Fledglings

My yard is full of fledglings; young birds that have recently left the nest. Parents bring them here, where the livin' is easy. I like to think I give them a head-start into the real world. Birds don't have it easy these days.

Five or six black-backed Lessar Goldfinch are also visiting again. I swear they remind me of sleek seals; so dark on top and bright yellow below...with a bit of white on their wings.

Stunning little birds; nearly half an inch smaller than American Goldfinches and about half the weight. I love it when they visit. Most of the shots here are from Wikipedia or BirdFreak's site, but my favorite is from this blog. It's amazing what one finds just Googling a bird!

Or click here to get to the specific page where I found the photo.

You can see that it is really quite easy to tell an American Goldfinch from a Lesser Goldfinch (be they green- or black-backed)...as long as you are discussing males. Females...not so easy; at least for me.

This is a female American Goldfinch, according to the photographer. In my mind it could be a young male or non-breeding American Goldfinch, or a female Lesser Goldfinch. I still do not have the eyes to see; apparently one has more yellow at certain times of the year...but who and when?

I have much to learn!

Now that natural food (bugs) are more plentiful, I've cut back a bit on the number of feeders I keep full. Thank the gods that the grackles, black-birds and cow-birds are here in greatly reduced numbers, too; partly because the feeders I've left up are difficult for them to feed from and some contain only safflower seed. All the grosbeaks love safflower seed, and some of the other birds too...but not the Icterids so much.

I still put out peanuts for the jays and magpies...which draw the blasted black birds back in. Ugh! Anyway, it is hilarious to watch a young magpie discover peanuts-in-the-shell. As you know, young birds are nearly full-grown when they fledge...but regardless of their size, they are babies. So, these big lunkers land on the feeder and pick through the peanuts...all the while squacking and whining for their parents. They flap their wings and assume that begging position, as if to say "I can't open it...how do ya open 'em; show me how to open 'em!" Too funny.

And grapes. I put out bunches of old grapes I get (discounted) and have discovered American Robins will actually come to feeders for them. That's a first, to see a robin at the feeders. They sure do like grapes, but they are most unhappy that the magpies come, too. I regularly watch one or two robins mix it up with a magpie; harassing and dive-bombing them; finally driving them out of the yard while they fly behind in hot pursuit. This morning, I realized why; there are several full-grown, but spotted and streaky young robins hunting on the grass. Now that the grapes are gone (for now), mom is teaching them the grape jelly is pretty good, too. Who knew?

In the early evenings I see swallows and Common Nighthawks. I really cannot identify the swallows...as high and fast as they fly, all I know is that they are swallows. What I did identify though...and all by myself (!) were several Common Nighthawks.

They fly like big, clumsy bats; probably why they are called Bull Bats, but the identifying marks are the white patches just below the 'wrist'. This patch is nowhere near the wing-tips as in a Lesser Nighthawk...which don't frequent this area, anyway. As thrilled as I was to ID a bird myself...it was an easy mark. I love both of these beautiful paintings of this bird. How many can you find in the one on the left? The Fuertes portrait shows how these birds are expertly camouflaged, while the one by Hines shows how wide a mouth these birds sport. I used to see them all the time on the dirt roads up by the cabin where I lived here in Huerfano County; lying on the roads there is a bad habit they have...if I do say so myself.

Today I have been watching lots of fledglings. Young robins have blotchy, streaky bodies and look pretty much like a whole different bird...one with a 'tortishell tummy'.

There are a very many House Sparrows youngsters...birds which generally I don't see many of in my yard. But right now they all have so many mouths to feed...they bring them here. For all their evil ways, they are good parents...which is perhaps why they are so successful an invader.

Also exhibiting good parenting skills are House Finches...who have to put up with the most insistent, badgering youngsters I've ever seen. These babies don't just sit and wait, they chase and harass their parents non-stop. At least the males are right in there with the domestic duties. These three mouths belong to young blue birds, also excellent parents.

One way to tell that a bird is young is by the shorter tail, though it does grow in quite fast. Another is by the downy feathers that seem to stick out here and there, not unlike the cow-lick on a young boy. The surest way, for me, is to look at their mouths. When very young, the inside of a bird's mouth, or gape, is quite bright; yellow or even red...an easy mark for the parent often feeding young in a darken place. The wider a mouth opens, the more likely it is to be filled. In a young bird the upper and lower mandibles are thick and somewhat fleshy looking; like lips. As the bird ages, even by the time it leaves the nest and becomes a 'brancher' (hoping about the branches of the nest-tree for a few days before it flies), this changes as the bill hardens. This illustration from the Illinois Raptor Center shows this well:

This is a nestling and...

this is a brancher.

By the time the bird fully fledges and leaves its parents for good...its bill will look like that of an adult. You can still see the short tail and youthful bill of these young magpies.

Generally, I don't recognize first year birds...if they are much different than their adults; and many are. I just assume I'm looking at a 'different' bird. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are an exception...well, at least the males are. The red on their heads begins forward, and gradually 'moves' to the back of the head. They are adorable, especially when still a bit fluffy from the nest. I've never seen a parent feeding a youngster at my feeders.

What I imagine are very young White-breasted Nuthatches are those with ill-marked coloring. Not unlike a young White-crowned Sparrow whose head goes through a blurry, 'checkered' look before exhibiting that beautiful, clear black and white; I think the striking white head and wide black head-strip from bill to nape on a young bird is also a bit 'blurry' compared to the crisp lines of adults. They hunt along the fences, the stakes keeping my dog out of my young shrubs and also come to the feeders. However, just like a youngster might, they are hesitant and timid. They look around before they begin picking at seeds. Parents always seem to be on a mission; in and out...quickly.

Early last April, a lovely biologist/birder/

environmentalist/teacher from the La Junta area, Duane Nelson was at my home to see Rosy-Finches. Oddly, while here he ran into two other biologist/birder/guides; Tammy and Ira from the Denver area. They are friends of his. Ira is the one who pointed out the first yellow-shafted Northern Flicker I ever saw...right here in my yard; it's a small world. Already feeling tickled pink to have met three more fascinating and knowledgeable people right in my own home, Duane pointed out another first...the Red-breasted Nuthatch. He said he imagines I've always had them. I imagine I might have seen them and dismissed them as badly-viewed Mountain Chickadees. Here are two pictures that compare these birds. Oddly, I only saw them another day or so and certainly have not yet seen any youngsters. But then I haven't seen any chickadees of late except one...badly seen, just the other day. Might it have been one of the Red-breasted Nuthatches?

Speaking of fledglings. Many of us have come upon young birds that sort of 'freeze' when we come close. Some folks think that means they are tame, or perhaps injured...but it does not. Still birds attract little attention. Cats however, skulking along low on the ground, find them easily. As much as I like cats, I look forward to the day with they must be kept inside or in 'cat-runs'...or on leash. There are so many loose and feral cats that they are seriously decimating our song bird populations. And those populations are already under siege from fractured habitat, wall-to-wall lawns, poisons and climate change. A single hunting cat may only catch a few dozen birds and mice (also removing bird and other creature's food suply) over a year's time...but multiply that by the thousands upon thousands of cats that hunt and you must realize cats are responsible for as many as a million birds per year. It's astounding.

Fledgling birds are ideal prey

for many small predators, including cats.

In this case, prompt demise of the bird

was only prevented by the fact

that the cat was held back on a leash.

FOS Rufus Hummer & White-breasted Nuthatch

Just before I left for a weekend in Taos, on Thursday July 9th, I saw a FOS Rufus Hummingbird at my feeders. We got home late last night, but I and my out-of-town guests saw a beautiful, chocolatey male several times at the feeders this morning. I love how they look like polished brass shining in the sunlight. The Calliope can't be far behind!

We also saw a FOS White-breasted Nuthatch today…a bird I have not seen here in such a long time! I thought, in my limited experience, they were here all year…but they’ve been missing for months and months! It’s good to see the feisty little buggers.

Other birds of late are lots and lots of American and Lesser Goldfinch, several fledged families of Black-billed Magpie (funny to watch the great lunkers that are really still babies, beg for food), Bullock’s Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, Grackles, House Finch, House Sparrow, and of course Starlings.

The White-winged Dove hasn’t been around in awhile…but it's such a treat to hear the Mourning Doves. This morning a pair was here...I don't see them every day.

I also get a kick out of the baby woodpeckers. A friend (bless him) attached a suet feeder underneath a wooden, flat-bed feeder for me...the idea was to foil the grackles and starlings that are eating me out of house and home. Well, I should have offered up a larger feeder...the bigger birds are able to lean over the feeder and reach under; but because he centered the feeder, they can only get to the edges. We've slowed them down some, but even the young Downys and Harrys have figured out how to fly up under, or gingerly walk over, around and down the feeder to get to the suet. I haven't yet seen the very busy Nuthatch at the suet yet, it seems intent on stealing just the sunflower seeds...one at a time, as is their wont.

Oh, and June's Monthly List:

White-winged Dove, Great Blue Heron*, Mourning Dove, Lesser Goldfinch (black- & green-backed), Bullock's Oriole, Hairy Woodpecker, Black-headed Grosbeak, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Black-capped Chickadee, Common Grackle, Turkey Vulture, American Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, European Starling, Northern Flicker - Red-shafted, Downy Woodpecker, Black-billed Magpie, House Sparrow, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, House Finch - red, yellow and orange variants, Eurasian Collared-Dove. (* = Flyover)

Summertime in the Southern Rockies

We’re just a few days into summer, but it’s already warm enough for me! Temperatures are hovering in the 80s already…and most of the birds have come and gone. My perennials are coming up gangbusters...it will be good to see all the new bird-friendly shubbery take off.

‘Course the Hummingbirds are here. The Rufus Hummers just arrived, which I find way-cool as I’d never seen a rich, reddish, milk-chocolate-brown hummingbird before. Sweet! And yet another 'New' bird for me. I hear they are quite territorial, perhaps they'll give the Broad-tails a run for their money.

And the Black-chinned Hummingbirds are here, as well; I thought I could tell by their very dark heads and the lack of ‘trill’ when they fly, but it was the tail-bobbing or -pumping that confirmed it. Very pretty birds though I am less sure at discerning females.

The Broad-tail Hummingbirds were likely the first here…though there was that possible Calliope in May! LOL That link is to a little video clip where you can hear the 'trill' of these birds in flight. The Bt’s are pugnacious little things and try very hard to drive all others away. Still, I occasionally look up to see as many as four or five birds at a single nectar feeder…and I have five out there, so the yard sometimes seems filled with the dive-bombing little wonders of color.

Over the last few days, I’ve seen the pairs of Bullock's Orioles less and less, and the Evening Grosbeaks have been gone for a couple weeks now. I do see the occasional Black-headed Gb from time to time and for some odd reason the American Goldfinches are back again…perhaps with newly fledged young? They all look so yellow! When they left, I began seeing more of the Lesser Goldfinches; and they’re still around, too. I find the black-backed Lesser Gf especially stunning.

I observed an adult White-breasted Nuthatch feeding begging chicks, which I found wonderfully exciting. I knew I had at least one pair of them in my yard with a nest nearby! Yippieeeeeee

An occasional Northern Flicker stops by, too, to poke around at the dry patch in my yard where ants live. And both the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers continue to drop in daily, though perhaps less often. I wonder if diet changes as babies grow…or perhaps they take them out to wilder territory to learn how to fend for themselves. Even while the orioles continue to visit; they don’t seem interested in oranges anymore and have slowed way down on the grape jelly and even the sugar water. I should do some research to determine if the same nectar for hummers is okay for orioles; maybe there is a reason the hummingbird feeders are too small for the bigger guys!

I also saw a whole string of fat, little, begging Pine Siskins on a phone-wire the other day…that was the cutest thing. Parents were very close…and still feeding, of course. And I also notice House Finches are around again. They look a lot healthier these days. The House Sparrow seems to have moved on now that I no longer put out the mixed Wild Birdseed they seemed to enjoy. I’m winding the feeders down till the weather changes and there is less natural food that is easy to find.

American Robins abound; it’s fun to watch them wrestle, long, fat worms from the ground. And Grackles still come, as well as the occasional Red-winged Blackbird; though far fewer numbers than ganged the yard a couple of months ago. I’m pleased to say I’ve not seen a Brown-headed Cowbird in some time. Ugg The Eurasian Doves are still here though, but again…far fewer numbers; thankfully; same with the Starlings.

I do have a pair of Black-billed Magpies coming to eat suet regularly…which I think is a little odd. They must have a nest nearby, as the huge birds hang cowardly from the feeders, flapping for balance and pecking wildly at the suet cake. They then drop down and pick up pieces they’d knocked away and generally eat as they go, but almost always find one, large morsel to take back home. Nice birdies.

Every morning I still watch the Turkey Vultures slowly warming themselves in the sun and then catching the drafts up, as they head off to do what Vultures do during the day.

I rather like this winding-down business. It’s the same with gardening, by the time the cold weather hits; I’m ready for a break anyway. I used to mourn the more temperate weather I grew up with in California, until I remembered how I’d work till I could hardly stand up. These changing seasons are a blessing!

Edited to add: I published this piece and looked out the window to see what appears to be a Mountain Chickadee, of which I had pairs in my yard regularly. It comes and goes quickly, always taking a single seed; I don't know if it is a young bird or a female or just a not-very-black at all Chickadee. It is slender and has the white 'eyebrow' of the Mountain variety; but where the black should be is not very dark...and somewhat broken. Perhaps they are like the White-crowned Sparrow and become darker and more defined with age. Immediately followed a large, female Grosbeak (really a very pretty bird) and then a male Black-headed Grosbeak, too. Pairs of birds abound in this beautiful habitat of many tall trees right by the river. I love it.

What To Feed?

Several have asked what is it I offer to attract the Orioles and Tanagers; they love oranges and grape jelly…and suet. It turns out the Western Tanagers like that stuff, as well…though I don’t seem to have quite as many today as I did a couple weeks ago. Heck, even the Black-headed Grosbeaks like the grape jelly. It’s a good thing I bought a huge bottle of the stuff…I figured a 3- (three!!!) pound jar of Smucker’s would last all season; but no, I already need to buy another after only about a month. And no, I do not eat the stuff myself; thank you very much for asking.

For the last several weeks, the main birds at my feeders are Grosbeaks (mostly Evening with several Black-headed ones as well) …with Pine Siskins, Red-winged Blackbirds, Grackles, Starlings and Doves also present most of the time. The occasional Goldfinch, House Finch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak still show up, as well as what must be three or four nesting pairs of Bullock’s Orioles. I know there are that many pairs, because I see that many males at one time…each one seems to think all the jelly is his! I have recently posted at least one photo of a Tanager posing as a jelly-head, so it’s no wonder I’m going through the stuff.

Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Woodpeckers all come and go daily; darting in and out for sunflower seeds or for a couple minutes at one of the suet-feeders. I hang at least one fruit- and one nut-packed suet-cage all the time. Many of the birds enjoy suet, including the Orioles and Tanagers…who knew? I regularly see Flickers as well…though never at actually at a feeder. They seem to prefer hunting ants on the dry patches at the edges of my lawn. For the past two days, a very large Black-billed Magpie has been trying to feed, without much success, at the suet-cage. It's just too big to hang their easily, but it must get enough as it keeps coming for more.

Somewhere, I read that there are some who think feeding too strong a sugar solution will burn out the kidneys of the birds…but a 4-1 solution is considered best for hummingbirds and a 6-1 ratio for Orioles. Right, like I’m going to be able to keep them apart! Actually, some time ago I drilled all my feeders’ drinking-ports out so that either hummers or Orioles could enjoy them. Mine have perches, so the bigger birds do just fine with them. My concern was if I make the solution too thin, the birds will quit bothering with it. Make it too weak and it is not worth their effort to drink it, on the other hand, I don’t want to make the birds sick, either. That is when I decided to offer more choices.

A few weeks ago, I did some research online and found what I consider the best place to buy mealworms. Dang, the prices are all over the place, some of the websites are not exactly intuitive or well-kept and some of the people I talked to were downright impossible to talk to; either not able to discuss their product knowledgably or in such a hurry to make a sale that they had no time to help me make an informed decision. Then I found Sunshine Mealworms and the very nice owner who told me she’s been farming worms for some time. What a neat bunch of people must work there! I bought 4,000 worms for about $20. And they keep forever in the fridge (don’t forget to put apple slices in their container; they need the moisture to stay fat & sassy) and I figured the birds would love them.

Not the case, at least at first. Well, except for the big black birds…all those guys seem to eat anything. I add a top-dressing of mealworms to the Black-oil seeds I put out and the Grosbeaks ignore ‘em! I refuse to purposely feed blackbirds…to the point that I am mostly feeding safflower seeds these days (about the same price as Black-oil Sunflower seed, but squirrels and those impossible starlings don’t like it). At any rate, big seed is all those conical-beaked birds seem to want. But…it turns out the Orioles love the worms! I’ll have to watch a bit more closely to see if the Tanagers also eat them. It is primarily those two birds that I see at the fruit and jelly feeder.

Finally, I can feel better about feeding a heartier solution (4-1) of nectar to the birds because I’m also feeding orange-halves, apple slices, grape jelly and now mealworms, too. I believe variety is the spice of life…for birds, too. An online acquaintance and expert naturalist/writer, Kevin Cook, has graciously answered several questions I’ve privately posed to him about birds. He suggested I separate my feeders both by distance and by food choices. He told me that all the jostling for position and food is what contributes to the spread of disease and scares off smaller or more timid birds. It was very good advice, and now hummers eat in peace, shell-crackers enjoy what they eat without flinging smaller seed all about and the fruit and worm eaters get just what they want on their plates, too.

Having said that, I just watched a White-breasted Nuthatch run off another bird and sift through the flat-bed feeder looking for mealworms. The little bird found several that it collected in one beak-full before it flew off. This makes me immensely happy, as I figured those worms were just going to cook in the sun this afternoon...or fill the belly of a dreaded Brown-headed Cowbird.

Usually I bring my feeders in at night, not wanting to encourage bears who will come right up on a porch and bite through a hummingbird feeder and drink it down like a kid with those juice-filled wax teeth. Once I found a suet cage across the yard; totally mangled. I suspect the masked raiders; doesn't everybody have racoons from time to time? No point in inviting them...or this pretty thing.
Somehow I imagine she'd love some grape jelly.

Snow is Eminent (...they say)

Snow is eminent, I heard on the radio today…and so you’d think by the way the birds went through the feed. Even the woodies seemed to be stocking up, they were here a lot. I need to win the lottery. I suppose first, I should discover what it is, really, that I need to improve my photography. Is the problem my window or is a PowerShot G3 just not good enough? I’ve read to use a Digiscope one must have at least a 4.0 mega-pixel camera. Mine is just that. Perhaps it is the ‘telephoto lens’ I got for it…all excited that I was to even find a digital camera with an interchangeable lens…seven years ago, mind you. Gads, I have so much to learn…but first I have to fix the window! I have links regarding the scopes on the right side of the page.

I’ll show off a really bad shot I got of the raptor that hangs around; was the first time I saw it’s front side. Perhaps there is a clue there about what kind it might be. If ya can see it! Ha

I did get some good opportunities to show I really do see two types of Chickadee here, and more on the paler-pinky colored birds. You can see how pale their ‘red’ is compared to the other ‘red’ ones. Perhaps they’re female-types, I dunno. Do you? Still, they are quite different from the little stripped brown birds I bet are females. [Addendum: The stripy ones are House Finches and the pale-bellied ones with the very red heads are Cassin's Finch]









One Chickadee type has a dark strip through its eye…but there is white above it, as if it has white eyebrows. I believe it’s the Mountain Chickadee. The other Chickadee type has a beautiful full-black cap…and surely must be the Black-capped Chickadee. See, I learn quick! LOL

I can see, I'm going to have to clean up my clothes line, too...these clothspins and stuff are making this much to busyh! LOL


The wind was blowing too, so it was hard to get the camera focused, but I did get a couple more little shots of the Nuthatch who visits, as well as one of the woodpecker types. I believe I have two; both a Hairy and a Downy…as there is a big difference in size, but I think both have red on them. I’d imagine females do not.I miss being up at the cabin…I remember once hearing cranes fly overhead; I thought I was hearing chickens! They fly so much higher than do geese it took awhile to find them, chattering on their way to the dunes, I suppose. I used to watch wild turkey chicks with their mothers right outside my window; it seemed nothing was afraid…I guess they didn’t see that many people up there. It was so lovely to wander around and look at stuff. I once saw a bear with a blond strip down it’s back…it looked like a punk-bear the way the blond looked in dappled sunlight. I found out later that our black bears are not just black or cinnamon…but sometimes have patches of blond; stripes down their backs or bibs under their chins.

My friend Tony says I can go back up and hike around his place. He and his family bought a place mile or so past my old cabin. I’d love to arrange some birding trips up there, when the snow melts.

I was asked to post a couple more of the pictures I took of the bear that spent a day in a tree in my front yard. They are fairly tolerant here, as long as you ignore them; but they drive my dog, nuts. He’s a Livestock Guardian Dog, an Akbash Dog, that I got when I thought I was going to spend the rest of my days in Paradise. I watched him keep a double-tagged bear (bright yellow tag in each ear means it was becoming a problem) out of our meadow all by himself. LGDs don’t hunt or harass bears, wolves, or lions…but they do run them off when they come around. Such a good doggie mine is!

Here are the pictures I took of the bear who was hanging around ...and you thought birds were messy! These guys come to town to gorge on apples, and the piles they leave are humongous!