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!
Flashing fidgety-flits! 10-26-19
The last ten days of bird activity have been slow at times, and at others, what seemed like warp speed. There have been a few nice surprises in the mix, as well. We'll begin with Yellow-rumped Warblers at the stream bed, vying for their rights to the water.
Both Kinglet species have been seen nearly every day. They get very excited chasing each other about and are extremely challenging to track and photograph. But that's just how it is sometimes! And, they make me smile. Oh, to have that kind of energy...and see four of them at a time.
A Blue-headed Vireo spent some time splash bathing in the basin on the same day.
It was a very nice surprise to see a Winter Wren foraging in the wild ginger and celandine poppies. This bird is #117 for the year. I don't get to see this dark little mousey bird every year, it tends to stay low in the foliage and leaf litter. Phew, glad I could add it to the year list, our best yet! It's too darned cute to miss.
Here is a size and plumage comparison of the Winter Wren to the Carolina Wren, our year-round resident. It's also smaller than a House Wren.
The Winter Wren investigated the 'Brush Pile B&B' and decided to spend the night. It's another first for our sanctuary to have one here for more than a day in fall migration.
A trio of Brown Creepers was here on Sunday, 10-20-19. One was intrigued with the basin. So were the three Ruby-crowned Kinglets. They were at the bubble and in the basin, defending their space and flashing those bright red crowns.
A Nashville Warbler investigated a leaf cluster for caterpillars. A Golden-crowned had checked another cluster and came up with a mouthful of moth!
I have had three sightings of immature Blackburnian Warblers in the last ten days. Finally, yesterday, 10-25-19, I was able to get a photograph. This sighting is ten days later than the late date record of 10-15-2008, when two birds were seen in Forest Park. So, I'm in the process of documenting this young female bird. Personally, I think the winds from the Gulf have not been helpful to a southerly migration.
We noticed a lot of seed-caching activity yesterday with Titmice, Chickadees and this White-breasted Nuthatch tucking seeds in hiding places. The birds know the temps will be dropping, they're more prepared than I am for what may come. Yellow-rumped Warblers and another Northern Parula were also seen yesterday.
And, another Winter Wren was here! Or, is it the same bird that was here a few days ago??? Well, we're not to have an answer, but I'm glad the little bird is finding what it needs. Maybe it will spend the winter here, it's a possibility.
The Golden-crowned Kinglets got in on the flashy act. What a fiery crown they wear! Breathtaking...
Today is dreary and wet, but it's a good, gentle rain. Birds were actively feeding when I last checked on them. The season is changing. Next weekend, we'll be turning back our clocks and leaving daylight savings time behind again. In the meantime, enjoy the vibrant colors of fall.
The Ides of October have passed 10-16-19
"We need a constituency who are going to stand up for all wildlife. To me, the monarch is a treasure like a great piece of art, and we really need to develop a cultural appreciation of wildlife that’s equivalent to art and music.”
Dr. Lincoln Pierson Brower, Champion of the Monarch Butterfly
On two days this past week, a Monarch has been visiting the yard. About all there is left in the garden to nectar on is Salvia Black and Blue. It seemed to visit every bloom several times on Sunday and Monday, and then took some time to rest. We wish it well on its journey southward to Mexico.
Our first Brown Creeper of the fall arrived on Saturday, a brisk morning, The thermometer hovered at 31.9 degrees for a while. A Mourning Dove came to drink and a Red-tailed Hawk made a couple appearances this week. On Monday, it was harassed by half a dozen American Crows while it fed on what looked like the last bits of a squirrel.
With the cooler temps, the bark butter has been added to the list of foods available. A Hairy Woodpecker was one of the first to check it out.
Warblers and other migrants have been seen on different days. Oh yes, they're still coming through! On Tuesday, six warbler species were seen. A Black-throated Green Warbler visited the bubbler area along with both the Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets.
A pair of Tennessee Warblers stopped in together to bathe at the basin. A female American Redstart and a Nashville looked on.
At noon, a Yellow-rumped Warbler used the dripper bath while a Ruby-crowned Kinglet watched from the perch.
Always grateful for whatever the tide brings in, I have to admit that my 'bird of the day' on Tuesday was the Orange-crowned Warbler. It's a rather dull looking little bird, easily missed with a dingy breast and inconspicuous markings. It blends in with the colors of stone, bark, moss and yellowing leaves as it finds insects to eat.
Yes, this Jack's a dull boy until and only if you're really lucky, this little royal happily reveals its namesake orange crown.
How breathtakingly lovely! After that regal bow, it went on to look for food in a cluster of shingle oak leaves caught in a Blackhaw.
To view all the photos from the past week, begin here: October 8-15
October migrants 10-9-19
Some unfinished business first. The Lawrence's Warbler sighting from 9-4-19 is now on the eBird map. A big thank you to Diane Bricmont for your assistance in making the eBird checklist changes!
Now, you can use the link to find it and zoom in on the St. Louis area to see two markers. Click on the left marker to view my checklist and photos that are now accepted into eBird scientific data and Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab:
Now, back to the end of September when this Philadelphia Vireo came to the bubbler to splash bathe. They're such a pretty little bird and I've only seen a couple of them this year.
October began with warblers still coming in. Northern Parulas are our smallest warbler at 4.25". This bird was actually in the "bubble" for over 5 minutes. This short movie shows just how much fun tiny birds can have when they feel safe.
The dripper baths continue to attract multiple warblers. I added this branch for perching and the very next day, a Black-throated Green Warbler used it to look on as another bathed with a Northern Parula.
A Nashville Warbler watched a Tennessee Warbler in the stream bed area of the pond.
A female Blackburnian Warbler was seen on 10-3-19 along with nine other warbler species. Shown below after the Blackburnian are five of them: Black-throated Green, Northern Parula, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided and Magnolia Warblers. Young Magnolia Warblers are very shy to get in the water, so glad to have seen one there.
On Friday, 10-4-19, a first fall male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was at the feeder for a while and then came in to bathe.
The next day, a first of fall Ruby-crowned Kinglet showed up. Kinglets are about the same size as a Northern Parula, tiny and fast!
A female Scarlet Tanager came down through the canopy to check things out. What a beauty with those olive green wings. The male's wings are black. The bird shared the basin with a Black-throated Green Warbler for a while.
The next image gives a bit of size perspective with an American Robin in the background and yet another Northern Parula on the bubbler rock. The robins look huge! That's one of the reasons we added the basin in the first place, so everyone has a chance.
On Sunday, 10-6-19 the first Golden-crowned Kinglet of fall arrived. Yes, this bird is just as tiny and fast as its cousin.
A Ruby-throated Hummingbird was seen at two feeders that day. There are still stragglers coming through and the possibility of a rare hummer increases now, so it's a good idea to keep a couple feeders going.
A Blue-headed Vireo was in the woods foraging when it also came to splash bathe. It's so nice when they stay a day or two.
Another female Blackburnian was here that day. It is 4.5" long and as you can see, much smaller than the House Finch.
A harbinger of Winter also arrived on Sunday, the first White-throated Sparrow was seen.
The little male Northern Cardinal is doing very well now. It should be ready to be on its own very soon. Enjoy the fall weather!
And, if you'd like to see some more of our beautiful fall birds:
9-29-19 "Confusion" reigns!
A group of warblers has many collective nouns, including a "bouquet", "confusion", "fall", and "wrench" of warblers.
They can be especially confusing in the fall with the many plumage changes in adults and their new offspring.
Since last weekend, a cool front brought in one of the largest flocks of migrating warblers we've ever witnessed here. The whole yard was literally sparkling with birds, electric with their activity on Thursday, 9-26-19. I've seen more species over a long day, but this day was exceptional in the number of birds of each of the 13 species I was able to document.
The morning began with birds at the bubbler, an American Redstart and Bay-breasted Warbler were in the basin.
The first of fall Ovenbird was marching around the bubbler and found a roly-poly to eat. One of several Northern Parulas came to the bubbler, too. It took years to get the first parula interested.
Then, things slowed down and I came in to work a while. Dan cut the grass in front and swept the driveway. About 11:00 am, he finished and I was glad he was done, birds had started coming down again. Oh, my goodness, did they ever! A few times, there were at least six different species of warblers on the bubbler rock. Multiples of some seen below: Northern Parula, Nashville, Chestnut-sided, Tennessee, Bay-breasted and American Redstarts.
FALLOUT!
Phew. I sat back and caught my breath as they whirled up into the thicket of trees. Soon, I realized that the activity had just moved into the garden and pond area. There were so many birds, but I had to buckle down and lock in on some. A first of fall young male Common Yellowthroat was foraging low in the Clove Currant (Ribes odoratum).
A first of fall Yellow-rumped Warbler was higher in the same shrub.
Birds were having fun at the little dripper bath, too! American Redstarts, Northern Parulas, Black-and-white and Tennessee Warblers all wanted to dive in. I had never seen this much action there before. Three Northern Parulas at once?
Back in the shrubs, a Nashville Warbler found a small green insect for a meal as a Magnolia Warbler moved through on a lower branch.
It was time to check the bird and butterfly garden. Some Tennessee Warblers and American Goldfinches were working the top layers. Then, I saw a promising bird, partly concealed and low in the vegetation. It took some time before it came into a more open area. It was the second Mourning Warbler this month, a first fall female.
What a way to end a glorious day! I can't begin to describe the feeling of being awe-struck by the entire experience. All the effort over the past 23 years was highlighted with this lovely flock of birds searching through the plants, exploring the water features and making themselves right at home. Restoring habitat works!
The next day, there were 11 species of warblers, still in good numbers. A Magnolia Warbler took advantage of spa time in the dripper bath.
A Chestnut-sided Warbler flew into a Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) to assess its access to the stream bed. It flew across to the cedar perch, then got in to bathe and enticed a Bay-breasted to join in.
Meanwhile, Nashville and Tennessee Warblers were in the dripper bath; an American Goldfinch waited on the rim. Several birds got in the basin later in the afternoon. Tennessee, Nashville, and a Black-throated Green cooled off together.
If you'd like to look at all the photos since the last post, and there are many, you may begin here:
9-21-19 What do birds need?
Last Sunday, 9/15/19 there were some migrants here. A first year male Chestnut-sided Warbler was hungrily working a Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium) on the west side of the bubbler. This is one of four viburnums that was finally able to grow once we removed the invasive bush honeysuckle. The bird was finding all sorts of small brown insects along the branches.
While eating those, it spied a larger meal, a greenish caterpillar that I certainly did not see until I was reviewing photos later. Could hardly believe how it blended in with the leaves! Wow! This is one of 88 species of moth and butterfly caterpillars, Lepidoptera or 'Leps' that are found on the Viburnum genus of native shrubs in our area. This is definitely a favorite plant of the birds!
The little bird squeezed it, whacked it, squeezed it and whacked it again, like a sushi chef on a cooking show.
Finally, the meal was prepared to perfection, and... down the hatch!
This is exactly the type of foraging and feeding behavior that birds repeat on tree after tree, in all layers of the canopy. I see it all the time, but being able to photograph it in this detail happens rarely. It's a primary goal for me to document this kind of interaction - native birds being sustained by eating native insects on native plants. This is an ecosystem at work! Moth, butterfly and sawfly larvae make up the primary food source for 96% of our native birds.
Bringing Nature Home, How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, Douglas Tallamy, University of Delaware, MD
Water has been attracting a lot of birds this past week. It has been hot with no rain. Thrushes, like these 3 American Robins, often get in the basin together. Having a perching stick across the middle gives them their own space.
Warblers often show up in mixed flocks and will get in together, too. A Tennessee Warbler was having a good time and the Black-and-white Warbler joined in. An American Redstart followed a Wilson's Warbler into the basin. The redstart returned and ended up getting a shower and bath at the same time!
A new little Northern Cardinal fledgling has been brought to the bubbler area. It was staying in the cover of the hydrangeas and wood-poppies, waiting for its parent to bring food. This happened a few times, and then the little bird decided to try for a drink.
The birds were back again yesterday. Is this not the cutest little cardinal? Looks like its tail feathers grew overnight. The male brought it several bites of caterpillars. Then, the little guy found a tiny caterpillar to eat in between visits. It won't be long, the bird will be on its own before winter. It took a little nap in the Smooth Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) before moving to a different area of the woods, "chipping" all the while so the male knew where to find it.
WHAT DO BIRDS NEED?
FOOD, WATER, AND COVER - PLACES TO REST AND NEST
"No native plants, no native insects, no baby birds!"
Some disturbing news today, and 7 ways to turn things around and help our native birds:
As Doug Tallamy says, "Garden as if Life depended on it."
Bring Life into your yard with native plants ~ Conservation actions in our own yards work!
Don't know what to plant? Check out these websites.
National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder
Grow Native - Missouri Prairie Foundation
If you live in the St. Louis area, for a small fee you can schedule an assessment
through this program:
St. Louis Audubon's Bring Conservation Home Program