Winter Wonderland

Don and Phoebe starting our walk.

Common Redpolls were at the feeders just at dawn. (digiscoped through the window).

Phoebe, our smart Corgi bunny hops in our footsteps

'tis a tad deep for a Corgi

Lillian and Phoebe

We found tiny vole tracks in the snow.

The snow cascaded off the pines like waterfalls.

Much snow fell here yesterday, part of the storm that pounded New England. We got 7-8" of light powdery snow, south of Boston it was heavier snow.
This morning is beautiful and we can appreciate the winter wonderland the snow has created. Photos from our morning walk.

108th Christmas Bird Count, Dec.14th to Jan. 5th.

From Ravens in Alaska,

to Roseate Spoonbills in south Florida,

and those in between,

all the birds are counted.

Bald Eagle we saw last year on our CBC.

Yep, that's right, this is the 108th Christmas Bird Count. That means for the last 108 years birders across the country have been going out around Christmas, to census America's birds. There are designated CBC (Christmas Bird Count) 15 mile diameter circles all across the country. Volunteers spend the day counting the birds they find in those circles. From Ravens in Alaska, to Roseate Spoonbills in Florida and everything in between, all birds are counted. To participate by joining a search party or staying (warm) at home and counting birds at your feeders, click here.

The census data, while obviously affected by how many people participate from year to year, and whether new count circles are added, etc., is still very valuable. It gives a sense of the status and distribution of early winter bird populations across the whole country.

We have participating in the CBC, wherever we have lived, for just about as long as we have been birding. One of the things we like best is that on that special day, every bird counts, no matter what species it is. All birds are censused, so each is sought after. Just staying out all day and seeing what birds are around and what they are doing is special, something most people rarely do. We so enjoy the camraderie of the people we join with in our search party, as we go about our group effort to find every bird we can.

Every year is different. This year should be exciting because there are so many irruptive species that have come down into the U.S. How many Common Redpolls, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Northen Shrikes and other irruptives will be found? Will this be one of the biggest years on record for these irruptives?

Our own southern NH Christmas Bird Count is on Sat. the 15th., (different count circles are censused on different dates.) It is supposed to be very cold but clear in the am, snow in the pm. We are keeping our feeders well stocked to hopefully lure in those 75 Common Redpolls we saw recently. We'll keep you updated on how it goes. To see photos from our last years count, click here.

Christmas Bird Count tips:
1. Keep your feeders full, watch in early am and mid-afternoon, times when birds feed heavily at feeders.
2. Count the maximum number of a species you have in view at one time, in one place, to avoid duplicate counting.
3. Chickadees in a flock fly across an open space one at a time. So wait for a chickadee flock you are watching to cross an open space, it will give you a more accurate count.
4. Watch carefully for other birds who hang out with chickadees in a "mixed flock". You may see a Brown Creeper, or kinglets.
5. Dress warmly if you are outside!!! It's no fun to count if you're cold.
6. Bring, or stop for snacks, (granola bars, coffee, hot cocoa) to keep you energized.
7. Have fun!
8. Tell us about your own CBC if you participate in one.

More Pine Grosbeaks, Irruptive Species

Pine Grosbeak, russet plumage

same bird

same bird

This Pine Grosbeak is a different individual and has less russet.

And the beat goes on.... As we have been discussing for the last few weeks, New England is getting flooded with "irruptive species," those northern bird species who come down into the U.S. when their winter food supply is scarce. These irruptive species, Pine Grosbeaks, I photographed yesterday at a local school that has a thick planting of crabapple trees. Love the way they just chow down on the crabapples, not even pausing to wipe their bills, Yum! the hardest thing is getting a photo of them without apple all over their bill! Note that these are more russet colored than my earlier photos. Pine Grosbeak females and immatures can be either mustard-olive or russet on their plumage. Adult males are rosy red. Other people in our town have Pine Grosbeaks, a friend just said he had 50 at his house.

And while I am writing this, I just looked out the window and saw 18 Common Redpolls, another irruptive species, at our feeders! The careful birder looks closely at the Common Redpolls to see if they can find the more rare, paler, Hoary Redpoll.

The Christmas Bird Counts are coming up (ours is this Sat.), it will be really interesting this year to see what the increase is in the number of irrputive species and where they are occurring in the country.

Cardinal fire

In the early morning light, this Northern Cardinal that visits our feeders on a daily basis, looks like a red flame. People occassionally ask us, "do you ever get tired of looking at the common birds," thinking we are only interested in the rare. The answer, not at all. This cardinal still takes our breath away.

Barred Owl, "Who Cooks For You?"

We recently heard a Barred Owl calling from our woods. A friend also reported seeing one fly acroos his driveway. This big, brown-eyed owl is one of our more common and vocal owls. It's hooting sounds like Hooo---hooo---hoo-hoo, or "who-cooks-for-you" although it can make a variety of other sounds, including screams. Barred Owls can be heard at any time of year. They begin courtship in Feb. or March.

Photo © Lillian Stokes, 2007

Stokes DLS Binoculars, 8x42 and 10x42

Stokes DLS Binocular

The Stokes DLS Binoculars, manufactured by Vortex and named after us (DLS stands for Don and Lillian Stokes) "are a truly excellent bargain: among the very best cost to performance ratios we’ve seen...the image is very bright and very sharp, with excellent contrast and definition," says the optics4birding.com review.

The optics4birding review goes on to say this about the Stokes DLS Binoculars, "These binoculars do deliver one of the best “flat field” performances we’ve seen, with very little edge distortion and virtually no detectable color aberrations at the field edges....These binoculars are unlikely to get heavy after a full day in the field! They feel very good in the hands, and make a great first impression. The fact that they’re pleasing to the eye is just a bonus. So they feel nice. That’s important, but so is performance. Here, the Stokes DLS models stack up pretty well too. The 8x model boasts a 383-ft field of view at 1000 yards, excellent performance in this category....Both models focus to a minimum distance of about 4-4.5 feet, depending upon your eyes, truly excellent performance in this character, which will render them much appreciated by butterflyers as well as birders....Two important adjustable qualities for all good binoculars are the eyecups and the diopter adjustment. In both cases, the Stokes DLS handle it well. The eyecups adjust with a counter-clockwise twist mechanism, and they go through four positions, fully in or out, with two intermediate positions marked by detents....The focus knob is wide, well-positioned to fall naturally under the fingers, and has the same knurled surface as the diopter adjustment ring, providing excellent “traction” while turning it. The focus action, even new out of the box, was smooth and easy and requires about 1.25 turns to go from minimum close focus to infinity.... The warranty policy on the Stokes DLS binoculars is exceptional too. Should they ever require service, no matter what the cause, except for deliberate damage, theft or loss, (the manufacturer) will repair or replace the binocular absolutely free. The warranty has no time limit and is completely transferable.....One most remarkable property of the Stokes DLS binoculars is the price. These binoculars have a list price of just $999.95 for the 10x model and $979.95 for the 8x version, but both can be found for as much as $100 less. This puts this binocular in the upper end of the mid-price bracket of modern binoculars, while the optical performance is solidly in the high-price bracket."

So if you are considering buying high end binoculars for holiday giving, (many of which can cost in the $1500 to $2600 range) we hope you will consider the Stokes DLS binocular available as 8 x 42 and 10 x 42 models.

We also have Stokes Binocular models at other price points to meet everyones needs.

Stokes Broadwing Binocular

Our Stokes Broadwing Binocular, 8x42 and 10x42, is available in the mid-$300 price range and features;

• Superior BaK-4 phase corrected roof prisms provide edge to edge sharpness.
• Fully multi-coated lenses on all lens surfaces are state-of-the-art and deliver maximum brightness.
• Multi-position eyecups respond to the need for a more comfortable view – even when you wear eyeglasses or sunglasse

Stokes Talon Binocular

Our Stokes Talon Binocular, 8x42 and 10x42, is available in the about $200 price range and features;

• Phase corrected prisms improve contrast and sharpness.
• Fully multi-coated optics improve light transmission for brighter images.
• Exit pupil of 5.25mm welcomes more light to your eye for better viewing in poor light conditions.

Stokes Meadowlark Binocular

Our Stokes Meadowlark Binocular for about $99 is compact, 8 x 25, and great for hiking, walking, camping, kayaking, canoeing, or anywhere you need a light, small bino. It features;

• Precision-cut high-density BaK-4 glass prisms improve image sharpness and quality.
• Fully multi-coated optics increase the amount of light entering the binoculars for bright images with great resolution and color fidelity.
• Soft rubber eyecups retract so you can enjoy the full field of view in comfort with eyeglasses.

All our binoculars are waterproof and fog proof and have the same great warranty.
They are available at online binocular retailers and some birding stores.

One of the reasons we have licensed our name to a binocular line is because we know how difficult and confusing it can be to choose binoculars for birding. We wanted to make it easier for you, so we partnered with Vortex to develop the Stokes Birding Series line of binoculars which we know will be excellent for birding and a great value for the price. Our goal has always been to help you enjoy, appreciate and understand birds and nature. The enjoyment begins with good optics that give you a clear, bright, beautiful image. If you have any questions about buying a binocular, email us.

Snow Scenes

Here are some scenes from the recent snowstorm. We walked out into our big field. We're lucky, we have 45 acres to tromp around on.

Don and Phoebe are standing in front of three magnificent trees at the water's edge. We call them the three sisters. Someone had the wisdom, years ago, to let these stand and grow to magnificence.

One of our bird houses could make a snug place for a bird to sleep in, in winter and Nuthatches, Chickadees, Titmice, Woodpeckers and Bluebirds do this. Another good reason to put up bird houses. You could even now, in winter.

The snow transforms the ordinary into the wonderful.

Back by the house, the Borghese garden urn from Lunaform, wears its winter lid for protection and looks like a snow cone. Of course, Phoebe, the Corgi, just has to get herself into most pictures I try to take.

The view looking from the Borghese back to the hummingbird gazebo and long border behind the barn. The bones of the garden are revealed in winter and become a beautiful part of the winter garden. We think about this when planning the garden. A garden with good "bones" i.e. hardscape, will look good any time of year.

"Sno' Birds" photo tips

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch, cropped for close-up

Hi, it's me!

Phoebe

Yesterday's snowstorm gave me an opportunity to stand out near the feeder and photograph birds as them came in. Here are some images I took with my Canon 1D Mark II camera with a Canon 300mm IS lens with a 1.4 teleconverter (which gives me the equivalent of a 420 mm lens.)

Some tips for photographing the birds in a snow storm:

1. Protect your camera. I put a plastic bag over the camera with a hole for the lens to peek out. I left the bag open in the back so I could look through the view finder on the camera.

2. Stand quietly, move slowly, do not make any quick movements or birds will startle and fly away. Only get as close as the birds are comfortable with. They will go about feeding if they're comfortable. Sometimes they will tolerate you moving closer if you patiently inch forward, pausing each time to let them become accustomed to you. You do not want to interfere with their feeding, a necessity for their survival in this harsh weather. If you have a photo blind, even better.

3. Use a higher ISO on your camera (read your manual, if you have to). Since there is a lower light level during a storm, setting your camera at a higher ISO will compensate for that. I used an ISO setting of 400.

4. Set your camera on AV priority (aperture priority.) This allows you to set the aperture, or F-stop, and your camera will adjust the shutter speed automatically to make the best photo. Set the aperture on the widest opening you can, given your camera and lens combo. In my case above, it would be 5.6. Ironically the lower the number (such as 4.0, 4.5, 5.6,) the wider the aperture opening. A wider aperture lets in more light and allows you to attain a faster shutter speed. The faster the shutter speed, the more you will "freeze" fast moving birds. The photo will be less blurry, hence sharper. Using a wide aperature also gives you a more shallow depth of field, desirable in bird photography. The bird will be in focus and the background will be soft and blurred.

The real fun is just being out with the birds, seeing their beauty, listening to their calls. The bonus is the beautiful photos that capture the moment. The last photo is of the "Phoebe," our Pembroke Welsh Corgi, whose namesake is Phoebe the bird.

6-12" of snow

Black-capped Chickadee

Yep, that's what's forcasted. Plus, later, sleet and high winds. This morning, so far, it's just snow. Don started shoveling, then couldn't resist playing with Phoebe, our Corgi. If you throw a snowball at her, she jumps in the air and catches it in her mouth, exploding the snow.

Got the photo of the Black-capped chickadee above. There are lots of photo ops in snow storms because the birds are frantically coming to feeders. This kind of weather is hard on birds and they need to eat frequently. Birds only put on enough fat to get them through a day or so, they need to replenish their used fuel. You can help the birds through weather like this by having bird feeders filled with black oil sunflower and suet, good energy foods because of their high fat content. You can also make sure you plant crabapples and other fruit bearing trees for all the birds that feed on them in winter. Phoebe's breeder, Dianne, sent me the photo below of the beautiful, male, Pine Grosbeak coming to her crabapple tree this morning. The male Pine Grosbeak is a soft rosy red, looks great in the snow. As we have been talking about all last week, Pine Grosbeaks are one of the "irruptive species" coming down, big time, into the U.S. this winter from their usual northern range, because their food sources — pine seeds, etc. are not available this year. The second photo, below, I took a few winters ago. Females and immature male Pine Grosbeaks have variable amounts of mustard olive or russet in their plumage.

Pine Grosbeak, male

Pine Grosbeak, fem./imm.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle, imm.

This morning we saw an immature Bald Eagle fly over our lake, looked like one of the ones we saw yesterday. Have a nice weekend. Fill your feeders, snowstorm coming to the Northeast.

Bald Eagle Morning

Early this morning, we had 3 Bald Eagles together, circling over our lake in front of our house. One was an adult like the one above, the other 2 were immatures. Wow!
Such a favorite bird, and one that got Lillian into birding years ago (before she met Don) when she spotted one from a hawk watch site, where she was participating in a hawk count.

Redpolls

A flock of 75 Common Redpolls were feeding on the seeds of our birch trees this morning.
For photo of a Common Redpoll, click here.

Brown Creeper

Near our house this morning was a Brown Creeper. We think this little bird takes the art of camouflage to a new level. Even when you're looking directly at it, it's hard to miss, it so perfectly blends in with its tree trunk environment. Brown Creepers have a curious way of moving. They creep by hitching their way up a tree trunk, using their tail as a prop. Then they fly down to the base of the next tree trunk, and hitch up again. They feed by probing under bark for insects and larvae with their long, downcurved bill. On rare occassions, we've had them come to our suet feeders. One of the ways we know they're around is by their high-pitched, "tsee" call. We always feel its a treat to spot them, such an inconspicuous little bird, but very interesting.

Mom's a Ch.!!!

Ch. LLandian's Talkin' Bout My Girl (Chanel)

Chanel, Phoebe's Mom

Blogger Phoebe here today,

Lillian and Don are busy working on their book, so I have taken over the blog. I have a news flash, my mom, Chanel, won at a dog show yesterday and got her championship. Yeah, way to go mom!! You are now, officially, "Champion (Ch.) LLandian's Talkin' Bout My Girl."

To become a champion, you have to earn points at AKC (American Kennel Club) sanctioned dog shows. According to the AKC, a dog must get 15 points, including two majors (wins of three, four or five points) awarded by at least three different judges, to become an American Kennel Club "Champion of Record." The amount of points you get at a show is based on how many dogs of your breed are competing at that show. The more dogs that are entered, the more points you get if you win. As I said, in order for a dog to become an AKC Champion two of their wins must be major wins, this is a show that is a 3, 4, or 5 points in value. This rule is in place to make sure that every Champion has been chosen from a large cross section of the breed, making each Champion pretty close to the breed standard. As you can see it's not easy for a dog to achieve an AKC Champion of Record but a very rewarding one when it is achieved.

The Judge has the ultimate say, at a show, of what dogs win. Spayed or neutered dogs are not eligible to compete in conformation classes at a dog show, because the purpose of a dog show is to evaluate breeding stock.

At a dog show, a judge examines each and every dog in the breed they are judging, and then gives awards according to how closely each dog compares to the judge's mental image of the "perfect" dog described in the breed's official standard. It is very important to understand here that one judge may have a different mental image of the perfect dog so, judging is subjective. Yes, there is a standard for each and every breed and the judge is very familiar with the standard. According to the AKC, the standard describes the characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred. These standards include specifications for structure, temperament and movement. We are Pembroke Welsh Corgis and are herding dogs so our breed standard says we should be....
"Low-set, strong, sturdily built and active, giving an impression of substance and stamina in a small space. .... Outlook bold, but kindly. Expression intelligent and interested.... Correct type, including general balance and outline, attractiveness of headpiece, intelligent outlook and correct temperament is of primary importance. Movement is especially important, particularly as viewed from the side. A dog with smooth and free gait has to be reasonably sound and must be highly regarded....."
To see the rest of our breed standard, click here.

My mom did her part to win by standing pretty in the ring, moving well and just being her usual charming self. As I told you many times before, I'm perfect. Now you can see where I get some of my perfection from— my perfect mom.
I love my Mom, she's my best friend. She lives with my breeder, Dianne, but sometimes she comes to stay with me, just for fun.
Until later, this is Blogger Phoebe signing off. Woof!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving,

from Lillian, Don and Phoebe

More Irruptive Species: Common Redpolls

Common Redpoll

A flock of Common Redpolls flew over us on our morning walk. Reports of irruptive species are coming in from all over NH on the NHBirds listserv.... Pine Grosbeaks in Antrim, Nelson and Harrisville, Common Redpolls in Concord and Harrisville, Evening Grosbeaks and Bohemian Waxwings in North Conway.
Maine has reoprts of Bohemian Waxwings, Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, and Pine Siskins. Massachusetts has Bohemian Waxwings, Evening Grosbeaks and Hoary Redpolls. As we said, keep looking, you could find irruptive species just about anywhere in the country this year.

Photo © Lillian Stokes, 2007

Pine Grosbeak, #179!

Pine Grosbeak, female, looked at

the Corgis, our Phoebe, left, and Chanel, her mother, right

After talking all last week about "irruptive species" and telling people to be on the lookout since this seems to be a banner year for them, we took our own advice. While planting the last of the tulips in the yard yesterday, I heard an unusual call coming from our tall maple tree next to our house. I rushed to get the pair of binos I keep in the car, which was nearby, looked up and saw a female Pine Grosbeak. She was giving conitinuous call notes, as is described on our Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs, eastern region, CDs, "tu-weet-wee" and "tu-weet." (Listen to disk 3, track 92, for those of you who have the CDs).

She then flew down to our Prairie Fire Crabapples and sat there, tamely watching me and 2 Corgis (who did not bark), our Phoebe, and her visiting mother, Chanel. I ran inside with the dogs to get Don to see the Pine Grosbeak. What a lovely bird. The most exciting part for us was, this was the first time we had ever seen that species on our own property! We added her to our "property bird list" as species number 179.

Photos © Lillian Stokes, 2007

Purple Finch, Irruptive Species

Purple Finch, male

Purple Finch, female

Another bird feeder favorite that might be classified as an irruptive species is the Purple Finch. Purple Finches breed in parts of the upper eastern quadrant of the U.S., the West Coast and across the boreal forest. The eastern subspecies is somewhat brighter that the western subspecies. In years where there is a lack of winter food in their usual range, they "irrupt" and move to other areas, such as going deeply down into the eastern U.S. There are current reports that in November they, as well the other irruptive species, Pine Siskins and Red-breasted Nuthatches, are being see as far south as Alabama.
Do not confuse the Purple Finch with the more common House Finch. Both males are red, but the male Purple Finch has much less streaking on his sides and belly than the male House Finch. Female Purple Finches have a white eyebrow that helps distinguish them from female House Finches.
As we have said, this is shaping up to be a banner year for irruptive species. Keep looking this winter and if you see some, let us know in the comments section or email us.

Red-breasted Nuthatch, Irruptive Species

Another on-the-short-list-for-cutest-birds, species that could be called an "irruptive species" is the Red-breasted Nuthatch, photo above. This diminuitive nuthatch makes a very nasal, high-pitched "meep-meep" call (try saying "meep-meep" while holding your nose and speaking in a high voice), that we get a kick out of. Once you learn it, you'll know when it's in your yard.
Red-breasted Nuthatches breed in spruce and fir forests in the West and more northern regions. When winter food is scarce, they make "irruptions" out of their usual areas and can come down into all of the U.S., even as far south as Florida! This being a good year for "irruptive species," don't be surprised if it shows up at your sunflower feeder. We saw one at our feeders yesterday.

Photo © Lillian Stokes, 2007
P.S. If you don't want to try the holding your nose and making "meep-meep" noises thing, you can also hear what a Red-breasted Nuthatch sounds like by getting the Stokes Field Guide To Bird Songs CDs. You can even load them into your ipod, instructions here.

Evening Grosbeaks, Irruptive Species

Evening Grosbeaks, female on left, male on right

If you haven't guessed by now, our theme of the week is "irrputive species," those usually more northern species of birds who "irrupt" in large scale movements and come down into the U.S. during winters when their seed and cone food supply is lacking. We have heard that this has been a poor year for the cone crop in Canada and there is anecdotal evidence that the Pinyon nut crop in California, Utah and Nevada completely failed this year.
We had Evening Grosbeaks flying overhead here yesterday in southern NH. Watch for these big "space cadet" looking finches with the very large beaks to potentially show up at feeders across much of the U.S. Sunflower is their favorite seed. They like large perches to accomodate their size, so tray feeders and feeders with wide ledges are ideal.
In the West, even Pinyon Jays, who rely on that Pinyon nut cone crop, may be forced out of their usual range. It's shaping up to be a very unusual year.

Photo © Lillian Stokes, 2007

Pine Grosbeak, Irruptive Species

As we mentioned in our last blog entry, Pine Grosbeaks are another "irruptive species," coming down into the upper U.S from their western montane and northern boreal breeding range, when there is a lack of winter food. Males have rosy red on their plumage, females and young birds have variable mustard-olive or russet on their plumage. They love crabapples and I photographed this one in winter in northern New Hampshire eating crabapples in a tree behind a fast food restaurant! We still don't have them on our property list here in southern NH, but we keep hoping. Some have been seen on mountain tops nearby. This is another species you can watch for in your yard this winter. Another good reason to plant crabapples in the spring.

Photo @ Lillian Stokes, 2007