tend to think of furry/feathered ones as cute and cuddly. News Alert: They ain’t! Deer, geese, raccoons, and even mice are wild animals, and they will attack when they feel threatened. Just give them enough room and everyone will be happy.

And that being said, here are a couple of pictures of “Alien Visitors”... (Thanks to Carol Thayer for the deer picture, and Chris Voss for the turkey picture.)





See you by the feeder,

Alan

P.S. It’s still not too late to enter the “’Tis the Season to be Jolly (to the Tune of $100)” Contest!

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With holiday festivities underway and the new year fast approaching, here are some of this year's favorite bird and squirrel photos.

They are House Sparrow, California Quail, Western Gray Squirrel, American Crows, House Sparrow and House Finch. More next week!

Thanks, and I welcome your comments,

California Kathryn
Fallbrook, CA

Posted by CaliforniaKathryn at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It seems like every day this week there has been a news story about "global warming." The US Supreme Court heard a case yesterday regarding enforcement of vehicle emissions standards. In other news, Stephen Hawking said that in order to survive, humans will have to colonize distant planets. Another scientist, James Lovelock, predicted planetary wipeout due to what he calls "global heating."

I came across a recent article entitled "Global Warming Killing Some Species," which claims that animal and plant species have begun dying off or changing by global warming sooner than predicted.

So, this week I decided to take a temporary detour into this controversial subject of "global warming."

No, I didn't take this photo! Purportedly from NASA, it resembles an eye looking from space! Perhaps it's watching planet Earth to see what we do with (and to) our planet!

Regardless of whether climate change is part of a natural cycle or is human-caused, there is compelling evidence of earth and climate changes. They have the potential to affect all living things. Can these changes be reversed or will they continue to advance? I'm not sure anyone can say for sure. While there is still time, I would say we humans need to be caretakers of our environment and all life. Toward that effort, we backyard wild bird feeders take the lead and play an important part.

Thanks and I welcome your comments,

California Kathryn
Fallbrook, CA

Posted by CaliforniaKathryn at 7:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)