Welcome to our blog!
It's all about our discoveries in our private Shady Oaks Sanctuary for birds, pollinators and wildlife. We gauge our success by the diversity of species we observe and document with our photography.
We hope you are inspired to create your own refuge!
March, out like a lion? 3-31-23
Tornadoes possible tonight - stay safe everyone!
3-31-23
Last time, you were all left hanging with a puzzle. How did you do?
So, the little details I had noticed were the hearts in the undertail feathers! In the lower left is a new shoot of the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), which is also what the wren is perched on. Yes...it does favor a snake in a way.
The video above shows a few of the critters recorded by our cams during the night.
The lovely scent of the Clove Currant (Ribes odoratum) fills the air now.
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are in bud in several places in the garden and woodland.
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is also in bloom and with winds like today, they won't last long.
A Swamp Sparrow bathes, a Fox Sparrow scratches for seed and a Song Sparrow perches on Spicebush (Lindera benzoin).
Eastern Phoebes have claimed their spot under the gazebo and the nest is near completion. This pair chased off another to keep the prime location. More habitat is really needed for birds.
The Eastern Bluebird nest looked nearly ready the last time I checked. Both birds have been busy catching insects, and the female may soon be ready to lay eggs.
Carrying feathers is a sure sign that the Carolina Chickadee nest must be nearly ready, too. The joint is hopping with activity!
The last few weeks, I have been busy preparing a program entitled, "Our Garden is for the Birds", to share through the Partners for Native Landscaping Series, hosted by the St. Louis County Library. The webinar was recorded last Tuesday evening and it was very well received. It's heartening to know that so many people want to convert a portion of their yards to native plants. We are all needed to help the birds, bees, butterflies and more! All of these programs in the series are free and open to the public.
To register for remaining programs and more information about upcoming in-person events:
https://partnersfornativelandscaping.stlouisaudubon.org/webinar-series
If you'd like to view my program as well as others in the series, check out this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIcv1-AS-bk
Thanks for watching!
Margy
Spring is here! 3-20-23
Spring!
Today at 4:24 pm CDT. Officially.
An Eastern Phoebe arrived earlier than usual, on February 28, picked up by our Haikubox bird call detector. I saw the pair the next day.They went AWOL for a while but returned on March 15. Time will tell if they choose the same nesting spot again.
We put up the chickadee nest box on Thursday, March 2 in the afternoon. The next day we had 2.8" of rain which put a damper on activity. But on Saturday morning, March 4, a Carolina Chickadee got pretty excited and began preparations!
Big hugs and thank you's to D.A.W. and L.A.W., two of my favorite comic (and comical) consultants,
for helping with descriptive bird language for the Chickadee video!
The first winter Chipping Sparrow has been seen regularly through Monday, March 13. Here it was taking a bit of a nap on a breezy day.
For many of you, a Northern Mockingbird may be a regular in your yard. Here, I'm lucky to have one each year. This bird arrived as FOY #44 on March 8 and has been seen 11 days in a row, a record!
Another infrequent winter visitor/migrant is the Fox Sparrow, FOY #46. This year, one to three birds have been around and it was new bubbler bird #126 on St. Patrick's Day. They are often in the leaves, looking for small insects and under the feeders for seed.
Another beautiful sparrow that is quite at home foraging in the leaves is the Swamp Sparrow. This one certainly has great camouflage.
A Red-breasted Nuthatch is still here, caching food and on this day, it checked out the new bubbler perches, bathed and preened.
Eastern Bluebirds are seen daily, still visiting the birdbath and window box for a quick tidbit or most often flying down to catch insects in the leaves. They are still checking out every box option, even one with an entrance hole that is not quite their size!
"Pale Male", our resident Red-shouldered Hawk, was in the woodland a couple days ago, hunting hopefully.
Just moments ago, one of the Carolina Chickadees carried moss into the nest box. We are hopeful for a successful breeding season!
It has been a busy few weeks of watching webinars on different topics and preparing new programs, so I'm a bit behind schedule. But every day, it's important for each of us to spend some time in Nature, time to look, listen and breathe it in. I saw something in the photo of this Carolina Wren that I'd never noticed before. Can you spot it?
The details of Life are exquisite! Happy Spring!
Signs of an Early Spring? 2-27-23
Will Spring be Early?
We "Spring Forward" on March 12, 2023 at 2:00 a.m.
The first day of Spring, or the Spring Equinox is Monday, March 20, 2023 at 4:24 p.m. CDT
Signs of spring seem to be all around us. Barred Owls are calling before dawn. Northern Flickers and Mourning Doves have been seen mating. The male White-breasted Nuthatch fed its mate a peanut as a promise to help raise their brood. The dawn chorus has really picked up and birds like this Blue Jay are putting a lot of effort into sprucing up for a mate.
Now that is a vigorous bather if ever there was one!
Our tree thinning and pruning was completed by Valentine's Day, so it was time to put up the nest box for the Eastern Bluebirds. On Friday, February 17, we had just finished, and as I got to the front door, I turned back to look. Good grief! The female was at the opening and the male was on the roof! I scooted inside to where the camera was ready.
There was certainly a lot of interest in the nest box! The dominant pair seemed most likely to win.
The next morning, Saturday, February 18, I checked and there was the beginning of a nest already. The pair had certainly laid claim to this box.
Eurasian Tree Sparrows (squatters!) came by but didn't stay long. The Eastern Bluebirds were successful nesting here last year, and have been protecting the box. However, we decided it might be time for a second nest box, two per acre is acceptable.
For the first time this year, a female Red-breasted Nuthatch came in to the peanut feeder. This bird is very pale compared to the males, with gray feathers on its head. The next photo is a composite to show both sexes.
The male's head feathers are black and the breast is much rustier.
This Song Sparrow was Bubbler Bird #27 for the year. The immature Cooper's Hawk joined us at lunchtime one day as (first of year) FOY #40. Happened to catch it eliminating and ready for another meal!
The Brown Creeper shows up early and again at mid-day. The Rusty Blackbirds come in small flocks of 4-12 birds, turning over leaves in the swampy wetland area. This habitat in our yard is the biggest draw for these birds, and where they forage for invertebrates. Their camouflage is perfect, wouldn't you agree?
The rare first winter Chipping Sparrow is still being seen nearly every day. Its fellow migratory companions won't arrive until the first week of April. For the last ten years, more of this species has overwintered in Missouri, toughing it out here rather than moving to Southern states.
Dan put together another nesting box for the Eastern Bluebirds and it went up Sunday afternoon, February 26. Another pair of birds were investigating it within minutes of us getting back inside. Was this the young female that had fussed about the other pair getting the first one?
While the bluebirds wait for the stars to align and nesting season to fully begin, the woodland flowers are waking up.
Celandine poppies, round-leaved ragwort and Virginia bluebells are coming up through the leaves, which protect their crowns on frosty nights.
Soon, it will be be Spring in earnest!
Mid-February 2-14-23
Do check out the link at the end of the post on the upcoming
Partners for Native Landscaping webinar series!
February is a month of contrasts, in temperature and in color.
Northern Cardinals are getting brighter and singing more each day. It's time to get ready for Spring!
A winter storm brought us a mix of ice and snow. The Song Sparrow comes in on days like that, otherwise it's singing now in yards to the west.
Three different blackbirds foraged in the leaves and under the feeders. The second photo shows a new bird for the year. Can you name all three?
And the answer: Rusty Blackbird, Brown headed Cowbird (female) and Red-winged Blackbird.
The icy-dicey weather makes the birds a bit testy. The American Goldfinches would come in and literally hang on the icicles to access the feeder. Newcomers were not always welcome!
Cold dry air makes the birds thirsty. The female Red-bellied Woodpecker came for a good, long drink at the bubbler.
American Crows visited the bubbler for the first time this year on Friday, 2-3-23. They are a bit wary and don't come down often.
A Brown Creeper has been here all winter. It always makes my day to see it.
The Hairy Woodpecker thoroughly enjoyed a bath on Wednesday 2-8-23, as it was gently raining in the afternoon.
Northern Flickers do go after suet cakes, it's a fat that helps them make it through cold nights.
Our little rarity, the Chipping Sparrow was seen 8 days straight in January, then not again until 2-6-23. It's still around, sometimes under the feeders but it has been harder to find in the leaves where it has been foraging for insects.
Definitely not a native bird, the European Starling is smart and tenacious, as well as colorful. It is an opportunist, taking over feeders every chance it gets.
Our state bird, the Eastern Bluebird has become a mainstay here in our yard again this winter. The nest box will go up very soon, and we just may need a second one!
On Thursday, 2-9-23 it was windy, with southwest winds gusting up to 40 mph or more. Those conditions make all the birds jumpy and skittish. The bluebirds do come in as a flock and I caught them at this hanging feeder. I still don't know how many there were for sure! Some may be new arrivals, having come in on the winds as short distance migrants. As you can see, not all were able to figure out how to get to the mealworms!
Check out the upcoming Webinar Series March 7 - April 5, 2023
Registration Required
Partners for Native Landscaping
Hope to 'see you' there!
Sightings and a Snow Day!! 1-28-23
Rarities, a Snowstorm and Lots of Birds!
Twenty years ago this week, a Varied Thrush came to the Bubbler on a frigid morning after a 2.5" snowfall. To document this very rare bird, I had to draw it for the Records Committee. It was just the tenth time this species had been documented in Missouri. After the experience, I asked Dan to help me figure out a setup to use so I could photograph birds. Little did I know how that bird would change my life.
Fast forward to 10-20-21, when a first fall Chipping Sparrow showed up. It was the first time I'd seen a bird of this age and I needed a little help from my friends to be sure of the identification. Typically, these birds move far south for the winter but some do pop up in Missouri after migration.
About three months later, on 1-16-23 again, a first winter Chipping Sparrow was foraging under the feeders. Was it the same bird? It was here for one day.
Woodpeckers have been busy finding food in the woods. The Hairy Woodpecker visited the Bubbler and his mate foraged for beetle larvae on the black oak stump.
The Downy Woodpecker poked around on sticks in the leaves for small insects.
We've had days with American Robins around and this one was missing its right foot.
Red-breasted Nuthatches continue to eat peanuts or bits of sunflower hearts and cache some away for that day when feeders are too busy!
Some male American Goldfinches are just beginning to get a bit brighter. Both mesh feeders have been busy.
Sunrise was gorgeous on Tuesday, 1-24-23. The forecast was for a Winter Storm with 3-9" of snow possible, beginning late that evening.
Guess what I saw foraging under the feeders again? That first winter Chipping Sparrow had returned after eight days elsewhere.
The snow was heavy, a wet 3" that packed on top of the little tent we had put over the Grab-n-Go table. The snow-laden branches of the rough-leaf dogwood hung gracefully over the deck railing.
Birds were a bit hesitant to enter the tent, but hunger overcame their fear of the contraption.
Rusty Blackbirds came to turn over leaves and drink at the basin.
Eastern Bluebirds knew the mealworms and peanut butter bits would be ready for them, and they rested in the dogwood during breaks in the snow.
The first Song Sparrow of the year joined the Chipping Sparrow under the feeders. Now, for about five minutes of fun...
Were you able to identify the four species in the last segment? How about Rusty Blackbirds, Mourning Dove, Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles.
The following day, 1-26-23 a very large flock of mixed blackbirds came in. It was predominantly Red-winged with 40 of them in the photo above, Rusty Blackbirds and Common Grackles.
More Red-winged Blackbirds and one Rusty which is walking out of the upper left area.
Our little friend returned yesterday for the fourth consecutive day. I had just photographed it when the next beauty came in.
Purple Finch!
What will the next storm bring in?
To look up the Varied Thrush or any bird: All About Birds