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!
1-15-23 Winter Birds
Winter Birds!
We're off to a good start this new year with 30 species recorded. Like many of you, we're on a daily feeder watch. Birds need consistent food sources to make it through cold nights. Our feeding stations attract many species and the Grab-n-Go Bar has had a real mix of birds coming to it.
One of the male Northern Cardinals is partially leucistic with pink feathering on its wings. Cardinals easily adapt to eating safflower along with black oil sunflower seed.
Red-winged Blackbirds have been coming in and perching on the feeders as well.
Rusty Blackbirds are seen under the feeders, foraging in the leaves for bits of seed and insects.
Northern Flickers and Hairy Woodpeckers are often seen at this bark butter feeder and the suet feeder at the south feeding station. The ground peanut and lard in both of these provides fat in their diets.
American Goldfinches go for fine sunflower hearts and thistle or niger seed when they are not eating seeds from the garden.
One day, half the Mourning Doves decided to eat the leftovers at the Grab-n-Go bar!
Again, this year we have a male American Robin which chows down on the bark butter bits and mealworms. It will often chase the Eastern Bluebirds from the table.
This pair of Blue Jays seemed to be in sync in their approach to choosing mealworms.
The female Northern Flicker is not shy about coming in and checking out the spread.
White-throated Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos are ground feeders but they've become very comfortable feeding on the table.
The female Red-bellied Woodpecker also has no qualms about grabbing a quick tidbit.
Carolina Wrens are often at the table before the sun comes up, and frequently come back through the day.
Northern Cardinals take advantage of protein sources since they eat plenty of seeds.
Eastern Bluebirds made it through last winter by coming in to get food here. They know a consistent food source is a good thing!
A few days ago, I noticed this Carolina Chickadee with white feathering on its head, another leucistic bird. It is lacking melanin.
And, this Carolina Chickadee has a deformed mandible, the upper is too long and curved. It is managing to get food but has a hard time cracking seeds open.
This bird looks like a normal Carolina Chickadee to me, with the nice clean edge to the black bib, slight grayish feathering on the nape and normal bill shape.
However, this particular bird looks different. The edge of the bib is very ragged looking. Our birdsong detector, the Haikubox has been picking up a Black-capped Chickadee, which will move south in the winter. There's a lot more to this story but that's a tale for another post.
Birdwatching in Missouri is always interesting!
For the birds...
12-31-22 Shady Oaks Sanctuary Highlights from 2022
This year, we documented 117 species of birds here, including 27 warbler species.
As you scroll through the photos, it helps to be aware of the concern there is for these birds. Here is the scale from the 2016 report to give some perspective. A number in parentheses will be next to the name. Our highest scoring bird is the Golden-winged Warbler(16). It is now a Tipping Point species that has lost half or more of its breeding population since 1970, and on track to lose another half or more in the next 50 years without serious effort to rebuild habitats!
Where to start? Make a New Year's resolution to start a new habitat in your own yard!
Check it out: HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK
Now it's time to see some of the beautiful diversity of birds that our Sanctuary has supported this year.
Common Redpoll (7) Rare, irruptive finch species seen in a flock of 5 or more on three days in January for #124 at the Bubbler.
American Tree Sparrow (10) Winter sparrow not seen every year, it was here in February.
Rusty Blackbird (12) Flocks in various sizes were seen all through the winter, into spring and returned again in fall.
Eastern Bluebird (7) Numbers declined drastically last winter in rural areas of Missouri but the birds fared a bit better in the suburbs. We fed them through the winter and for the first time, a pair nested successfully and raised five young.
Red-headed Woodpecker (13) This striking woodpecker forages for food rather than excavating holes to find insects. It favors open park-like woodlands.
Golden-winged Warbler (16) It is always a thrill to see this gorgeous species. They are the 'canary in the coal mine' and a prime example of a species that needs our help to provide cover, food, water and places to rest.
Wood Thrush (14) It had been ten years since this songster had come to the Bubbler. So grateful to know it was comfortable there.
Mourning Warbler (12) This is one of many warblers in trouble. It has been a bit of a nemesis for me to photograph, but in May, it briefly came out in the open.
Brown Thrasher (11) This species likely nested in the yard this spring, in or under the Carolina allspice shrubs. Here is one on 6-30-22.
Red-shouldered Hawk (8) This neighborhood nester was species #125 to visit the Bubbler on 7-5-22.
Tennessee Warbler (9) To my surprise, these two warblers flew down to the Bubbler on 7-25-22. Typically they do not arrive until September. This proved to be a new early Fall record for Missouri!
Barred Owlet (7) This youngster was seen on 8-23-22, investigating our woodland.
Eastern Bluebirds (7) More fledglings were seen at the Bubbler on 9-2-22.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo (12) This secretive bird nests in our neighborhood and took a real splashy bath at our sump puddle on 9-10-22. They have been known to eat as many as 100 hairy tent caterpillars in one sitting!
Canada Warbler (14) This female found tiny insects to eat on our 'Shawnee Brave' Bald Cypress.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (11) American Beautyberries (Callicarpa americana) fed this female grosbeak along with many other birds well into December.
Field Sparrow (12) For just the second time in 26 years, this bird came to our yard and Bubbler on 10-28-22.
Mourning Dove (12) This dove is the first immature one I've seen in our yard. It hasn't been out of the nest very long. Yes, this somewhat common species also needs habitat in which to thrive.
Common Grackle (9) Often seen in mixed flocks, this is one of the larger blackbirds. Here, it has found an acorn to eat.
Northern Cardinal (5) These finches find cover all year, whether in the shrubs or in the leaves partially buried in the first snow of winter.
Northern Flicker (9) "Cover" for this flicker meant hugging the tree to rest, out of the 45+ mph winds in the 'Bomb Cyclone' of 12-22-22.
Purple Finch (9) On 12-27-22, as temperatures moderated, a male Purple Finch came to the Bubbler, the first male I've documented there.
Plant Natives!
Food, Cover, Water and Places to Rest and Nest = Habitat!
Wishing you all the best in 2023!
December birds 12-15-22
A chorus of different blackbirds came in on Sunday, 12-11-22.
Though we have had Red-winged Blackbirds this year, we had never seen so many before! The scouts must have brought in the
flock of 45-60 birds. Since these are a wetland species, it makes sense that they were attracted to our yard.
A Red-winged Blackbird flared its red epaulets, appearing larger in its attempt to keep a Common Grackle off the feeder.
A threesome haggle for the best spot, the bird on the right even grabbed at the upper bird's leg. It's another example of the pecking order!
A male looked perfectly at home perched on the hardy water canna (Thalia dealbata) before bathing near the pond's edge.
A female Red-winged Blackbird has the light eye-line, and beautiful speckled pattern with warm brown feathers on its back.
The flock included a few Common Grackles and European Starlings, but I could only find one grackle in the photo above.
Look closely, these are our FOS Rusty Blackbirds. Three came in with the mix of blackbirds. So similar to the Red-wings, but they have no red patch on the wing. These tend to march along the ground and don't spook and fly up as easily. A good pair of binoculars really helps to pick out details on these different birds. (Check out the helpful link at the end of the blog post.)
The next morning, I had filled the feeders and come back inside when I turned and saw this 12-point buck where I had just been. Then, I saw 'his' doe in the honeysuckle patch in the neighbor's yard. Well, that was close!
American Crows must have eagle-eyes, No sooner had I put the bark butter mix on this tree, did one come to get it.
The cleanup crew includes woodpeckers and this Red-breasted Nuthatch!
Early in the month, we moved a table onto the deck and I set up the 'Grab-n-Go' Bird Buffet. It takes the birds a while to get used to something new, especially the Eastern Bluebirds. This looks different from last year's table with the oak branch and disc for perches. Since they have to come in nearer to the house, I give them a week or so before I start photographing the activity.
Blue Jays were skittish at first, but quickly got used to the idea of ' Grab-n-Go'! (And we thought finches were piggies!)
Chickadees were quick to slip in. This one has been going after the black walnut meats in the cracked shells. What a taste treat!
Both Carolina Wrens enjoy the bark butter bits and the black walnuts.
The Eastern Bluebirds are now quite comfortable coming in, taking mealworms and bark butter bits, too.
American Robins, bluebirds, finches and Cedar Waxwings are often in the garden, taking American Beautyberries from the stems or maybe found on the ground.
Cedar Waxwings will wait in the cover of trees like this young shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria) before approaching the water at the Bubbler.
The fountain on the deck is visited all through the day by American Robins, American Goldfinches, House Finches, Eastern Bluebirds and more. It's conveniently located between a Rough-leaved Dogwood (Cornus drummondii) for perching and the Grab-n-Go buffet table. We accommodate!
Are you considering new binoculars as a gift for someone, perhaps even yourself?
Check out this review on affordable full size 8x42 binoculars:
Cornell Lab Review of Binoculars
November's swan song 11-30-22
Winter is nigh as November ends.
There are interesting nomadic birds that may yet be seen before the New Year arrives. What are they looking for?
Cover, as these two Northern Cardinals found in the Clove Currant(Ribes odoratum) and the 'Blue Muffin' Viburnum(Viburnum dentatum 'Blue Muffin').
Cover, as these ten preening and resting Mourning Doves found by blending into the stones and leaves near the Bubbler.
Cover, as this Dark-eyed Junco and nine Eurasian Tree Sparrows have found in the twiggy stems of the Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens). Are there really ten birds in there? See if you can find them all.
Food and Cover, as these American Goldfinches found in the Cliff Goldenrod (Solidago drummondii) planted within the driveway wall.
Red-breasted Nuthatches are winter residents that continue to find food such as peanuts, sunflower seeds and even some black walnuts. (Dan has shared some after his painstaking efforts to collect and process them.)
In the Winter Finch Forecast, Red-breasted Nuthatches are passerines mentioned along with many finch species.
Winter Finch Forecast 2022-2023
Our FOS female Purple Finch, on the left, found black oil sunflower seeds along with three male House Finches. Let's take a closer look at some comparison photos.
In both of the photos above, the House Finches are on the left and the Purple Finches are on the right. You may get lucky and see Purple Finches at your feeders this winter. It does require careful inspection to tell them apart from the House Finches.
Water, this is an irruption year for Common Redpoll like we luckily saw last winter at the Bubbler. They will come to finch feeders, but we only saw them at the water, three mornings in a row.
In the winter of 2020 - 2021, we had Pine Siskins, another irruptive finch. Though our new Haikubox has been detecting them, we have yet to see any. Eyes peeled! Seedeaters like these are always a bit thirsty.
Almost ten years ago, we had Red Crossbills on two days in February, 2013. They have been seen in different parts of Missouri this fall. The crossed bill is distinctive! Like the Common Redpoll, these birds were only seen at the water features. They were finding food in the native trees.
Another possibility that would be a record for myself and birding friends is this bird, an Evening Grosbeak. One was reported at a feeder less than a mile from us in early November. This stocky finch loves black oil sunflower seed, and our tray feeder is ready!
While we keep a lookout, other winter visitors and the usual suspects keep us interested in their looks and behaviors.
An immature Yellow-bellied Sapsucker shook water off its feathers after a late bath. A Brown Creeper investigated some rootlets for a larvae or tiny spider.
A Carolina Wren took a bit of bark butter from the sandwich feeder while a Hairy Woodpecker looked for an approach to the suet.
A Downy Woodpecker made the Red-breasted Nuthatch think twice before entering the peanut feeder area. There is a pecking order!
Of course, the more you look, the more you see, and we do see anomalies. The House Finch has some sort of tumor, and the Eurasian Tree Sparrow is leucistic, lacking pigment in its wing feathers.
Eastern Bluebirds seem to come in around noon to drink, bathe or get tidbits from the window feeders.
Let's hope for a decent winter for all!
Mid-November already! 11-15-22
Fall Color was beautiful but leaves have fallen away after several nights below freezing.
"Blue Muffin", an Arrowood Viburnum cultivar, peaked a few days ago. It was stunning!
On 11-9-22, a female Cloudless Sulphur butterfly sipped nectar from the last blooms of the Black and Blue Salvia.
One of the resident Barred Owls rested the whole day in the woodland. Around 4:00 pm, Blue Jays and other birds gave it a hard time for waking up!
American Beautyberry is still feeding thrushes like American Robins and Eastern Bluebirds.
The bluebirds also spend time hawking insects in the leaves, perching occasionally for a better vantage point.
The first Hermit Thrush of fall was detected early in the morning by the Haikubox and I finally saw it later at the bubbler. It has moved on.
Several Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have been seen. A near-adult plumaged male chased the immature bird. (last three photos) That day, there was yet one more that escaped my camera. This bird easily disappears into the oaks.
There must have been at least 50 robins here on 11/11/22. They dominated the bubbler and basin for most of the morning.
Cedar Waxwings! The second photo shows a young bird with an adult. The robins moved on and these finally had a chance to get to the water.
Cedar Waxwings, they squabble, then settle. What gorgeous birds they are!
Some of the usual suspects are seen regularly. Young Northern Cardinals and Blue Jays approach differently. Blue Jays always squawk!
A Song Sparrow shows up once in a while but the Chickadees are here every day. Now, which chickadee is it? Black-capped or Carolina? Therein lies the issue. I will take that up another time!
American Goldfinches are often seen in the garden eating purple coneflower seeds, but now I see them wherever Cliff Goldenrod (Solidago drummondii) is planted, under the feeders and along the driveway. Today, I stepped out the back door and six flew up from a patch. They are a Native Keystone perennial, supporting 97 moth and butterfly species. In the fall and winter, seeds feed the birds.
We seem to have two Red-breasted Nuthatches again for the winter. They are delightful to hear and see every morning. A Yellow-rumped Warbler comes in to drink and take a quick splash bath.
Our FOS Red-winged Blackbird showed up on 11/11/22 as well. It was in among 150 or so Common Grackles. That really was a busy day!
As you can see, birds like this Common Grackle really do get "into" the bubble! The Bubbler is now into its 23rd year of attracting birds.
It is mid-November. Deer are roaming the neighborhood, bucks following does. It is also time to prepare for the holidays.
Candles brighten these darker days in our home. We wish you all a warm and Happy Thanksgiving!