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

Birds of Ronald Bog

Thursday, June 8, 2023

 
Photos by Kristine Tsujikawa at Ronald Bog

Kristine Tsujikawa spent some time observing and photographing the birds at Ronald Bog. 

Oddly, reports from both Ronald Bog and Bitter Lake say there are no goslings this year. Even the goose pair that took over the new eagles nest at Ronald Bog and drove off the eagles (with help from a flock of crows) abandoned the nest and had no offspring.

--Diane Hettrick


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Gloria's Birds: See, photog, I can fly the colors without hoisting any flags,

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

said Millard the Mallard. He can, indeed!

(On the shores of Lake Washington the other day)

--Gloria Z. Nagler


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For the Birds: Baby Bird Season

Monday, June 5, 2023

American Robin fledgling by Elaine Chuang
note stubby tail and gape at base of bill
By Christine Southwick

Do you have a young, helpless-looking bird hopping or flitting in your yard? 

Great! That means your yard is habitat-friendly enough that birds are nesting in your domain.

If the youngster is basically featherless, it probably fell out of a nest, and needs to be put back, if you can. 

It is probably not a ground nester, so look up. You could make a fake nest where a parent can find it if you can’t reach the nest.

Oregon Junco fledgling being feed by father
(mother is probably on second brood)
photo by Chris Southwick
Does a baby bird really need your help?

If it is already feathered, but can’t really fly, it is called a fledgling, and its parents are nearby. It doesn’t need human interference, unless it is bleeding, or has an obviously injured wing or foot.

Because nests can be a death trap from predators, ground nesting babies have evolved to leave the nest soon after they grow their feathers, and scatter in different directions. The parents bring food to each and every one of their offspring. No wonder the parents look so frazzled.

I was following a White-crowned Sparrow nest for an article and four days after they hatched – one day after they grew their feathers, they were out scurrying through the garden aisles to disappear into the adjacent empty lot, with the parents monitoring from above.

Bewick's Wren nestlings by Peggy Bartleson
They became fledglings later that day
Fledglings may have stubby tails that haven’t grown in yet which makes them flit rather than fly, and their mouths are still brightly colored, a temporary condition called gapes. Fledgling crows also fit this description.

Some of our most common ground nesters are Oregon Juncos, Song, White-crowned, and Orange-crowned Sparrows, and Spotted Towhees. Bewick’s Wrens, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Black-capped and Chestnut-backed chickadees, and American Robins, and American Crows are our other most common nesters.

Keep dogs and cats away from the areas. As much as I love my cat, once I found out that cats are the second leading cause of bird deaths in the US (habitat loss being number one), I started keeping mine from roaming. I even built a small indoor-outdoor area for them.

Oregon Junco nest hidden in raised
flower bed photo by Craig Kerns
Most local birds have two or more broods each year, so expect to see fledglings into late July/August. So, leave some tall ground-nesting areas when you are weeding.

You can help nourish birds by planting native fruiting plants, offering good quality food, keeping your yard pesticides free, and keeping pets away from these delightful bundles of fluff.

See previous For the Birds columns here



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Gloria's Birds: Sometimes Cora just wanted to see things

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler
from a different frame of reference. She's that kind of crow.

--Gloria Z. Nagler


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The Hummingbird

Sunday, May 28, 2023

Photo by Wayne Pridemore

The Hummingbird

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

-- poem by Jones Very




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Gloria's Birds: Varied thrush photobomb

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

 One beautifully posed bird and one just passing through...



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Gloria's Birds: They aren't always where you'd like them to be...

Friday, May 19, 2023

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

(Pileated Woodpecker on the OTHER side of the tree:)

--Gloria Z. Nagler


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All you need is a birdbath

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Photo by Jo Simmons

Our birdbath and little fountain attract the birds choir bathing. Here is a female cowgirl with a Fantastica rhododendron as backdrop. 

--Jo Simmons



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Gloria's Birds: Happy Mother's Day

Monday, May 15, 2023

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

All mothers get a little overwhelmed sometimes…but we hang in there!

--Gloria Z. Nagler




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Gloria's Birds: Wow, signed Capri the Black-capped Chickadee,

Sunday, May 14, 2023

photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

 if I'm not out hunting for food stuffs, I'm out hunting for nesting stuff!
 
(I'm always impressed by the hard-working lives of our fellow creatures.)

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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Gloria's Birds: Sure, photog, if you've got a spoon, I'll give it a try

Friday, April 28, 2023

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

 Tired tongues are an occupational hazard for Pileated Woodpeckers, y'know.

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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Contest: submit artwork representative of Puget Sound birds - the harassers, the dive-bombers, the beggars and stealers

Monday, April 17, 2023

Puget Sound area artists are invited to submit original artwork representative of Puget Sound bird life to be used on the 2023 Puget Sound Bird Fest poster for promotion of the event taking place Sept. 9-10 in Edmonds.

A $350 prize sponsored by Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation will be awarded to the winner.

The theme is Bold, Brash, and Loud Birds – birds that command our attention not necessarily by their appearance, but by their behavior. These are the harassers, the dive-bombers, the beggars and stealers, bullies and squawkers — boisterous birds that cause a ruckus.

The poster format is 11 inches by 17 inches, portrait orientation and entries must be received by June 23, 2023. No photography or digital art will be accepted. Entrants must be 18 years or older and are limited to one entry per person. More information and entry form available at www.pugetsoundbirdfest.org or email jennifer.leach@edmondswa.gov


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Gloria's Birds: Avian vigilance

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

 
Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

(These Pelagic Cormorants figured they had their bases covered) 

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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Bog Whisperer: Not sure what is going on with the eagle nest...

Sunday, April 9, 2023

Photo by Gary Hansen

Not sure what is going on with the Eagles these days. This morning I saw an Eagle fly up to the nest and quickly retreat when he got there. 

About 15 seconds later I saw an Eagle fly to the nest. 

I had assumed he ran into mother Eagle and left. 

A few hours later my neighbor Gary sent me this photo. A Goose firmly planted in the nest.

--Martin De Grazia


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For the Birds: We know we used your Mother’s Day fuchsia last year,

Friday, April 7, 2023

Photo by Christine Southwick

...but we needed to set up housekeeping now.

Oregon Juncos move in with For the Birds columnist Christine Southwick.




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For the Birds: Baby birds are emerging

Sunday, April 2, 2023

Bewick's Wren fledgling. Photo by Elaine Chuang
By Christine Southwick

Baby birds are hatching — Spotted Towhees and Anna’s Hummingbird young have been spotted in my yard, which means Dark-eyed Juncos and Bewick’s Wrens are close behind. 

These are the first breeders, others will follow; Song Sparrows, chickadees, Flickers, Downy, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers, White-crowned Sparrows, finches, and American Robins to name a few.

Nestlings and fledglings need our help — don’t poison them with herbicides such as Round-up which get on their parents’ feet and get brought into the nests and cause them to die.

Bushtit looking for bugs to feed nestlings.
Photo by Elaine Chuang
American Robins are in sharp decline
, and one major cause is the poisoning of their lawns and the worms they eat.

Spraying bugs also kills birds. Parent birds feed their hatchlings a solid diet of bugs. 

Caterpillars, gnats, aphids, spiders, mosquitos, and bugs in leaf litter are the babies’ food. 

There aren’t any fruits to eat until later in the season, so if the bugs are poisoned, then birds perish.

Rufous Hummingbird on nest.
Photo by Doug Parrott
Native plants and trees help provide the bugs birds need and recognize
. More shrubs and less lawn provide cover for the safety of birds, especially fledglings. 

As you start cleaning up your yard, look for ground nests before whacking and mowing weedy areas.

If you find a baby bird on the ground, and it has feathers, it is a fledgling, and doesn’t need your help – its parents are nearby ready to nurture it. 

Keep dogs and cats away from it, and it will survive. 

Many ground birds leave the nest before they can fly — they scurry in different directions to enhance their chances of survival — nests can provide a quick and tasty meal for raccoons and other hungry creatures.

Dark-eyed Junco nest in fuschia.
Photo by Christine Southwick
Here is a yes/no link to determine if the baby bird you found needs your help.

https://www.pugetsoundbirds.org/baby-bird-advice 

Let our local birds take care of the bugs. Smile as a new generation of birds prospers with your help.

---
Note: I carefully watered around the nest in the fuschia. Three juncos. 

Locally if you see a bird flying into your hanging basket, a junco probably has a nest inside. They usually hatch in two weeks, and leave the nest two weeks later.


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Gloria's Birds: "I'm singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain!"

Friday, March 31, 2023

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

But it's not raining, I said to Sergei as he sang. I know, he replied, but the ferry captain loves this tune!

(Made this portrait of Sergei the Surf Scoter as our ferry pulled out of the Kingston dock the other day. A positively artistic bill!)

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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Eagles at the Bog

Sunday, March 26, 2023

 
Listen! Agree.
Photo by Jan Hansen

This eagle pair recently set up housekeeping at Ronald Bog - the first eagle nest on the Bog.

Share with your community!
Photo by Jan Hansen

There are no fish in Ronald Bog, so these raptors will be open to other prey. If you live near Ronald Bog, keep your pets inside, or very close to you.

The Bog is between I-5 and Meridian, at N 175th in Shoreline.



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Gloria's Birds: Hey, photog, is a feather on my beak the same as a feather in my cap,

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Photo copyright Gloria Z. Nagler

 asked Carl the Double-crested Cormorant.

(Well, no, but why not humor a seabird when you can?)

--Gloria Z. Nagler



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Varied thrush soon to move on

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Varied thrush photo by Jo Simmons

We have had such a wonderful winter with all the varied thrushes. They’ll be moving on soon. This photo was taken from my bedroom window.

--Jo Simmons



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