Bob’s Big Year

    I first heard about Bob Ake in the local newspaper earlier this year. I was drawn to his story not just because he enjoys birds, but also because Bob is a local guy from the Hampton Roads area of VA (my hometown). The former ODU professor retired early to follow his passion – BIRDS!

Bob volunteers and counts shorebirds for the for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and can be found almost anywhere along the Chesapeake Bay looking for birds. He received his first field guide in the mid 60s and has been chasing birds ever since. In fact, he was one of the few birders chosen in 2006 by Cornell University to help comb the woods of Arkansas and Florida for the ivory-billed woodpecker. He has helped band birds, works with the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory on hawk watches, and does Christmas bird surveys for the Audubon Society. But Nov. 30 was his last survey for a while. He will devote all of 2010 to counting birds for himself, something he has been planning for a long time.

He is on a mission this year is to see 650 different U.S. birds, more than he’s ever seen in a single year. When birders set out to see as many birds as possible within 12 months, it’s called a Big Year.

Bob sat down with the American Birding Association lists of 957 bird species endemic to North America and began figuring out his itinerary. He will travel all across the United States this year with a goal of spotting two-thirds of the birds from that list.

Bob didn't waste any time – he started his quest on January one and was up to 116 species in just the first few days. The total to this point stands at 386. He’s well on his way!

If interested, check out Bob Ake’s blog to track his progress: http://bobsbirds.blogspot.com/. He post regular updates with photos of his Big Year adventure. I hope you find his story and blog as interesting as I have. To read this complete article follow this link: http://snipurl.com/umgxe

STEVE EARLEY PHOTOS | THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT

Reference Info: Virginian Pilot; Jan 10, 2010; Magazine; page E1; “Day 1: 82 down. 568 to go”; by Diane Tennant

 

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Spring Cleaning the Chickadee Way

As most can attest, it’s very satisfying when you get something accomplished, and even more satisfying when it works the way it’s intended to. However, when it deals with nature there's no guarantee things will go as planned, but when it does, it makes it all the more worth while.

That’s what happened recently with the chickadee nest tube project I built last spring. If you are a follower you may remember the post titled “DIY Chickadee Nest Tube”. Unfortunately there were no takers last year – probably because I got it up a little to late in the spring. Or, maybe the declining housing market had something to do with it (just kidding about that last part).

It’s still early, but there’s reason to believe that this spring (if it ever gets here) is going to be different. The short warm spell that teased us last weekend got everyone in the spring cleaning mode. Including these little Carolina Chickadees.

To my surprise, a pair of Carolina Chickadees spent all weekend cleaning out the PVC nest tube. Each were taking turns removing the wood shavings from the nest cavity. Studies indicate that chickadees prefer to nest in cavities they excavate themselves; so I filled the cavity with loose wood shavings prior to putting up.

The shavings kept them occupied most of the weekend, flying in and out with beak full of wood, landing in a nearby tree and dropping them to the ground.

Chickadees are a fun to watch. They're one of the most bravest and curious of the backyard birds. They often seem tame at times.

They've slowed up a bit on their nesting activities now that the weather has cooled off again, but hopefully they'll resume their spring cleaning activities soon.

If interested in building your own chickadee nest tube follow the link below to learn how:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Winter2009/chickadee_tube.html

Be sure to visit Birdfreak's BPW #79 to see more bird photos!

Technorati Tags: Carolina Chickadee,DIY Chickadee Nest Tube,Spring,PVC

Snowed In

  Snow is not all that common here in my part of VA; however, every few years a storm comes through that seems to make up for its absence. Such a storm passed through this past weekend that dumped several inches of the white stuff. I'm not complaining, I enjoy the snow and my daughter, like most other children, couldn't hardly wait to get out in it. She woke up and immediately headed to the window to look out - she wasn't disappointed. It was like Christmas morning to her! We enjoyed our time out playing in it.

With ample warning a few days prior, I was ready. The house was stocked with plenty of food, I managed to unburied my snow shovel from the shed and placed it by the front door, and most importantly, filled the bird feeders.

This little bird below wasn't that interested in the feeders as much as he was in the potted plant on my front porch. This little song sparrow spent quite a bit of time scratching in the potting soil eating what looked like little cone seeds that had falling off the miniature cedar shrub planted in the pot.

I took these photos through the front storm door while he hopped and scratched through the soil, paying very little attention to me.

Song sparrows like open habitat, including marsh edges, overgrown fields, backyards, and along forest edges. I'll occasionally see them at my feeders more often in winter than any other time. According to the range maps, I live at the dividing line where their winter range starts and their year-round range ends. I mostly see them in winter but have spotted them in my area in summer too. They live up to their name in being one of the most persistent singers throughout the spring and summer months.

If you have snow out where you live be sure to get out and feed the birds. These can be tough times for wildlife and a little bird seed would be a nice welcome to a hungry song bird...and have fun in the snow while your at it!

Be sure to visit Birdfreak's Bird Photography Weekly #75 for more great bird photos.

 

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Red from the Rooftop

 One of the last birds spotted before the New Year came in was this red-shouldered hawk.

I was in my front yard working in the flower beds when this big guy showed up on my rooftop. I slowly slipped inside the house to grab my camera, expecting him to be gone when I returned, but lucky for me he was still there. He/she seemed to be more occupied on something else than what I was doing so I quickly snapped off a couple photos before the big guy flew away.

Red-shoulders will often visit backyard bird feeders to prey on small birds feeding there, especially in winter. They will drop on prey from a perch location. This one seemed to be doing just that. He was eyeing my backyard bird feeders hoping to snatch an easy meal for sure. Fortunately for the birds feeding below it flew off without a meal this time.

On a separate note, I want to apologize, especially to my regular readers for going AWOL and not not posting for a couple months. Now that we are through the holiday season and it's too cold to spend lots of time outdoors I will be posting more regularly again. I haven't visited many of your blogs either, so I have lots of good reading to catch up on!

In the meantime, be sure to visit Birdfreak's Bird Photography Weekly #72 for more bird photos.

 

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It's Officially Winter Now - The Snowbirds Have Arrived

We all see and enjoy the beautiful fall colors and feel the relief of cooler air that fall brings. It's a short lived introduction to the season we all know arrives next. But to me, nothing introduces the winter season more than the arrival of the Dark-eyed Junco. In my house these birds were, and still are, referred to as "snowbirds". I guess they got this nickname for their knack of showing up just before the first snowfall - or in my area, the first cold spell.

I'm always excited to see my first Juncos of the season and this weekend was it! I spotted them foraging under my bird feeders.

Juncos are ground feeders that tend to stay together in small flocks. They vary in color across the country, but in general they’re dark gray or brownish birds. When they take flight, they can be easily identified by the two white stripes on their outer tail feathers.

In my own yard, I've noticed that these birds like to hang close to ground cover - like shrubs or small trees. These birds would benefit well by providing them with a homemade brush pile for winter protection. I'll post more about that later...

Have a great week everyone and be sure to check out more bird photography over at Birdfreak.com!

A Tribute to Berries - Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

When trees and other garden blooms begin to go dormant this time of year, other plants begin to peak in color. I try to be creative in my own garden and constantly work to add color throughout the year. One of my favorite ways to do this is with berries. Berries add an extra dimension to the garden. Berries of every color enhance the backdrop for the upcoming winter months; and as a bonus, they attract and provide food for many birds.

Winter holly has to top the list. This time of year they drop their leaves and leave a massive amount of red berries. This particular variety is 'Sparkleberry'.

I purchased several of these last fall, and as you can see, they are doing very well.

Another winter deciduous holly in my garden is 'Winter Gold'. These berries start out bright orange and slowly turn to yellow as the season progresses.

Next is my coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens). They are not normally known for their berries but it's hard not to notice. Coral honeysuckle berries begin to appear in late summer and serve as a juicy food source for birds and other wildlife.

Here's a new shrub (small tree) I planted this summer - Harlequin Glorybower (Clerodendron trichotomum). This large deciduous shrub offers a late-summer display of jasmine-like white flowers encased in red tepals . Bright blue berries in fall are accented by bright, pinkish-red calyxes.

Nandina 'compacta' is another heavy berry producer. These berries will be bright red by Thanksgiving. They're great to use in a holiday decorations.

This is a favorite in the landscape at the moment - 'Winter King Hawthorne' (Crataegus viridis). Winter king is a small deciduous tree that features white flowers in spring that turn reddish in fall. Small, crabapple-like fruits mature in fall to a bright red and persist throughout the winter, or until the birds get to them.

Last but not least is the American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). It's known for its vibrant purple berries that form in tight clusters up and down its branches. The one I have (below) has become a victim of bird food; but if you look closely you can see a few berries still holding on.

Now that I've covered the berries in my garden here's a few of the other blooms still around.

Coreopsis - I believe this is 'Moonbeam'. This is a very tough plant that re-seeds itself in my garden each year.

Russian Sage is another tough, drought tolerant plant.

Hyssop, 'Blue Fortune' - a favorite of the butterflies and bees.

A mix of Lantana - 'Miss Huff' and 'New Gold'. These provide long lasting blooms.

A few blooms still on my Kaleidoscope abelias.

Be sure to check out more flowers in bloom over at May Dreams Gardens blog - there's lots of good stuff to to see there!

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A Birding Trail Near You

I just love being outside this time of year. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, just being out and enjoying the fresh, cool fall air is all it that’s needed to help relax me after a long day at the office.

One of the things I enjoy this time of year, and hope to accomplish this fall, is visiting one of the areas birding trails. These trails offer opportunities for people to get out and find birds - or just take a leisurely hike. In my state (VA) alone, there are many trails to choose from. Some may require a little distant driving while others are more local. Many of the trails loop and connect with one another. Here’s a snapshot of my region:

Virginia Coastal trail map

I’m also excited about a new book I just ordered titled “Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail”. This book features detailed maps of the states trails and includes contact information and descriptions for each site. I’m sure each state offers a similar publication.

In the mean time, check out this four part series on birding trails put out on the web by Audubon Magazine. The series is broken up by region (West, South, East, and Midwest) and each guide outlines the top birding trails along with a little info about each, including who to contact for more information on each area. Each guide is written by Kenn Kaufman and can be downloaded (via .pdf) and saved or printed for reference.

Here is the East guide - click the thumbnail image to download the pdf:

Also, be sure to check out audubon.org/bird_trails for more up-to-date information on birding trails. This site is also broken up by region and state.

With thousands of stops and trails throughout the US, chances are there’s a birding trail near you. So grab your binoculars and get out there!

Reference: http://www.birdnote.org/birdnote.cfm?id=1671