Before A Storm?

And now, Birdchick.com presents:

SQUIRRELS ON ICE! I really don't know where I'm going with that. But there were quite a few squirrels sliding across the ice at Hyland Lake Park Reserve today.

Will there be a storm on Saturday? Since Wednesday, Twin Cities weather people have been warning about our first winter snow storm. The warnings have become more dire in the last few days. Even today the reports have been fluctuating. This morning the report was probably 2", maybe a slight chance of 5" of snow. Tonight, the storm watch has gone to storm warning with predicted amounts of snow being 5" to 9". What will it be? Not sure, when they over predict, we have very little. However, I'd love a good solid layer of snow. The goldfinch in the above photo seems to be wondering as much as I how much snow we will get.

I headed to Hyland to see what the bird activity was like at the bird feeders--a good indicator of what changes will come with the weather. This suet feeder in the above photo was in high demand. Above, you will note a downy woodpecker.

The downy was first chased away by a larger hairy woodpecker. That woodpecker was chased away by the above blue jay. But soon, that bird fled as well:

A gray squirrel took over the suet and would not let any creature--hairy, feathered or otherwise to get between eat and large chunks of animal fat. That's a sure sign that a storm is a comin'.

I spent the rest of the time getting strange photos of cardinals. This shot isn't so bad, the bird looks fairy normal...then he decides to show off his good side: Here you go, random cardinal butt. However, not to be out done:

A chickadee flew in to show off the junk in its trunk.

The female cardinal looks as though she doesn't approve of that.

Calling All Birders In The Western US

This morning, I drove Non Birding Bill into work (it was 6 degrees, I couldn't let him stand at a bus stop). After I dropped him off, we took a two mile walk among all the skyways around Minneapolis. I kept half an eye out for zooming peregrines in downtown, but didn't see any. On my way back home, I large dark bird burst from one of the neighborhoods and zipped in front of my car. Just as I thought to myself, "Wow, that's a shallow wing beat...is that a peregrine?" the bird descended upon a KMart parking lot inciting a cloud burst of pigeons into the air--so cool! It banked and you could see the clear silhouette of a peregrine--so weird to see that in front a KMart logo.

So, when I came back from my trip to Indiana, I was sifting bleary eyed through my email and regular commenter HellZiggy took some photos of birds of California and wondered if I could confirm the id. I glanced at them and saw that one of the photos was a gull. I felt like Indiana Jones when he was looking for the Arc and discovered it was in a pit surrounded by snakes. "Gulls, why did it have to be gulls." So, rather than me fumbling through and risking my poor gulling skills giving her incorrect info, I thought I would post the photos here--with my answers and those who live out west (or anywhere who can id these birds) can confirm or correct. Sound good? Here we go:

I'm saying double-crested cormorant on this one. That pouch under the bill looks like a double-crested.

I'm guessing western gull on this one, but really I'm not so sure on my gull id.

I'm guessing Anna's hummingbird, but I live in the land of one hummingbird species that is only here for six months. Hummer experts--care to help?

Ack! A shorebird, I'm still working on that, but I'll give it a go. Now, here is what is tough--there are no other shorebirds in the photo to compare it to as far as size and shape and it's not a video, so we can't use it's behavior to narrow the field. I'm guessing that this is either a western sandpiper or sanderling. So, if I'm going to pinned down, I'm going to guess sanderling because I'm not seeing a hind toe and sanderlings don't have a hind toe and westerns do. I tried doing a bill comparison, but honestly to my eyes, I just cannot see that much difference between a western's bill and a sanderling bill. I leave that to the shorebird experts out there.

So, what do you think these birds are?

2007 Birdchick Holiday Gift Guide

Gifts for birders. Gifts for bird watchers. Gifts for people interested in nature.

Well, it's that time of year when I round up interesting books and gift ideas for the bird person in your life. In the past, I have organized this into something along the lines of beginners, intermediate, hard-core, etc. But many of the items fall into more than one category. I'll make notations if something is especially right for a particular type of birder. For the record, I have not been asked or paid to endorse any of the products on the list, these are just items that are new or a little different from last year that I think are nifty. If there is something that you have found that is not on this list, feel free to add to it in the comments section (complete with link).

Socks

There was a post earlier this year about all my bird stuff that I have and socks were of particular interest. Two great companies to check out for fun bird socks are For Bare Feet and Wheelhouse Designs. Many of the designs can be found at your local wild bird specialty store, but if there isn't one in your area, you can try their websites.

Jewelry

Bamboo Jewelry make some great birds and other wildlife necklaces. Now, here is the weird part, it's called Bamboo Jewelry, but not of the items are made from bamboo...they just come in bamboo boxes. The make earrings, pendants, and necklaces of birds, butterflies, moths, koi (the koi really is spectacular), dragonflies, and other wildlife. Some of my favorites include the luna moth necklace, the mourning cloak necklace, and the puffins and pelicans. But really, it's all pretty cool.

Non Birding Bill just picked up a really cool bracelet for me from a Twin Cities store called Heavenly Soles by company called Hotcakes Design. He got the bright birds in the large bracelet, but the company makes some really cool necklaces and rings.

Books

BIRD: The Definitive Visual Guide--This is a large pictorial book from Audubon. It's not what I would call the end all be all of field guides, but for a general over view of the world species--it's not bad. It doesn't have every possible species, but if you're curious about what a honeycreeper looks like, you'll find it in this book. I would recommend this book for a beginner or intermediate birder or someone who is mildly interested in birds. I would even give this to a kid who has a growing interest in birds, the information is presented with lots of photos, and not in bites as opposed to overwhelming and boring text. I would not get this book for someone who is fanatical about birding or very hardcore into research. One puzzling thing...it features over 1000 species in the book and comes with an audio CD of about 60 birds. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to the CD, it's almost as if one of the editors discovered about 60 bird calls they didn't have to pay the rights to, so it's not clear how to use the CD with the book--but a minor criticism for an overall ok book.

Oology & Ralph's Talking Eggs by Carrol Henderson--This is a fun little book that starts with the author's visit to a neighbor's boarded up farmhouse that is full of old wildlife mounts and cabinets of eggs from around the world. It was an egg collection started in the early 1900s, back when it was legal and all the eggs were documented from what species and location they were collected. Henderson goes back to document and photograph the eggs and begins a study of oology (egg collecting) and how it figured into modern conservation and bird watching. Photos of eggs and early birding material, fascinating information along with an easy to read narrative makes this a great gift for any birder at any skill level. One of my favorite books of the year.

Of A Feather by Scott Weidensaul--Along the lines of Henderson's book we have a brief history of bird watching in North America from the days when birds were observed when they were properly shot to now with listing and big years almost the norm for a North American birder. If you wonder who was the Bendire behind Bendire's thrasher was or funny story about the first time Jeff Bouton met Roger Tory Peterson (or see a photo of Kenn Kaufman looking like an uber-hippy), this is it. Weidensaul books are always high on my list to read and this one does not disappoint. This is another book with an easy to read writing style and I would recommend it for beginner, intermediate, or hardcore birder.

National Geographic Birding Essentials--When I first saw this book, I thought, "Oh please, do we really need another book to tell someone how to watch birds?" In the past, they had been text heavy, poorly illustrated, and boring. I gotta say, this one isn't bad at all. First, they use photos to point out things like primaries and secondaries (if you read that and though "Huh?" you need this book). It's an easy to read structure and format. It covers most topics that someone new to birding might have and be too afraid to ask on a listserv or a field trip leader. I would give this to a beginner, even kids and possibly an intermediate birder. I would also give this as a gag gift to a hardcore birder, just for pure amusement to watch their face contort in consternation when they unwrap it.

Gadgets

birdJam has some fun new stuff going on, even if you already have it on your iPod. birdJam is software for your iPod that organizes your Stokes bird call CDs. If you already have it, do keep in mind that there have been some upgrades in the last year. They've added photos and new playlists which should be free if you've already purchased the software for your iPod--I discovered in November that I didn't pay attention to the updates and was missing out on some fun playlists an photo. Also, birdJam now supports—on Windows—the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's "Bird Songs of Southeastern Arizona and Sonora, Mexico" and there are plans to add Costa Rica and Ecuador soon.

Subscriptions and Memberships

There are so many bird clubs and publications out there, that I for one just cannot keep up. Someone was on my case the other day about letting a membership lapse and I mentioned all the memberships I have and how it adds up:

Minnesota Ornithologists' Union: $25
American Birding Association: $45
Cornell Lab Of Ornithology: $35
WildBird Magazine: $12.99
Bird Watcher's Digest: $19.99
Birder's World: $26.95

That's $164.93! And this really is just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many other obscure birding publications that I like to get that it can easily get past $200 a year (and this doesn't include my non bird related reading--Cosmo Quiz anyone?). I would totally love it, if someone paid a subscription or membership for a year. So consider the memberships above for the birder in your life--even if you suspect they may already get that publication, getting a bonus year is always a great thing.

Another great membership is Birds of North America Online--this is so much for a bird enthusiast of any age--so long as they can read and surf the net. It's an online account of every species in North America. Each species is written by the expert in that field and because the information is online, new and updated data is added regularly. Got a question about black-capped chickadee egg incubation--check BNA. You can sign someone up for a yearly membership or just for a few months. It's an in depth online field guide with photo, audio, and in some cases video. A fantastic resource!

And there is also the idea of getting someone a Duck Stamp (aka Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps). The money from purchase of the stamps is used to acquire habitat for waterfowl but that benefits many species of birds including warblers, sparrows, herons, grebes, and shorebirds.

Bird Feeding

I figured it was a matter of time until someone had it and sure enough, Duncraft is offering a Seed by the Month Subscription...the gift that keeps on giving!

Squirrel-Off is offering a solar powered squirrel zapping bird feeder. It gives a mild shock to squirrels, but does not bother the birds. We've had one hanging out at Carpenter Nature Center, the birds love it and the squirrels have been properly zapped.

Toys

A 17" latex vulture...maybe I'm the only one who wants this...there's also a 9" latex penguin.

What else are people seeing out there?

Birds and Beers

Holy Crap!

Thanks to some alert readers who emailed me a reminder (can you tell by the entries so far that I'm cleaning out my email box?) that this Thursday, November 29 at 6pm is Birds and Beers at Merlin's Rest!

Anyone interested in birds is welcome to attend--from the hard core to the beginner to everyone in between. If you want to meet some people, talk some birds and have a beverage or two, this it the place for you. Hope you can come! This Saturday is the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union Paper Session (aka annual gathering)--we can talk about that! Speaking of that, I'll be giving a presentation on Techno Birding--how technology is working it's way into the average birder's life. I have to say, I'm really honored to be giving a presentation there, something that I've always wanted to do. Plus it's always fun to catch up with Minnesota birders and to take advantage of the annual book sale--what old book or publication will I find this time?

Goose Games? What The Duck? Imprinted Birds

Sigh. So, I haven't been filling my feeders because of some mice that are trying to share our humble little one bedroom apartment. We've trapped them (I think there is one free roaming mouse left) but with the single digit temperatures this morning, I just had to fill the bird feeders. I wasn't expecting much, the feeders have been empty well over a month, so I was expecting the bird activity to take a few days to resume. Oh no, within ten minutes a blue jay showed up--setting off our dear little cockatiel alarm system. Yes, screechy bird, I hear you, I am now very well aware that there is a blue jay outside.

So, imprinted birds seems to be a theme in my email inbox. My friend Amy sent this question along with a link to some photos:

Today there was a duck (female I think) hanging out by the entrance to our building. She would huddle next to the door and would let people in and out but by all appearances it looked as if she wanted in. She ended up finally flying away at sunset but was at the doorway all day. Any ideas why a duck would do this? I took some photos here.

I think this bird is imprinted on humans. People will get duck and goose chicks from game farms (or find them in the wild when they have been separated from their family group) and raise them and release them. The problem is that when the birds are young, they imprint on what they see leading them around providing them food. They look at that and process, "Okay, this creature must be what I am, so I will use it as a guide to find food, a mate, safety, etc." When people release the birds in the wild, the ducks and geese will have a "Holy Crap" moment. The flock is gone, how will they find food and safety so they seek out what they think will be food and safety--other humans. The other problem is that, people don't train ducks and geese what are predators. They don't have a good idea about foxes, coyotes, mink, raptors so they are very vulnerable to predators. I think Amy's duck was trying to get inside the building looking for food and warmth.

I don't begrudge people wanting game farm chicks (look at those cute little goslings above--how could you resist that?), if those birds are going to live out their life on that person's property--that's great. But I am not a fan of schools and families raising waterfowl for release in the wild. I just don't think those birds have all the tools they need for survival.

If you would like to watch a narrated slide show (worth it for the very thick Minnesota accent heard in the narration) about a family who raised some Canada geese from a game farm and now play "goose games" with their Lincoln Town Car, then check out this link from the Minneapolis Star Tribune Pursuit of Happiness Series.

Completely Unrelated

We just got back into town last night. When we arrived in Minnesota, it was about 30 degrees. A very pleasant temperature to ease us into winter. This morning I woke up and the radio weather guy said that the high today was 21 degrees...the current temperature being 3 degrees with a windchill of -12 degrees. Yikes! No, I'm not ready, that's January weather...

So, here are some odds and ends to make you smile: Here's an artist who takes found objects and turns them into arty vingettes. Here's Bye Bye Birdie and Scissor Bird. The non bird related stuff is very worthwhile, and you can find more at Bent Objects. I think my favorite is Ending a Dysfunctional Relationship.

Holy Crap, someone made a coot look cute over at CuteOverload. Who knew?

Those reading the blog with kids, may want to check this next link alone first, so you can prepare yourself for some 'splainin' to do. All I can say is that this is bird news from my buddy Olga.

More Odds and Ends

I keep trying to get photos of my mom's Carolina wrens but they are not cooperating...she does have goldfinches that pose endlessly.

So, while checking my bird news this morning, I came across an article about Geobirds. I had been kind of aware of it but haven't checked it, but the article got my attention with: "Geobirds (www.geobirds.com) is a multifaceted site -- part Facebook for bird nerds, part electronic field guide -- that promises to take birdwatching into cyberspace." I was intrigued by the Facebook part (not so much the bird nerd part--so tired of that moniker) but alas I don't appear to be able to do fun things like become different animals and battle friends, send growing gifts, or take quizzes. One feature the site has is a brush and color wheel so if you see a bird you can't id, you can try and figure it out. I tried to do it with the bird in the above photo, and it did come up with goldfinch but only confirmed it with a male in adult plumage.

Cinnamon's tv appearance went well, although here is a photo of Cinnamon disapproving of the morning show producer, Becky. As you can see, the producer took it hard.

Speaking of Cinnamon, Mom's cats have decided to seek out shelter under the guest bed until the reign of terror that is my rabbit leaves the area.