January laziness and weird weather

Ok, so yesterday it was in the 60s and I conked out in the porch swing in the backyard while our bunnies were romping, my daughter digging in the dirt and birds were flying all around.  My daughter and I had gone to the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop here in Augusta, and we picked up two bags of shelled peanuts.  When we came home we filled the wire mesh feeders alternating with peanuts, soft yellow raisins and dark raisins, and more peanuts.  Within an hour of our putting out the feeders, a Tufted Titmouse showed up.  But, I didn't have my camera ready and he was so fast, my daughter couldn't get to the telescope quickly enough.  It was a good sign, though!  Thinking it's time to go back to Silver Bluff, S.C. for a walk soon...

Silver Bluff Audubon is quietly beautiful.

This Egret was so beautiful as he flew into the tree next to our picnic spot!

Last time we were at Phinizy Swamp Nature Preserve we saw some wonderful wildlife, if the weather stays this warm, we might end up there after school this week, too.  Oh, and, I also signed us up for the Great Backyard Bird Count and the kids and I are excited to get the materials in the mail to participate in the national survey of birds!  My son is excited that we can contribute from the C.S.R.A., which seems a bit underrepresented on the national map.

What a superb birdwatching day!

Who is it? A Warbler?  I see the yellow spot and the white wing bars, but I just don't know...

Ok, awesome birds, but many of them I cannot positively identify.  So, after the kids and I pouring through the Birds of Georgia Field Guide by Stan Tekiela, we are stumped on the following.  So, send your comments and help if you can!!!

As soon as we saw it we raced to catch our bunnies!

Vulture or Hawk???

Woodpecker chillin' after having a bit of suet.

So, we are really enjoying our backyard experience this winter.  But, with the temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s the last few days, you can hardly call it winter.  We've had the windows open at night for fresh air!
But, the birds are happy, the squirrels are fighting, the bunnies are romping, so it seems like Spring.  I worry, though, about a remaining chance for a winter blast in February that might shock all of this.  The daffodils have already sprouted and I've seen buds on the trees.

The first time seeing the mockingbird going for the suet!

Caught with a seed in its mouth!

Mourning Dove outside the diningroom window.

This silly Mourning Dove apparently did not like all the Nyger seed I mixed into the birdseed.  So he/she flicked out almost all of the seed in the process of finding all the tasty tidbits.  It was funny for the kids and I and made us all giggle because it almost sounded like rain with all the seed flying down to a plastic tarp below.  Silly, lazy, bird!

Angry squirrel waiting for me to move so he can steal seed & suet.

House finch male, taking a drink.

Love the male woodpecker's red head!

So, again, let me know if you can identify this little guy with the yellow streaks!

Low energy day, so I hung out with the birds.

Is this a Kinglet?  He's been flitting around with an identical friend at the suet feeder.

 

I have no idea how I was able to catch this photo, but I love the determination and direction of flight!

So, the kids are at school, my husband is at work.  I'm home with the bunnies, squirrels, and birds.  Not a bad morning for me, huh?  Just what I needed on this particular day.  So, here are the results of a little quiet time in the back yard.

Mama cardinal and black oil sunflower seed.

The last couple days, we've had anywhere from 6 to 10 cardinals, male and female, in the backyard.  I had no idea we had so many pairs in the area.  We hear the little "peep peep" sounds all the time now.

Male cardinal eating safflower.

Two female cardinals and a Carolina Chickadee in the middle.

I'm happy the chickadee has come back.  My son was sad when he went away for a while.  He's very cautious and won't feed if we are too close and he's the first one to fly when squirrels or too many birds come around.

Fat fat fat, but very cute cute cute!

 

I had to think of some way to prevent the squirrels from eating the black oil sunflower seed.  As much as I worried about spending $20 on a new feeder, I thought it would be the better bargain in the long run instead of letting the squirrels eat and dump bags of seed on the ground.  The cardinals took more than a day before they ventured close. So, I was surprised the shy chickadee gave it a try so quickly.

Chickadee trying out the new "squirrel-proof" feeder.

Female Towhee, the first time she has shown herself!

I'm so thrilled that yesterday the kids and I saw both Towhees yesterday and I was able to capture some photos today, even if not the best quality images.  They are so shy and stayed on the fence edge for a half hour before venturing down to the shrubbery.

Birds of Paradise--Or Wacky Space Alien Dance?

The kids and I watched this video on PBS and laughed so hard we got the hick-ups. Enjoy!

Bird of Paradise Mating Dance--New Guinea

We laughed and laughed!

Just saw this on Diane Sawyer's evening news.  

The kids and I got a kick out of this so click on the link below!

Sledding Crow

Wishing for a warmer clime

Pacific Coast, Costa Rica 2010

Ok, so Spring semester classes have started and temperatures have dropped to the '20s Fahrenheit.  I'm super busy and it's too cold to sit in the back yard for much birding.  Sorry folks, but I most likely will hold off on blogging for a month until classes settle down or some awesome bird emerges.  


But, I'll leave you with this unknown (to me) little guy who flew into our hotel lounge area by the pool and just chilled out with his cool hair-do.  Missing Central America something fierce right now.

Thinking global thoughts

I was thinking today about how interesting it is that birds are birds all over the world.  Growing up in New England, as a kid one of the highlights of Boston Commons was feeding the pigeons.  Breadcrumbs in hand and knobby knees, seemingly thousands would flocks in and the wind would be astounding and slightly frightening and fun at the same time. 
I took this photo above in 2004 in Zona 1, Guatemala City.  And, there, in Central America, what do we find?  Pigeons, of course!  And, kids who love to feed them : )

Sudani Love Birds

My son says, "Is that really what they're called?" My response, "I have no idea what they're called."  But, they are cute and my husband took the photo near the Blue Nile River in Sudan in 2008.

These guys might look familiar, but hard to believe they are on the other side of the world!

I know, they're chickens, not wild birds!  But, they are SUDANESE chickens!

More local fowl, just chillin'.

Grackle Party

Seems as though we are watching a whole new group of birds lately.  The weather is changing minute by minute--2 days 18 to 22 degrees F in the morning, then days where we go to bed at night and it is still in the 50s and up to 70 during the day.  Crazy weather makes for crazy birds, we think.

First there was one creepy grackle handing on the feeder...

Then there were more, and then there were even more!

Then the Tow-hee decided to take a bath in the dirty sandbox water...

And, then Willow, my son's Polish bunny, decided to just hang out with the birds!

Wishing for blue skies and Central American climes

I think all parrots should have heart-shaped nest holes!

I saw this little guy from the boat in 2010 in Tortuguero, in Limon Province of the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica.
 

Tiger Heron

Well, this was also Tortuguero, and across the canal from where we were staying.  It was apparent that this was a "pet" Tiger Heron.  He had his little cup of food that the woman on the right had just fed him and he was comfortable enough to hang around.  What a great wild pet!

It's Friday and we want a new song!

Cedar Waxwing

My youngest is still very upset and sniffly about this beautiful bird.  I have no idea what happened to him.  I checked him over, nothing appears to be broken and not a feather out of place.  My only thought was maybe he got confused by the screen that covers half out gazebo and ran into something.  My daughter is convinced it is because people did not leave out enough fruit or food for him.

Look at his underside.  We loved the red waxy wing tips above and the splash of yellow, but the underside is so delicate and the feathers swirl together in a very neat way on his belly with a mellow hue.  And, of course, we love the face mask.  Get ready for the shoe box burial in the garden, next to the bird that got caught by the neighbor's cat and the bunny that was paralyzed by a hawk attack.  Sigh.  



For now, we are listening intently for the Sree Sree sound of the Cedar Waxwings in hope of seeing one in the tree or at the platform feeder with fruit now that we know they are around us.

A sad sad sad backyard day

Cleaning the backyard gazebo this afternoon and underneath the little plastic side table was a dead bird.  I knew as soon as I saw it who it was.  I called the kids and asked my son to get the bird book.  And, I was right.  It was a Cedar Waxwing.  We had never seen one before, and this guy had obviously just died very recently.  He was still warm and his head still moveable.  And, he was stunningly beautiful.  My daughter cried and cried.  She wanted him to come alive.  We each held him and marveled at his beautiful red tipped wings and his yellow ending tail feathers and his beautiful black mask.  What a perfect little bird.  I only wish he could have been stunned or faking and popped up in my daughters hands, but alas...He'll have a burial tomorrow in the garden in a shoebox.  To brighten the sadness, I'll post some of this little yellow visitor that I have not completely identified.

So who is this little guy?  Is he a Warbler?

Blustery start to New Year's Day 2012

The kids and I had great fun with the telescope and birding this afternoon.  Temperatures were in the 60s and the wind was blowing, but we had a very full backyard of birds.  We saw too many to count, but here are a few old friends and newcomers:

Saw the Thrasher a couple times in our front bushes today, too.

Mourning Dove buddies catching what the squirrels dumped.

New to us...a Redwinged Blackbird.  Especially poignant considering the deaths recently...

Always love having woodpeckers in the yard, anytime!

Identification help, please!  He darted in and out so fast, I could not get a clear view or shot of this sparrow-sized friend.

Again, not a great photo, but he was at the suet feeder this morning!  Who is it?

 

 

The little slate blue guy is on the right...apparently friendly with the finches, too!