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!
Summer Scenes and Moving Water 6-5-20
Summer officially arrived on Memorial Day, 5-25-20
Before 6:30 one morning, I saw this gawky little fledgling in an elm by the driveway. Okay, kids, what is this bird of the day? It has a face "only a mother could love", eh? Its parent later took a splash in the dripper bath. Answer at the end of the post!
We've been seeing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the feeders and at the flowers. When the lighting is just right, the bird really flashes its gorget.
The native Copper Iris (Iris fulva) is pollinated by the hummingbirds, but I have never caught one in the act. It's good to have something on the 'to do' list! The dark iris is a hybrid of two natives and it is called Black Gamecock. These blooms are eagerly anticipated and last just a few days.
This has been a great year for plants that love moisture. The hydrangeas are the size of small elephants, and Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) is blooming quite nicely.The red and yellow blooms of Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) also appreciate consistent moisture. It's another hummingbird favorite. One was literally buzzing next to my ear when I took these photos, staking claim to the patch!
Our water features are spread around the property so the birds never have to go far to get a drink of water or take a quick splash bath. We have two ponds, two dripper baths and two fountains. This spring, we added inline timers to the dripper baths. In this way, water is conserved, which protects the trees from over-saturation. The timers we chose can be set to come on at 4 different times a day for the same interval, say for an hour or hour and a half. So, Dan set them up to alternate and the birds are using them regularly.
Now, what about that bird of the day? Did you recognize the baby Northern Cardinal? By fall, it will look like one of its parents. The male, bright red, is followed by the female in muted tawny plumage.
For those of you who may be new to the idea of adding water to your gardens to attract birds, here are older
blog posts that have all the information you need to get our take on the subject!
Simple Ways to Add Moving Water
Bubbler Water Features - Part One - Bubbler Pond and Basin
Bubbler Water Features - Part Two - Pondless Bubbler
Bubbler Water Features - Part Three - Perches!
Email us from the Contact page if you would like a pdf of our Bubbler Maintenance Guide.
Migration winds down 5-24-20
Migration is slowing down as birds move on to their breeding grounds.
What wonders have stopped in to rest, feed and freshen up here! Bay-breasted Warblers have been here on ten days, the last one on Wednesday, 5-20-20.
Warblers like Chestnut-sided, American Redstart and Tennessee are more common, but this is the last we'll see of them until their return trip in early fall.
A Common Yellowthroat female finally showed up yesterday, on 5-23-20, coming to the bubbler very early and again late in the day before moving on.
We were playing a game Thursday evening when I spotted a bright red bird! This Scarlet Tanager was a very pleasant interruption. A robin chased it from the basin and over to the Bubbler rock. (Link to more photos and a video at the end.)
A Carolina Chickadee was having fun splashing around when a surprise dropped in next to it, the 'chickadee warbler'. Its true name is the Golden-winged Warbler. and this is the female.
Last September, a rare hybrid of the Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers came to the bubbler. It's called a Lawrence's Warbler and is a well-studied hybrid. Genetically, these two species are 99.97% alike! A very interesting article on this phenomenon of their hybridization can be found here: Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers
In the second photo, the color difference is quite obvious.The Lawrence's looks like a Golden-winged with a soft yellow wash.
We've been seeing both male and female Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. This male tucked into the Solomon's Seal flowers for a sip of nectar.
Gray Catbirds will nest in the area, but this one has apparently moved on now.
A lovely little bird, this Philadelphia Vireo was splash-bathing in the pond the other morning.
The latest addition to the year list is this Yellow-bellied Flycatcher for FOY #112. As of today, this ties up with last year's record.
There may be a few more migrants yet to see, We'll be watching.
Here are the photos since the last post and a Bubbler cam video of the Scarlet Tanager to view. Enjoy!
Never-ending story! 5-18-20
This is proving to be a memorable migration for those birding in the St. Louis area. The NW winds and cool weather have impeded the progress of the migrants. They need warm, southerly winds to help them in their travels north. So, they are here, feeding voraciously in every migrant trap like Tower Grove Park, Forest Park, and in our sanctuary, too.
To begin, a lovely Mourning Warbler was here on 'Big Day', 5-9-20. This bird has alway been a bit of a nemesis for me. I was able to get lovely looks at it early that morning. When I followed it and tried to get this photo, well, of course, the bird did not cooperate. "Not fair!" Especially not fair when this bird is the one that made such a difference in my habits. The old story will open on a new page:
Belated Happy Mother's Day to all the moms!
Many species of warblers have been here this past week. It has been a super challenge to keep up, and they're still here! Golden-winged Warblers have continued to be seen nearly every day. One finally visited the basin.
A huge surprise was having a second female Cerulean Warbler also come in on 5-9-20. It came to check out the bubbler, the closest a Cerulean has ever gotten to the water. What a lovely bird, and such a rarity!
Bay-breasted Warblers first showed up on 5-7-20 but they have been here on nine days since then. These are uncommon migrants.
Magnolia Warblers began to show up on 5-7-20 and have been here on at least seven different days. They are striking birds.
There has been a lot of 'bubble magic' lately. This Black-and-white Warbler claimed ownership of the bubble with a Northern Parula and a female Golden-winged Warbler.
I've been hoping this quick moving little Wilson's Warbler would be enticed to come in close. Once they do, they seem to stay in the water and fully enjoy it.
We all have our favorites, but I think the female Bay-breasted is such a richly colored bird.
This Northern Parula and Tennessee Warbler had their own version of a tango to dance.
Last Monday, on 5-11-20, the warblers and a few others, like a Gray Catbird, had to make way for Cedar Waxwings. The flock has been coming in to the Pondcypress (Taxodium ascenders) and feeding heavily on tiny larvae. It's a messy business. No wonder they needed to bathe!
To view all the best images since the last post, sit back, relax with a cuppa and start the slideshow:
First week of May 5-8-20
So many birds, so little time...
Must focus on the highlights of the past eight days, and there are many! Here are some of the best birds seen in their beautiful breeding plumage. The Blackburnian Warbler was still here this week. We can never get enough of this species, it's a gem.
There was a baby opossum out on its own, on two different days!
A Palm Warbler finally made it to the bubbler area, soon followed by a Chestnut-sided Warbler.
The Golden-winged Warbler is always highly anticipated. This species is the most at-risk bird that we've seen here, with a Conservation Concern Score of 16 out of 20.
To read more about the State of North American Birds Assessment: State of the Birds 2016
Nashville Warblers are numerous, and many are shy, however this one didn't hesitate to do the 'Bubble Boogie'!
The Warbling Vireo is a species more often heard than seen. They have been more numerous this past week and every time I hear one I think of my birding mentor, Vivian Liddell. She told me the mnemonics were, "If I sees ya, then I'll squeeze ya til ya SQUIRT!"
See if you agree: Warbling Vireo
Northern Parula is a warbler species, and just so gorgeous despite their small size. This one found an inchworm on a silken strand for a quick meal on the go. They will sing for their supper! Listen up: Northern Parula
Another Summer Tanager was here this week, investigating the water. A young Baltimore Oriole was curious, too! Love hearing their chatter.
Black-throated Green Warblers have been welcomed again, along with another Orange-crowned Warbler.
The biggest surprise was a gorgeous Cape May Warbler on Wednesday, 5-6-20. Most years, less than 5 of these are recorded across the state! The last male we had was in 2009. Indeed, it was a rare thrill to see it.
We have been seeing numerous Indigo Buntings, in their deep blue feathering.
Some warblers have been staying high in the canopy to feed, like this Blackpoll Warbler in our pondcypress (Taxodium ascendens). A near look-alike, the Black-and-white Warbler has been more willing to come to the bubbler area.
Today brought in our first Canada Warbler for the year. Not sure if it is the same bird, but I can almost always count on finding one in this patch of American Elms (Ulmus americana) at the end of the driveway.
This morning, a Scarlet Tanager was feeding in the white oaks (Quercus alba). The sun really highlighted its color.
A Bay-breasted Warbler is another striking beauty. First seen yesterday, it stayed somewhat high again today, feeding in various oak trees like this shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria).
Last but not least, this Common Yellowthroat found a green tidbit in the smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens).
To view all 150+ photos from this week, begin here: First week of May
Enjoy!
Busy last week of April! 4-30-20
Eye candy is on the move - check your trees!
Thursday, 4-23-20 was drippy and cool. Conditions were ideal to show off the red buckeye blooms (Aesculus pavia). I was hoping to catch a Ruby-throated Hummingbird at these, but instead, a 'red bird' dropped into a spicebush (Lindera benzoin) behind them. It was our FOY #64 Summer Tanager! It was seen all afternoon, feeding in different trees.
The following day was perfect for the Carolina Wrens to leave the nest. I counted four little fledglings and watched as they followed one parent across the 'great swamp' over to the brush pile. These are small packages of personality plus.
The following day, Saturday, 4-25-20 brought in four new year birds. Two species were heard only, in the rain. Three Baltimore Orioles were seen in the neighbor's oak across the street, what an eyeful! Sunday was the best day yet with 48 species for the day and 11 new birds for the year. The biggest surprise of the day was this lovely female Cerulean Warbler, just 4.5" long. It came to the bubbler area at 9:11 a.m. I have only had this species one other time, a male on 5-5-07 (see fourth photo). This species is at high risk of extinction, with a Conservation Concern Score of 15. The female didn't stay long and quickly got back to finding food. What a very rare sight!
This Northern Waterthrush first arrived on Saturday, one of two present. A stunning Red-headed Woodpecker was here all afternoon on Sunday. A Blue-Winged Warbler gave us great looks as it probed an 'oddball' leaf pouch, looking for Leaf-tier moth caterpillars, on the smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens).
White-eyed Vireos used to come to the bubbler often in the early days, but I had never photographed one until this week. Heard calling, "chick-peereo-chick", it was fun to finally get to study one as it stayed for two days. It got in a splash-bath, too. The Blue-headed Vireo also spent time splash-bathing in the bubbler pond. This is typical behavior in vireos.
Our FOY # 82 was the gorgeous Blackburnian Warbler. Always a favorite of birders, they take my breath away with that fire-throat! One of the Baltimore Orioles stayed around long enough for me to get its passport photo. The Great Crested Flycatcher has returned, it has nested here in past years.
The Blue-winged Warbler returned again to the bubbler area, singing loudly, "bee-buzz"! Any bird's call can be heard by searching this site:
The Carolina Wren fledglings continue to move about the woodland. This little bloke wasn't six feet away from me. That's trust.
Tennessee Warblers are one of the plainer birds looking up at them from below, but nicely colored blues and olives from these views. And the Blackburnian Warbler? Unmistakable with that blazing orange throat!
This next bird has been a bit of a nemesis for me this spring. I have heard it calling, loudly, for almost every one of the last NINE days.
Finally, on Wednesday, 4-29-20, I got a visual on it, high in the canopy, feeding on inchworms, of course. At lunchtime, I spotted it below the deck railing and managed to capture a few images of it feeding in different American elms (Ulmus americana). About 5:20 pm, it was seen checking out the bubbler.
A Common Yellowthroat popped out from the ground cover shortly after that on Wednesday. So many colorful birds coming through right now!
Today, the Worm-eating Warbler came to the bubbler. That hasn't happened in 12 years! The gorgeous Blackburnian soon followed. What a nice wrap to the month of April.
To see all the best photos in the last week, start here: Birds since 4-23-20
Tomorrow is May Day!