eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Hi all,

The fellow on the right stopped by yesterday, no doubt to feast upon our birds. (Grrr!) But nature is nature, so we might as well live with it.

But what kind of hawk is that? Well... Let's see... Around here, we usually only have Coopers, Sharp-shinned, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, Broad-winged, Rough-legged, and Goshawks.

• Could it be the Coopers? Maybe. The chest stripes are right... Maybe...
• How about a Sharp-shinned? Possibly. The head is less blunt than a Coopers.
• Perhaps a young Red-tailed... Plenty of those around, though the chest markings aren't right.
• On a long shot it might be a Red-shouldered. Naw... The tail isn't long enough.
• Broad-winged, or Rough-legged? Doesn't feel right...

Any buteos experts out there?

You know, this is really the fun of backyard birding. We feed the birds in the morning, take a look whenever, and maybe we see something. We mull over our sighting with a friend on the phone or trade emails. It's not a huge deal. Just a colorful thread in the weave that is our lives.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi all,

The picture above is of our informal eBirdseed.com hummingbird cam (the gray object stuck to the window). Since we put the camera up, we've had over 9,000 views. And that's wonderful when there are hummingbirds around. But the problem is that on Cape Cod now, the hummingbird season is over and the camera pretty much shows bupkis. So what do we do? We could simply replace the hummingbird feeder with a standard feeder and that way see lots of bird action. On the other hand, we could try to do something crazy like enclosing the camera in a waterproof container and running it out to the squirrel feeder. (That would exceed the limits of USB cable length, but would still make for an interesting experiment.) What do you guys think?

Onward... Remember, the eBirdseed.com September '08 bird photography contest is about to end, so enter 'em if you got 'em. You can see the current entries here.

Finally, here's an update on our world-famous quahog chowder recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups clam meat chopped (best scratched from mud during storm)
• 1 cup clam juice from above clams
• 1 medium-sized white onion sliced and diced
• 2 inch square of salt pork sliced and diced
• 2 peeled, medium-sized potatoes diced
• 1 quart of milk
• 1 pint of heavy cream
• 1/2 stick of butter (optional)

1. Practice sanitary kitchen habits
2. Place potatoes in milk and warm gently in pot 'til almost fork tender
3. While potatoes soften, shuck quahogs... (hint: if a 'hog doesn't want to open, nuke him for a max of 10 seconds)
4. Use cheese cloth to filter out grit and shell bits
5. Dice quahogs and let them simmer in their juice on low heat
6. Fry salt pork until cracklings are a golden brown, then set aside. (Save that fat!)
7. Lightly brown onion in pork fat
8. Dump all ingredients in pot along with 4 oz. of heavy cream to gently stew for an hour or so stirring during commercials
9. Serve with dab of butter and more cream to suit in cup. (This is a rich recipe!)

See you by those photogenic and oh so aromatic feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's tough to write about birds right now. It really is. Congress has just reached a $700,000,000,000.00 bailout deal to rescue the American banking/credit system. But why today? Why not at least work on the issue over the weekend? After all, this is the most crucial financial issue since The Great Depression and it seems that it would bear a bit more scrutiny. Actually, there are three reasons why the deal was done so quickly.

• First, tomorrow is Friday, and congressmen don't like to work on Fridays. (The following address contains a pdf file which is slow to download so I've failed to put in a link. But if you want, take a look and be prepared to be absolutely furious... http://democraticleader.house.gov/docUploads/2008-CALENDAR.pdf)
• The big presidential debate is scheduled for Friday. The pols simply cannot afford to ruin the ratings - especially in an election year.
• With approval ratings for both the president and congress hovering around a mind-numbingly low 15%, the stuffed shirts had to look proactive. (My God, I could put on a Mickey Mouse hat and skip down the street and get a higher approval rating from my neighbors!)

There... That "coffee-table moment" being out of my system, let's move on to more sane stuff like birds.

Whoops! Almost forgot... The September '08 Photo Contest is almost at an end. You can look in our photo library to see the current entries.

Now, about that grackle above. Not a happy looking fellow is he? From what I can gather, the Common Grackle is expanding its territory from the East Coast towards the West Coast of the U.S. And while they're on the move, their numbers seem to be dropping. Surprised? Don't be. The BBC reports that the number of the more common backyard birds are dwindling at a rather shocking rate.

Hmmm. This does seem to be a dour day doesn't it? Maybe that grackle picture above just suits the moment...

I'll see you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. THIS JUST IN! Looks like the economic bailout ain't a done deal yet! Could it be that politicians are starting to fathom the concepts of individual and corporate fiscal responsibility??? Stay tuned!

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Before we get started, just a quick reminder that the September '08 Photo Contest is winding down, so, if you snooze, you lose!

Onward...

Right off the bat... Understand that in some respects, gulls are to Cape Codders what pigeons are to city dwellers - rats with wings. Granted, if the analogy is carried to its rightful conclusion, gulls are huge rats with wings, but I digress... Some folks around here tend to think of them as, well, "lower class". That's not to disparage them... Not at all. They serve a crucial role on this peninsula keeping things tidy, but they do have a sort of "garbage truck" reputation. Whatever...

Alrighty then, let's take a look at the gulls below and see if we can't identify these critters or at least look foolish in the process...

But what of the brownish brute on the left? Time to crack open the books. Hmmm... Looks to be a Herring Gull, but it's kind of on the large side. Given the size, I'd guess that that bird is a juvenile Great Black-backed Gull, though I'm itching to be corrected.

But that's just one aspect of the fun of birds - you get to fuss with books (and the resources below) and play detective. Hey! I could have completely misidentified those birds. One might be a hummingbird, and the other might be a merganser. But I still had fun, and no one got hurt...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Then again, it's a good reminder that these are the days. The video below of Natalie Merchant is the source of the title of this post...

Yes, these are the days... In the past, we've talked about death, and it's good to get that discussion done (I'm still waiting for my Bunny Babes!), but 'til we slip these earthly bonds, there are days to be lived. It doesn't take much... Perhaps a good book, or cooking, or whatever. But anything is better than the one-eyed brain bandit, pie and the less than memorable... Since you're reading this, odds are that looking out at the birds can make for a memorable day, and that's a good thing.

We took the little boat out today, and we were treated to a chevron of geese "fly by".

It wasn't a big deal really - just a bunch of geese heading south. But still, it is something that will lodge in my craw for all my time...

These are the days...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Don't forget that time is running out for the Sept '08 Bird Photography Contest!

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

*eBirdseed.com photo library

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before we get started, here's another quick reminder that Hurricane Ike absolutely devastated a sizable chunk of this country, and well over a million people are in trouble... If you want, you can use the information below to help out.

• Web site: The Red Cross
• Phone: 1-800-REDCROSS /1-800-257-7575 (Español)
• U.S. Mail: American Red Cross National Headquarters 2025 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20006

Onward...

Yup, he looks fat and happy. It seems that he's eaten his fill and just settled down for a bit of sunbathing. Notice how he uses the lid bungee as a sort of safety belt. What a gas!

The next photo is that of a squirrel trying to steal an ear of corn. All you can see is "The Claw". Good stuff.

And on a related note... Both the squirrels and crows have become quite good at acting as alarms for the other birds that there's a predator in the area. In general, when we hear a racket kicking up out back, we know that there's a hawk, fox, coyote, or cat around and that it's time for us to pick up the camera and slowly ease towards a good shot for a photo. I don't even try to go out on the deck anymore. Instead, I just ease into position in the kitchen or living room and see what I can see. Over the last few days, we've had a large Red-tail, and a couple of appearances by a fox. We didn't get any decent photos though - either the creatures were moving too fast, or the camera decided to automatically focus on the wrong thing. Grumble, grumble, grumble...

See you by those blurry feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Before we get started, once again here's a gentle reminder that our neighbors in Texas (and beyond) took a pretty big hit from Ike... The Red Cross contact information follows:

• Web site: http://www.redcross.org/
• Phone: 1-800-REDCROSS /1-800-257-7575 (Español)
• U.S. Mail: American Red Cross National Headquarters 2025 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20006

Back in June of 2007, we took a good close look at a feather. Well, here's another one.

But that's not a very detailed photograph. Here's a close up...

Jeez... This was to be such a simple issue/post... Mention a feather... Toss in a few snapshots... Well, nothing in life is easy. Just a tad of searching on the Web warns of the dire legal and health risks of picking up feathers....

From what I can glean, it takes special licenses to handle feathers of virtually every ilk, and the officials aren't fooling around. (Read that: "You can drive like an idiot on the highway right in front of the police, and at worst you'll get pulled over and have to pay a ticket... But pick up a chickadee feather in your backyard and lookout!")

Add to the threat of legal trouble the matter of health issues. (The experts say that feathers need to be picked up with gloves, placed in Ziploc bags, frozen for 2 months, then microwaved for 30 seconds or so... I kid you not.)

So... In compliance with the law, my massive feather collection (5) have properly been disposed of (thrown outside where I found them), and I have literally scrubbed my hands down with rubbing alcohol. (Seriously, I do that several times a day regardless - I'm an anti-germ freak.)

Enjoy the pics above, 'cause I ain't going down this road again...

With a deep sigh, see you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is what hurricane Ike looks like as seen from space. Pretty rugged, isn't it? Obviously, the conditions on the ground look pretty rugged too. According to news reports, roughly 3,000,000 are without power, and many will stay in the dark for at least two weeks. With that in mind, here is the contact info for the American Red Cross:

• Web site: http://www.redcross.org/
• Phone: 1-800-REDCROSS /1-800-257-7575 (Español)
• U.S. Mail: American Red Cross National Headquarters 2025 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20006

Well, the Summer is over and our orioles are gone. Bummer. The end of the season also forebodes the departure of the hummingbirds. We'll leave the nectar feeders out through the end of this month to make sure that even the stragglers have plenty of energy, and then take them down, clean them, and store them away. But what of our eBirdseed.com hummingbird cam.

Indeed, what do we want to do with our hummingbird cam? Let's see... We have some choices.

• We could pack it away for the Winter - boring
• Maybe a would provide new video subjects
• And then we could always stray way off subject and set up a fish cam or something of that sort

P.S. Don't forget our September '08 Bird Photography Contest!

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's now 9/12/08, and I'm really not going to discuss what happened on 9/11/01 or yesterday for that matter... If I expressed my opinions in the language I'd like to use (and richly deserves to be used), this blog might not be here for long - after all, we strive for "Rated G". If you'd care to take a look, a friend, Mrs. CCA, and I have a social-commentary blog, that offers a brief, respectful, reflection... Again, I wish I could use the language that I'd like to use.

Onward...

About that crow above...

Borrowing from "Cool Hand Luke", "What we've got here is...failure to communicate." That is to say that we have a crow confused by the likes of lo mein and fried shrimp bones. (I eat the shrimp itself and leave the batter bones behind.) Say what you will, but that crow is just failing to communicate with that cuisine. Not to worry, there's boneless spareribs in there as well as chicken fingers. And health-wise, these guys should be fine given the occasional treat... After all, crows are used to eating roadkill on August afternoons. (Sorry, but the truth is what it is.)

Anywho... It's still fun to watch a crow have a "failure-to-communicate moment" with some still-good leftovers.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 1:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I decided to give the backyard birds a break and touch upon the wallet for this post. Not to worry - you can still enter the backyard bird photo contest. That doesn't end until September runs out.

Well, there she is... Our pride and joy... If you haven't seen her yet, well there you go...

So what on earth does a 700lb boat trailer combo have to do with cheap gasoline?!? As it turns out, everything... Here's the explanation...

Mrs. CCA and I had to drive out approximately 100 miles to retrieve the boat above. (I'll rough the numbers, but the stats are spot on.) On the trip out we averaged around 20 MPG and that cost us roughly $20 at $4.00/gallon. But the return trip was to be far more interesting. Because I'd never driven a trailer before I was hyper-careful about not exceeding 55 MPH and allowing plenty of slow braking room (not to mention slow acceleration). And what was the return-trip fuel cost towing 700 lbs? About $14.

Yup... Read that about a 30% gasoline savings while towing a 700lb load just by using conservative driving techniques...

And by chance should you ease off the gas, carpool, and/or go to the market with your neighbors... Who knows? 50% savings? 60% savings?

Just some thoughts...

See you by those thrifty feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi all,

Just a quick reminder that the photo contest is an ongoing concern. There's still plenty of time to enter!

About that crow above... There are pictures that are just too cool to file away, and this is one of them. Yeah, look at that corvid. Us old jazz aficionados might say that he's Cake Walking Babies (From Home) or Struttin' With Some Barbecue. (Sorry, but for us jazz nuts, the sun rises ands sets on Ella, Louis, and Duke. Ives and Copland trail in the lofty dusk.)

Onward...

It's interesting to note how the crow moves on a swaying trellis. Obviously, the structure is moving front to back in the crow's perspective, but it's also moving side to side. Still, the bird uses a "stepping motion" vs. the "two-legged hopping motion" that serves him so well on the ground. Perhaps the "stepping" approach offers the advantage of always having one anchor point (note the grip on the trailing left foot). Should the unknown, undulating "next step" prove not to be in the place it should have been, at least he's got something to hold onto.

The crazy stuff that crows, jazz, and bird walking will get you into...

See you by the feeders, (expect the soulful allure of Armstrong and Cash Blue Yodel No. 9)

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No, seriously, take a look at the picture above and imagine some poor 5-year-old kid trying to take a daytime nap and watching a couple of those big guys flash by his bedroom window and "thunk" up on the roof. Would his parents believe his screams and warnings that there were beasts out there trying to get in? Of course not, they would have been too busy eating pie and watching "Green Acres". Besides, they had hair in their ears, so what did they know? What adult would believe that huge birds even existed on Cape Cod, let alone were stomping on the roof? And those were just the daytime beasts.

Do you remember the ancient "Twilight Zone" episode starring a very-young William Shatner as the airline passenger who looks out his window on a dark and stormy flight and comes face to face with a hideous creature bent on tearing the plane apart?

Now we're dialed in... Oh, we heard 'em alright... We heard something. And even if it was only turkeys, that's more than enough for me.

See you by those spooky feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Don't forget our September '08 Bird Photography Contest!

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So what do you think... Is the crow above perched? More to the point, was the crow I watched today who was hanging perfectly upside down off the suet feeder "perched"? Well, it looks like we've got a "Contest Rules Situation" brewing here...

Initially, the eBirdseed.com September '08 Bird Photography Contest rules stated "... the main subject of the picture has to be a bird perched on a feeder". Within a day of the start of the contest, I received a photo of a hummingbird just hovering while drinking at a feeder... Within hours of that picture came another showing a bird pecking at a suet cage. Then there was a shot of birds fighting over a feeder... Later still were photographs of birds on a homemade tray. Obviously, the rule needed to be sharpened.

Ok, to define "perched" at a feeder is tricky indeed. And to address that issue, I re-worded the rule slightly to, "...the main subject of the picture has to be a bird actually on or at a feeder". The idea being that the contest should consist of birds using feeders to eat.

• What about the ground feeders below the feeder? (Like the flock of turkeys that just graced our backyard...)
• Suppose someone takes a great photo of a deer snacking at a feeder... Do we accept that pic as an entry?
• What of raptors that only use nature as their feeder?
• Suppose we get a snapshot of a chickadee "snatch a seed and fly" without really perching?

So, if you look at the eBirdseed Photo Library and don't see your picture feel free to send a comment my way or email me at capecodalan@ebirdseed.com and we'll see if we can't work out a reasonable solution.

CapeCodAlan and eBirdseed.com.

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just use promo code "CAM15F" (online during checkout or when calling by phone) during September to receive a 15% discount in any feeder in our online store.

(And if you don't remember, just use our bird cam below to actually see the code.)

Now is the perfect time to get a quality feeder for winter.

Click the link below to see the full selection... http://www.ebirdseed.com/page/EB/CTGY/feeder

There... Now the business stuff is out of the way... On to the more important subject of how to become a "Backyard Bird Expert" in one easy lesson... Let's take the fellow below as an example and lesson guide...

He's (she's?) probably a grosbeak or a finch... But who knows... And that is exactly the point! The legs say grosbeak, but the throat says goldfinch... And that leads us right into the secret lesson of becoming an "Instant Birding Expert"...

1. First, never admit to ignorance! Should the bird above suddenly perch on the deck railing of your fall BBQ, and the grilling throngs ponder the ilk of avian... Never say, "Gee, I don't know what that is..."
2. Learn the basics... There really are only six bird types:
   • Tiny birds like hummingbirds
   • LBBs (Little Brown Birds)
   • Jay-size birds
   • Water birds like gulls and ducks
   • Big guys like raptors
   • Cessna birds
   You see that? So right off the bat, I'd I.D. the bird above as a LBB and everyone would "Ohh" and "Awh".
3. So what happens if some Weisenheimer wants to know real details about the bird? Well... After accidentally knocking over said Weisenheimer's drink, I'd take a closer look in the hope that the bird will fly away. (This almost always works for me.)
4. And if that still doesn't work? Ummm... Fall back to a unique blend of one of "Basic Six" above. Our bird in question might be a "Lesser Hummingbird". (Though given my experience and gall, I'd go for some derivation of a "Cessna 172 bird"...)
5. Finally, should all else fail, you can use the references links below to look up the bird, but I'd use that only as a last resort!

Kidding aside, this post isn't making fun of real bird pros - those folks have got game... It's just a tease for the backyard birders and soon-to-be "Birding Experts".

Don't forget our promo code, or our photography contest...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)