Pretty Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings are gorgeous birds, as you can easily see by this photograph by Ken Thomas. (I don't know Ken personally but am much indebted to him for allowing Public Domain use of his beautiful photographs--http://kenthomas.us/)

Earlier, sometime this spring, I recall watching a group of waxwings roosting atop a large oak across the road from my house. I ran for my binoculars to observe them for a bit and was struck by what I considered odd behavior. From high in the crown of the tree, one bird would fly out a short distance, say, only a few dozen feet, and then swing back into the tree crown. Then another would fly out in similar fashion, only to fly directly back. It almost appeared as if they were on short tethers--allowed only so many feet from the roost.

Odd, I thought.

I recall trying to imagine their intent. For instance, were they catching insects in flight? Perhaps. Waxwings mostly eat berries but during the breeding season also supplement this food source with insects. Still, to my eyes, they didn't appear to be catching insects but . . . what then?

Fast forward to yesterday. I'm outside with the dogs several hundred feet from a small grove of old, tall hemlock trees. I see a bird fly out from the upper most crown of the largest tree and then fly back. On the bird's return another flies out a short distance and directly back. Followed by yet another. Based simply on their behavior, I wondered, are those Cedar Waxwing? I couldn't tell with my naked eyes and so aided them with binoculars, which hung from my neck.

Sure enough--three beautiful Cedar Waxwing came into focus. They perched as if posing for a portrait: one sat atop the highest possible vertical branch and two below on opposite horizontal branches, forming a perfect triangle.

I viewed them with admiration: such sleek, sophisticated birds with their black masks, outlined in white, and their conspicuous crests. Not to mention their beautiful colors and markings: reddish-brown above, yellow below, with yellow-tipped tail (or orange) and red tips to their secondaries (a waxy secretion from which the bird derives its name). Yes, the Cedar Waxwing is a striking bird.

I watched for a moment until many others waxwings swept up from their hiding places in the crown of a neighboring hemlock. They gracefully coalesced into a group and flew off and away.

Until next time . . . happy birding.


Georgia Anne

A House Finch Is Startled

Last fall (November 21, 2008), only a few weeks after beginning this blog, I wrote about House Finches. In that post, I shared a photo of a male. In this post, we'll look briefly--very briefly--at a female OR juvenile male. You see, I can't distinguish between the immature male and female of the species. Given the season (springtime hatchlings are young adults this late in the summer), this somewhat startled bird could be either. If you’re wondering why this female or juvenile male is startled, let me explain . . . with an apology to said bird and to you, my bird-loving readers.

You see, I got this clever idea to place my small, handheld video camera within the bird feeder. I could just imagine the “bird cam” videos I could capture to happily share with you. Of course, real “bird cam” video devices, often inserted into nest boxes, are much smaller and undetectable by the birds they’re meant to watch. Somehow, I imagined that my own device, a bit longer than a cell phone, would not be obtrusive. Boy, was I wrong!

To prove just how wrong, I present my one and only attempt at an “inside” look at birds visiting my feeder. I certainly won’t ever intentionally distress another bird in this way again. Live and learn.

Until next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne

What about Woodpeckers?

Woodpeckers like to peck wood, typically dead or dying trees since these house insects and larvae. And some will come to your feeder for suet, especially Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. By the way, these two look almost identical in markings—black above and white beneath, the males sporting a red patch on their heads. The Hairy, however, is about two inches longer and has a longer beak. Not only do these two species look alike, they also sound somewhat similar. (Photo of female Hairy Woodpecker courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.)

A couple days ago, I had family visiting. My niece Kathryn Mary and I were sitting at an outside table when we heard a series of sharp, ringing notes coming from atop a tall hemlock. These singular notes were followed by a kind of lyrical stammer—my description, though not too helpful. I suspected a woodpecker but didn’t know which one.

We quickly sought online audio help to identify the woodpecker. As always, my most trusted resource was Cornell Lab’s web site, All About Birds. There we listened to several woodpeckers, recognizing at once the singular notes (called peek notes by Cornell) of the Hairy Woodpecker. These peek notes were then followed, as described by Cornell, by a rattle.

Applying these descriptive words—peek and rattle—to the sounds we heard helps me immensely when trying to distinguish the Hairy from the Downy Woodpecker. (For example, Cornell describes the Downy’s comparable sounds as pik and whinny.) Since my ear “memory” is not as good as some (Kathryn, for one), when I next hear a woodpecker’s call, I’ll ask myself, is that a peek or a pik . . . or something else entirely? Ha!


Till next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne

A Happy Goldfinch

Just yesterday I was lucky enough to share a bit of time with one extremely exuberant American Goldfinch. To my eyes, this bright yellow little finch seemed to be having a grand time. I sat outside on a lounge chair listening to his cheery song from the white birch tree by my bird feeder. Periodically, he would fly from the tree to the feeder for a black-oil sunflower seed and then back again into the branches. (Photo shown here is courtesy of Charles H. Warren.)

(Nearing the end of last year--December 12, 2008--I wrote how the male and female American Goldfinch look very much alike during the non-breeding season. Check out that post to see a picture of a wintering male goldfinch. Not only does he loose his bright yellow plumage but also that jaunty black cap.)

Then, as if unable to contain his joy, this little bird flew from the tree and began circling the sky (in laps), singing the entire time. The goldfinch has a distinctive flight pattern, best described in the profile provided by All About Birds:

"Goldfinches fly with a bouncy, undulating pattern and often call in flight, drawing attention to themselves."

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id

With my handy hand-held video, I tried to capture his circuit above me, but of course he was too fast. You can hear him singing in this video. And though you can't see the bird, at least you can see the path he took.



Aren't birds too wonderful for words?

Till next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne

A Song Sparrow Sings

Did you ever wonder how this stout, streaked sparrow earned his name? For instance, all sparrows sing (in fact, the Field Sparrows on my property never stop singing! It’s almost annoying. Ha! I’m listening to one this very instant. If you want to listen, too, check my July 14 post). But back to the Song Sparrow. (Photo courtesy of Ken Thomas.)

Did he earn the title “Song” Sparrow because his is the most beautiful song? Perhaps the most cheerful? Or is it because he sings more than other sparrows? (No, the Field Sparrow would win that category.) Why then?

I think this russet and light gray sparrow earned his name because he loves to improvise, like a jazz musician. For instance, the song he’ll sing for you here is not necessarily what he’ll sing later. For instance, he may change the tempo or substitute a “buzz” for a trill. Confusing stuff for someone trying to learn his song. In this video, listen for the Song Sparrow to sing twice—at the start and then following a crow.



One last thing, Song Sparrows love to nest in dense piles of brush. So I save fallen tree limbs or woody shrub cuttings or anything that can be piled high to provide cover and protection for these lovely, sweet-singing birds!

Till next time . . . happy birding!

Georgia Anne