Spring migration
is always interesting because a new bird might arrive any time. The first groups that arrive are usually males, but not long after that, you will see females appear. In these photos, the shiny ones are male birds and I think the other bird is a female. Some females do have a brownish washed-out look too. They might not shine as gloriously but they have the same majestic yet goofy look as the males. (Plus - rain on Gracks is beautiful too!)
The Robins
have multiplied in the last couple of days, and they found out that there are mealworms on the menu here. Now they compete with everybody else whenever a worm is available outside the cage feeder for the BBs. In the evenings, they are still strutting about, and since the day traffic is gone then, I throw them a handful as a good night snack. I love the details in their faces.
Redbellied Woodpeckers
are quite easy to tell apart when it comes to male and female. The male has an all red head cap while the female has a greyish forehead followed by red. This one here has been coming every so often, and it has the most interesting look. Now one could go into all kinds of theories but I personally think it is a female with some fancy extra color. Anyways - such a pretty bird!
When I was looking
through the photos from yesterday, I saw lots of familiar birds but then one chest caught my eye. A Pine Siskin showed up! They are the size of a Goldfinch, have very pointy beaks and some yellow on their wings. People often confuse them with female House Finches but if you look closely here, you can tell the difference. Beak, chest pattern and the yellow are good markers. Just like Goldfinches, Pine Siskins seem to suffer from a Napoleon complex - they are tiny but mega feisty and hardly ever get along with other birds. Very entertaining little buggers.
I finally decided
to put out food again, and I have to say I missed going through photos each evening. Traffic is still slow and I have not put all feeders out yet because I kind of enjoy the relatively small amount of doves and Starlings. It was wonderful to see more Grackles coming in this week. And I am happy to report that my favorite one, the one with the specks around the neck, Count Grackula himself, has also found his way back here. With their chiseled, majestic and impressive looks they somehow remind me of horses. But then they can also be incredibly goofy-looking. They love peanut halves.
Nestbox news
I have recently also replaced my Gilbertson with a slightly larger version (6 instead of 4 inches in diameter and homemade), and it looks like I made the switch just in time.
There has been lots of Bluebird activity today, both are taking turns bringing things in and out (even though he looks to be a bit more excited than her, even making the nest shaping "shuffle"). I added the needles to make the transition for them easier and the box less "new". The larger box is supposed to help them raising stronger and healthier chicks, providing more room to exercise the wings and also better air flow during hot times.
They are very entertaining to watch and I am excited to see what happens next.
THANK YOU!
Because of you, I was able to make a 400 Dollar donation towards the relief efforts of World Central Kitchen (wck.org) this morning. The are on the ground and help people by providing nutritious food. I decided to go with them because I am a food lover, I know how important a full belly is and also because I admire the work that WCK does. I will continue the fundraiser, you can find my shop here: ostdrossel.redbubble.com. Have a wonderful day!
BirdsyTV is online!
As you may know, I have been testing and using Birdsy cameras for a while now - I use them for my videos as well as for my livestream. Well, I am happy to annouce that Birdsy has now launched BirdsyTV. It is a platform where you can watch Birdsy live cams and videos from all over the world, and you don’t need an account. Wanna check out an Owl box in the UK or hummingbirds and wondrous critters in Ecuador? Go to birdsy.com. They are still improving things, and new features will be added, and of course the community will grow. My stream and selected videos are there too. This is very exciting news and I am happy to be a part of it.
Video: Winter has returned,
and the locals are not pleased 😬😆
Stay warm and come good into the weekend!
Video: Mr. and Mrs. Snowbird
The Juncos won't be here for a lot longer, so I am enjoying them as much as I can. This was a fun little clip, first, there's the male, and then the female comes. He makes way when he hears her.
For this setup, I placed a camera on a tree and just put a small speck of peanut butter on there in hopes that someone would inspect it. The zoom is very close, and I love that this actually worked out.
Nestbox: Meet Gayle and Mr. Business
These two are coming several times a day now, go in, go out, take or bring material. There is not active nestbuilding yet as far as I can tell, this is more like a courtship ritual. [And while I am writing this, she looks like she is actually bringing stuff in right now, cheered on by him. Time will tell, she took a whole month to make the first nest last spring too.] Everytime they come, he is first and then excitedly waves with his wings to greet her. I turned the camera a bit to include the entrance in the view, and I like that it will show a bit more of their interaction. I have also finally decided what the names of this year’s couple are going to be - please meet Gayle and Mr. Business. The weather is still on the frosty side, so I am happy they are having fun and are not busy with babies yet.
Happy Women’s Day!
Video: The sandwich feeder
Starlings like suet, and since they can be very voracious, people are trying to find ways to keep them at bay. I like an innovative feeder, so I got this one a while ago. It's two plates that you fill with bark butter or suet spread, just like a sandwich, but you leave the edges free. Woodpeckers can reach in, anything with shorter tongues and beaks cannot. This is one of the setups I currently have out. The Finches won’t go there, and the MoDos cannot reach it either. I I overfilled it a bit on the first day, so the edges offered a welcome snack for the Red-breasted Nuthatches and Chickadees.
Pew pew pew - an announcement
This is from February 25, and it shows nicely how vocal the Juncos are. They have already become less in the last few days, a sure sign that migration is underway. This is one of the more boring times of the year, and I have decided to pause feeding for a bit for several reasons. For once, I have seen some Finches that might have the dreaded Finch Eye disease, for two, it is a good opportunity to clean the palate, so to speak, and maybe make the larger groups of MoDos and also the Starlings to disperse. I am cleaning all feeders thoroughly with a 1:10 bleach solution and have changed camera setups to still capture whatever exciting might happen without feeders. This is tough on me but it is a good time for this in the season, and it might also help the BBs with their nesting efforts. I have lots of material so I can still continue to post.
If you see puffed up birds that seem to “nap” on the feeder and look cute and tame, they might actually be sick. This does not mean you have made them sick but you can take measures to keep your birds healthy. Finches are prone to certain illnesses because of their genetic makeup, so they are a good bird to keep an eye on for possible issues. I will keep feeders down for 10 to 14 days to let the birds disperse and let nature take its course.
It is very hard
to maintain focus right now. The Bluebirds are helping to lift my thoughts out of the dark terrain they tend to gravitate towards these days. There seem to be several couples, and they have started incredible air fights, trying to figure out who has dominance over the yard, feeder and nestbox. It is a lot like the world right now, but actually delightful to watch and listen to. Here is one of the females. Please be safe out there and hug your loved ones during these dark times. Also, if you want to help - get a sticker from my shop. We are going to make a donation to a cause that benefits the people in Ukraine.
Donation effort for Ukraine
I do feel helpless watching what is going on in Ukraine, so I have decided to try and help with what is in my powers. I created a Ukraine donation sticker, and all proceeds from the sales of that sticker I will donate to the Red Cross efforts to help Ukraine. There are two stickers available, one is just my logo, the other one is in the Ukraine flag colors. You can find my shop on Redbubble here: ostdrossel.redbubble.com, I made the stickers the featured collection. Please note, Redbubble pays by month and only if you have reached a certain threshold. For more info about how they work, check out my PSA about Redbubble in my FAQ. You can also donate directly, of course: redcross.org
I have two more Ukrainian-based organizations to possibly donate to on my radar but it is unclear if they will actually receive the money and use it because of the war, so the Red Cross it is for the time being.
As I said yesterday,
the first signs of spring are noticeable. The flock of Red-winged Blackbirds was back this morning, along with a lone Grack. It was wonderful to hear their choir sing high in the tree tops. These guys are passing through but seeing them means that spring migration has begun. Spring is my favorite season and leading into the best bird time of the year, so this is very uplifting. Have a great Saturday!
Video: It's been a wild week
with some really bad stuff happening. During times like these I am happy to have the birds because they keep me busy, hinder me from being glued to the news, and also make me happy. The American Robin’s German name is Wanderdrossel, “wandering thrush”, and this morning after a night of snow fall, this merry group wandered into my backyard. The Grackle is also still around, and while things still look and feel winterish, there is a sense of spring in the air.
Updating this post because just now, a flock of Redwinged Blackbirds showed up too. Things will develop slowly, but spring migration has begun.
They are back!
The Titmice have made themselves rare this winter, but they have started to make themselves known again, in loud and beautiful PeterPeterPeters around the yard, as well as the camera. They are one of my favorites because they are just so stinking adorable and they make me happy.
What more can anyone want during these wild times?
Lookie here!
I feel like I have heard Grackles for a bit now but I was never sure. But this beauty visited today. I am still not calling an early spring, just happy to have some that pass through on their journey… Have a great Tuesday!
