Birding

[tangledup75]

Cedar's right.. traps are the way to go. My neighbor had a pretty bad hornet problem and that's how he got rid of them. No matter if you use storebought traps or make your own, here's his recipe for the bait.

 

Put some small cubes of raw red meat in the trap (fish works good, too), and then add some cubes of canned fruit with juice. Then add a little bit of water so it doesn't dry up, and swirl it all around.

 

Put it about 6 feet from the Hummingbird feeder and in a few days the smell will start to draw the pests away from the feeder and into the trap. Make sure not to handle the trap unless it's dark and they've already flown back to the hive/nest.

Thanks Cedar and figment, I appreciate the advice. I do have bee gaurds and a trap. The trap isn't working so maybe it isn't strong enough bait. I will try the meat and fruit. The bees have settled down a bit now. Maybe they were just thirsty that day or something.

[Turtle]

I mentioned seeing Geese apparently migrating early, which brings up the question not only of how birds know when to leave, but how they find their directions. I'm not sure I would argue Geese are songbirds, but some investigators believe they have figured out how songbirds orient themselves.

 

30-year puzzle solved: Light guides flight of migratory birds

Muheim and Phillips argue that migratory songbirds average the sunrise and sunset intersections of the polarization band with the horizon to find the north-south meridian (geographic north-south axis), providing a reference that is independent of time of year and latitude. The birds then use this geographic reference to calibrate their other compass systems.

 

http://www.physorg.com/news74439346.html

[Cedars]

I mentioned seeing Geese apparently migrating early, which brings up the question not only of how birds know when to leave, but how they find their directions.

 

A clip from this website http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/protalk/thornton/migration.phtml:

 

"Why then, you may ask, are there large flocks of Canada Geese arriving in mid summer. The answer relates to the sexual maturity of these birds. These early birds are in fact 'bachelor' flocks composed of sexually immature geese of from one to three years in age. These are not the family flocks of mature adults and young of the year which have to wait until the young are capable of long distance flying. Geese do not mate until they are four years old and then, they will mate for life with both parents sharing equally in the raising of the annual brood of goslings."

 

I remember reading that male Mallard ducks often group together later in the summer and move around. The above quote combined with this would kind of make sense on an evolutionary survival mechanism. Genetic diversity would be enhanced by pairings made up later via introductions during this 1-3 year bachelor time. New feeding grounds undiscovered by the parental units movements would possibly allow for greater survival of the genetics of the parent.

[Cedars]

Thanks Cedar and figment, I appreciate the advice. I do have bee gaurds and a trap. The trap isn't working so maybe it isn't strong enough bait. I will try the meat and fruit. The bees have settled down a bit now. Maybe they were just thirsty that day or something.

 

Could you post on your success/failures with the details? Last week on the news they had the bird lady talking about exactly this problem. There are bee traps you can buy and she said the yellow ones seem to work best.

[Turtle]

A clip from this website http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/protalk/thornton/migration.phtml:

 

"Why then, you may ask, are there large flocks of Canada Geese arriving in mid summer. The answer relates to the sexual maturity of these birds.

 

The link is bad for me.:hihi: The information however, is good for me.:cup: Since making my report, I have seen small flocks flying both North & South. Because we have many lakes, fields, & wetlands in the area I started thinking they were just moving around to find the best feeding. Well, maybe sex makes the geese hungry too?:lol: :)

[Cedars]

Hawk movement is increasing. I think this is alot of young birds spending time by themselves exploring the range and a very slow drift south. The near drought conditions may have contributed to this also. Seemed a bit early but looking at the calender, I noticed summer has nearly slipped away.

 

Saw a few vireos rummaging about in my berry bushes and they are often my first sign of the migration south each year. Warblers should become more present within the next few weeks. Hummingbird and oriole activity has been good at my feeder the last few weeks. I saw my first flocks of cedar waxwings last week.

 

A local news cast commented that the Nighthawks are moving thru now in pretty good numbers. Largest group I have seen was flying the ridge of the St. Croix River valley a few years back. My count indicated over 600 birds in this one group. Another sighting I had of large numbers of these birds were some resting in a field 2 miles north of me and my count put it at over 200 birds on the ground.

 

Saturday night was exciting. I had both a Great Horned Owl and a Screech Owl in my yard at the same time. Both birds were calling alot, one after the other. I would guess these are both fledglings from this years hatch. Last night the Screech Owl woke me from a deep sleep as he/she was screaming so loudly and much closer. It must have been in one of the trees which shade my house.

 

For those of you in interested in birds, the next 6-8 weeks are going to be very active with bird movements.

[Turtle]

Hawk movement is increasing. very active with bird movements.

 

Sigh:Unsure: My birding life is next to nill; I always welcome & enjuoy your detailed & artfull descriptions Cedars.:hihi:

I have a single pair of Housefinches visiting a feeder & I frequently hear but seldom see a Scrub Jay. The immature Canada Geese continue shuttling North and South, and two days ago while out gardening a murder of 20 or so crows overflew me cawing and I clapped 6 times loudly to signal them. They acknowledged my signal by simultaneously ceasing their cawing & flew on headed NE.;)

[Cedars]

A day trip canoeing down the river yesterday proved to be a good day. While the numbers of birds seen wasnt spectacular, some of their behaviors were well worth a day in the sun.

 

A Coopers or Sharp-shinned hawk (probably a Coopers) pursued a small bird along the shores. Watching the hunter chasing this small but quick flyer showed some remarkable aerobatic maneuvers that would make a fighter pilot envious. It didnt take the little bird long to figure out flying over the waters was giving the bigger bird an advantage so the little yellow bird went for the trees along the shore. I could not see that bird again but did watch the raptor darting around tree branches still in pursuit. I do not know how that chase ended but was intrigued by the hunt nonetheless.

 

There was an Osprey on the train bridge calling and calling. Another Osprey approached and both bird met in the nest. The second bird did not stay long and I began to wonder if the bird in the nest was injured, or a young bird who was not succeeding in its hunt, or in trouble for another reason. As we passed under the bridge we saw the second Osprey perched in a tree nearby. The bird on the bridge was still calling out continuously but then it took flight. I saw a small fish in the grasp of the Osprey as it flew north. I do not know why this bird was acting the way it was. We saw a total of 5 Ospreys and for sure 3 were seperate birds.

 

A Green Heron http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Green_Heron_dtl.html was working the shores of a small island. We managed to float by pretty close (around 50 feet) and got a pretty good look at this bird.

 

A Least Bittern http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Least_Bittern_dtl.html was hiding in the tall grasses along a sandy bank south of the bridge where the Ospreys were. A very shy bird, it ducked out of sight quickly when we got close (30 feet).

 

Many Great Blue Herons walked the shores. I dont know why they allow us to get so close, then fly away after we pass by.

 

There are still Bank and Cliff Swallows along the river but their numbers are greatly reduced from my July trip along these shores.

 

Near the end of the trip and directly across the river from our landing point there were two birds I cannot absolutely identify other than they were one of the sandpiper/shorebirds but my guess is they were probably a Semipalmated Sandpiper pair. Wading in shallow waters, these two birds were not concerned that we had appeared in their quiet slough. I was disappointed that I could only see two. There may have been others that were further into this little bay.

 

Once again I left the river with a strong desire and resolve to come back soon and more often.

[Cedars]

Well the rumors are true! I confirmed for myself yesterday that the bird sighting in the town near me is accurate. As I was driving home, munching on some white castles (extra pickles) it happened. Delayed in my journey home by the glaring red light the bird crossed the road. There have been small letters to the editor in the past asking motorists to watch for this creature and some of these letters indicated the bird is using the crosswalk. Thats what I saw for myself! These letters have succeeded in alerting motorists to beware. The light changed to green and all the cars waited for this bird to cross the road.

 

http://www.ellsonsacre.com/henpics.htm

 

:lol:

 

There is only one thing left to do and that is to discover Why?!

[Cedars]

This past few days has been good birding from the view offered by my large garage door. While sanding a wood project, I managed to see Black and White warblers (5 of them), Blackburnian Warblers, (one male several females/young) Several Yellow Rumped warblers, Vireos (several), Palm warblers (several), White throated sparrows (5), Eastern Phoebes (several), the juniper trees brought in a large flock of Cedar Waxwings (around 50 birds), and also passing thru, one Chimney swift and one Brown Creeper.

 

The alarm calls of my multiple chipmunks brought me out of the garage to look for their distress. I have barn cats/fallow cats which make me nuts hunting my feeding areas. When its not this problem then it is Raptors. Again to my benefit, knowing to explore these calls brought to my attention the 3 Rough legged hawks soaring by high above. The highest bird was not much more than a brown spot against the blue and white sky, but the lower birds, with the sun shining thru their feathers as one bird hovered, showed me who exactly they were. An adult eagle flew overhead below the hawks, headed north. Looking for road kill I imagine. I looked for more hawks throughout this day but saw no more passing thru.

 

Each time I came out of the garage there were many, many more birds hiding behind leaves and flitting thru the trees to fast for me to identify on such a short glimpse. I debated within myself on stopping my project and birding for the day. It was obvious many birds were passing thru but I must get this project finished! Damn unplanned family events which drag you away from things and delay progress to the point you must sacrifice events such as these....

 

Monday on my trip to town I saw many bluebirds along our road. If Iwere to guess, the numbers of young and female birds in a three mile stretch would have been around 70 birds in groups of 5 - 10.

 

Yesterday on a trip to Wisconsin, along one road there were another 30+ Cedar Waxwings in a 5 acre juniper covered field.

 

For those of you living south of Minnesota along the Mississippi flyway, get ready 'cuz here they come.

[Cedars]

Yesterday as I looked out my window I noticed a flurry of activity around the wheelbarrow. Cedar waxwings had found this source of water and were enjoying it in mass. We had rain the night before which put some water back into the wheelbarrow after the deer had drank it dry last week. The birds were impossible to count as they moved back and forth from the trees to the lip of the wheelbarrow to the ground. Five birds would take off and seven would try to land. Back and forth they went, wings flapping with fury. When they perched on the sides and I had my binos in hand I got a good look at this bird, black masked face, crested head, bright yellow tail band.

 

I noticed on my trips outside that it appears there are two groups of Cedar waxwings hanging in my yard. The larger group is around 40+ birds and the second group seems to be around 25 birds.

[Tarantism]

i was standing on top of a mountain the other day in castle rock state park, near santa cruz, cA, and i saw what i thought was an albatross. at least it looked just like one. the wings were pointed rather than wide, otherwise i would have assumed it was a seagull. the only thing is that i thought albatross were sea-fairing birds...what do you think it was doing roughly 10 miles away from mother ocean?

[Racoon]

Yesterday as I looked out my window I noticed a flurry of activity around the wheelbarrow. Cedar waxwings had found this source of water and were enjoying it in mass. We had rain the night before which put some water back into the wheelbarrow after the deer had drank it dry last week. The birds were impossible to count as they moved back and forth from the trees to the lip of the wheelbarrow to the ground. Five birds would take off and seven would try to land. Back and forth they went, wings flapping with fury. When they perched on the sides and I had my binos in hand I got a good look at this bird, black masked face, crested head, bright yellow tail band.

 

I noticed on my trips outside that it appears there are two groups of Cedar waxwings hanging in my yard. The larger group is around 40+ birds and the second group seems to be around 25 birds.

 

 

I wanted to see what Cedar Waxwings looked like! :)

They are Cute lil' buggers...

 

[Cedars]

I wanted to see what Cedar Waxwings looked like! :D

They are Cute lil' buggers...

 

 

 

 

Most excellent pics there rac!

 

I thought about searching around for links for the last couple of posts but I have been so darned busy I just wanted to post the adventure before it got blurry in my mind.

[Cedars]

i was standing on top of a mountain the other day in castle rock state park, near santa cruz, cA, and i saw what i thought was an albatross. at least it looked just like one. the wings were pointed rather than wide, otherwise i would have assumed it was a seagull. the only thing is that i thought albatross were sea-fairing birds...what do you think it was doing roughly 10 miles away from mother ocean?

 

I am not very good at the gulls/sea birds but in this area we get a few HUGE gulls that move thru from the Hudson bay and Arctic regions during migrations and they were moving thru recently. They are twice the size of our common Ring billed gulls. Maybe it was one of those.

 

Then as I searched for info on the albatross I found this wiki article:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatross

 

Lots and lots of albatross info there. One thing talked about was verified reports of albatross showing up way out of range and returning year after year in an effort to nest. Maybe the bird you saw, if an albatross, was blown off course by some of the storms in the pacific in Mexico this year and its trying to find its way back to familiar territory.

 

A very threatened bird (approx 80 left):

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3953&m=0

 

More info on the status of the albatross:

http://www.birdlife.org/action/campaigns/save_the_albatross/species_list.html

[Cedars]

This past week has brought in more migrants, mainly the sparrows. More White throated sparrows have appeared and I now have around 30 of these birds waiting for their morning seeds. Song sparrows have arrived also and one was looking for something around my garage door, giving me a good and close look at him (around 5 feet) for quite a while one morning.

 

A Chestnut sided warbler was enjoying bug hunting on an elm in my yard.

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i6590id.html

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Chestnut-sided_Warbler.html

 

Many Yellow rumped warblers (very common) were passing thru this week:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Yellow-rumped_Warbler.html

 

Yellow throated vireos were again scouring the berry bushes for whatever it is they take. I saw one bird fly up onto a low branch with a large brown object that I think was a spider, but it could have been some type of berry (hard to believe the multitude of chipmunks missed something here). The bird dropped the object and quickly flew down after it. It must have been something good.

 

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i6280id.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-throated_Vireo

 

I saw my first Junco of the season yesterday afternoon. A sure sign of the impending winter to come, this sighting reminded me to call about fuel oil prices. I am going to wait to order and see if the price drops a bit more. The lady I talked to seemed confident that the price should fall even more over the next couple of weeks.

 

I flushed a Coopers hawk who had attempted (and maybe hit) something in the yard. I appeared in the window to gaze out over the feeding area and this bird took off from the ground. I always get kind of mad at myself when I disturb a hawk. The angle (and two whole seconds I had to observe) didnt allow me to see whether he/she carried away something but a later walk in the yard I found a single dove feather in that area. I have also observed hawks in the past hunting mice in the yard like this. If a mouse was scored, the chance of my finding a left-over is slim. With only one dove feather, I doubt the bird had hit one of these. Maybe it was a miss.

 

And lastly, near dark I had a young cardinal in molt feeding on the ground under the sunflower seed feeder. A mottled combination of brown and red with his beak still brown, I now know at least one male baby survived to maturity.

 

Warmer weather is expected soon and I expect a final push of the warblers or a massive increase in the sparrow numbers.

 

*side note observation*

 

I have trouble with wasps getting on my porch in the fall. I kill them by squishing them. I noticed their bodies disapearing and with further looking I found their legs and small pieces of their bodies on the floor. I have large numbers of chipmunks getting on my porch to steal seed from the container (which the squirrels chewed an access hole into). I believe the chimpunks are eating the dead wasps so If you spray for wasps and have chimpunks, you should sweep/pick up the dead wasps so you dont poison the chipmunks (and possibly birds if spraying hornet/wasp nests outside).

[Tarantism]

upon further review of my birdbook, the bird that i saw, if an albatross, would have been an infant Layson Albatross. if it were a full adult, the back feathers and wings would have been close to a brown. infact, this bird highly resembled a seagull...if it werent for the pointed wings i would just assume that was it. do you know if seagulls can "point" their wings during flight? that would be half as suprising as seeing an albatross miles from the sea.