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!
One day wonder - female Black-throated Blue Warbler on 9-13-17
On Wednesday, I was away for a good part of the morning. When I returned, some warblers started showing up at the Bubbler, two American Redstarts and a Black-throated Green.
The Black-throated Green Warbler was having a good old time and I was having fun, too. I can literally become very focused on one bird. I realized I needed to look around. A different bird was working its way up the oak next to the Bubbler rock. "White supercilium, white under-eye arc and handkerchief"- neurons firing- all diagnostic field marks of a female Black-throated Blue Warbler!
Well, that photo might just be enough to identify the bird, but I hoped for better. Now, I kept my eyes on that bird and followed it. It was hungry, but really wanted to check out the bubbler.
It went behind the Bubbler to the Smooth Hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens).
I watched it finding caterpillars and even a small butterfly while working through the small elms, rough-leaf dogwoods, and oaks. Then, it was in the American Elm (Ulmus americana) above my head, chipping at me. I made little chipping sounds back. It flew to my left in the oak near the deck and looked at me. I quietly told the bird how beautiful she was and she allowed me several photos at very close range.
Friends, it does not get any better than this, truly! This species is a 'very rare' migrant here and to have this bird be so curious, cooperative and close almost defies description. This bird was not timid at all and seemed to trust that no harm was intended with my large lens aimed at it just eight feet away. To be able to share this soul-satisfying view with others is what drives me to document what comes into our conservation sanctuary to be nourished and refreshed. It is pure joy to see these birds here!
Twelve years ago, on the morning of 5/13/05, I barely had a sip of coffee before birds started popping in at the Bubbler. This was my eighth shot of the day and again, a magical moment with a male Black-throated Blue.
This species is considered the 'Holy Grail' of birders here in Missouri and a report of one always get the adrenaline rushing. They are typically found in the Eastern migratory flyway and nest in the Eastern states. Was 'my' bird brought in by Hurricane Irma? Well, hurricane winds do have an impact on migration.
To view all 28 of the photos of this warbler and others: Birds since 9/8/17
To read more about Black-throated Blue Warblers: Black-throated Blue Warbler
To read about the records on Black-throated Blue Warblers in Missouri: Black-throated Blue Warbler
To read about Hurricane Irma: Hurricane Irma's impact
New month, new Bubbler bird! 9-11-17
My thoughts these past weeks have been with friends and their families who have been directly affected by the wrath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. It is so difficult to begin to comprehend the devastation that these storms have caused. It will be a long road to recovery for my friends and many others.
September is a time for migrants to go back to their winter homes, but these birds will also have difficulty with their own journeys considering the current conditions in Texas and in Florida. I wonder what will happen to them, too.
More of these nomads have been seen here in our Shady Oaks yard. The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been buzzing around the garden and the feeders, sometimes I'll have six or seven within my sight at once. Here, one rested on the tiny branch of a Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).
Warblers have been coming in to feed, drink and bathe. This Black and White warbler had a good time by itself on September 1.
Now, I must digress. There are three of us birders who share our yard bird sightings regularly with each other and that would be Connie Alwood, Wally George and myself. Wally put in a bubbler pond in 2004 and Connie has a fairly new bubbling stream along with a smaller one. We recently toured each other's yards to look at plants and our bubblers. Wally had given Connie a few dead cedars to act as perches for the birds while his nearby plants took hold. And on September 2, about 9:30 a.m. Wally stopped by with a gift for me, a lucky cedar tree. I was so excited! There will be a whole blog post later on this idea, but here is what it looked like. I stuck it in a pot and filled it with gravel to stabilize it temporarily. It went next to the Bubbler Rock, its branches to be used by the birds as steps down to the water.
That day I saw four warbler species, but was not able to get any photos because the birds were frantically feeding higher in the canopy. The next day brought more opportunities as birds came closer to the Bubbler area.
There were several Swainson's Thrushes and this one came in early.
An Ovenbird worked through the ground cover of Wood Poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum) looking for insects. This warbler walks along and reminds me of a little chicken.
A bird flew over my head and I just saw its black and white sides at first. Then, it landed, turned and I realized it was a Yellow-throated Warbler!
It perched on different branches and popped over to the lucky cedar! Here it could get a different view of the Bubbler. It came closer but other birds were dominating the scene and it flew off. The Yellow-throated Warbler is a bird that has only been seen here twice before and now it counts as Bubbler Bird #118. I could hardly believe it. I didn't think that lucky cedar would work its magic that fast! I could hardly wait to share this news with my friends.
Isn't that bird a beauty? It is also Warbler #35 (+ 1 Hybrid) at the Bubbler.
The Black and White female was still foraging in our woodland that day and found a small insect which looked like a katydid. In a gulp, it was gone.
A young male Rose-breasted Grosbeak stopped by for a drink while the House Finches were bathing. I had been hearing its sweet little song and knew it was close by.
A female Chestnut-sided Warbler was also in this mixed flock.
The next day was a bit quieter and I spent some time near the garden. The hummingbirds have been busy at the Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis). They also take turns on the wind sculpture as a lookout post.
On September 5, American Redstarts showed up again. The male is shown first and the second photo could be an adult female or first year male. It is often difficult to tell them apart in the fall.
A Tennessee Warbler got into the basin with a Northern Cardinal and a House Finch before going solo.
A female Canada Warbler was chased out by the Carolina Chickadee a couple times, but managed to get a quick bath.
This Nashville Warbler was looking for insects on a small green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica).
A lone White-tailed Buck was in the woodland on the morning of September 8. It has a bum leg, we've seen it before on the trail cam. You can tell if you look closely in the second photo that its right hoof has not been worn down, instead it is long and pointed! The buck still can take off and run on three good legs.
One last treat the past week was catching a fox on the Bubbler Cam, another of nature's most beautiful creatures in my humble opinion. And, that's a wrap!
8-21-17 Total Solar Eclipse and the first migrants of early fall
August 21, 2017 arrived. It was warm, muggy and the forecast was for clouds to move in around the time of totality, 1:17-1:18:30 p.m. We were ready with our viewing glasses and remained hopeful. The garden was busy all morning with bumblebees, hummingbirds and butterflies visiting Marsh Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and the purple flower stalks of Eastern Blazingstar (Liatris scariosa). Bumblebees were buzzing and a female Monarch laid eggs, while a Silver-spotted Skipper and Orange Sulphur nectared.
Ruby-throats sipped from Marsh Milkweed, Cardinal flower and Eastern Blazingstar.
An American Goldfinch kept checking the sky. The bird seemed to sense that something was happening.
The goldfinch flew off while this Monarch was still nectaring at 1:15 pm.
I stayed near the garden while Dan got some very different photos.
I took a video of the garden as the moon continued on its final moments toward overshadowing the sun. The light was dwindling in a rather eerie way.
The light was gone, and it was as if time stood still. I shivered with the slight temperature drop and went to see where Dan had set up the telescope near the driveway. Totality!
Within less than two minutes, the sun's light began to return. Dan took this image of the shadows as they played upon the front walk.
Within ten minutes, one of the hummingbirds returned to the Cardinal flower, using a tiny foot to balance.
Monarchs were mating again in the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) by 2:44 p.m.
A Carolina Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse took a quick bath together at 2:57 p.m. Everything seemed to be returning to the normal pace of activity. The solar event was complete.
On Wednesday, 8-23-17 the first warblers arrived with a cool front overnight. There were Black and White Warblers, American Redstarts and this female Chestnut-sided Warbler. It was the only one to come to the Bubbler and it was soon joined by a female American Goldfinch.
The next morning before 7:00 a.m. a real ruckus was being made by half a dozen American Crows who were soon joined by a Cooper's Hawk, Blue Jays, Northern Cardinals and a Carolina Wren. The crows were LOUDLY protesting an invading predator.
I had to get closer to see it and it meant shooting nearly straight up to get a photo. A Great Horned Owl peered back at me, species #97 for the year. The bird finally had enough of the squawking and took off to the south before I could try again. We've been hearing both Barred Owls again in the evenings. I wonder which species will take command of the territory. We have had both species nest and produce young in different years in our neighborhood.
The last time I had been able to photograph a Great Horned was nearly four years ago on 12-28-13 as it was harassed by a crow in the pine tree next door.
Today, I was visiting with friends until about 2:30 when I went to see what was up in the garden. I found two Monarch caterpillars and when I took Dan down later to show him, I found a third. They are not always easy to see! These three were different sizes, and all in the same little patch by the pond.
For the second day in a row, I've had two female Monarchs in the garden.
I also saw two male Blue-faced Meadowhawks and this one was perched low on a Wafer Ash (Ptelea trifoliata).
Well, August is nearly done - what's going on in your garden?
Monarchs and more 8-20-17
To the untrained eye, our garden may look to be quite a jumbledy-jungle at this point in the summer. Some of the plants are bent over after 3.25" of rain. Yet, there is so much to be observed when one takes a closer look.
Have you found the Monarch? Well, there have been several each day for days now and they often seem to disappear in the vegetation. Another word for that vegetation is 'cover' and the plants serve as shelter while the butterflies rest in between nectaring forays with a myriad of bees, tiny wasps and other pollinators.
On August 16, another Painted Lady joined the Monarchs. It still preferred the Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) for its meal and it probed around the top of each flower.
The juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been very active throughout the garden, too. They slip in to drink from many flowering plants with a wary eye to the sky at times.
The garden provides cover for another very important activity, especially for the threatened Monarch butterflies, and that is mating. How does one tell a male from a female first of all? Take a look at this composite photo to see some of the differences. They are not always obvious to the naked eye.
There have been several males around but yesterday another female was in the garden early. She was strong and healthy looking, basking in the sun and warming up for the tasks ahead on the Coral Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). It was 10:15 a.m.
I made my way to the garden and took a few photos when I saw a skirmish between two butterflies on an Eastern Blazingstar (Liatris scariosa). Aha, not a skirmish, but the mating of two Monarchs! The male seemed to have difficulty grasping the female at first, pulling her off as they tumbled into the vegetation.
I had to move to the east side of the garden to find them again. The pair's efforts looked to be successful as they were joined and clinging to the Blazingstar.
They were there only seconds before the male propelled them up to the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). They stayed about a half a minute before moving higher up into the trees. The male is on the outside to power their flight, the female inside.
I continued to watch the hummingbirds chase each other and in less than a half an hour, the female Monarch returned to the garden and began to lay eggs on the Marsh Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). She worked low among the plants, finding shady places for the tiny tender pearls. Their precious progeny will be the ones to migrate to Mexico, overwinter there and start the new generation next spring.
I left the Monarch resting in the Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis). The butterfly still had a long day ahead with many more eggs to lay, it was just 11 a.m.
Into August now 8-7-17
Since the last post, there have been quite a few sightings. A worn Great Crested Flycatcher was busy looking for food for its fledgling on Tuesday, July 25. The younger bird looks bright and alert with more white on its feather edges. Such fun to see this species nesting here.
A female Monarch was seen on Friday, July 28 laying eggs on the Marsh Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). I watched the butterfly work through the garden for about an hour and it finally took a break to nectar on freshly opened blossoms.
The next day, a female Blue Dasher took a rest on a spent Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). How beautiful it was in the soft light as its coloring blended in with the spiky seed head.
On Sunday, July 30, a Painted Lady was busy nectaring in the garden, mainly on the coneflowers. It was my first opportunity to photograph this uncommon butterfly here.
As I followed the butterfly, I noticed a Tufted Titmouse flying down to the garden and briefly laying down, not dust-bathing but sun-bathing. Another Titmouse joined it, literally laying on top and giving it a hug! Isn't that interesting behavior?
They would pop up to a tree branch for a while and down to the garden again, only staying maybe 30 seconds. This went on for several minutes. One tried the bench but that just wasn't the same.
A Great Crested Flycatcher got in on the act and I also saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird lay down for just a few seconds. Look closely as the flycatcher nestled in under the coneflowers near the basil. It had been very cool overnight at 60 degrees so perhaps they were indeed just soaking up a bit of warmth in anticipation of another cool night.
The cool weather brought in more Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and they have been chasing each other through the garden. The Cardinal flower is nestled in between patches of milkweed and coneflowers and not nearly as tall. The birds find its bright red blossoms nonetheless.
Today, one of the young hummingbirds had a chance to drink from a plant near the pond, much closer to where I was waiting. Fascinating to capture the pollen being deposited on its head as it thrust its bill into the blossom. See the tiny yellow grain of pollen falling away? Bird and plant are perfectly compatible.
A Coopers Hawk has been in the woods on several different days. It was perched near the Bubbler on Tuesday, August 1.
A Northern Flicker got in to get a good bath the next day when the hawk wasn't around.
It was Thursday, August 3. As often happens, I thought I saw the Painted Lady again and by the time I got the camera, I could not re-find it. I waited on the landing and the Carolina Wren started fussing up a storm. It circled around me and into the thicket. I went up to the deck to see what the problem might be and didn't see anything at first.
Then, the Coopers Hawk dropped in and stared down the wren. The wren moved on but by then, the birds had heard and heeded the alarm.
Before 7 a.m. on Friday morning, August 4, the twin fawns were in the woodland, grooming themselves. I guess that's where they had spent the night. Here is one of the fawns before they moved on.
A black female Tiger Swallowtail has been in the garden the last few days.
This afternoon, a male Monarch was very active on the Marsh Milkweed. It was only when I finished going through the images that I saw a tiny Monarch caterpillar in this photo, too! Can you find it? The caterpillars are able to eat every part of the plant to grow into a healthy butterfly. What a positive ending to the day!
Hint: Look in the cluster of buds on the far right for the tiny striped caterpillar. Eggs were laid on Friday, July 28 so the caterpillar is 10 days old.