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!
SPRING-ING! April 10, 2019
It's wonderful to look outside and see varying shades of green in the leaves, yellow Celandine Poppies, pink buds and beckoning blossoms of Virginia Bluebells and russet buds of Red Buckeye. Spring is definitely springing now that April is here in earnest.
The Carolina Wren wakes me every morning in cheery greeting. The pair bounce about, checking other possible nesting spots.
An Eastern Towhee was calling from the yard next door for several days. I finally was able to see this skulking female, digging to China in the leaf litter.
A female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker came in very briefly one day, and flew to this oak after working on sap holes in a Shagbark Hickory.
The nesting birds are busy. The Red-shouldered Hawks have been coming in and catching voles and chipmunks. One day, i spotted one struggling near the neighbor's pond. It came up with a PAIR of Bullfrogs, probably locked in a vernal embrace.
Downy Woodpeckers are excavating a nest cavity in the dead limb of a Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica). Both birds take turns working and then come down for a drink. What hard work for those small bills!
It has been nine years since we've had Eastern Phoebes nest under the gazebo. The fledglings were just about ready to leave the nest when it was torn down and raided, we thought by a raccoon. One of the fledglings made it.
This year, the pair have chosen the same spot and have been working constantly on it. We hope they get used to our presence as we are careful not to disturb them. I wait until they're off feeding before I take a photo. They chatter back and forth to each other, just love to hear them.
We're still seeing some winter visitors around. Today, two Pine Siskins came in. The Hermit Thrush is still around and a Brown Creeper comes in occasionally. The Dark-eyed Juncos seem to have moved on with these southerlies.
I had just put the hummingbird feeders up and fifteen minutes later, a Red-breasted Nuthatch came looking for a peanut. I hadn't seen that bird in 12 days. Yes, this is indeed the cusp of spring when anything can show up! Birds are on the move.
At 9:05 am today, our FOY Black-and-white Warbler flew in and checked out the Bubbler. It then flew to the Black Oak stump. It is species #56 and warbler #5 for the year.
Happy Spring!
To see all the photos since the last post, begin here: April birds
First week of spring 3-30-19
For the better part of the last ten days, we were visiting family. "Can we go on another bird walk, GyGy?" What music to my ears! Youngsters like our grandsons, Dean and Leif, are eager to learn, like little sponges. It's so important to share with them when they are ready. And so, we did. We walked at the nearby Arboretum, where Dean wanted a closer look at several birds. He really caught on to the idea of keeping his eyes on the bird and then putting the binoculars up to his eyes. This isn't easy! Together we watched a Great Egret fly high into the top of a snag. We talked about its yellow bill, black legs and feet. (Later, we looked at pictures of a Snowy Egret with its black bill and yellow feet to compare.) He also spotted a Wood Duck and knew it was different from the Mallards we'd seen. These details of life are exquisite! Dean also showed me his Waterfowl of California card collection. Wow, he already has learned so much. Leif seems to be absorbing some of this by osmosis and enjoyed 'wearing' the binoculars to get the feel of them.
The next day we visited the Raptor Center. Dean read the signs for each rehabilitated bird. We learned that wild birds like American Kestrels should not be kept as pets, if they are, they become dependent on people and cannot be released into the wild. We watched one as it ate a mouse for breakfast. In the afternoon, we looked for birds near their house and along the adjacent green space called the agricultural buffer. Dean really wanted to find an American Kestrel, but there were four Red-tailed Hawks overhead and no kestrels to be seen. I showed him where I had seen them before on the electric lines and fences.
We were able to find Dean's target bird the next day when we saw a pair of American Kestrels on the electric pole. Dean was a happy camper! So was I, until it was time to leave...
Once back at home, it was time to look for birds in our yard. A Golden-crowned Kinglet was still coming in find insects, this time on a shingle oak (Quercus imbricaria).
At one point, there were four Eastern Phoebes in the woodland, vying for the rights to the location, getting drinks and catching crickets.
American Goldfinches are nearly in their full spring plumage with bright yellow feathers and black caps. This male was nibbling on American elm buds for carotenoids.
Pine Siskins came back to the feeders again.
After nearly two weeks, a Red-breasted Nuthatch returned. The bird was distracted from caching a peanut by the numerous larvae and flying insects that were hatching out.
I was about to leave for an appointment when Dan told me there was a bird in the wet area, really bobbing its tail. Woohoo! It was a new bird for the year, a Louisiana Waterthrush! This species is one of the earliest warblers to arrive. (The Northern Waterthrush arrives two to three weeks later.) This bird was finding small insects in the water to eat. I saw it later in the day, checking out the pond and the bubbler. Its camouflage blends in perfectly with bubble-gum pink legs nearly the same color as the stems of the Rough-leaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii).
BIRD NERD LESSON ALERT!
Let's look at some of the fine points in separating out the two species of waterthrushes. Both birds are 6 inches long, yet their songs are different. Here are some tips, click on the links if you want to learn more.
* Brown above with well defined streaking below
* Usually has a bold white eyebrow
* White unspotted chin, breast and white belly with pinkish-buff flanks and undertail coverts
* Overall is thinner in shape - Bill is longer, legs are longer and bright 'bubblegum' color in the spring
* Bobs entire back half of body in a somewhat lazy, semi-circular motion
* Brown above, uniformly yellowish, buffy or whitish below with brown streaking
* Bold whitish to yellowish eyebrow
* Chin finely streaked with dots
* Appears more compact with a shorter bill, shorter neck and legs
* Bobs tail up and down
* Loud, sharp chip call
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Today has been raw and wet. We did see the Louisiana Waterthrush again, and another surprise. Our FOY Yellow-throated Warbler showed up, behaving much the same as the Golden-crowned Kinglet! It was busy finding insects to eat in the bark of several trees. It also picked one up out of the leaf litter. This is the first year I've seen both of these warblers in March.
One last update: Thursday, I was on the deck when two Red-shouldered Hawks flew in together, calling and calling! It looks like the male has found a new mate...OR the bird that was injured was not his mate after all. The male has been coming in and then carrying food in the direction of the nest. I will check on it in a few days. In the meantime. the injured bird has been coming along well and is eating on its own. More on these birds next time!
To see all the photos since the last post, begin here: Birds since 3-21-19
Red-shouldered Hawk Update 3-21-19
The female Red-shouldered Hawk that was taken to the World Bird Sanctuary on Friday, 3-15-19 is in treatment. After the bird settled in a few days, they were able to get radiographs of its wing that revealed a dislocation at the wrist. This injury was probably due to being struck by a vehicle. The avian veterinarian was able to pop the joint back into place and bandage the wing. They will wait 7 days and see how the bird does, then bandage it for another 4 weeks. The hope is that there is not a torn tendon or too much tissue damage and that it may heal. We are cautiously optimistic, there is still hope that this bird may return to our neighborhood!
Last night, both Eastern Phoebes were in the woodland catching insects. They look very much alike. Here are a few photos.
First Day of Spring, the Vernal Equinox on March 20, 2019
Spring officially begins today at 4:58 pm CDT. The signs are outside, one just has to pay attention and some of you are! Jim tells me he's recognized a Red-breasted Nuthatch at his feeder and may have an Eastern Bluebird in the yard. Nancy has had a pair of Eastern Towhees under her front feeder and the Red-headed Woodpecker in her woods. Madonna has been watching and wondering about the differences between the Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches. She asked for some comparative photos.
The main difference is that the Pine Siskins are very striped birds. Without a good pair of binoculars, it's not easy to tell them apart. The female American Goldfinches can be a very dull olive gray until they start to brighten up. There's a lot of variability in the Pine Siskins, with some having much brighter yellow wing bars. Hope these photos help a bit. You can look up any bird, any time at:
As for binoculars, if any of you are wondering where to start in finding a pair that's right for you, check out this information:
The female Red-shouldered Hawk has been in the woodland on successive days. One day, the bird was looking for prey when the American Crows started harassing her. They have started a nest in a pine tree not far away and didn't like the hawk being so close. She took off to look elsewhere.
Some of the first migrant birds have been showing up in the yard, too. The first Yellow-rumped Warbler of the year arrived on 3-8-19. It stopped briefly by the bubbler but I saw it several days under the finch feeder.
Two Eastern Phoebes were seen on 3-15-19 searching for insects in the woodland. So good to see them return! Just a few minutes later, our neighbor Steve called to give me a heads up. There was a World Bird Sanctuary vehicle across the street getting one of the Red-shouldered Hawks. I went right over. Our neighbor, Alison had returned home to see the hawk in the corner of her driveway, not able to fly. She called her vet for advice and they gave her the WBS phone number. They only take injured birds of prey, like hawks and owls, into their hospital.
Here is their website: World Bird Sanctuary
The falconer had the bird in a covered crate when I got there. I showed him and Alison where the nest was in the highest crotch of a large Shagbark Hickory.
The 'bomb cyclone' winds of the three previous days had not helped the nest. Alison thought the bird may have fallen, but the falconer who rescued the bird thought it had been hit by a car. I will post word of her condition as soon as I can find out. In the meantime, I still hear the male calling each day and photographed him in a tree not far from the nest.
When we think about how many large birds we can see in a day, we realize there is truly not enough habitat! We are lucky to have large trees in our neighborhood. But it takes so much more to support large birds as they build nests and raise young. The young must be fed with small mammals like voles, that are in turn fed by insects. That is one reason why we "leave the leaves" in the beds. The leaves gradually break down and enrich the soil and the whole ecosystem benefits.
The Carolina Wrens are often moving about, under and around the deck. They both popped up on the gate one morning. Not sure yet where their nest may be. Males and females look alike but as soon as I can catch the male singing, we may know who's who.
On 3-17-19, the luck o' the Irish was with me as I spotted a very quick-moving, tiny bird and realized it was a Golden-crowned Kinglet! It was looking for tiny insects in the brush pile, in the swampy thicket and on the hydrangeas and spicebush near the Bubbler. It was another one of those times when spotting movement and following its maker proved fruitful!
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and Celandine Poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum) are up, too!
Happy Spring!
A Milestone...and Spring Forward! 3-9-19
In the fall of 2014, I began this blog with no sure idea at all of how to do it or where it might lead. It just took a leap of faith. As of today, our visitor count has surpassed 40,000! Wow, I'm humbled and so very appreciative of your overall interest in what we share here. My hope has always been that each of you learn a little something new or discover an idea you might use in your own yard to help our native birds, pollinators and animals. There are so many ways to help them through the seasons with native plantings and moving water.
Now, it's time to Spring Forward! The last weeks of the formal winter season have been mixed with sun, snow, wind and rain. We've all grown tired of these varying shades of brown, russet and tan. We're ready for bluebells and poppies, geraniums and the spicy scent of golden currant!
The birds are amping up their activity on bright days, chasing each other and looking for nesting spots. On dreary days, they stay busy looking for food. This Carolina Chickadee took a break to soak up a bit of sun. The Hairy Woodpecker was hammering away at this branch for larvae while the female Northern Cardinal did some acrobatics to get seed from the small satellite feeder.
For the first time, I saw an American Crow get into the pond and bathe. They are very wary birds, so that was fun to capture.
On the last day of February, I did a double-take when a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker came in right after a female! They are both getting their breeding plumage. The female has the white throat while the male's is red. A composite photo shows them together.
Two Rusty Blackbirds showed up that day, and a Song Sparrow visited the bubbler.
Pine Siskins and Red-breasted Nuthatches are still coming in fairly regularly. They will be heading north come April, and give way to the neotropical migrants.
Last night we attended a wonderful program given by Nancy Lawson, who has written a book entitled, The Humane Gardener. What a beautifully written book, we both learned so much from it. It's so good to hear from knowledgeable kindred spirits who care about the earth and its inhabitants. Here is a link to her website, do check it out!
https://www.humanegardener.com
By my calculations, we have gained 2 hours and 9 minutes of daylight since the Winter Solstice. So, tonight we begin the adjustment to Daylight Savings Time.
Don't forget to set those clocks ahead one hour!