Welcome to our blog! It's all about our discoveries here in our Shady Oaks yard, a Sanctuary for birds and other wildlife. We began to restore habitat for wildlife here in 1996 and gauge our success by the diversity of species we observe and document with our photography. We hope you enjoy our images and come back often to see what's new!
Mid-November already! 11-14-21
It has been a beautiful fall and now, the winds of change are blowing!
Before Halloween, Golden-crowned Kinglets were enjoying the Bubbler. I saw another one yesterday. That golden crown becomes a fiery orange when males get excited.
Yesterday, 11-13-21, it was a surprise to see a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, usually further south by the first week of November. This is a good opportunity to look at both the kinglets and notice their subtle differences.
A pair of Brown Creepers has been chasing each other around the trunks of trees as they scoop insects out of the bark.
There were so many birds here yesterday, at least two dozen Dark-eyed Juncos were feeding and drinking.
I've been hearing White-throated Sparrows and finally, several came into view.
White-breasted Nuthatches were active yesterday. The second bird looks like it has a crossed bill upon closer inspection. That's unusual.
It looks like we may have a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches here for the season. The male has a black head and the female's is more of a steely blue. The female chased the male several times and was not having the chickadee on it's personal peanut feeder! Gotta love that tail! Both birds were totally focused on grabbing a peanut or seed and caching it in the bark of a nearby tree. Sounds like homesteading to me.
There also was a pair of Yellow-rumped Warblers at the Bubbler yesterday. The male is in the first photo, female in the second.
We had another little thrill when the family of Eastern Bluebirds came in! The breeding pair survived the winter and had a brood, we've seen them occasionally. Yesterday was their first time at the Bubbler this fall. There were at least four males and two females. They sure brighten up the woodland on a gray day. It was non-stop activity with these and more birds for about 3 hours. Today, it's windy and they've been hunkered down.
Do check out the Halloween post in case you missed it.
Enjoy the last bit of fall color, and Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Halloween! 10-31-21
Happy Halloween, Trick-or-treaters!
Here are just a few of the many who have been to Shady Oaks lately.
Some are more interested in tricks, but we hope you'll enjoy this special treat.
Celebrating 21 years with the Bubbler!
10-22-2000
The Bubbler is 21 years old!
For the very first time, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird came to bathe before heading south for the winter. Our last sighting of one was on 10-3-21. Through the years, the Bubbler has attracted all sorts and sizes of birds. As of today, the Bubbler count is at 123 species plus 2 hybrids.
Recently, I was informed by a member of the Missouri Bird Records Committee that the Sapsucker that came to the Bubbler in February had characteristics that were within accepted parameters for a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. So, even with red feathers on the nape and white feathers on the chin, it was not accepted as a Red-naped Sapsucker. I'm not really disappointed, I'm just grateful that I was able to get clear photos of these details for evaluation by the experts. Birds sure keep you on your toes!
Another Blue-headed Vireo came in on Sunday, 10-10-21. They sure do love to splash-bathe!
Warblers have been coming through, in smaller flocks. Black-throated Green and Nashville, Bay-breasted and Tennessee Warblers have been pretty consistently seen through this last period. (Still waiting for a late surprise...)
Three Brown Creepers came in on Friday, 10-15-21. It took a few days before I could catch one with the camera. They blend in so well!
Our first Hermit Thrush of fall showed up at the Bubbler the same day as the creepers. It was seen again the next morning, before sunrise, and not for very long.
This diminutive skulker was seen hopping about the brush pile in the sump puddle area, playing hide-and-seek with a chipmunk. The Winter Wren has been in the Bubbler area a few times, foraging in the leaves nearby. It's always pretty dark when this bird decides to get in!
Today, I had just written a friend who had commented on how much she enjoys the blog. "It transports me for a while from my everyday worries," she said. I admitted that it's been a struggle for me, too, if I'm honest. Writing the blog helps me to stay positive about creating habitat and excited about connecting to nature as the reward. Nature is inspiring! And each of us can do more to help nature and in turn, help upcoming generations of critters and kids. We are part of the solution.
Just as I finished writing to her, the sun broke through and I saw these tiny birds at the Bubbler. A regal court of FIVE Ruby-crowned Kinglets were flitting about, jumping in and out! I managed to get four in a few photos, at least three of them were males.
A few minutes of bright and cheerful avian activity can turn anyone's day around!
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Check back at noon on Halloween for a special parade of trick-or-treaters!
Fall Big Day Report 10-10-21
"Let me keep my mind on what matters most which
is my work which is mostly standing still
and learning to be astonished."
~ Mary Oliver
It has been kind of slow lately. It's been a mild fall and temperatures will hit the mid-80's again today. But a storm front is due in tonight and that may bring in some late birds. Let's talk about some of what has been seen and discovered in these first ten days of October.
A Red-breasted Nuthatch was skittish about getting in with three Nashville Warblers and a Black-throated Green. It's easier to make them all out in those next few images.
Bay-breasted Warblers have also been in the mix.
A female Chestnut-sided Warbler came in with a small flock.
On 10-4-21, our FOS Golden-crowned Kinglet popped into view. I heard their "tsee-tsee-tsee" call several times yesterday.
One evening, we had come in to make dinner and the birds started fussing. They usually do when a large predator comes in! It was one of the Barred Owls, ready to hunt for its own dinner, or is it breakfast for them?
Not much here on 10-7-21, but at lunchtime I spotted this small bird in a clove currant (Ribes odoratum) by the pond. When I returned with the camera, it had jumped into the pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata). The plants provided great cover for this little bird to bathe in.
Birding is nothing if not a humbling experience. Exciting, yes, challenging, yes, but it definitely can be humbling! As I watched the little bird and wanted to be sure of its I.D., I thought it was a female Common Yellowthroat. I have usually found males here in the fall, though. Then, I remembered a bird that I had called a Common Yellowthroat that was in the garden six years ago, on 8-24-15. As I studied and researched young female birds that can be confusing, I figured out that the bird in the garden was NOT a Common Yellowthroat at all, but a young female Mourning Warbler.
Now it seems so obvious, but it all depends on experience. I'm so grateful for these experiences and the chance to correct my error. I don't see these species that often. We can learn so much from our mistakes. We just have to figure out that we made them, first! Birding in the fall is all about subtlety with these young birds.
Yesterday was Fall Big Day for birding, 10-9-21. Since we sit kind of low in the neighborhood, it can take a while for the insects to warm up and start moving around so the birds can find them. After all that foraging, the little flock was ready to bathe. A Northern Flicker had been in the basin, and when it left, the whole little flock came in together.
How many birds did you count in that video? There were Tennessee, Black-throated Green and Nashville Warblers, a Tufted Titmouse and a Carolina Wren. (The wren seemed a bit put out to have to share!) Some birds may have been repeats, but this kind of "flurry" is what keeps things interesting. Even after 21 years of watching birds at the bubbler, I never know when this will happen for sure, However, when it does, it's truly uplifting to stand there and simply "be astonished"!
To see all the birds since the last post, begin here: October birds
September, it's a wrap! 9-30-21
The last day of September began with wispy cirrus clouds and filtered sun. Lovely!
The first of fall Ruby-crowned Kinglet came in on, what else, the first day of Fall, 9-22-21. An immature Red-eyed Vireo visited the bubbler for the first time. Look closely, it has brown eyes, thus it is a first year bird. Magnolia Warblers have been around the last week, too.
A young male Ruby-throated Hummingbird has come in to bathe two days. It has one little red feather below its right eye, so I'm quite sure this is the same bird. It perched and preened in the smooth hydrangea before going back to the jewelweed.
A female Northern Parula had a bit of trouble getting to the water, the American Goldfinch wasn't having it. It looked at the basin and decided to come back later and it had the place all to itself. Listen for the Red-bellied Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Crows and other birds in the background.
Now, wasn't that fun!
A strongly marked male Northern Parula was at the bubbler on this last day, 9-30-21. The white belly is much more pronounced when it's all fluffed out!
Black-throated Green Warblers have been easy to find, foraging in the viburnums and golden currant.
Black-throated Greens are also frequent visitors to the water features, along with Tennessee Warblers.
A little Nashville Warbler studied the dripper before going in, and then was joined by a Eurasian Tree Sparrow.
An adult Cooper's Hawk got in a late dip one evening.
Our first of Fall Blue-headed Vireo showed up on this last day of the month, too.
I saw a bluish-backed bird flitting around the sump puddle and on closer inspection, there were two female Red-breasted Nuthatches there, getting quick sips of water.
Another Yellow-bellied Flycatcher was busy in the woodland. Now, it's on to the last quarter of the year with October's arrival!