This is my precious walking buddy... She is enviously watching me take pictures of various birds and roosts on the property. Taking pictures is difficult when I let her outside with me. There is the obvious, that she might chase the birds, but most importantly, she will jump the fence! I have to keep her on a leash, and can't aim the camera with her tugging on my arm! So, she watches from the door.

I let the feeder run empty yesterday, which caused quite a stir this morning! I am sharing some of the reactions I captured from the visitors:

"Can you believe it? She let us run out of food!"

"Hey! How about a little service here!"

"Aw! Look at this! Not even the big red seeds left in here!"

"I see her in there! YOO_HOO!! ... I don't think she can
hear me?"

  You'll notice that big cardinal was staying close in case a secret trove was uncovered!

A nuthatch came by to check out the
disturbance and see if there were any
tasty critters in the wooden feeder.

On a different note, I thought you might be interested in seeing the Honeysuckle Downs nesting site: 

"Honeysuckle Downs"... where the White Throated Sparrows live
(or at least hang out a lot!)

I saw my first American Goldfinch this morning at the feeder! I tossed around a few roasted peanuts (in the shell, but cracked) and quartered an orange on the patio table. I also tossed a couple of lemon-poppy seed muffins around the feed station. Hopefully, I will attract a few more new types of birds before the Great Backyard Bird Count starts in a couple of weeks!

Gossip travels fast!

Ha ha! You've heard "a little bird told me?" Apparently, gossip travels at lightning speeds even in the avian world! Yesterday's post included a fictitious script about a chickadee who will have to rebuild his nest or move to a new location, "Honeysuckle Downs," which is based on an actual rosebush and honeysuckle bramble in my backyard. (yesterday's post here: http://ankhirasfirstblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/bird-gossip.html)

Today, as I escorted my dog around the backyard, "Honeysuckle Downs" was all a flutter with activity! More than two dozen sparrows were crowded into the brush, and immediately began chirping and tweeting upon my arrival! So, I acknowledged them (because I talk to animals), and their tweeting became even MORE animated and they were all chirping at once!

I have no idea what they were saying! I said I talk to them, I did not claim I to understand them. I can only surmise the sparrows were upset about the rumor that a chickadee was planning to build his nest among theirs. What else could it be? I filled the feeder this morning and the flat pans, and even put a few peanuts on the table.   Nothing out of the ordinary... so, what else got the sparrows all stirred up?

In other news, I need to buy more peanuts and black sunflower seeds. I read that I can entice even more species with pieces of fruit. My friend gave me larger pine cones to make feeders.  That's my weekend project for this week...the weather here is scheduled as rainy and nasty all weekend.

Bird Gossip?

Do birds gossip? I'll bet they do! Here are just a few pics I took this week at the feed station. I like to think of it as the avian counterpart to the human watercooler.
Sparrow  (to Chickadee): "Hey, Charlie! How's it going?"


Chickadee (Charlie): " Not too bad. Wife's having a tough time. The wind blew the nest down again yesterday."

Sparrow: "Oh, that's too bad. Y'all should come live in our neighborhood."

Chickadee: "Honeysuckle Downs? Gee, I don't know...."

Sparrow: "It's a great place. Those big cats hardly come around anymore! Besides, it's low-lying and good cover against hawk attacks."

Chickadee: "I'll think about it. I gotta go. Good seeing you."   
                                                     Sparrow: "Okay, Charlie! See you around! Tell the Misses I said 'hello'!"

Tufted Titmouse: "Honeysuckle Downs, eh? Hmph! It's right next to that dump pile!"
That's true. My compost pile is less than ten feet (3 meters) from the honeysuckle mess.

Cardinal (to White-throated Sparrow): "Did you hear, Willie? Charlie is moving to Honeysuckle Downs!"

Willie: "Are you kidding me? There's been no one but sparrows in that neighborhood for years! That's really gonna shake up some folks!"

Cardinal: "Yep. Yep. It's true! A little bird told me!"

"...Hey, don't worry about it! Every couple has some rough times. Especially during the winter when you're at the nest more often! When Spring comes, she'll be singing your tune again! Just wait and see!"

"... What does he know?... Nah, maybe he's right. I just need to loosen up and not take everything so personally. She needs to get out more and stretch her wings... maybe we can go look at a new nest site. Charlie's moving to Honeysuckle Downs..."

How to attract birds to your birdfeeder...

I found out how to attract birds to my feeder.... I have to sit outside about 50 feet away with a camera. Most birds are shy and will stay hidden in the brush or visit a different feeder area. After half an hour (or when I get cold), I should go back indoors and look out the window. Dozens of birds who were patiently waiting for me to abandon my stalking will be flocking to the feeder! Many photos today were taken through the window screen or storm door. My apologies if they don't do the birds justice.

Carolina Wren keeps a watchful eye on me while he inspects the buffet table!

I did have a little house sparrow come to inquire why I was up in the treehouse, and posed for a photo-shoot. The treehouse turned out to be a disappointing viewing platform due to the wiry limbs blocking clear views. Here are a few pics I did get from the treehouse yesterday:

A mourning dove pretends she is camouflaged ... keep believing, little bird!

Uh-oh! I think I've been spotted! Blue Jays aren't as common in my yard as I expected them to be.

I believe this little bird is hoping to be "discovered!" Perhaps my photos will end up on the cover of a birding magazine! LOL

 Hello, little Sparrow! Nice to see you! May I take some photos of you? Nice smile! Wonderful! ........................ How about a right profile?....  great!




And now the left profile?... can you show me a sideview? Awesome! And one more before you move on, how about a nice shot of your wing markings? Terrific! Thank you so much! We're done here!  

Cold and Blustery Day at the Birdfeeder!

"What? No more sunflower seeds?"

Hello, all! I hope you are enjoying my happy chatter about my birdfeeder. It ain't much to look at, but the birds seem to be happy. My father has taken a slight interest in our daily visitors, and he has loaned me a better camera for stalking them. It's a Canon Rebel XT (EOS) with a six-inch zoom lens. A little different than my Canon Powershot A720 IS, but I think I can figure it out.

Last night we had a lot of wind come through. I had to reset the pan under the pine tree! Good thing the hanging feeder didn't blow down! The cold wind persisted through the day today, but I did sneak a few pictures this afternoon. Northern cardinal, Carolina chickadee, and an American robin. I hope to meet the "Breakfast Club" in the morning. :)

American Robin

Cardinal watches a little bird rummage under a seed-filled log 

It wasn't a chickadee!

Aha! That little bird I saw head-on yesterday with the black and gray throat and chest was not a chickadee! It was a common House Sparrow! The little fat chick that studied me on the porch was the female of the pair. So, How about that?!

I had an early class this morning so I didn't get to see the "Breakfast Club" at the feeder today. However, an Eastern Towhee came by this afternoon for an early dinner and hung out with the cardinals. Lots of Carolina Chickadees and Northern Cardinals around today! Didn't see the little Tufted Titmouse that's been coming up, but maybe it's a morning bird. The Carolina Wren came by for a few minutes but didn't stay long.

It appears that some sparrows are trying to restore an old dilapidated nest in the honeysuckle-rosebush bramble. The day I brought the feeder in to clean it and refill it (right before my bird blogs start) we had a blustery day. I found a bird's nest in the yard downwind of the rose/honeysuckle mess. I wonder if it is the main part of the one the sparrows are working on? I made some notes on that dilapidated one for NestWatch, but I don't remember it being partially intact? There is (was?) another nest in a sapling just behind the one in question. The part that blew down into the yard could be from that nesting spot.

Tomorrow I will have a little leisure time to watch the "Breakfast Club." Perhaps there will be another purple finch I can get a picture of!

Tufted Titmouse

House Sparrow (male, winter)

Here are a couple of frequent visitors. The purple finch comes by before 9am, so I have to be ready with the camera....

Bird list keeps getting longer!

I can certainly see why the Northern Cardinal is the State Bird of North Carolina! It is so far the most popular bird at the feeder, followed closely by the Carolina Chickadee. The cardinal is pictured here with a White-throated Sparrow (LOL at the beady little eyes!). My apologies for my slow-action camera... it needs fresh batteries.
So, to recap, let's review the birds I've seen so far:
      Northern Cardinal  (very common)     Blue Jay (c -vc)
      Carolina Chickadee  (vc)                       Tufted Titmouse  (common)  
      Mourning Dove  (vc)                             Northern Flicker  (c)
      White-throated Sparrow (vc)                Downy Woodpecker (c)
      Mockingbird (vc)

(did I remember them all?)

On Friday, I saw a big rufous (cinnamon brown) bird I believe to be a Brown Thrasher, and although my bird was a little shorter than the book says (Birds of Eastern North America, a photographic guide, P. Sterry and Brian E. Small, 2009) I didn't find a better match. American Robins joined the feeder-area list on Friday, January 06.

This morning, before I left for school, I put a cup of birdseed in the feeder and scattered some roasted peanuts under the pine tree. It had rained during the night, and I didn't take the time to dry out the dish on the ground there so I didn't put seed in the wet dish. Within minutes, an Eastern Towhee came to check out what the Cardinals were all excited about! I counted three pairs of Cardinals around the feeder, and two more pairs were in the front yard! Before I left, I saw a Purple Finch on top of the hanging feeder! HOORAY! I added two new birds to my list today!... and saw two more that I didn't have time to look up, although one was likely the female to the purple finch, and the other was a nose-to-beak view of a Carolina Chickadee and I was focusing on the black and dark gray throat and chest plumage instead of the distinctive head.

Oh! While I am writing this, a Carolina Wren has dropped by and is scouting around the edge of the workshed! How awesome is that!

American Robin (vc)          Purple Finch (c)          Eastern Towhee (c)
Brown Thrasher (c)           Carolina Wren (vc)          

and this little chick came close to me on the porch during the photo shoot before joining a Cardinal on the feeder:

That's all for now! I'm off to get fresh batteries and start on the pine cones! Happiness is in the little things! (whew! 14 species so far! and I'll bet there's a couple more brown speckled birds I didn't get a good look at yet that will be "new" for me!) Love it!

Birdwatching teaches patience

Happiness! I have had a Northern Cardinal visit the hanging feeder at least twice today! I admit, I moved the tangled water hose away from the tree. I do not see how that 30 ft tangled mess of seafoam green and yellow could have fooled a bird to think it was a snake, but I cannot think of another reason birds were not flocking to my feeder. Voila! Moved the "snake" and a cardinal enjoyed a long lunch!

At the pine tree, I had a pair of cardinals (one male and one female) dine at the seed tray this morning. I then added some plumped raisins and baked pie crust with pecan pieces (from a pecan pie) on a nearby napkin. A white-throated sparrow came to check it out!

This bird, as common as it is, was tough for me to get an ID on! They are little brown birds about 6-ish inches long with speckled breasts (some individuals more than others). I had to keep looking... oh! It has a white "beard" under its head (the correct term is "throat") and looks like it has a long dark mustache that contrasts against the white throat. But... am I sure that's a white throat or just a pale buff? It makes a difference! Could I see a yellow spot of plumage just above the eye at what would be the bridge of its nose? hmm... go back and see if you see the bird again!

 Good grief! This is tougher than I thought! Good thing I didn't wait until the day of the Great Backyard Bird Count to start looking at birds! I'm also glad I got a headstart on FeederWatch. It's important to not only count the birds I observe, but also to list which birds I have observed. Descriptions like "and 6 more little brown birds with speckled breasts" doesn't help CornellLab know which birds are hanging out in my little piece of the world.  :P

Am I having fun yet? Of COURSE!! School starts back on Monday, though, so I need to figure out my observing schedule.

Gardening is an enjoyable chore!

The summer is winding down here in central North Carolina. (Boo! Hiss!) My poor little garden would have fared much better if I had planted a cactus bed instead of water-hogging squash and melons! LOL Alas, I managed to salvage two (count: 1, 2!) squash from my thirsty vine, and it looks like I may get two (again, t-w-o!) very small canteloupes. My carrots... well, let me tell you about planting carrots in Carolina clay!! First, I made a modified "square-foot" style garden: I raked out the alcove between the cement steps at the back porch and the cement stoop the HVAC sits on. Then I set a 2x6 plank to create a front edge and staked it so it wouldn't lean over. Next, I poured in prepared topsoil and organic humus (10 bags total), and used a shovel to dig it deep into the original surface... all that, LAST year!! Last year, I had a "cute" garden.

So, the carrots! Right! This year, after pulling out weeds and whatever, I sectioned off the square I'm planting carrots. I take a 10-inch screwdriver and stab it into the ground and wiggle it around to waller out a loose hole for the carrots to enjoy... I do this for every place I am planting a carrot (16 holes). Not only do I only get 1/3 germination from the carrots (I don't know what happens to seeds... I had to plant banana peppers THREE TIMES before even ONE came up!... happy for the one...), oh! Not only do I only get 5 carrots, but they are stumpy... like 'Thumbelina' variety! I am sure I planted Danvers Long, and created a nice deep space for them, and lightly set the seeds in the tops of these carefully prepared holes.... but this ol' Carolina clay pinched them off! ... OR, a second, less plausible explanation: I didn't water often enough during the drought, and while they survived, they never dug deep into the soil. AND... I am impatient and didn't want to wait another 6 weeks till the frost and see if they could fatten up (actually, girth is good, the length is lacking).

Okay, I admit I am impatient when it comes to gardening: my potato sacks are 1/4 (if that one is doing its magic. I haven't looked yet.), my radishes even bolted right out of the ground! Not a single bulb before flowering! Unbelievable! My tomatoes never sprouted, and my peppers/eggplants are MIA. BUT I DID GET: three dinners' worth of green beans!! and two dinners of spinach/mustard greens! And the greens are growing again now that the weather is cooling down!

Still, I am wondering... that was a lot of work this summer for 3 cans of green beans and a can of spinach! I will plant a bumper crop this week, but maybe... just maybe... I need a bigger garden?