eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Thought that the October, 2006 photo above (mass grackles) might be a fun way to start subject matter that some might consider slightly on the dry side - backyard birding references. (Please keep in mind that a new readership is coming on board with the Kindle wireless reading device, and they may not have seen these references before.)

In any event, what follows is a pretty decent collection of info for the backyard birder and the occasional day tripper, and well worth bookmarking IMHO...

• Feeding meal worms to birds - how to care for and store meal worms
• Varying/Mixing the Feed
• You've Got the Bird, We've Got the Feed, (part 1 of 2)
• You've Got the Bird, We've Got the Feed, (part 2 of 2... aka The Mixed-Seed Saga!)
• Suet
• Buy in Bulk and Save at eBirdseed.com

• Hanging/Mounting Your New Feeder, (Part 1)
• Hanging/Mounting Your New Feeder, (Part 2)
• Clean Feeders

• Bird flu and backyard bird feeding of wild birds
• Staying Alive
• Bird Flu, Staph Infections, Lyme Disease, the Common Cold, and You

• Getting started
• Suet, Seed, and the City

• Identifying That Bird!
• Using the Web to Identify Birds

• Alien Visitors! (And How to Interact)
• Let’s Build a Birdhouse! (Post 1 of 2)
• Let's Build a Birdhouse! (Post 2 of 2)
• Create a wildlife habitat

• Changing the Way That You Look at the eBirdseed.com Blog!
• Using the eBirdseed.com Web Site
• Looking for Your Comments
• Gerry's Questions About Bird Photography, Digital Cameras, and the NovaBird, etc. (Part 1 of 2)
• Gerry's Questions About Bird Photography, Digital Cameras, and the NovaBird, etc. (Part 2 of 2)
• NovaBird Remote Camera Review
• Building a Post
• How to Afford Birdseed and Stay Warm Too, (Part 1)
• How to Afford Birdseed, (Part 2) and a Question...
• eBirdseed.com Meets Amazon's Kindle (ReadMeFirst for Kindle Users)

• Joanne Asks, "Where Do Birds Go in the Winter?"
• Looking Back, and Resources for the Backyard Birder (Excellent)

See you by the well-informed feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (1)

And a nice shot of a single starling came out as well...

In general, we're finally getting used to the cameras. Issues of focal length, camera angle, lighting, etc. are starting to make a bit more sense. And processes like manually adjusting the Olympus' aperture and shutter speed aren't nearly as unimaginable as they once were. It just takes time working with the manuals and the Internet, and then fussing with the cameras themselves. (The next challenge is setting the cameras back to the factory defaults. As it turns out, they were pretty good to begin with.)

Also, just a reminder that we try to load all respectable pictures onto our Flickr library site. Many if not most are available in very high resolution. (Just be forewarned that high res pictures take a considerable amount of time to load.) For example, if you'd like to see the photo above in a larger format, click here and then click on the "All Sizes" icon inside of Flickr.

Onward...

Now about those contests... So far, only a handful of people have taken a shot at the following...

• The "eBirdseed.com Encryption Contest" complete with the hints. The winner of this one gets some home-made chowder and a signed photo of me standing on a mud flat wearing a mouseketeer hat.
• And the mystery-prize "New-York Style Pizza Contest"....

And take heart - according to the starlings, winter is almost over.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

* No, I didn't know that a group of starlings was called a murmuration. See http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/about/faqs/animals/names.htm.

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Harwich - Cape Cod, MA - 2/23/08...

Famed ufologist (also a noted cattle mutilation expert, crop circle maven, seasoned ghost hunter, respected crytozoologist, and mean tuba tuner), Dr. Max Testors confirmed today that the small greenish-silver disc shown in the photo below was indeed a UFO.

When asked if the "UFO" might in fact just be an old lid from a salsa jar left by some careless crow, the doctor was emphatic...

"Oh that is absolutely not a lid. It is most definitely an extraterrestrial transport!"

According to this world-renowned authority, the creature that occupied this metallic craft was a "Tufted Testors' Helobird". Testors produced his drawings of the "ET Bird", both living and dead.

Max continued,

"Aside from being from another planet, "Tufted Testors' Helobirds" really are remarkable creatures. I've measured their "rat-a-tat", "tippy-toe" land locomotion and they seem to be able to sustain a velocity of almost 60 miles per hour - though it takes them several hundred miles to reach those speeds due to exceedingly poor acceleration. Also, the flight characteristics are unique in that the wings spin freely around the slight torso like a propeller on a beanie. But of course the thing that really draws the military to this bird is its ability to churn effortlessly through the water at speeds up to 185 knots. The Navy keeps these birds in its secret test labs in Groton Connecticut."

When asked about how the more established scientific community receives his theories concerning the "Tufted Testors' Helobird", Prof. Testors was equally confident,

"Oh, by "established scientific community" I assume you mean those poor old "Area 51" hucksters. Just six months ago, I provided conclusive proof that Area 51 is nothing more than a military cookie factory!"

With daylight running out, and preparation for an impending zombie hunt nearing, the good professor ended the interview abruptly with these words of wisdom...

When explanation is in short supply, try a little Testors... That's what I do!

By the feeders... Reporting for Beakly World News,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Next time we'll have some fantastic (and real) starling photos for you...

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Well, given the title of this post (and the political climate), let's start this one off with a non-bird picture. Tonight (2/20/08), at around 10 PM EST, we had a lunar eclipse. Take a good look now, because the next one won't come round until December of 2010.

Ok, ok... On to birds. Some time ago, we started the "amateur ornithologist" series of posts. As a matter of fact, the first entry of that series took a look at the Grackle. In particular, we focused on the bony plates (or "scutella") that covered the legs and feet. Here's a good photo from the NovaBird camera of the scutella on a crow's legs.

Very cool... Note the tiny bumps ("papillae") on the pads of the feet. (If there are any ornithologists out there who can tell us more about scutella, feel free to use the comment button at the end of this post.)

The next photo is a great example of almost perfect. Whether by luck, or true intent of the blue jay, the rakish nature of the bird is apparent. Unfortunately, what isn't apparent is the last of the tail. D'oh! ... Double D'oh!

There are times when cropping to a chest and head pic is the only way to go. Still... If that jay had just shifted a little bit...

The next photo ain't bad. In fact, we put it on the cover of our first calendar. Check out the red-bellied woodpecker...

But that is literally a 1 in 5,000 picture for me. Granted, pros can get shots like this all the time... But pros are in short supply around here. To say the very least, this is maddening.

Let's see... What else? What else? Ah yes... The "eBirdseed.com Encryption Contest" remains open until someone solves the puzzle. (And don't forget the hints.)

And speaking of contests... No one has entered the mystery-prize "New-York Style Pizza Contest"... Hmmm...

Stay in touch, and see you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The ACLU estimates that only 5% to 10% of people on death row "... have a serious mental illness." And, it's a pretty safe bet that many of the young people who go berserk share a similar level of sanity as those on death row. So what's gone wrong with so many young people?

• First, take a look at the "You're the most important person in the whole wide world" approach to child rearing. Somewhere starting in the late '40s, Dr. Spock wrote of a more compassionate form of raising children - a form of child rearing that focused on the child as an individual. In time, child psychologists started shouting even more loudly of the delicacy if the child psyche. (In many respects that philosophy continues to this day. In some areas, we fail to keep scores at child sports events, and everyone gets a trophy at sundown.) Unfortunately, many a young child with an artificially-bloated sense of self grows up to become a young adult with an artificially-bloated sense of self that does a lousy job of handling stuff like failure, rejection, and underachieving. Speaking as a tutor and teacher, I've seen hundreds of young adults pop off because algebra or calculus proved troubling. And these folks weren't just frustrated... They were genuinely angry at what they saw as an unfair (and useless) assault on their "most important" intellect.
• The second issue is that of the trend toward "Questioning all things respected" or "Embrace the concept of rebellion for rebellion's sake"... Doubt this is an issue, and it's obvious that you haven't walked through the food court in the mall lately. The language and the subject matter openly bandied by so many teens is simply shocking... Look folks, I gotta tell ya that I'm no prude, (understatement of all time). But there's a time, place, and particular audience for all things adult, and the sweep of the food court ain't it. Far too often, there is complete contempt on the part of young people in their willingness (even eagerness) to expose others (children and seniors especially) to traditionally adult, bawdy, private discussion. And the lack of respect for others certainly doesn't stop with just language.
• The last contributing factor involves the violence of today's vile multimedia. Not much to say here... Just watch the Sci Fi channel on a Saturday afternoon or evening... Just listen to rap... Just watch pro wrestling and ultimate fighting...The levels and quantities of gratuitous brutality young people are exposed to are simply off the scales.

Sad by the feeder,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Next time let's see if we can't rummage through some of our better bird pics... But right now, let's just turn off the one-eyed brain bandit in the living room and perhaps send an email or two to appropriate corporate parties, or maybe even talk with the young people in our lives and find out what they're really thinking.

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This post wouldn't be appropriate if we didn't mention the tragedy at Northern Illinois University... Obviously, our thoughts and prayers go out to all affected.

Onward...

Here's the deal concerning the shootings from my perspective... I've been thinking about writing concerning this subject matter for quite a while... While I'm no expert on the subject of young adults under pressure, I do have a degree in psychology, and have spent well over 1,000 hours tutoring/teaching/counseling young individuals under sometimes intense, real-world scholastic, social, and work stress. (Ok, so I am an expert of sorts...)

Next post, we'll mull over what many (myself included) would claim are three unimaginably under-rated factors involved in horrors like NIU, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Jonesboro. (Yes, we all understand chemical imbalances in the brain... But there is simply more to it than that. There are undeniably much larger social factors involved.) Reflecting those factors are three problems I observed over 30 years and thousands of students:

• The "You're the most important person in the whole wide world" world view our children learn at a very young age.
• Selfishly question all things respected regardless of how hurtful or illogical...
• The rabid willingness of huge multimedia conglomerates to pander anything to the young (no matter how vile) that will turn a buck...

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The sad part of the day (for many sports fans at least), was the abomination of the follow up to the Mitchell Report. (That report by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell investigated illegal use of steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) in professional baseball. It concluded that over 80 players used these performance-enhancing drugs including pitcher Roger Clemens. Today, Mr. Clemens got to face his accuser and one-time trainer Brian McNamee before Congress in an attempt to salvage his reputation. (Clemens takes lumps on Capitol Hill: 'You're one of my heroes. But it's hard to believe').) And it was a sad abomination - embarrassing really... Two liars - one rich and one soon to be rich - spinning their stories... Who cares about sworn oaths and the truth?

But this is just emblematic of the infatuation that America has with the rich, powerful, and glitzy... We overlook movie stars and entertainers who insist on getting drunk and driving even though they could afford a fleet of limos and chauffeurs. We turn away when a politician asks for the definition of "is". We wallow in the cheap gory movies, and the late-night infomercials that guarantee to make us rich in a matter of weeks. We've become a "professional wrestling" culture - too much isn't nearly enough, and it isn't nearly enough fast enough... Truth? Integrity? Fairness? Education? Common sense? Hah!!! Where's the "bling bling" in that?!?

Nope... Clemens and his ex-buddy McNamee will stroll... And players like Satchel Paige will fade away...

Sad, sad day...

See you by the feeders... I'll be the one scattering the Cracker Jack...

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Lest you think that I'm the only one disgusted by this mess... Read Clemens shelled by Congress

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

T'ain't no doubt that you live somewhere close to some form of water. Even if the water is some distance off, it's still out there along with the birds. Let's see if we can't get a little closer to those birds and take a gander via a home-made hull...

The two boat designs that follow are good weekend-birding platforms. These are not meant for rough or open water, but rather for still ponds, and protected waters. And given their proper element, both are exceptional. (Yeah... I've built and used both - wonderful small craft.)

The first is the Bolger (and Dynamite Payson) "Teal". At 12' long, she consists of only two sheets of 3/8" marine plywood and some standard lumber-yard stock. They don't call this one an "Instant Boat" for nothing.

The Teal weighs around 100 pounds, making it "car-toppable" for two, (though we prefer simply tossing it in the back of a small pickup). As for rowing, the Teal is an absolute dream under oar. The build time (depending on woodworking experience) is somewhere around 50 hrs. And the total cost to construct will probably nudge the $500 mark, though it can be built for less. Perhaps best of all, the Teal has a nice flat bottom that holds a small tripod perfectly.

The second boat is the CLC "Mill Creek 13", and it certainly is not an "Instant Boat". A 50 pound, single-seat kayak, the MC13 is a remarkable and beautiful boat.

One final note... Both "Instant Boats" and CLC have fantastic forums... Help is always just a post away.

While birding from a hand-crafted boat ain't the usual, it still presents a fun and reasonable challenge, and who knows what you'll find...

See you on the water maybe, and wear your PFD!

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Don't forget that we've got an open contest for the best "New York City" style pizza recipe!

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UPDATE: The Pizza contest is now closed. See May 4th, 2011 entry. We put out the NovaBird (a remote, motion-activated camera) early this morning, and caught the following image. Now is that cool or what?

As we were rummaging through the 200 new pictures on the NovaBird, that one, (as blurry as it is) simply jumped out at us. Natch, a mad scramble for the bird books followed... Looks to be a Yellow-rumped Warbler, though a Golden-crowned Kinglet certainly ain't out of the question. What say you? (Use the "Comment" below to offer opinion.) In any event, we either haven't seen this coloration before (if the bird is a Yellow-rumped Warbler), or, we've never photographed a Kinglet before. Either way, this is exciting for us!

Alright, alright... Setting aside the bird fervor, we need another eBirdsedd.com contest. (Though no one won the last challenge (an encryption puzzle), we still have at least one person plugging away at the mystery. And keeping in spirit with the old contest, if anyone solves that puzzle, I'll still reward them with the old prize and send them chowdah and a signed pic of me wearing a mouseketeer beanie right out there on the clam flats.)

But now... Onward to a completely next contest...

Ok... Someone is going to win this one - the contest is open ended until we have a winner. We're simply looking for a good recipe for a true New York Pizzeria style pizza.

We're talking about that magical concoction of thin, almost crispy, (but NOT "doughy") crust cooked with that fresh tomato/oregano (or tomato/"something") sauce and topped with the perfect cheese. (Read that - no "California" accruements of salmon, tuna, or potatoes.... Just simple New York, cheese, thin-crust, pizzeria pizza.)

So who judges the contest??? Me, that's who... World's greatest pizza-holic! Been making pies for 38 years. (Also spent a couple weekends brewing beer and baking bread...)

The winning recipe should jive with a plain beverage like a Budweiser, or a Sprite.

(Jeez... In retrospect, this contest is tougher than the encryption puzzle!)

Regardless, see you by the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

P.S. So what do you win? Who knows? Somebody is going to win something cool... But what? What do you think the prize should be? (Let's stay on planet earth here. Again... Use that "comment" button!)

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Before we get started, let's take a moment to consider those folks hit by the tornados last night. At least five states were impacted by this storm system. (Though more storms are possible today.) So far, the death toll stands at 52. Should you choose to help, you can donate to the American Red Cross here. (Speaking as an engineer, this is just one more reminder of the fact that we need to change building practices and building codes in storm- and flood-prone areas.)

Onward...

Take a gander at the little fellow below - a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

While he (or she) is slightly smaller than the White-breasted Nuthatch, he's still a thing to behold. The claws ("anisodactyl") are especially neat - three toes up front and the massive hallux behind. (Believe it or not the "hallux" is the genetic equivalent of the human "thumb".) And it's that hallux that allows the nuthatch to scrounge trees for bugs whist upside down. Hmmm... Looks like an opposable thumb...

Other stuff...

The N.E. Pats fell back to earth in the Super Bowl. No doubt that their sudden mortality will ultimately be depicted as penance for "SpyGate". Perfection scarred by a bad game and an unfair asterisk. Oh well...

Super Tuesday is finally over. Obama and Clinton brawled to a tie, and McCain nudged his way into the lead in the GOP. When all is said and done, I'm predicting Obama will change his address to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in fairly short order. (People are getting tired of the Clinton narcissism, and the republicans are trailing the dems by 20 %.)

That should do it for today gang.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Don't forget the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Resources:

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Wikipedia
• Audubon Society
• U.S. Geological Survey
• MSN Encarta
• The National Audubon Society’s “The Sibley Guide to Birds”
• Peterson's "A Field Guide to the Birds"
• ”Birds of New England” from Smithsonian Handbooks
• Chapman's "Handbook of Birds of Eastern North America"
• ”Birds Of North America” published by Golden
• "Birdwatching" from publisher "Discovery Travel Adventures"
• Ortho Books' "How to Attract Birds"

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Looks like a bit of explanation is in order both to the regular readers of this blog, and to a bunch of new readers who will be accessing these posts via Amazon's new Kindle, (a wireless reading device that dynamically supports books, magazines, newspapers, and about 300 blogs). Where to begin?

Well, first for you old hands with this site, not much is going to change. It's still free for everyone using their home or work PC. We still discuss all things birds (especially the local-feeder ilk) and then some. If anything, the discussions will take on more of a "Sunday-morning, kitchen-table" feel. And we still offer our Flickr library site with over 1,600 photos no charge.

Now, as for you folks new to this blog (whether you're using a Kindle or not)... Ummm... This is me and us.

That out of the way, these posts are a horse of a different wheelbase... Obviously, we talk about backyard birding, and feeders, and suet, and seed, and all that stuff. But it doesn't quite end there. Nope... Not even close... Almost every entry is roughly 300 to 400 words long (give or take), holds at least one photo (typically of a bird), and then covers some pretty unusual stuff such as:

• "Questions for the Future", (a 2057 report from the moon concerning the ethics of genetically engineering extinct birds from scratch)
• Emily Dickinson poetry
• Strange contests
• Ornithology, (as in crow brains)
• References for Backyard Birders
• Fiction
• Cooking
• The existence of God Parts 1 and 2
• Kayaking
• The Universe
• Community service

• Readers' comments/questions are greatly desired. (You can use the "Comment" button or email me directly at: capecodalan@ebirdseed.com.) That being said, see bullet points below.
• Everything is rated "G".
• This ain't the place for mean spiritedness.
• We don't want to lose track of the backyard birds altogether. Once again, think of this blog as a kitchen-table chat on a Sunday morning and we're looking out at the feeders. Whole lot of family "mulling over" going on.

Let's see... What else? Guess we should touch on birds...

Noticed a strange behavior here on Cape Cod... A lot more activity from the Downey woodpeckers

Couple the bird activities with spiders coming out of the woodwork, and we might just have an early spring!

See you by those syndicated feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Normally we talk a lot more about birds, but these are weird days...

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