Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birds. Show all posts

Gloria's Birds: Cooper's Hawk's my name, and preying's my game...

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler
(Well, thought photog, I could tell that by those claws! 

A juvenile Cooper's Hawk because her eyes are yellow. Adult's eyes would be orange/red.)

--Gloria Z. Nagler



 




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Sunflower Seed Café

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Photo by Lee Wolfe

A Shoreline sunflower garden is attracting a local clientele.

Photo by Lee Wolfe

A beautiful Steller's Jay got up close to get to the seeds.


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Gloria's Birds: That's right, photog, said Cora Cormorant,

Saturday, September 7, 2024

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler


I've always preferred life on the edge!

(Love those feathers of yours, Cora...)

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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Gloria's Birds: I dunno, photog,

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

are you sure this water's been changed today?
(Red-breasted Nuthatches can be particular...as they should be!)


--Gloria Z. Nagler



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For the Birds: Hummers in Fall Mode

Monday, September 2, 2024

Male Rufus Hummingbird passing through
By Christine Southwick

Gone are the lazy days of summer where two or three hummingbirds could sip at the feeder at the same time.

Male Anna’s Hummingbirds are aggressively guarding their chosen feeders again, after being mostly low-key during the hot summer, letting females and juvies drink a while before running them off.

Male Anna's Hummingbird by Craig Kerns
Note how only part of gorget is reflecting
that gorgeous rose color
This is a sign that the season is really changing toward fall—maybe even a time to think about how you are going to keep hummingbird feeders liquid in the winter. 

Cold weather feeding is more important than feeding them during the summer - but summer feeding is so fun to watch.

We have Anna’s Hummingbirds all year long - they have adapted to our many flowering plants, tiny bugs, and our usually mild winters. 

The males are now claiming feeders for their winter feeding, only letting others feed if there are two or more feeders a distance apart so that male has to fly back and forth to defend them all, thus allowing the females to sneak in while he is at the other feeder.

Female Rufus by Craig Kerns
rusty looking sides with white-ish neck margin
You might be seeing (and hearing) Rufus Hummingbirds as they pass through on their way southward. 

Their tails make kind of a toy-boat vibration noise, whereas the Anna’s are detected by their buzzy song.

Male Rufus are dramatic with their rufus sides, bronze gorget and black-tipped tail feathers. 

They are often not seen as they only stop for a quick power drink then fly on. 

The female and juvies are less dramatic with only a little rufus on their sides and will often stay at a good feeder for a week or so, stocking up on needed fuel before continuing to travel southward.

Female Anna's by Craig Kerns

Right now it may be hard to tell the Anna’s females from the Rufus females. 

Here’s what I do. First, I watch my feeders as much as possible. I look for rusty sides - the Anna’s only have grayish green sides. 

 I also look for a thin white margin around their necks - Anna’s females don’t have that margin - their necks are gray green like most of their body.

Hummingbirds have iridescent feathers (mostly in their gorgets) which reflect the sun. 

Gorgets can boldly shine or look black depending on where you are in relation to sunlight bouncing off those feathers. 

That’s why a courting male will face the female with the sun on his throat so that she can see his gorgeousness.

Read previous For The Birds articles here



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The Humming-Bird poem

Thursday, August 29, 2024

Humming-bird photo by Wayne Pridemore


The Humming-Bird poem
by Jones Very

Like thoughts that flit across the mind,
Leaving no lasting trace behind,
The Humming-bird darts to and fro,
Comes,vanishes before we know




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Backyard Birds: Go Hawks!

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

Photo by Jan Hansen

 Okay, maybe someday we will play the Salmon.  🙂

--Jan Hansen


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Gloria's Birds: We camouflage our young...

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

Fledgling Spotted Towhee, no easy-to-spot colors, yet, eyes not brilliant red.


Adult Spotted Towhee, red eye and all. 

Both photographed in our yard, though different years

--Gloria Z. Nagler


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Gloria's Birds:Wow, did you see that crow whiz by, photog, asked Hedda House Finch

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Female or young house finch
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

You don't think it was a hawk, do you, she asked fearfully, continuing to watch (just in case).

(Methinks a fledgling or female House Finch, in our yard in Washington State last week)

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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Backyard Birds: Fence sitter

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Photo by Lee Wolfe

This little one enjoyed a convenient perch for reaching the blossoms. Hummingbirds have been very busy in our garden recently.

--Lee Wolfe


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Gloria's Birds: Sybil the young Song Sparrow at last perfected the Birdbath Pivot...

Thursday, August 8, 2024

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

she couldn't wait to tell her mom.

(Taken in King County, WA in our yard. So many young birds right now!)

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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For the Birds: Help Your Local Birds

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Black-capped Chickadee really into its cooling bath.
Photo by Craig Kerns

By Christine Southwick

Water is probably the most important item you can provide - clean and cool in the summer, liquid in the winter. Water can be as simple as a large dish, or it can become a dramatic yard feature. Running water, like a fountain or mini stream will draw in more resident birds and even migrants flying over, needing a refreshing stop.

Black-headed Grosbeak, male
Photo by Craig Kerns
Plant trees and native bushes for food, roosting, and hiding places for most of our local birds. 

Keep large trees (dead trees made-into-snags are vital for larger cavity birds) for nesting sites, and plant native serviceberry trees and/or crabapple trees, or other fruiting native trees like Indian Plum and bushes like Snowberries. 

By planting native vegetation, local insects, which birds need to survive, will be found and controlled by our native birds. Birds are great pollinators which help fruits and even flowers.

Think about creating your yard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat to help compensate for major habitat loss—the most dangerous cause of loss of birds—both in numbers and in species.

Golden-crowned Kinglet juvie note the gape coloring
Photo by Craig Kerns

If you have insects that are eating some of your plants too fast, spray them off with water, hand pick, or buy beneficial insects, and attract more insect-eating birds into your yard with water and habitat. That will make both you and local birds happy.

Pesticides kill an estimated 72 million birds each year! So don’t use pesticides. They aren’t good for birds, kids, dogs, cats, or the environment.

Western Tanager, breeding male just passing through, stopping for a much needed drink
Photo by Craig Kerns
And please, watch for cats. Spray them with water if they come into your yard. They will learn to go elsewhere, at least when they see you.

Cats are an invasive species which kill approximately 2.4 billion birds EACH year!

As a cat owner, I love my cat(s). Most cats will easily adjust to watching birds through windows, and chatter away and swish their tails. I had one cat that really wanted outside. I built a successful small enclosed outside area with a cat door access so it could go in and out of the house unassisted. 

My cats and I are happy and the birds are safe. So, for the few cats that insist on going outside, that is a do-able solution that also keeps cats safe from our neighborhood coyotes, cat fights, and being hit by cars. (There are fancy catios available if you prefer.)

Seed and suet also help birds and make bird watching a delight. Suet can be used all year around and helps provide protein when the bugs are sparse—especially welcome while hungry fledglings are learning to hunt bugs.

Previous For the Birds columns here


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Gloria's Birds: Bored! shouted Sybil the Seagull chick

Saturday, July 27, 2024

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

My sibs and I are suffering ennui, photog, and so would you if your entire young life was spent on a ferry piling!

(I love the spots on Sybil's head, and that she's familiar with words like "ennui"! Some chick, eh? Photographed yesterday from the ferry to the Olympic Peninsula.)

--Gloria Z. Nagler


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Build-A-Birdhouse event at the Shoreline Farmers Market July 27, 2024

Monday, July 22, 2024

Build a bird house at the Shoreline Farmers Market Saturday
Photo courtesy IronsBC

Once again, Shoreline's Design + Build company Irons Brothers Construction will help kids build cedar birdhouses at the Kid’s Build-A-Birdhouse Event at the Shoreline Farmers Market Kid's Day on Saturday, July 27, 2024 from 10am - 2pm!

Bring the kiddos to our booth and we’ll provide the tools, materials, and skilled carpenters to help them build their own birdhouse – on us!

Since 2017, IronsBC has been building birdhouses with kids at various Shoreline community events. With help from our entire team and material donations from Dunn Lumber, we have built over 1300 birdhouses! 

This hands-on experience exposes them to manual arts, working side-by-side with an IronsBC carpenter to build a custom home for our feathered friends.

IronsBC is committed to enriching the lives of our community through caring and craftsmanship. We encourage children to engage in the manual arts at an early age. Exposure to carpentry and building in a safe and supervised environment can be fun and educational.

To learn how to build your very own birdhouse at home, please visit our Education Page online for instructions and watch our how-to video!

Info on Shoreline Farmer's Market

Learn more about our Community / Industry Involvement & Impact here


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Gloria Nagler: Different but alike

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

"Snowflake" photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

Despite the difference in the portion of white displayed, both the Douglas' Squirrel and Dark-eyed Junco in these images, taken in our yard, are leucistic.

Leucistic Junko
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

Not albino, because, e.g., their eyes are not affected. 

The internet tells me its a partial or total loss of pigmentation. 

I've seen a number of leucistic birds, but only ever this one leucistic squirrel (whom we call Snowflake:).

--Gloria Z. Nagler

  

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Gloria's Birds: Hey, photog, do corvids get to wish on a star, too?

Saturday, July 13, 2024

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

(Of course! I'll bet non-humans even get priority:)

--Gloria Z. Nagler


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Gloria's Birds: Hey, photog, do you see what I see?

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

(Before I could look, Peter the Pileated Woodpecker took off -- can barely see his male-marker red moustache, but it's there:)

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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For the Birds: House Finch or Purple Finch?

Monday, July 8, 2024

House Finch pair note white on wings
Photo by Chris Southwick
By Christine Southwick

So you have a reddish bird on your feeder. What is it?

In our area it will be either a House Finch or a Purple Finch (Cassin’s Finches are higher up in the mountains).

Firstly, both birds are reddish tinted—to my eye there is no purple in a Purple Finch—raspberry coloring yes, but definitely not purple.

The house finch, especially in early spring can be bright red, and can be easily confused with the Purple Finch at first glance.

Lucky for us there are some distinct differences.

House Finch males have brownish wings with white wing bars and no red on their shoulders or wing edges. (Note: depending on food, some House Finches can be orangish, but that is not common.) House Finches of both sexes have streaking from their breast all the way to their tail.

Purple Finch pair note clear belly on female.
Photo by Chris Southwick
Purple Hinch males have a delightful raspberry red coloring over most of their body, except for their clear white underbellies. 

Their wings have a brownish undertone, but the raspberry wing bars and edges dominate. 

Their bellies, and those of the females are clear white, without streaking. Both House Finches and Purple Finches have reddish coloring on their tails.

One of the easiest physical differences is that Purple Finches have an exaggerated eyebrow—white on the female, raspberry on the male-just lighter than the rest of his head.

Females of both finches are brownish with no red at all. The best way to tell the adult female Purple Finch from the adult female Purple Finch is to look for that eyebrow. Purple Finches have shorter tails than House Finches, but that usually doesn’t help me.

House Finch female Photo by Craig Kerns
Not all brown-colored finches in the summer are females. 

Young males of both House Finches and Purple Finches are without any red until their second year, when they molt into their adult plumage.

For me, the easiest way to identify Purple Finches is to hear them singing their rich melodious song that end with clear notes. 

The House Finch’s song usually ends more quickly and with muted notes. 

Purple Finches appear chunkier that the House Finches which often appear thinner. 

Then I look for those other diagnostic clues.

Male Purple Finch note eyebrow
Photo by Chris Southwick
Enjoy these year-round birds. Often you will have only a couple of Purple Finches, but if you have House Finches there will usually be several.

Purple and House Finches nest in trees, usually evergreen, but do not use nest boxes. 

Their favorite birdseed is sunflower seeds—with or without shells. Water, especially this hot summer, will help bring them in.


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Gloria's Birds: 'Nary a feather out of place, that was Chelsea's motto

Friday, July 5, 2024

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

(Chestnut-backed Chickadees are fastidious creatures:)

--Gloria Z. Nagler


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A Hummingbird is a Pretty Bird

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Photo by Jan Hansen

A hummingbird is a pretty bird.

A hummingbird is bright.

It gathers nectar all day long,

And rests in a torpor night.


--Nursery rhyme rewritten (Jan Hansen)



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