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Category: Nature

What I Learned about My Backyard from Project FeederWatch

April 7, 2009 • • 7 Comments
A Common Grackle looks around the yard
A Common Grackle looks around the yard

Project FeederWatch ended last weekend. For those just tuning in, PFW is a citizen science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The idea is that you commit to keeping a record of all the birds that visit your feeders, birdbaths, birdhouses, and landscape features from November to April. In addition to being a part of something that helps scientists learn about and help birds, participants have the opportunity to learn a surprising amount about what goes on right outside their doors.

This is a summary of some interesting things I learned.

Observations about Specific Birds:

Wrens:

A Bewick's Wren stops by for a snack
A Bewick's Wren stops by for a snack

We get both Carolina and Bewick’s Wrens at our house. They both like suet and mealworms, but the Carolina Wrens will also take seeds from the cake feeders. Carolina Wrens also seem to be more willing to poke around the ground in the flowerbed, while Bewick’s Wrens prefer scouring the trees and plants for bugs. Carolinas also seems to be much more vocal; every morning, I can expect one singing (surprisingly loud) from the fence.

Hawks:

Accipiter hawk relaxing on the neighbor's fence
Accipiter hawk relaxing on the neighbor's fence

On several occasions, on count days and non-count days, I saw unidentifiable accipiter hawks swooping through the yard. On one occasion, I got some pictures of one sitting by the neighbor’s feeder and on another day, I saw one sitting by my feeder. I never got a good enough look to ID any of the ones I saw on count days, but readers of this blog thought the one I photographed was a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

I assume he’s been eating sparrows since those are the only birds whose counts have been lower than I expected them to be. The wrens, titmice, chickadees, and finches all seem to show up in basically the same numbers each week so I suspect they’re avoiding the hawks.

Goldfinches:

Lesser Goldfinch
Lesser Goldfinch

I was thrilled to see goldfinches show up in my yard at long last. I have my sister to thank. She got me some nyjer bags for Christmas, and the goldfinches arrived withing days of putting them out.

Lesser Goldfinches will only take nyjer seed from the bags, while American Goldfinches who seem to prefer the nyjer bags, will use the tube feeder when the bags are crowded.

American Goldfinch in winter non-gold plumage
American Goldfinch in winter non-gold plumage

I had hoped to see the American Goldfinches in breeding plumage, but they seem to have mostly left, although I did see one this weekend in transitional plumage. I hope he sticks around so I can see him in his full golden glory.

Blue Jays:

Blue Jay
Blue Jay

Through most of the winter, the Blue jays came around only for the peanuts. As things warmed up, and nesting season began, they started taking suet again, which they didn’t touch during winter, ceding it instead to the wrens, titmice, kinglets, warblers, and mockingbirds. They also come around more and more for the regular seeds, but the peanuts are still the favorite.

Cardinals:

(no pictures. try back next year)

During the fall and winter, the cardinals only come around in the very early hours before dawn and the dusky hour between sunset and dark. During spring and summer they come around the feeders at all times of the day.

Doves:

One Mourning Dove and two White-winged Doves
One Mourning Dove and two White-winged Doves

White-winged Doves are the most prevalent and obvious birds at our platform feeder during spring and summer, but through fall and winter, there are substantially fewer and the Mourning Doves come around a bit more frequently.

Mockingbirds:

A Northern Mockingbird eyes the suet feeder
A Northern Mockingbird eyes the suet feeder

The mockingbirds come regularly for suet in the winter, but lose all interest in it when it gets warmer out. There is a pair nesting in the neighbor’s cedar tree, but their only interest in my yard now is the birdbath.

Titmice:

Black-crested Titmouse on the pinecone feeder
Black-crested Titmouse on the pinecone feeder

The Black-crested Titmice are almost always the first ones to check out a new feeder, and often the first ones to the worms in the morning, thus earning them the nickname Pigmice. They’re still my favorites, though.

Every morning in winter, one or two would burst from the wren box and start scolding me from a nearby tree until I had the worms out. Now that it’s warmer, they’ve left the box for the wrens and are nesting elsewhere, but they’re still first in line at the worm feeder most mornings.

And, now, some lists…

The Visitors:

The numbers are the highest numbers of individuals seen at one time.

  1. White-winged Dove (25)
  2. Chipping Sparrow (24)
  3. House Sparrow (20)
  4. American Goldfinch (8)
  5. Common Grackle (8)
  6. House Finch (5)
  7. Northern Mockingbird (4)
  8. Brown-headed Cowbird (4)
  9. Black-crested Titmouse (3)
  10. Mourning Dove (3)
  11. Carolina Chickadee (3)
  12. European Starling (3)
  13. Blue Jay (3)
  14. Lesser Goldfinch (3)
  15. Bewick’s Wren (2)
  16. Carolina Wren (2)
  17. Northern Cardinal (2)
  18. Ruby-crowned Kinglet (2)
  19. Red-bellied Woodpecker (2)
  20. Black-chinned Hummingbird (2)
  21. Orange-crowned Warbler (1)
  22. Ladder-backed Woodpecker (1)
  23. Accipiter sp. (1)
  24. American Robin (1)
  25. Red-winged Blackbird (1)
  26. Song Sparrow (1)

The Permanent Collection:

These are the birds that appeared in all 20 counts.

  • White-winged Dove
  • Carolina Chickadee
  • Black-crested Titmouse
  • Carolina Wren
  • Bewick’s Wren
  • Chipping Sparrow

All of these are permanent residents except the Chipping Sparrows. They will depart for points north in the next week or so, and return in October. If past years are any guide, we will see flocks of 60-70 in the yard for a day or 2 and then they will be gone.

House Sparrow only missed one week (Dec 27), which was incidentally, the first time I saw an accipiter hawk. Smart sparrows.

Passing Through:

Birds that came for a distinct span of time and then left.

  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1.3.09 – 2.7.09)
  • American Robin (2.28.09 – 3.14.09)
  • Orange-crowned Warbler (1.3.09 – 3.14.09)
  • Red-winged Blackbird (3.7.09 – 3.14.09)

I’ll be curious to see if these species come around these times next year.

Sometimes Birds:

Birds that are here year-round. They don’t come by the yard very often, but were kind enough to stop by on at least one count day.

  • Accipiter sp (Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk)
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Ladder-backed Woodpecker
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • European Starling

Spring/Summer Birds:

These are the birds that hang around the yard only during spring and summer along with their arrival dates.

  • American Robin (2.21)
  • Common Grackle (3.07)
  • Black-chinned Hummingbird (3.21)

Biggest Flocks:

These are the largest groups of individuals seen at one time.

  • White-winged Dove (25 on 3.14.09)
  • Chipping Sparrow (24 on 1.17.09)
  • House Sparrow (20 on 12.06.08)
  • American Goldfinch (8 on 02.21.09)
  • Common Grackle (8 on 03.07.09 & 03.21.09)

Life Birds:

A Ruby-crowned Kinglet considers the suet feeder
A Ruby-crowned Kinglet considers the suet feeder

These are the birds I had never seen and saw for the first time as a result of paying closer attention to the feeders.

  • Ruby-crowned Kinglet
  • Orange-crowned Warbler
  • Brown-headed Cowbird
  • Lesser Goldfinch
  • Accipter sp. (probably Sharp-shinned Hawk)

Non-avian Feeder Visitors:

A possum visits the bird feeder
A possum visits the bird feeder
Fox Squirrel
Fox Squirrel
  • Fox Squirrel
  • Virginia Opossum

Project FeederWatch was a fun and eye-opening experience. I intend to continue counting birds and uploading my counts to ebird for the rest of 2009, and I will definitely be participating again next year.

Project FeederWatch Week 20

March 30, 2009 • • 6 Comments
A possum visits the bird feeder
A possum visits the bird feeder

Sometimes the most interesting visitors come by night. I usually bring the feeder in after dark, but some nights the possum beats me to it. Phoebe discovered him up there and despite her best efforts throwing herself into the air, she couldn’t get him so no possum stew for the pups.

This was the last week of counting for Project FeederWatch, and the hummingbirds finally showed up. When I looked out the window on Saturday morning a very fluffy looking Black-chinned Hummingbird was huddled on one of the hanging flowerpots near the hummingbird feeder. He occasionally would drink and then go back to perch. When the sun finally came up, he buzzed over to a tree and watched the feeder, diligently chasing away any other hummer that happened to come near.

Here’s my last count for the 2008-2009 FeederWatch Season:

  1. White-winged Dove (12)
  2. Mourning Dove (1)
  3. Black-chinned Hummingbird (2)
  4. Blue Jay (1)
  5. Carolina Chickadee (1)
  6. Black-crested Titmouse (1)
  7. Carolina Wren (1)
  8. Bewick’s Wren (2)
  9. Northern Mockingbird (1)
  10. Chipping Sparrow (5)
  11. Northern Cardinal (1)
  12. Common Grackle (5)
  13. House Finch (4)
  14. Lesser Goldfinch (3)
  15. House Sparrow (4)

Tomorrow, I’ll do a post about what I learned about my backyard from participating in Project FeederWatch.

Project FeederWatch Week 19

March 23, 2009 • • Leave a comment

This was a busy week for the birds. At 19 species, this week had the most diversity and even included a lifer: the Brown-headed Cowbird, my 100th life bird. The cowbirds came in a small mixed flock of icterids that included a few grackles and a Red-winged Blackbird.

The Song Sparrow is also new to both yard and life list. I saw my first ones last Wednesday at the pond down the street. I guess one of them decided to come check out my feeders.

Other than that, it was mostly the usual suspects, though the Orange-crowned Warbler didn’t turn up. Perhaps he has headed north.

Still no hummingbirds. The black chins arrived on the 16th last year and on the 17th in 2007. I suspect the drought and resulting lack of wildflowers has them going elsewhere.

The Official Project FeederWatch Count for Week 19:

  1. White-winged Dove (12)
  2. Mourning Dove (2)
  3. Ladder-backed Woodpecker (1)
  4. Blue Jay (2)
  5. Carolina Chickadee (1)
  6. Black-crested Titmouse (2)
  7. Carolina Wren (2)
  8. Bewick’s Wren (1)
  9. Northern Mockingbird (1)
  10. Chipping Sparrow (3)
  11. Song Sparrow (1)
  12. Northern Cardinal (2)
  13. Red-winged Blackbird (1)
  14. Common Grackle (8)
  15. Brown-headed Cowbird (4)
  16. House Finch (5)
  17. Lesser Goldfinch (1)
  18. American Goldfinch (1)
  19. House Sparrow (10)

A Springtime Walk

March 19, 2009 • • 5 Comments
Cardinal singing for spring

Every tree along the trail to the pond wears its own cardinal, each claiming territory and attracting mates, filling the air with song. Gnatcatchers and kinglets hop through the branches with the chickadees. Blue Jays build a nest by the pond where the ducks had been until yesterday when they got the migration call and departed for points north. With all the birds alive and calling attention to themselves, the deer skeleton was quite a shock.

on a bed of leaves,
a deer skeleton picked clean,
save one furry hoof

Golden-cheeked Warbler

March 17, 2009 • • 10 Comments
A Golden-cheeked Warbler
Golden-cheeked Warbler

Today was an exciting day. I finally got to see the Golden-cheeked Warbler, the only bird that nests only in Texas. Sadly, it is also an endangered species.

I went on one of the Two Hour Tuesday walks sponsored by the Travis County Audubon Society. Our guide, Stan, was great. Not only did he show us these birds, but by the time I left I felt I had learned enough to possibly find one on my own someday.

Walking along Turkey Creek near Emma Long Park, we heard more of them than we saw and for the most part, we only saw quick glimpses until, walking back towards the parking lot, we got some good looks, including the one I photographed, which was right above us on the trail.

I was surprised by how vocal they are, a fact that makes them surprisingly easy to find. Apparently, though, as soon as nesting activities are finished, they become very quiet and secretive and so, March and April are really the only time one might expect to find them.

It’s a bittersweet thing to see such a beautiful and unique creature while knowing that it is also an endangered species. The threats to the Golden-cheeked Warbler’s existence seem to come mainly in the form of habitat loss. It nests only in the mixed oak/juniper forests of the Texas hill country, and according to Texas Parks and Wildlife:

Golden-cheeked warblers are endangered because many tall juniper and oak woodlands have been cleared to build houses, roads, and stores. Some habitat was cleared to grow crops or grass for livestock. Other habitat areas were flooded when large lakes were built.

These little birds only nest here. They winter in Mexico and Central America, but according to All About Birds, their winter habitat is being cut down for timber. It seems they can’t catch a break.

Golden-cheeked Warbler 2

This bird was a rare treat to see and a potent reminder of the importance of conservation and doing all one can to ensure that we leave room for all the wild things with whom we share this planet.

Update: Be sure to check out I and the Bird #96 at The Birdchaser.

Project FeederWatch Week 18

March 17, 2009 • • Leave a comment

The highlight for Week 18 of Project FeederWatch was a Red-winged Blackbird at the tube feeder. This was only the second time I’ve seen one in the yard (the other time was June 12, 2007). I watched him for a few minutes, but he flew away before I could get my camera out.

The White-winged Doves took the lead this week for “greatest number of individuals observed.” During the summer months, we see more of them than anything else.

It was a mostly dark and gray weekend, so no pictures. Just the list, which includes most of the usual suspects:

  1. White-winged Dove (25)
  2. Mourning Dove (1)
  3. Blue Jay (3)
  4. Carolina Chickadee (2)
  5. Black-crested Titmouse (2)
  6. Carolina Wren (2)
  7. Bewick’s Wren (1)
  8. Northern Mockingbird (4)
  9. Orange-crowned Warbler (1)
  10. Chipping Sparrow (8)
  11. Northern Cardinal (1)
  12. Red-winged Blackbird (1)
  13. Common Grackle (2)
  14. House Finch (2)
  15. Lesser Goldfinch (1)
  16. American Goldfinch (2)
  17. House Sparrow (8)

Project FeederWatch Week 17 (and 16)

March 9, 2009 • • 2 Comments
A Common Grackle looks around the yard
A Common Grackle looks around the yard

On Sunday morning, I became the only person in Austin, TX to become excited about seeing grackles. That’s because 8 Common Grackles showed up, and while they’re as common as air around here, they rarely come to my yard, and this is the first time they’ve come since I started doing Project FeederWatch.

As if that wasn’t enough. 3 European Starlings, another common local bird but a rarity in my yard, stopped by for a round of vigorous splashing in the backyard birdbath.

This is a happy discovery I’ve made about listing: even if a newly listed bird is extremely common and I’ve seen it a million times in every parking lot in town, getting to add it to my list makes the bird new.

I watched the grackles for a long time, marveling at the dark sheen of their iridescent feathers, their bright laser-intense eyes and their long sharp bills. They are wonderful birds to watch and those shadow-colored birds look so great among all the other avian colors. A backyard needs some black (even if it’s really dark purplish) around the feeders.

A grackle considering his options
A grackle prepares to do his grackle display
Common Grackle doing the grackle display
Common Grackle doing the grackle display

Despite a name that’s fun to say, the grackle gets a bad rap around here. Of, course it’s easy to appreciate them when you don’t have a flock of thousands roosting in your trees, and so, I’m glad they came by, but I hope they don’t bring too many more friends, unless they show up with their Great-tailed kin so I can add another bird to my count.

Last summer, a pair nested in the neighbor’s tree and they brought their fledglings around to our feeders where I got some nice shots of junior begging for and getting a peanut from one of his parents. They also made sure their young knew where to find the birdbaths. Their bathing habits surprised me: they are probably the most frequent bathers of all my backyard birds. Not bad for a bird that many consider filthy.

Other than the grackles and starlings, all of the usual suspects made an appearance. Some quick observations:

  • House Sparrows seem to be coming around a bit more.
  • A wren built a nest in my neighbor’s plant.
  • White-wing Doves are increasing as the weather warms.
  • For the second week in a row, I only saw one each of the American and Lesser Goldfinches, and no goldfinches on Sunday. I wonder if the warm weather and weeds that are sprouting have inspired them to seek wild food, or in the case of the American Goldfinches, head north. I hope not, as I was hoping to see them in their breeding plumage.
  • Still no hummingbirds yet. Probably next weekend.

The Week 17 Count, which has the greatest number of species seen, thus far:

  1. White-winged Dove (12)
  2. Mourning Dove (2)
  3. Blue Jay (2)
  4. Carolina Chickadee (1)
  5. Black-crested Titmouse (2)
  6. Carolina Wren (2)
  7. Bewick’s Wren (2)
  8. American Robin (1)
  9. Northern Mockingbird (1)
  10. European Starling (3)
  11. Orange-crowned Warbler (1)
  12. Chipping Sparrow (8)
  13. Northern Cardinal (2)
  14. Common Grackle (8)
  15. House Finch (2)
  16. Lesser Goldfinch (1)
  17. American Goldfinch (1)
  18. House Sparrow (17)

My count for last weekend was sparse. We were in Houston, and so I only counted for a couple of minutes on Saturday morning and Sunday evening, but here is what I got for Week 16:

  1. White-winged Dove (5)
  2. Mourning Dove (1)
  3. Blue Jay (1)
  4. Carolina Chickadee (2)
  5. Black-crested Titmouse (2)
  6. Carolina Wren (1)
  7. Bewick’s Wren (2)
  8. American Robin  (1)
  9. Orange-crowned Warbler (1)
  10. Chipping Sparrow   (5)
  11. Northern Cardinal (2)
  12. House Finch (1)
  13. Lesser Goldfinch (1)
  14. American Goldfinch (1)
  15. House Sparrow (7)

Grackle on the Feeder 2

If you’ve never watched a grackle through a good pair of binoculars, give it a go. They’re really quite exquisite birds.

Mike at 10000 Birds has a nice post celebrating grackles today. It seems that this weekend he also saw his first Common Grackles for the year.

For more on the Common Grackle, have a look at Common Grackle: The Overlooked Blackbird at Tails of Birding and, of course, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds: The Common Grackle.

Or, better yet, go out and find one to study. They’re everywhere.

Cooper’s or Sharp-shinned Hawk?

February 24, 2009 • • 6 Comments
Accipiter hawk relaxing on the neighbor's fence
Accipiter hawk relaxing on the neighbor's fence

This morning, I noticed this crafty devil sitting on the neighbor’s fence.  He seemed pretty relaxed what with his feathers all fluffed out against the cold, and standing on just one foot. I watched for a few moments and then ran for my camera and binoculars. Even though I was in the house, I’d swear he heard the camera because he put his foot down and looked right at me when I started shooting.

Not wanting to risk being late for work, I didn’t study him for long through the binoculars, trying instead to get pictures, which turned out a bit fuzzy, as the light was low and my lens isn’t fast, but I thought they might be passable enough to figure out an ID.

Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawk on the neighbor's fence
Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawk on the neighbor's fence

I’m pretty certain he is one of the 2 accipiter species of hawks that can be found around here this time of year, but the question is: which one?

The Sharp-shinned Hawk and the Cooper’s Hawk look nearly identical, though the Cooper’s is slightly larger. The Sharp-shinned are roughly jay-sized while the Cooper’s are closer to crow-sized. The hitch there is that the females are larger than the males so a large female Sharp-shinned and a small male Cooper’s could be the same size.

Fortunately, I had the neighbor’s squirrel feeder to compare him to. I’ve never seen a crow near it, but I do see lots of Blue Jays hanging around there, and this hawk looked a bit larger compared to it than the jays.

Project FeederWatch has a good page about distinguishing between these two as does the Great Backyard Bird Count.

The Project FeederWatch site had this useful bit of info:

If you can see the back of the hawk, and it is an adult, then the color of the nape is a reliable field mark. Cooper’s Hawks have a pale nape with a clear contrast to a dark cap. Juveniles of both species can show a pale nape, however.

The bird in question had the decency to turn his head and in these 2 shots. It does appear that the nape is paler than the cap, which suggests Cooper’s Hawk.

Acciptiter 2

Accipiter 4

And, so, the question of the day: Cooper’s or Sharp-shinned? I’m leaning towards Cooper’s. Any of my birding friends out there want to weigh in? I’d love to know for sure.

If I’m way off, you can tell me that too.