eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Flicker and Computer Geek Talk

Happy holidays...

Thought I might start this post off with a nice flicker shot, and then move on to dweeb stuff... We took the photo below earlier this year.

Flickers are such cool birds - big like a robin, colorful like woodpeckers, and just wonderful to watch in that flashing yellow, hectic flight. I really need to get some more pics of them.

Enough droning on about flickers though. (If you want to see more shots of the Colaptes auratus, just use the Photo Library link below.)

Other stuff... The wife just got a blistering new computer with a monitor bigger than a breadbox, and just slightly smaller than a Jumbotron stadium display. And that got me to thinking of the old days when I got into this vocation/avocation back in the late '70s and early '80s. (Yeah, brace yourself for some brief but brutal "slide-rule slobbering.") When I graduated from high school in '76, I had a keen interest in math, and no money. Still, things like slide rules, electronics, calculators, and even computers were absolutely compelling. By the early '80s I was making $5.00/hr working in a drug store, and sitting on the sidelines as those with deeper pockets bought Apple IIs and Commodore 64s (the latter ran at a mind-numbing 1 MHz!)

But in 1982, a wonderful thing happened - Timex released a $99, 2K RAM, membrane keyboard personal computer that even I could afford. There wasn't much software available, but at least I could program in BASIC and save my programs on a tape recorder. Oh those were the days! I remember the first time I saw a word processor word wrap, and the first time I saw a split screen. Other stuff would follow... A Commodore 128, a TI, 8086, 80386, 80486, Pentiums, networks, etc., etc., etc.

A couple of days ago I ordered a mini computer using pocket change I've collected over the years. That machine has a 1.6GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. (That's roughly 1000 times faster and boasting 500,000 times more memory than my first computer.)

So as you read this, appreciate that there was a time before flat screens, the Web, and even bird blogs.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. Thanks Santa!

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Counting the Birds at Christmas

Hi all,

Every now and again, it occurs to me that it might be interesting to count the number of times that birds (in some way, shape, or form) cross the paths of the immediate family during a fixed time period. (Think of it as a non-violent form of "punch buggy" for birders.) As fate would have it, today, December 25, 2008 seemed to be a fitting abacus. To refine the experiment a bit, I'd limit the count to just a few hours during the gift-giving mayhem. And with that, we're off!

First, there's the fellow in the photo above. (Maybe I should have put an appropriate title on it such as, "Crow Eating Egg Roll".) And that's not to mention the downy woodpeckers, turkeys, seagulls, and various "little brown birds".
One of the wife's gifts was a beautiful set of coasters from China which had images of birds on them.
I received a bottle of "Birdman" wine.
We enjoyed Chinese "Chicken with Vegetables" for dinner.
In rummaging through my old mail for an email address, I came across a humorous bird drawing.
There are bird figurines in our creche.
Ever notice that eagles are part of the Budweiser logo?
And then there are "geese a laying", "swans a swimming", etc.
The mug beside me shows a squirrel dressed as a bandit out looking to steal birdseed.
'Tis the season for NCAA Bowl Games, and you can't turn on the idiot box and surf without being deluged with the nicknames of teams like:
- Golden Eagles
- Cardinals
- Eagles
- Jayhawks
- Owls
- Falcons
- Redhawks
- Ducks
- Gamecocks
"The Christmas Story" movie was on earlier as was "True Grit", and both had great "turkey scenes".
A quick glance around the office happens upon the "Bat Out of Hell" CD by Meat Loaf. (Yeah, I know Meat Loaf is to music as the old "Weekly World News" was to journalism, and bats aren't really birds... But you get the idea.)

And so it goes... That's an even dozen references to flying creatures in just in a few hours, and I'll bet I missed another dozen. But the point being that birds (and bats too) play a remarkably ubiquitous role in our lives.

Try the experiment yourself. It's surprisingly fun and less bruising than "punch buggy".

Finally, don't forget that the real Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count set for February 13 - 16, 2009!

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

2008... Looking Back and Looking Forward

Robin_looking over shoulder_end of year_cropped.JPG

The picture above seems appropriate... Looking back.

As with probably all souls, I look back over the last year, and play the "Maybe I Shoulda' Game". Maybe I should have spent more "blog time and resources" on backyard birds. On the other hand, maybe I should have put more effort into field work. Who knows? Maybe "Coffee Table Chat" and politics should have warranted more attention.

But the fact remains that the new year is here, itself replete with new challenges and unburdened by the "shoulda's'". So what to do? Here might be a good starting list, though your input is as always more than welcome.

As far as I can tell, I've only made two promises to you folks that I haven't kept... I promised to get some pics of birds underwater, and I promised to assemble a fusion-powered eBirdseed.com submarine. The latter promise is a gimme. The former will take a little more work. Stay tuned.
We still haven't got a winner in the data encryption contest... Come on... Somebody must want some homemade clam chowder and a framed pic of me standing on a mud flat wearing Mickey Mouse ears. (I'll tell you what.. I'll spice it up a bit. The first person to completely decipher the code will get some homemade clam chowder and a framed pic of me dancing a jig on a mud flat wearing Mickey Mouse ears.) Remember, all are welcome to enter.
Technology moves forward, and so should we. The bird cam below needs updating.
Finally,the wife checked today, and the eBirdseed.com blog was #2 in the "Home and Garden" section of Amazon.com's Kindle list... Not bad. Obviously, we want to be number 1 overall, but step by step.

So keep the faith, happy holidays to all, and keep tuning in for birds, recipes, goofy contests, "How Do I"s, politics, social commentary, more bloviation, and yet more birds. (Did I mention lots and lots of birds?)

2009 should be interesting indeed...

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Winter Storm: Dec 19, 2008

snow on trellis.JPG

Hi all,

This is going to be a rush post... As the photos above show, we've got a sizable Winter storm bearing down on us. Those pictures were taken just a few minutes ago, and right now it's after 9PM. (Forecasters are predicting this maelstrom will continue until sometime tomorrow.) The snow is wet (and obviously heavy). Looks like we'll be more or less housebound for a while. Oh well.

Storms like this aren't all that bad at all if you're prepared. I've mentioned the Cape Cod Emergency Preparedness Handbook in the past... It's a sizable PDF download, but well worth the hassle. I'd also recommend keeping one of those little LED flashlights on your person at all times.

Better run before we lose power.

See you and your shovel by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 7:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Backyard Birding and Recycling

Hi,

Nope, the photo above ain't about the squirrel. Instead, the birdhouse itself is the talking point...

In 1960, Vance Packard published a book entitled "The Waste Makers". One of the topics he discussed was the concept of a "cornucopian society". (He actually named his city "Cornucopia" as a nod towards the Thanksgiving conical goat horn that infinitely spills bounty aplenty.) The general idea was that our society was (is) reaching a point where all things are thought of as "replaceable". Use a razor until it fails to function, and then just throw it away and take a new one out of its plastic bag or blister pack. Ditto for pens, batteries, printer cartridges, etc. Proof of Packard's prophetic vision lies in the title for individuals who believe technology can continue to provide for a growing earth until we max out at 8 billion people; that title is "Cornucopians".

Sorry, but I come from New England, and while being a million light years away from being "green", I'm also a pragmatist. We can't just keep throwing stuff away. Look at the birdhouse above. The wife and I slapped that together using junk lumber destined for the dump. It will serve its purpose until it's ready for our compost heap like the last one. (We like to use everything but the tweet if you catch my drift.)

And so it goes. We here at eBirdseed are now looking at feeders, roosts, and houses made from something like Polywood, a very long-term, and environmentally-friendly building material. And no, if we do release a selection of recycled birdhouses, it won't come from our "Cornucopia Series".

See you again by those eco-friendly feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Peril of Even Casual Birding in this Digital Age

Head_resized_turkey excellent_IMG_2047.JPG

It's a nice turkey pic isn't it? The wife took it the other day with our new Canon 10 mega-pixel Eos. With that, the photo was plunked into one of our computer's "Excellent" folders ready to gather "binary dust" along with 237 other shots. (And that's not counting the contents of the five folders inside the "Excellent" folder.) So goes the modern digital birding peril - photography overload. In spite of all our efforts to organize all these snapshots, we still have thousands scattered over three computers, and two servers.

My guess is that we're not alone - far from it. The wife and I are only casual backyard birders - we take a few pictures here and there. We let the NovaBird fire off a couple hundred snaps when the mood strikes. But before you know it, you're facing an image library of very large and unwieldy proportions. (You can use the "eBirdseed.com photo library" link below to look at a goodly portion of those.) Seriously, what are we going to do with the problem of an almost limitless supply of pics? Back in December of 2006, I outlined a simple folder structure that would alleviate much of the dilemma, but even that seems overwhelmed now.

Sometime over the holidays, the wife and I will make a gallant attempt to put our "Pix House" in order and update our flickr library... We'll keep you posted. But in the mean time, if anyone has a magic bullet that will bring easy organization to the peril of "photography overload", I'm eager to hear about it.

See you by those JPG feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. If you're looking for a photo of a bird that haunts the Northeast and can't find it, let me know. I may have just what you're looking for on one of my machines if I can just unearth it..

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Holiday Offerings... eBirdseed.com Sales and PC advice Part 2 of 2

Last time, I suggested easing your shopping woes by checking out our eBirdseed.com seasonal sales. This post will hopefully shed a bit of insight for all you personal-computer Santas out there. So, with a couple of computer degrees, 25 years of experience, and just enough savvy to be dangerous, let's get started. (Understand that there will be umpteen decisions to be made, and some will be subjective... But at least here are some general pointers.)

First, decide what you want, or might want, and then look at hardware afterwards.
Buy from a source that offers customer reviews. I look for a max number of good customer reviews. Companies like Dell and Gateway offer this service.
Have a data backup plan that actually will be used. If the machine I'm working on right now was to roll over and point it's little silicon legs skyward, I've got all my important stuff backed up. Down the road, will you be able to say the same about that Christmas present you're thinking about? Never "out buy" your backup.
Don't "over buy" and don't "under buy". That is, if you're looking for a machine that can handle day-to-day chores, basic Web stuff, etc., a simple 2GHz, 2MB Intel Duo with a 320GB HD should be more than enough. For a system like that, expect to spend around $300 - $500. The next step might be a $500 - $700 2.2GHz, 3MB PC complete with a 500GB drive. That should take care of multimedia stuff such as movies. And when it comes to an even more powerful desktop for extreme gaming or video work, brace yourself. Start thinking of the new Intel Quad Duo, gobs of memory, and video cards that will bend light and your wallet. (If you're pondering that kind of machine, you probably know more than I do about this stuff.)
And speaking of video, most machines nowadays come with some pretty respectable hardware. But if you are thinking about high-end graphics, take a deep breath and see above.
Sound: Here's an area in which I think most people drop the ball. Typically, a decent sound card like the Sound Blaster Audigy and a respectable pair of speakers will run $100 - $200. Given the quality of sound available, that is cheap money indeed.
The option to include a media card reader is a cheap must. Twenty dollars spent now will save hassle in the future.
But what of software? If you have any exposure to MS Office files, just take your lumps and buy Office pre-installed. If you're just a casual user, MS Works should be fine.
And then there was "Anti Virus"... Well you need something. Norton and McAfee are popular. (If you look at the eBirdseed.com home page, we scan the site daily with McAfee..)
Hmmm... Service plans... Your call. I tend to buy from quality manufacturers and maintain the machines, so I usually don't have a problem.
One last tip... Buy on-line (sort of) and in bulk! When the time comes to buy a computer, ask your friends, neighbors, and co-workers if they want to join in on the savings. Next load up your shopping cart and then call in. It's been my experience that a sales associate will walk you through your cart. I know for a fact that at least one big PC company will knock $$$ off a multiple-machine order if you just have your ducks in a row and are willing to ask.
See you by those terabyte feeders,
CapeCodAlan

eBirdseed.com photo library
eBirdseed and misc. references
Other birding references
eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 3:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Holiday Offerings... eBirdseed.com Sales and PC advice Part 1

Well, tis the season... I hope the snapshot above brings cheer, and merry to all. And in the spirit of the season as well as the spirit of our "Coffee Table Chats", I thought I might toss out my $.02 worth of advice concerning a couple of possible gift avenues.

First, if you're interested, take a look at our sales page. (The boss will probably kill me for what I'm about to say, but I always opt for the gift certificate route - let the beloved recipient pick out his or her own blessed present!)

That being said, we can move on to the other $.01 half of this post - that of making a careful PC (Personal Computer) gift selection this time of year. It probably goes without saying that that info will command its own entry, but at least we can get you thinking about the issue now. Considerations should include, manufacturer, memory, backup, anti-virus, etc. etc., etc. But we can dig into the details (boring!) in the next post. For the moment though, here's just an official "happy holidays" from eBirdseed.com.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don, Boatbuilding, and the Usually Serene Hobby of BackYard Birding and "Squirreling"

It's funny the friendships that either take root in backyard birding, or are fostered by the hobby. In the case of Don and me, we initially connected via a wooden boat forum I was moderating. Don had some questions, and I had some suggestions, and the friendship grew from there. (To be completely honest, neither Don nor I are master boat builders. But we're willing to try new stuff, take our lumps, and just keep chugging along.) Now Don has "inherited" some feeders and seed and has taken up backyard birding, and likes to watch the squirrels as well. (Don, that's probably a very wise combination of pastimes... Boatbuilding can be occasionally maddening, and pondering local wildlife is usually very serene.)

I say "usually" keeping a very recent event in mind... This weekend the wife and I were going about the normal chores, when she suddenly implored me to get the camera immediately. I knew by the tone of her voice that I shouldn't even waste time trying to see what she was seeing out the kitchen window - I just had to get the camera ASAP. I did that, and then checked out our tiny garden and trellis. Sure enough there sat a monster Red-tail Hawk right on top of the trellis. And she was so close that I could have tossed her a marshmallow underhanded. The wife unleashed her new Canon Eos and got what we thought were a series of spectacular photos. But, as it turned out, we hadn't loaded the memory card back in the Canon, and got zipoid. Read that, "Extraordinary bummer."

And now Don my friend, not only are you getting yucks out of watching birds, but also watching the squirrels. Boatbuilding, birds, squirrels... They all are precious pastimes. But just be aware that there are going to be times of frustration. In any event, the snapshot above is for you.

My advice? Build a separate feeder for the squirrels, and then get back to work on that Bolger Teal boat!

Don and I will see you by the gnawed feeders, and we'll both be covered by sawdust.

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 2:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Bird Photography Yet Again, But This Time For the Real World

Those of you new to this blog should be forewarned that cameras and I don't play nice together. But in the spirit of birding, blogging, and blunt stubbornness, I keep trying. (I dare you to search this site for the word "photography". Shudder.) Anyway, here's my real-world advice.

First of all, forget about buying one of those mega-mega pixel, big honkin' lens gadgets. They don't work, and a rare few wizards have wrapped them in the mysteries of lingo like "aperture", "f-stop", and "speed". No... Look for something like the rig on the right: the now famous eBirdseed.com NovaBird motion-activated, fixed focal-length, remote camera complete with $1.00 tripod (mended with "Mighty Putty"), extension cord, ruler to measure the aforementioned focal length, and transformer. Granted, using the camera (like bird photography itself) is an iffy proposition at best, but at least you do get to stay warm with that setup.
Next, don't think of it as photography... "Photography" is for those wizards with studios and umbrellas they've painted silver. The preferred phrase in our neck of the woods is "Bird Keno" - that is, the odds of capturing a decent picture of a bird are roughly the same as hitting the lottery.
If you do have to buy one of those new-fangled shutter shacks, read the manual. (Not that that will do you a lot of good, but at least you can truthfully say that you read the manual. Fate loves an honest soul.)
Pretty much all the new cameras have little dials on top that access presets. Get to know those dials; it may be your only hope!
As you're trying to take pics, listen to your inner self. When the lighting, distance, subject, and karma all feel correct, start snapping. On the other hand, when phrases akin to, "Is that a bear?" creep into mind, do something else.

And finally, if all else fails, pencil and paper work too.

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

P.S. We actually do have some decent pics in our library, and especially here.

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grumpy Grackle and Other Friday Stuff

The grackle shot above aptly describes my mood right now. Yet more computer problems... It seems that a person fixes one technical issue, and then faces two more. Thankfully, we've got more than enough computers to go around.

Other stuff...

As was mentioned some time ago, the small wooded block of property beside ours was donated to the local conservation trust. Today, half a dozen folks showed up and cleared the lot of invasive foreign climbing vines (Asian bittersweet). I'm not sure if they're going to want us to remove some of the vines on our lot... But if they do, we can work that out. In the mean time, the cleaning crew was fairly noisy and scared the birds away from our feeders, but that is a minuscule cost for a better wildlife sanctuary next door.

What else? The wife noted a squirrel on the trellis earlier. For that matter, the crows like the trellis too.

Please forgive the ramblings... It's a busy mundane Friday, with a ton of stuff to do, and little energy to do it. See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Backyard Birding - The Fast Hobby!

Hi all,

To give you a "heads up", I'm writing this post as quickly as possible just to dispel a common conception concerning birding - that it is time consuming. (At least backyard birding can be plenty speedy as the following will show.)

It took me perhaps 5 minutes to take the pic above (tripod and all), and if I wasn't writing this blog entry, I'd simply stuff the photo into the appropriate folder ("cardinal") with the appropriate name ("female cardinal") and be on my merry way. (If I was at work, I'd probably just email it to myself which takes about 1 minute, or better yet I'd simply leave it on my camera phone and wait until I got home.)

Anyway, the point is that birding doesn't have to be a long, expensive, time-consuming hobby. Here, we spend a few minutes in the morning filling the feeders and making sure the birds have water, and that's it. We always have a camera, binoculars, and a bird book or two at the ready - no muss, no fuss. And this ain't just for the 'burbs.

(You know, someone could create a fantastic city bird blog. Given the common resources mentioned above and some lunch hours, a person could create a very compelling Web log... Hmmm...)

Anywho, this post is pretty much done, and it took all of about 45 minutes. Told you that birding (and even blogging) can be quick!

See you by the feeders,

CapeCodAlan