eBirdseed.com Wild Bird Feeding Blog

First off, don't forget that the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) starts tomorrow! It takes as little as 15 minutes and is quite enlightening... don't miss out!!!

Next up... Back on January 22nd, I started wondering about bird activity and the barometric pressure (and the weather etc.) Was there any sort of correlation? So for the last 25 days I've been making quick notes on feeder traffic, and today, I looked up the atmospheric conditions for those days using the wunderground site. What follows is more or less self-explanatory -- my location's weather charts (in color) for Jan and Feb followed by my own charts (black and white) for observed bird activity. Take a second and it should all make sense...

Wasn't that exciting? (Before I go further, just a word about these charts and this 'research'... The stuff above is wildly unscientific: the sample size is miniscule, the observations are subjective and uncorroborated, and the initial objective was a blur to begin with. That being said, about the best we have is a 'hmmm study'.) The only things I find even slightly compelling are the activities around Jan. 27 and 28; and Feb. 11 and 12 -- when the barometer tanked (or was about to tank), the birds seemed to be riled...

As I said, not very scientific, but fun nonetheless...

By the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just watched an interesting documentary by Scott Crocker -- "Ghost Bird". Here's the trailer...

As you can tell by the clip, there are several stories woven into one film. Thoughts...

• Technically, it's pretty good... The intro is a bit too long, the sound production is uneven, and the entire piece could have been tightened by about 15 to 30 minutes. But all told this is still great work. While this didn't come out of the Cornell Dept. of Ornithology, it did feature interviews with heavyweights such as David Sibley and Scott Edwards (curator of Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology).
• As I see it, the first story is simply that of the bird itself... does it, or does it not still exist? That's a tough question in that some pretty qualified people on both sides of the question are weighing in...
• Interwoven into the question above are the politics (grant money) involved. From small-town officials to the federal government, everyone has a vested interest.
• This is also the story of little America (Brinkley, AR) facing tough times. The purported sighting of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker has been a boon to the local economy just as the 1947 "crash of a UFO" in Roswell has created a rather lucrative cottage industry there.
• Finally, there is the all-too-human narrative of wishful thinking on the part of the guy on the street, the ornithologists, the business folk, and even the viewer... I mean, wouldn't it be cool if there was final irrefutable proof that somehow, this beautiful creature somehow managed to elude humankind's selfish crush?

Bottom line?" Well... This isn't Ken Burns, but it's pretty high-grade stuff and would be enjoyed by all family members... Most heartedly recommended... If you can get the Documentary Channel (or better yet, buy it)!

By the feeders,

CapeCodAlan

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 9:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last time I noted that birds (and fish and crabs) are dropping dead at alarming rates... Here's a likely explanation from National Geographic:

But the in-air bird deaths aren't due to some apocalyptic plague or insidious experiment--they happen all the time, scientists say. The recent buzz, it seems, was mainly hatched by media hype.

At any given time there are "at least ten billion birds in North America ... and there could be as much as 20 billion--and almost half die each year due to natural causes," said ornithologist Greg Butcher, director of bird conservation for the National Audubon Society in Washington, D.C.

Not exactly the stuff of "The X Files", but still disturbing. You know, a part of me wonders if wildlife was like this before humans were around. Yeah, I know something like 99% of all species that ever existed on this planet are gone (Mr. Life, meet Mr. Darwin, existentialist), but it truly bugs me to see needless suffering and death... If it does turn out that something like fireworks did start the Arkansas panic, that would really be a shame... (On the other hand, I wonder if a shifting magnetic north pole had anything to do with this???)

Other stuff... We've finally got the hutch upstairs...

But the project didn't come without its more-than-fair-share of "ouchies". Each of the four major components (bottom and top carcases, drawers, and back) bear my initials in blood...

That really isn't so bad in that this was a large endeavor using a very hard wood (cherry) and lots of sharp tools. But the beast did have one last tantrum left in her. We were placing the 50 pound top when it noted my lack of leverage and felt the insidious urge of gravity... It dropped 40" (without the doors thankfully) taking out the bookshelf, phone, birdhouse, and yours truly. The noise was something spectacular really - sort of a sickening, chain-reaction roar. Here's my damage...

The immediate aftermath found me et al scattered helter skelter. Mrs. CCA kept yelling, "Are you alright?!? Are you alright?!?", to which I kept saying, "'Bleep' me, how's the hutch?!?", "'Bleep' me, how's the hutch?!?". Thankfully, I tend to overbuild things (in the extreme), and the monolith is now fine, all secure, and ready for the finish team. (Read that, "The wife and my old cabinetmaker boss, Rick...") Another day in Paradise... All told, it was a great undertaking - I learned so much.

And what's next? Well, the next adventure will probably be this work skiff - a cakewalk compared to the brute above... Time will tell...

See you by those never-boring feeders...

CapeCodAlan

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

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Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Check this out...

I included the old storage mailbox to provide perspective... No matter how many times I see these puppies, I'm still struck with the "Velociraptor Nature" of the beasts. (By the way, take a look at this piece concerning velociraptors and birds...)

On the more diminutive front, have a Red-breasted Nuthatch... Quite cute...

The feeders were unusually active today... No doubt the smaller residents were charging their batteries for the upcoming nasty weather.

And suddenly, the "Nag-o-Meter" goes off the scales!!! Yes, just like the turkeys and the nuthatches, you should be bracing your feeders for the winter. I'm sorry... I'm being as gentle as I can be. But feathers big and small are depending on you to clean things up and make all back 40 copacetic. I've found that if the yard is in order, and plans are in place for the inevitable snows, all will be fine. (I still have to figure out how I'll dig my way to the feeders this year... but not to borrow trouble... at least not yet.)

See you by the feeders...

CapeCodAlan

P.S. And speaking of nagging... What about that word search contest?

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: Inside Birding

Cornell Ornithology Laboratory: All About Birding

eBirdseed.com photo library

eBirdseed and misc. references

Other birding references

eBirdseed.com bird cam

Posted by CapeCodAlan at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)