Happy Thanksgiving!
This year, I am thankful for health, nice weather, my loved ones (including kitty), all of you wonderful people, and the fact that I get to enjoy Grackles a lot longer than usual but not in the overwhelming numbers from summer. I see one at least every day, but upon closer inspection, it appears that there are several individuals. I wonder if they will now actually spend the winter here, that would be a first. I hope you are surrounded by good people and have a good meal today. If you are shopping for Christmas presents, consider my calendar, it is still on sale until tonight. Happy Thanksgiving!
Review: Potey heated birdbath
One of the perks of having this hobby is that sometimes companies get in touch and offer products to try for free. This happened just recently with a heated birdbath. When the first night frost hit, I noticed that the new orange bath I got for this season was frozen over in the morning. Thankfully, I had another one ready right away, and that is the one I am reviewing here. The maker is Potey, and the bath can be purchased on Amazon (there’s a 20 % off coupon there right now too - no I do not benefit financially from this).
Now for the bath. It comes in a nice box with clearly written instructions and brackets to mount it on posts or deck rails but can also be put on the ground, standing on stubby little feet. The cable has a nice length, which is good because outside mounts often require an extension cord and short cables are impractical to handle and weatherproof. Why does it need a cable? It is a heated bath, something I never even thought about in Germany but something that is very practical in cold Michigan winters because birds need a water source also when it is cold. There is a thermostat in there that only prevents the water from freezing, it is not like a hot tub.
This bath is dark green, which I quite like. The first thing to notice is that there are three compartments rather than one. The maker says the smaller ones can be used for seed but I would advise against that because it would just create a mess. Instead, just fill all three with water. This bath is on the smaller and shallower side, so it is perfect for smaller birds. The edges on the smaller compartments are not smooth, which apparently gives birds a better grip, a neat little feature. The bath is oval rather than round, which makes it great to use for the Birdsy camera too . A round bath can, if it is too big, make it hard to get everything in proper focus, and an oval shape just works better for that. I mounted it on the shed, about 7 feet up on a frame I built to add the deck mount to. The mount is like an upside down fork (see pic below), and the bath slides on it from the underside. This is a lot more practical for removal and cleaning than the orange bath mount where I had to tilt the bowl to unclamp it. It comes with optional wires to secure it from tipping but I have just put a piece of wood underneath for extra stability. Overall, the bath makes a sturdy impression, and I am glad I got to test and use it. The dimensions are 15.7" x 11.8" x 1.2" and the price is more budget friendly than my larger ones.
Eastern Bluebirds visiting a heated bird bath
These are weird times.
Things have been on the slow side with bird variety and fun photos but at the same time it feels like a lot more work because of the chaos on social media with all the different platforms that people are currently trying to figure out. It will all sort itself out in time, I hope. In the meantime, I am enjoying the few visitors that are coming right now, on the photo setup as well as on my Birdsy cameras. You can see all the ones I am sharing publicly on their BirdsyTV platform at birdsy.com. Here are some of the small crowd, super busy all day filling their cache or getting into berries (that purple haze on the BB is not a photo error, there must be some berries around here somewhere.) I present: Tufted Titmouse, Eastern Bluebird, Redbreasted Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch and Dark-eyed Junco (I love this one in particular, he also comes to the branch cam a lot - it looks like he has a kitty stache!)
I have set up an Ostdrossel account on Mastodon too, you can find me here: @Ostdrossel@mindly.social
I have seen her
by the bird baths but never got a clear view. This is a new female, and since she has the most glorious eyebrows, I am declaring her now the new Queen of the yard. She is getting used to the camera feeder, and I hope I will get more photos of this beautiful lady.
It is a little bit crazy
that we basically had summer weather until last week, but now things have returned to much more normal. While I don’t like freezing, I know how to protect myself and believe that nature in our area needs the four seasons to properly thrive year round, so I am very happy about the frosty temperatures we are currently getting. The heated bird baths are doing their work, and I noticed a lot more visitors at the peanut butter branch cam. There is one lone Grackle left. I am sure it will make it even if it stays all winter but this is a first.
Today, we had the first snow,
and even the very light dusting made me happy. The birds were happily feeding, and the Bluebird family showed up too. I know I have said this before but they are one of my favorites even just because of the faces that they all seem to make. There are few others with such distinguishable expressions. There were more nestbox visits as well.
A little fall surprise
The other day, a flock of Pine Siskins visited. From afar, they are often mistaken for House Finches but they do differ in size - they are a lot smaller, more the size of a Goldfinch - in color - they wear fancy yellow stripes on their wings - and their beak is pointy rather than curved and thick. They are one of the most hyper and aggressive birds I have seen, this photo is typical 😆 I rarely ever have them here, so this was fun to see.
Redbreasted Nuthatches
are one of my favorite fall visitors. They are constantly busy, have practically no fear of humans and make the funniest little sounds. They are so fast that it can be hard to tell if you have a male or a female in front of you. These photos show their difference. The male has a jetblack “hat” while the female sports a grayish top. (Top two here show a male, bottom two a female.)
This unusually mild fall
has resulted in the latest Grackles and Redwinged Blackbird I have seen in my yard. These two are from yesterday and the day before. I have not seen any today yet, and we had the first snow here this morning. The Redwinged Blackbird is an immature male, and I totally love his markings. (Just as I am writing this, I am seeing a RWBB outside.)
There are two woodpecker species
visiting Michigan backyards that can be hard to tell apart, the Downy and the Hairy Woodpecker. They look very similar from afar, and if you don’t see them next to each other, identification can be really tough. I have both visiting, and this week, they both came to the camera too. Both are females, having no red spot on the head. Apart from the size difference, the length of their beaks is a great ID marker. The Hairy Woodpecker in the second photo has a much longer beak. (I know the Hairy photo is not super focused but it showed the beak so well that I decided to use it.) As a bonus, there is a pretty Redbellied Woodpecker from a foggy morning.
It is very interesting
how different things are this November, compared to all the other years I have been here. Temperatures are more than mild, which I think is responsible for the relative quiet in the yard right now. Nature provides an abundance of food, there are still insects around too, so the birds seek feeders less. The Grackle and Redwinged Blackbird are still around too, and today I saw in a local birding group that someone had a Hummingbird on their feeder in Michigan. I am enjoying this mild weather but I really hope we will get some cold too. Anyways, here are some of the current residents, most of which are very busy taking nuts and seeds and hiding them for snowy days.
(Redbreasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch, Blackcapped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and House Finch)
Video: Siblings
Yesterday, the Bluebird family returned, and this time the youngsters checked out both nestboxes. They seemed particularly interested in the twoholer, coming several times to explore. I thought it was neat to see them using the two holes so effortlessly. And of course it was hilarious to watch the little sibling rivalries going on. They very much reminded me of me and my sisters. They are not nesting right now, they are kind of scouting the area and also practise for spring.
November is here,
and there are vibrant colors wherever you look. No Evening Grosbeaks or Purple Finches have graced my backyard so far but I still have a Grackle and a Redwinged Blackbird around, the busiest little crowd of Nuthatches, Titmice and Chickadees, and these guys. The Blue Jays at times seem frantic, searching the bowls for nuts by pushing everything out. It is fun to see them sharing like this, a rare sight.
According to the Winter Finch Forecast,
(see here) there may be another irruption of Purple Finches and Evening Grosbeaks going on this winter, and looking at the numerous reports of sightings in the local birding groups, it appears to be true. I heard one the other day (ID’d by Merlin) but have not been blessed with a visitor thus far. I am crossing my fingers. For the time being, here are some Goldfinches, they almost have the same colors 😆 Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
The Bluebirds
are continuing to visit and always also check out the nestboxes. The other day I saw about six around the feeders. And it is so interesting to see the different shades and patterns on them. Gayle has always been a little more pale than the other females that nested here before but it could be that her offspring carries some of that too. The one with the judgy brow is a returner too, and she looks a bit darker. Of course there are still also some with the baby specks. They seem to enjoy the smaller bird bath that I am live streaming on BirdsyTV.
Since I've been so busy with work,
it sometimes takes me a bit to go back out and refill the feeders. And that is when I get lots of photos like these that show nice different angles like the side or back. It is great to see Whitebreasted Nuthatches and Titmice again on a regular basis after they’ve been more feeder shy in the summer. (Titmouse, Nuthatch, Bluebird, Starling)
We’ve had some fabulous fall weather
here recently, with foggy mornings and sunny days and wonderfully turning leaves. I am always getting excited to see a fog warning and try to get the cams out as early as I can to capture some of the misty magic and the glorious sunshine. There are still Grackles and Redwinged Blackbirds around, and I think this might be the latest I have seen them.
Video: Tiny feeder for the small crowd
I have seen these for a while now and always wanted one, and finally bit the bullet (I found the feeder on Etsy, with a seller named PKNKTreasures). This feeder is on the small side, and I love that I haven't seen a Dove on it yet. Well, and of course the adorable look! The Bluebirds found it pretty quickly too. Yay! I am livestreaming this cam currently on one of my channels over at birdsy.com. They have a sale going on right now too, you can get their camera for $149 right now.
I guess the first frost
was just the first load of “fake fall” because this weekend, temperatures rose again, and it was beautiful outside. The birds all enjoy what nature has to offer on these days, and there is not a lot going on at the feeder. I am trying to get the White-throated Sparrow to take a mug shot but haven’t been lucky so far. He does like the bird bath though. Anyways, here are some regulars and a traveler. The Redbellied Woodpecker I find most interesting, here for the second fall. Is it a boy or a girl? The Nuthatches are one of my favorites right now, almost divebombing me at the feeders and being very tame. Come good into Monday! (Redbreasted Nuthatch, Redbellied Woodpecker, Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Redwinged Blackbird)
Sometimes it feels
like the camera loves some birds more than others. It is very hard to find a Bluebird photo that I dislike, which always makes it tough to choose which ones to keep from a busy day. I loved this one with her furrowed brow. The Titmouse was also posing very nicely. There is a tree trim crew here today so I might shut off live cams during the day. Hopefully the internet stays on, unlike yesterday… Have a great Thursday!
