Rose-breasted Grosbeak arrivals

Rose-breasted Grosbeak male

We had a Rose-breasted Grosbeak show up at our feeders just a few hours after a friend had phoned us to say she had one arrive. We have also had reports from the mid-west of Rose-breasted Grosbeak arrivals. They have got to be on of the prettiest feeder birds.
Have you seen any?

Yellow-rumps are here!

Yellow-rumped Warblers are one of the most common migrant warbler.

Look for their tell-tale yellow rump, a no-brainer for their ID

Yellow-rumped Warblers have arrived here. These ubuquitous spring migrants are one of the earliest spring migrant warblers to pass through here. We are first alerted to them by their song, a rather nondescript trill, which can rise or fall slightly. Best of all, they are just the advance guard of warbler spring migration. We look forward to a rainbow parade of migrant warblers arriving soon.

Purple Finch Feast

We have had an influx of Purple Finches for the last two days. They seem to like our platform feeder which is filled with hulled sunflower and a quality mix. I just love their purple color, more of a raspberry red than the tomato red of a male House Finch. We had three males feeding at the same time, a feast for them and a feast for our eyes.
Have a nice bird-filled weekend.

Earth Day

"Prairie Fire" Crabapple in our garden.

Amelanchiers produce berries in mid-summer.

Today is Earth Day. The Earth Day network hopes to activate a billion people worldwide to take some personal action to better the earth, whether it is recycling, planting a tree, changing your lightbulbs to compact fluorescents, or anything else to help the earth.

We are buying a tree to plant. We always try to get one that is good for the birds. Some of our favorites are Crabapple trees and Amelanchier.

Crabapples have blossoms that attract orioles and Cape May Warblers who drink nectar from their blossoms, then robins, Cedar Waxwings, bluebirds, catbirds, Pine Grosbeaks and many others eat the crabapples.

We have Amelanchier, "Autumn Brilliance" planted across the entrance to our garden. These wonderful trees bloom early and produce berries in mid-summer. Cedar Waxwings, robins and bluebirds line up to get the berries when they're ripe. So think of what you can do to help the earth today.

Hummingbirds Are Here!

Get out your hummingbird feeders! Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have arrived and been seen as far north as NH, where we live, also ME, VT, NY, MI, MN and WI. The word on the street is that hummingbirds have migrated early this year.
Fill feeders with a nectar solution of one part white table sugar, to four parts water. Boil for a minute to disolve the sugar, cool, fill feeders. Clean and refill feeders ever 2-3 days in hot weather.
To see a migration map of when Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have arrived where, click here.

Spring "To Do" List

Baltimore Orioles can be attracted with orange halves, especially when they first arrive from migration. Later, when they're nesting, they primarily eat insects.

Cardinals like to nest in dense shrubs.

Spring is here, so here's a few "to do's" to welcome the birds:

* Make sure all your bird houses are cleaned out.

* Put up new bird houses, since hole-nesting birds like bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, wrens, Tree Swallows, etc. are actively choosing houses now, plus there will be houses available for later arrivals.

* Try offering new foods, like mealworms, oranges for orioles, other fruit, jelly.
* Plant shrubs that provide nesting structure for birds such as lilacs, alders, dogwood shrubs, evergreens, willows, etc. Plant them in groups.

* Get up your hummingbird feeders now, (at the latest by Mother's Day if you live in the most northern sections of the country). Make sure to clean hummingbird feeders ever 2-3 days in hot weather.

* Plant red tubular flowers to attract hummingbirds, such as red salvia, red impatiens, trumpet honeysuckle vine, like Goldflame Honeysuckle (Lonicera heckrotii), trumpet vine (Campsis radicans), red bee balm, red fuschia.

* Plant composite-type perennials and annuals such as, Purple Coneflower and Rudbeckia, whose seed heads will attract finches and sparrows. Butterflies will come to Purple Coneflower when its in bloom.

* Make sure you have several bird baths filled with fresh, clean water all summer.

* Clean your bird feeder regularly with a mild bleach solution, rinse well. Keep them filled with sunflower, and quality mixes.

* Put a bench or adirondack chair in your backyard where you can sit with binoculars and enjoy the show. That could be your summer vacation.

We will be busy for several days, so see you next Tuesday.

The "Corgi Force"

Greetings from Blogger Phoebe, the Corgi,

That's me on the right. My fans have been asking about me, so I thought it was time for a Corgi update. As you know, my cousin, Abby, has come to live with us. Since I am the perfect one, I have decided she is "in-training-to-be-perfect." Don't tell her, but she will never be perfect, since there is only one perfect one, and that is me! However, I am the perfect teacher for her, just like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, trained Luke Skywalker to use "the force."

I am training her in using the "Corgi force," and we practice wrestle. I often let her think she is winning, to build her confidence, but I could take her down anytime I wanted.

This Corgi in training has much to learn. Here is a lesson in dog physics. She is licking the raindrops through the window. I must teach her that you sit at the door and whine, like you need to go out, then Lillian and Don will let you out, then you can play with the raindrops all you want. That is using the "Corgi force" on humans. I am an expert at that.

All in all I really like having Abby around. Just wait until she is smarter, then we can both use the "Corgi force" on Lillian and Don.







Until later, this is Blogger Phoebe signing off, Woof-Woof, and to all you Corgis who are reading this, "May the Corgi Force be with you."

Happy Easter

I photographed this Eastern Cottontail rabbit on our property a few years ago. Rabbits are not common where we live. We have seen cottontails and also Snowshoe Hares, but only rarely.
Have a Happy Easter weekend.

Snow Goose

Woke up yesterday morning,vopened the blinds on our bedroom window, looked out over our view and saw a white blob down by the water. I went to the bed, got the binoculars that hang on our bedpost — yes, you heard that right, we have binoculars hanging on our bedpost because, you know we're bird nuts — and looked out. A Snow Goose!! How Cool! Don recently said, "one of the things I love about Bobolink Farm (our NH home) is that you never know what you're going to see." How true.

The Snow Goose proceeded to walk around our fields for half an hour. We did not go for our usual morning walk with the Corgis, because we did not want to disturb it (try and explain that to a Corgi!) At one point, it came within 400 feet of the house and I got this photo with my telephoto lens from our deck.

We wondered why it was there alone. They are usually in big flocks during their migration time. All of a sudden, it flew up, and at the same time several Canada Geese lifted up from the pond, and it flew towards them. Maybe it will join them and continue on its journey to its northen breeding range near Hudson Bay and the Arctic.

American Woodcock

American Woodcock

Feeds by probing in the muddy ground for earthworms

Last night in our field, at dusk, we heard an American Woodcock calling it's peculiar, nasal "peent" sound. I looked through my Stokes DLS 8x42 binocular, (which is extremely bright and "twilight optimized") and could actually see the bird in the dim light. Wow, what a great bird!! Those shoebutton eyes on top of its head allows it to look for predators while it feeds on earthworms with its bill stuck in the ground.
One of the most astounding things about woodcocks is the males's courtship display, which is exactly what our bird was doing. After giving multiple "peents" he rose in the air in a spiral, hundreds of feet high and you could hear his wings making a twittering sound. At the very top of his flight, he made a canary-like chirping for several seconds, as he began his descent. After landing, he began his "peent" calls again.
Male woodcocks do courtship displays, at dusk and dawn, in open fields, hoping to attract as many females as they can. Females go to the fields, mate with a male, then go into the woods and nest and raise the young by themselves. The young are born fully feathered and can walk and soon feed themselves.
Woodcocks nest in much of the eastern part of the country. If you live near open fields you can go and listen for woodcock displays and witness this amazing woodcock behavior for yourself.

Fox Sparrow

Yesterday we had 2 Fox Sparrows at our feeder. This is one of my favorite sparrows because it's so colorful (for a sparrow!) and we don't get many. I love the rufous, foxy color on this bird. There is geographic variation in the coloring of Fox Sparrows, with the eastern ones being the most rufous color. It's also one of our largest sparrows, so it really stands out among the juncos, song and tree sparrows dining at our feeders.

Indigo Bunting & Spring Migration

I was thinking about bird migration and where to go to see major spring migration. Much songbird migration takes place from mid-April to mid-May. Starting in mid-April one of the prime places to be is on the Gulf Coast. Many spring migrants, who winter in Central and South America go across the Gulf of Mexico. We have been in Sanibel Island, FL and Ft. De Soto park (below Tampa) FL, and been standing at the waterfront and seen birds appear before our eyes, flying in from the ocean, having just crossed the Gulf of Mexico. It is quite awesome. Indigo, Painted and Blue Buntings, Orioles, Tanagers, Kingbirds, and Warblers land in the trees. Hummingbirds fly to the nearest flowers or feeders.
We have also been on the Texas coast, at places like South Padre Island, and seen migration "fall out", where birds coming across the Gulf, encouter a head wind and are grounded as they reach shore, landing on the beach, or any little shrub or tree. Hundreds and hundreds of birds right around us. It is mind-boggling, although in that case, not so good for the tired birds. You hope the winds shift and they can be on their way and find food.
Some Indigo Buntings also winter in FL and that is where I took this photo.
By early May, many migrants are reaching the northern part of the country and then you want to go to Magee Marsh/Crane Creek, OH, Central Park, NY, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA, or Pt. Pelee National Park, Ontario Canada.

Bald Eagle, adult

Speaking of Bald Eagles, as we did yesterday, this morning there was an adult Bald Eagle sitting in a tree by the cove in front of our house. What a thrill for us. Bald Eagles are one of those high interest birds, that elicit oohs and ahhs from people, when you mention them. This is the third Bald Eagle to visit our pond in 2 days. As we explained, Bald Eagles visit us this time of year when the ice breaks up, even though they do not nest here.
Often, in our cove, there are otters with fish, or the otters leave fish remnants on the ice, and the Bald Eagles may try and steal a fish from the otter, or eat the bits of fish. Bald Eagles are scavengers and their main diet is fish. Sometines they eat ducks, and right now we have many ducks in our cove. The eagles can dive on a duck, until it is exhausted, then eat it. So the ducks are nervous, but not so nervous they leave.
P.S. On our morning walk we hear an Eastern Phoebe, so they have arrived!!

Ducks, Eagles, Otter

Common Mergansers just arrived

The males have the dark green heads, the female's heads are brown.

Two eagles arrived in the mist

These are young eagles have not attained the all white head and tail of the adult plumage. (Digiscoped in fog, through my window, from more than 1000 feet away, so apologies for the mistly blurry images, but I thought it was worth capturing something.)

The eagles were watching an otter, hoping to steal a fish from it. (Photo also digiscoped from a great distance, but with more sunlight.)

Over the weekend we had quite a show of ducks plus 2 eagles. The ice in the cove in front of our house finally opened up, so it is only half ice. The ducks, eagles and an otter moved right in. We saw 32 Common Mergansers, 2 Hooded Mergansere, 4 Wood Ducks, 4 Black Ducks and 3 Mallards. This morning we saw the 2 eagles sitting about 20 feet away from the otter. We think they are waiting for the otter to catch fish and then they will try and steal it. We have seem them do this before. The otter gets a fish, comes up on the ice to eat it, then the eagles drive it off, then get the fish. These eagles are subadults (young) and do not have their full adult plumage yet. That takes about 4 years.

I had to digiscope the eagles from a great distance, in very poor light, it was the only way I could capture the moment. No one digiscopes like this, because the resulting image is so blurry. I am the only one I know who tries things like this. But in an odd sort of way, I like the misty, blurry, ghost-like images, that kinda capture the feel of what it was like to look though my scope into the private world of 2 young eagles waiting in the fog, hoping to snatch a fish from an otter.

Speaking of digiscoping done right, our friend Mike McDowell, master digiscoper of Mike's Birding and Digiscoping Blog, had to move his blog to a new address due to a nightmare experience with his server. You can find his new blog, with his gorgeous digiscoped images, here.

Waiting for Phoebes

We are waiting for our Eastern Phoebes to arrive. Even though we still have snow here in spots, spring is approaching and the weather will be in the 50's tomorrow. Phoebes are due to arrive any day now. One of the most fun things about this time of year, is that it is so full of expectations for us. So many birds will be migrating and arrive in the next 2 months. We have opened our barn doors (phoebes have nested there the past 4 years), and put out the welcome mat.

White-breasted Nuthatch

We've been hearing White-breasted Nuthatches singing their, "wer-wer-wer-wer" song. Not the most musical or exciting sound, but it accomplishes their purpose, to define a nesting territory (of about 25-45 acres) and attract a mate.

Years ago when we first started our publisheing career, we wrote 3 volumes of Stokes Guide to Bird Behavior, which documented the lives and behavior of 25 species in each volume. We would research all that was published, then spend many hours in the field following and watching all the behavior of each species. We saw White-breasted Nuthatches do some fascinating behavior, including sweeping the entrance around their nest hole with crushed insects or bits of fur. It has been suggested that this leaves a scent that deters squirrels and other mammal predators from the nest.

Nuthatches store bits of food under bark. We once saw a nuthatch come to near its nest hole and store food under the bark. A second nuthatch who was on the same tree, saw it coming, went and hid on the backside of the tree, and when it was gone, went around to the front of the tree and stole the bit of food!

Birds are always doing fascinating behavior, which you can see, if you take the time to look.

Winter Finches

Recent photo of goldfinches at the feeder during the last snowstorm. The finches are beginning to change color from their drab winter plumage to the yellow of spring. Some people stop feeding birds during this time. But it is a time when almost all of the winter food — seeds, berries, etc. are depleted, so it's a hard time for birds. We feed birds all year so it avoids this problem. Plus, we get the fun of seeing birds bring their young to the feeders in spring and summer.

State of The Birds

Bobolink, a species in decline

Roseate Tern, as federally endangered species

Many of you have now seen the State of the Birds report that just came out. Here is some information from it:
"Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today released the first ever comprehensive report on bird populations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats.

At the same time, the report highlights examples, including many species of waterfowl, where habitat restoration and conservation have reversed previous declines, offering hope that it is not too late to take action to save declining populations.
The report is available at http://www.stateofthebirds.org

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated creation of the new report as part of the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative, which includes partners from American Bird Conservancy, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Klamath Bird Observatory, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Geological Survey."

We urge to read the report on their excellent website. Here are a few more quotes from the sections on specific habitats and how birds of those habitats are doing:

Grasslands -
"Of 46 grassland-breeding birds, 48% are species of conservation concern, including 4 with populations that are federally endangered. Eight of twelve sparrow species are listed as of conservation concern. Of the 42 grassland species with sufficient monitoring data, 23 are declining significantly.
Some of the American landscape’s most iconic birds are showing steep declines. Eastern and Western meadowlarks, Bobolinks, Short-eared Owls, and Northern Bobwhites have declined by 38–77% since 1968." (We are pleased that our own 45 acre farm, here in NH, still has nesting Bobolinks.)

Coasts -
"Of 173 bird species that use coastal habitats at any time of year, 53 are species of conservation concern and 14 are federally listed as endangered or threatened. Fourteen of twenty-seven shorebird species that primarily use coastal habitats have declined.
Federally listed as endangered: Brown Pelican, Wood Stork, (California) Clapper Rail, (Light-footed) Clapper Rail, Whooping Crane, (California) Least Tern, Roseate Tern, (Cape Sable) Seaside Sparrow. Threatened: Spectacled Eider, Steller’s Eider, Piping Plover, Snowy Plover, Marbled Murrelet."

Instead of feeling hopeless, we like that fact they have included a fine section on

What You Can Do

Here are a few things they include:

"The simple things you do every day, from the cup of coffee you drink in the morning to the lights you turn on at night, all have an effect on birds. Our everyday activities impact birds and their habitats. Human activity can deplete their food supplies, create new dangers for them to face, and present them with many challenges.

If we want to protect the birds around us and preserve their future, we need to begin to conduct our lives with consciousness about how our actions affect the world around us—not only the people, but the wildlife, the air, the water, and the land. Below are a few things you can do to help ensure healthy bird populations for future generations.

Drink shade-grown coffee. Coffee produced from shade-loving varieties means wintering habitat can be preserved for key migrant species such as the Cerulean Warbler. Many coffee companies now provide a range of coffee products that are shade-grown and friendly for birds. Ask your local grocery or coffee shop to stock a shade-grown alternative.

Reduce your use of pesticides. Not only can they be toxic to birds, but they kill the insects that birds eat. Weed instead of spraying! If you must use pesticides, look for biopesticide alternatives. Prevent pests from entering your home by replacing worn weather stripping and screens, and filling in gaps in floors and around windows and plumbing fixtures.

Keep your cat indoors. Even well-fed, cats kill birds. Keep cats inside. Not only will the birds be safer, your cat will be healthier and safer, too.

Plan your yard for diversity. Instead of a lawn with no benefit to wildlife, plant a mixture of native grasses, flowers, and shrubs. Use native species—birds like these best and they are best adapted to where you live. Your state or local native
plant society can help you choose species that will work best for you.

Prevent window strikes. Hundreds of millions of birds die each year as a result of hitting windows on every type of building. To reduce night lighting that interferes with migration, ask your office or apartment building manager to turn off exterior and interior lights during spring and fall migration. Place bird feeders within three feet of your windows. Break up the reflections of habitat in your windows by covering the outside of them with taut screens or window film.

Donate your old binoculars to conservation. If you have any old birding equipment just lying around, not being used, you can help our long-distance migrants and rare Latin American endemics by donating your old gear to biologists across the hemisphere through the Birders Exchange program or the Optics for Tropics program.

Reduce your carbon footprint. Do your part to help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels that cause global warming. Use an electric lawnmower; carpool, bicycle, or use public transport when possible; turn off lights when not in use; use low energy bulbs and Energy Star-rated appliances; call your power company and ask if you can buy your energy from renewable sources. Help organizations purchase conservation areas and forests that provide valuable habitat for birds, and helps lower atmospheric CO² levels.

Take action for birds and familiarize yourself with contemporary bird conservation issues. Knowing the issues will help you let your elected officials know which policy and programs can help bird conservation.

Participate in volunteer monitoring activities that help to document the status and trends of bird populations. There are many opportunities in this area, depending on your level of interest, ability to commit time, and level of expertise in bird identification.

Join a bird conservation organization. As individuals, there is only so much we can do for birds. But as a part of an organization with the expertise, broad reach, and partnership capacity of organization, you can make a difference for wild birds and their habitats locally, nationally, and internationally."

More Bluebirds!

Eastern Bluebird, male

What is it that makes people love bluebirds? We certainly are enamoured with them, wrote a book about them, and have had them nest on our properties just about every year since 1990.

Here's a poem from our Stokes Bluebird Book,

"Come along with me, my love
And we will roam the sky;
We'll fly across the meadows,
And soar O'er mountains high.

We'll drink of streams' pure waters;
chase butterflies and bees;
And when we tire of this myu love,
We'l rest in shady trees.

then we will search in earnest,
Eash nook and cranny wide;
Where we can raise our family
Together, side by side.

there it is, myh dearest love.
Well, goodness! Bless my soul!
Just waiting there for us, dear one,
Our house upon a pole.

A kind and careful craftsman
Has built it strong and true;
Do enter into it, my love,
And I will follow you.

by Katherine M. Braun
"Bluebird Honeymoon"

Now is the time to clean out your bluebird houses and have them ready for returning bluebirds. Some bluebirds migrate south and others may remain in northern areas. In early spring bluebirds return to their nesting areas and look for a suitable nesting cavity or bird house. So be ready!
For instructions, from one of our DIY TV shows, on how to build your own bluebird house click here.

For more information, see our Stokes Bluebird Book. This is the complete guide to attracting and enjoying bluebirds. Fully illustrated with more than 80 beautiful full-color photographs of bluebirds.

Includes complete information on putting up bluebird houses, starting a bluebird trail, monitoring bluebird houses, dealing with competitors, protection from predators, landscaping for bluebirds, and bluebird feeders.

Covers all three species of North American bluebirds with identification photos, range maps, breeding behavior, and complete life histories.

Make your own bluebird house. Instructions for building a bluebird house include detailed plans and directions for assembly. Also included are lists of bluebird societies and sources of bluebird supplies. 96 pages. 8 1/2 x 11 inches. Available at amazon.com, or can be ordered through your local bookstore.

Bluebirds!

This morning an Eastern Bluebird pair was exploring our bird houses. Yeah!!