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!
News Flash and Latest Migrants 5-28-24
May 28, 2024 ~ News Flash!
We were just featured in our hometown newspaper and the response has been amazing!
We've been getting comments on our website, through emails and texts from friends, old and new.
Welcome to new readers of the blog!
A big shout out to Miki McKee Koelsch for really getting what we are all about and conveying it so well in the article,
and to Ursula Ruhl for taking photos of us (who'd rather be behind the camera). Thank you!
And, a big hug and thank you to our dear friend, Armetta Smitley, who called the Times initially!
Here's the link to the Webster-Kirkwood Times, look for this title to read all about it:
Now...on to the latest spring migrants!
A Northern Waterthrush found some small larvae in the algae to eat in the bubbler on 5-16-24.
Overnight, on 5-18-24, over two million birds had flown over according to BirdCast. One that stopped in to refresh itself was this Veery.
Another migrant was a Magnolia Warbler that just took its sweet ol' time while it bathed.
This little Tufted Titmouse seemed very excited and pleased with itself for finding a caterpillar snack! It celebrated with a big splash.
Sunday, 5-19-24 also brought a Brown Thrasher out of the thicket.
It was really dark at 7:30 am when this Bay-breasted Warbler needed a bath. Over a million and a half birds again had passed overhead the night before, but we did have a few warblers here the next morning. In fact, two females can be quite challenging to ID.
QUIZ bird! That's a Tufted Titmouse in the foreground, but what is the bird in back? Let's see if we can figure it out.
These two species are favorites of many birders. The males are distinctly different, though nearly the same size. Study the leg color, that is considered a diagnostic detail to help differentiate between the females.
These are both female Bay-breasted Warblers. There is variation among them but females have a split buffy eye-ring and usually dark legs and feet.
Here are two female Blackpoll Warblers, again with some variation, yellowish to whitish breast with dark streaking on the sides. Some have darker streaking on top of head. Note the yellow-orangish legs and feet.
So, what do you think the QUIZ bird is? These two are the same species. You've got this!
Two Chestnut-sided Warblers also came in on 5-21-24. The second one is a female, not as strongly marked as the male.
On Thursday, 5-23-24, it made my day to see this female! It had been a year and a half since I'd photographed the 'necklaced' or Canada Warbler.
Indian Pinks (Spigelia marilandica) have been attracting the female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Oops, just missed her!
We've been enjoying our lush water garden, especially the water lily leaves which had expanded to huge proportions this week!
And then, tornado warnings and a hail storm came in on Sunday evening, 5-26-24. Shredded lettuce! We were fortunate that the only damage was torn leaves, and they were everywhere.
As you can see by the charts, migration is winding down. There is still a slight chance for a surprise, so stay tuned!
Cicadas? Oh yes, we still hear and see the cicadas and they will soon complete their life cycle.
They have fed many birds and critters, and the leftovers will be broken down by many insects to return nutrients to the soil.
Peak of Migration 5-14-24
Migration is at Peak!
Some birds are stopping in to give us a closer look and a listen.
Swainson's Thrush are here, and singing through the day. Another thrush is this Veery, and it has been around for several days.
Nashville Warblers were bathing together.
A Magnolia Warbler foraged in the Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium). It was looking for small caterpillars under the leaves.
A nice little flock of Tennessee Warblers braved the bubbler together. The females are more yellow overall.
A Ruby-crowned Kinglet stopped by and it's a bit on the late side, possibly a female.
On 5-10-24, there were at least two, maybe more Bay-breasted Warblers. Oh, yes! I watched one devour a cicada on the pin oak in front.
Finally had a Black-throated Green Warbler check out the bubbler that day, too.
A female Baltimore Oriole was a nice find that day. Its plumage helped it blend so perfectly in the stream bed!
Finally, a Magnolia Warbler came to bathe! As often happens, I was so focused on this bird that I nearly missed the approach of ...
THE FIRETHROAT! A Blackburnian Warbler, which always takes my breath away!
First year Chestnut-sided Warblers are coming through. These are both first spring females, but the second one looks like it has barely begun getting new, colorful feathers. This is what they look like in winter in Costa Rica. The change is really dramatic in the males, as you can see below.
And now...
My Haikubox had been picking up the song of the Blackpoll Warbler, and I finally saw this mostly black and white bird. This bird needs to be seen in spring, because their fall migration route typically takes them further east.
On 10-4-2013, this young female Blackpoll Warbler became the third record for Missouri by coming down to look at the bubbler! This little bird was featured in my very first blog post, and it was the only photo that I managed to get before other birds chased it off.
Now, an update on the nesters.
Eastern Bluebirds wasted no time getting another brood started! We were going to clean out the old nest only to find the female had begun laying eggs. The bumper crop of insects available may have contributed to their eagerness.
Eastern Phoebes have been busy feeding their fledglings, too. This little one had eyes bigger than his tummy! I've seen the female collecting more moss and mud from the swampy thicket to reinforce the nest.
The cicadas are in full emergence here, just as they were 13 years ago. What a bounty! They start their scream-like song very early now and it goes on all day. While the chipmunk gorges on them at its table, I'm catching up on things inside and taking a little break.
Happy Migration!
My, oh my, it's MAY! 5-6-24
May is a time for feeding new chicks and migrating birds!
Eastern Bluebirds fledged on 4/28/24. They've been seen and heard making the rounds of the neighborhood.
Despite the House Wren removing three of the chickadee eggs, at least one chick made it to fledging on 5/4/24. The adult coaxed it out with a treat!
The leaves have grown quickly, concealing the birds. Try your hand at identifying these three! (Answers at the end of the post.)
An Indigo Bunting enjoyed a bath in the bubbler.
These are both Nashville Warblers, but the first has a very yellow eye-ring, not the typical bold white. It may just have more pigment, but it's the first one I've seen like it.
On 4-28-24, a Wild Turkey trotted through the woods.
A Northern Waterthrush has been around for a week now, foraging in the swampy thicket or garden beds.
Baltimore Orioles have been seen and heard often, and four got in the bubbler on 4-28-24.
A striking Yellow Warbler first showed itself on 5-1-24.
This Black-and-white Warbler rested for a bit in this rough-leaf dogwood.
A very good day was 5-4-24 when this beauty came in, a Bay-breasted Warbler.
A Northern Parula felt right at home in the basin.
And now, for the quiz answers!
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Summer Tanager, red morph female
Common Yellowthroat, a bird that is often hidden!
Now, to change it up...
They're here!!
Brood XIX of the Periodical Cicadas are emerging now. This morning, I watched Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrush, a Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe and female Indigo Bunting catching and eating them. What a bounty of food for all the birds and small mammals!
Copper Iris is now in bloom in the Water Garden.
This map shows that we are into prime migration time! I'll be doing my best to document what is here.
To view all the birds since the last post, open this page:
Birds since 4-22-24
Earth Day 4-22-24
A Celebration of Diversity on Earth Day!
Let's look at some new arrivals this month in our Shady Oaks Sanctuary.
Purple Finches, both male and female have been in the woodland.
Swamp Sparrow was found in the swampy thicket, of course.
The Hermit Thrush slowly raises and lowers its rusty tail.
Northern Parula is a lovely small warbler.
Ruby-crowned Kinglets are frequently seen at the bubbler.
A shy Nashville Warbler was ahead of more to come.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are almost in full breeding colors.
A Tennessee Warbler is in much paler hues.
A Western Palm Warbler was buddies with the Tennessee Warbler.
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds finally arrived! The female has been feeding at the Virginia Bluebells and Coral Trumpet Honeysuckle.
The male has bathed in the bubble twice now!
Not new, this Pine Siskin has been here all winter, and will be leaving soon on its way Canada.
A Blue-headed Vireo has been around for several days and enjoyed splash-bathing.
An Orange-crowned Warbler slipped in to the bubbler a few times.
Brown Thrashers are finally getting comfortable here again. They're chasing robins out of the bubbler!
Peek-a-boo! Today, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker just had to take a dip.
The Eastern Three-toed Box Turtle has come out of hibernation, another sign of spring!
A bumble bee mimic, this Nessus Sphinx moth emerged in time to nectar at the Virginia Bluebells.
How was your Earth Day spent? Appreciating nature, I hope!
Last week for the Warbler Exhibit: Open for Viewing through Saturday, April 27, 2024!
Check the link for more information.
"Meet the Warblers!"
Into April now! 4-4-2024
Nesting is serious business!
The Carolina Chickadees have been busy finishing their nest and on 3-30-24 there was one egg cradled deep inside. It's the creamy speckled one just to the left of center. The moss was embellished with soft alpaca fibers that were pulled from the grapevine ball, an idea that I put together for holiday gifts. Chickadees are one species that will use rabbit fur to line their nests, so I thought they might like this. I was very curious to see what other birds might take some.
Now that egg-laying has begun, the pair must defend their nest. The Eurasian Tree Sparrows can barely stick their heads through the hole, but they harass the smaller birds. We hope the chickadees are successful.
NOTE: I call "our" chickadees "Carolina Chickadees" because they have always sounded and looked to me like that species. It is more complicated than that! A recent discussion on the MOBirds Listserve indicated that neither song nor morphological characteristics are good indicators of whether a chickadee is Black-capped, Carolina or mixed ancestry in the hybrid zone. More information at a later date...
Back to the birds!
The Eastern Phoebes have been catching insects as temperatures have been warm. The female seemed to like the available fibers, too!
The green morph Pine Siskin has been at the feeder some days. That bird is almost as bright as the male American Goldfinches are right now.
This Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was spotted on trees in the swampy thicket. In the first photo, one can see that it has a red nape. A few years ago, there was a similar bird that I photographed and submitted as a possible hybrid. After experts reviewed the photos, it was decided to be a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. I do wonder if it's the same bird.
This bird is typical, with only white on the nape feathers, it's another male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It was tapping the Shagbark Hickory for sap to drink before checking out the Bubbler.
The Eastern Bluebirds took time to get a quick bath together. At last count, four eggs were in the nest. The female may lay another, typically there are five to a brood.
Cedar Waxwings have been coming in to bathe, with sometimes as many as ten or twelve in the basin together. I noticed the orange tail tip in this last photo, which indicates this bird has been eating a lot of berries from the invasive Bush Honeysuckle.
There have been quite a few different Yellow-rumped Warblers in the woods. That's a Pine Siskin with a male warbler in the first photo, and the next two are scruffy little guys molting their feathers into spring plumage.
One new arrival is a Chipping Sparrow. It has been seen at feeders around the yard, and perched, like so in the Spicebush (Lindera benzoin).
Warbler Exhibit is Open for Viewing through Saturday, April 27, 2024!
Check the link for more information.
"Meet the Warblers!"