Deadly Beauty

A bird feather, stuck to our living room window.

A pretty little thing, I wonder what species?

And in the lower left of the image, the imprint of more bird feathers. 

I think it makes for a pleasing image.

But the cost. A bird smashed into the window with enough force to leave a feather and the imprint. Anyone who has ever walked into a glass door (I have) will have some little understanding of what it is like. But for a bird flying full speed, it can be fatal.

We've taken a number of steps to minimize such collisions. The vertical line to the right of the feather is one of several hanging cords, which serve to deter the birds. We have a few stickers on the window as well. The feeders are all ten plus feet away, giving the birds time to course correct when they detect the window. 

But many birds feed  on the ground, and when spooked they see a reflection of trees in the window, and fly at full speed into the glass. 

It has been a while since I've found a dead bird below one of our windows. Perhaps the measures we've taken are working. Or perhaps the birds fly off, only to succumb to injuries out of sight. Or maybe the hawk that spooked them picks them from the ground. 

I like to think (hope?) that the birds are ok. And at worst just a bit stunned. As a kid, whenever a cartoon character would get hit in the head, little birds would circle said head, before recovery. Perhaps the birds see little humans circling their heads, before they recover.

And Then There Were None

Well, technically one.

This one:

A Cooper's Hawk.

It showed up, and all the other birds disappeared.

🦅  🦅  🦅  🦅  🦅

Thanks to Sandra Keller for confirming my ID.

Hail

I noted the cloud build up in the Thompson-Wright Revisited post. 

I'm happy to report we made it home before the assault commenced.

While at the Preserve I received an alert that severe thunderstorms were on the way.

And so they were.

The report from my weather station. Extreme.

The leaves in the image are about a half inch wide at their widest.

This went on for a good ten minutes.

Image courtesy Patty Rehn

Crazy.

This was the most significant hail storm I've witnessed. And the wort I hope hits our place. I can't image what a storm with golf ball sized hail would be like.

Although the weather geek in me thinks it would be cool to see. As long as it was somewhere else, and not here.

Head Banger

This past Sunday we had friends over, and while we were all sitting in the dining room Patty remarked, "What's that banging?" It was coming from the living room, where our two cats were, unknown to us at the time, somewhat bemused by this guy:

A male Wild Turkey. 

It sees its reflection in the window.

And considers it a rival. One that won't back down!

And thus the standoff. With banging.

This fellow was the "Head Banger" of the post's tile, as you can see by clicking here.

Fortunately, the window held.

Sparrow Season

As the last warblers head south the sparrows takeover, marking the start of Sparrow Season.

The first two were recently featured in the blog as harbingers of winter.

The Dark-eyed Juncos have now arrived in numbers.

While White-throated Sparrow numbers continue to increase.

There are two (at least) sparrows in the above image. Another of the aforementioned White-throated Sparrows.

Along with a female Eastern Towhee. Just look how well camouflaged this bird is (it was Patty who pointed this out). A local breeder, rarely seen in the yard, it is a short distance migrant wintering as far north as Delaware.

Chipping Sparrows are also local breeders. But unlike the Towhees, these are often seen in the yard.

Frequently in family groups. Also short distance migrants, although Florida is the northern most wintering ground.

Song Sparrows are year round residents, (as are the Tufted Titmice). 

Another year round resident, Swamp Sparrows are regular if uncommon yard visitors. Although perhaps not as rare as I think, but as they don't often come to the feeder area and are seen mostly in the back of the yard, it may be that we just don't notice them. 

These are six of the eight species of sparrows we've had in the yard. The other two are the American Tree Sparrow, rare, and the Fox Sparrow, an annual winter visitor. 

And if they show up, I'll let you know.

Brown Creeper

The other morning I spotted four species of woodpecker in the yard before I started my workday.

But the text I sent to Patty read, "Brown Creeper on the peanut butter tree."

Followed by a text with this image:

To which she astutely replied, "that's not a Brown Creeper."

And not it is not.

This is:

On the aforementioned peanut butter tree, taken a couple days later.

When I first spotted the Creeper I went to get the camera. But the Creeper had creeped away. 

And then the Pileated Woodpecker landed on the tree a dozen feet to the right. And there I was all dressed up and ready to go so to speak. So I swung the camera on the tripod and fired away.

Sometimes you get lucky. And thus started the four woodpecker morning.

Woodpeckers

Recall that last Christmas Eve one of our Weeping Willow trees fell over. And we 'planted' some of the branches and stumps. And then we raised the main trunk.

We did this hoping it would be attractive to wildlife, especially woodpeckers.

And one day this week ...

First up was a Northern Flicker.

Then a Downy Woodpecker.

And a Red-bellied Woodpecker on the 'slingshot'.

And then a Pileated Woodpecker on the other side of the slingshot.

And finally another Pileated Woodpecker on the main Willow Tree stump.

I was hoping for the other two woodpeckers we've had in the yard, Hairy Woodpecker (common) and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (rare), and dreaming of a Red-headed Woodpecker (nearby). But it was not to be. 

Still, a four woodpecker day is a good day. Even more so when they're seen from the comfort of my living room, while working from home.

Life is good.

Winter is Coming

One of the reasons for the Warbler Show is that the birds are migrating. And luckily for us, and you dear readers, is that migration goes through our yard.

The Warblers are heading for points south, some going as far as South America.

Other birds, like the two shown here, also migrate. And in this case our yard is the final destination. 

Patty spotted this species, White-throated Sparrow, in the yard a couple of days before I spotted them. This is one of the first I saw and I saw five that day.

I was the first to spot the return of the Dark-eyed Juncos. So far, I've only seen one at any one time. But it's just a matter of time until the rest of the flock arrives.

The arrival of these two species is a sure harbinger of winter. 

And given that we had to turn the heat on this week, with overnight temps dipping in the the thirties Fahrenheit, it seems winter is here.

They're Back

Speaking of migration, every year around this time these critters appear in the yard, stay for a few weeks, and then are gone.

I don't know where they migrate from, nor where they migrate to.

But they are here. And it is another sign the winter is coming.

The Warbler Show

The final episode this season?

Maybe.

Starring a Pine Warbler.

I've still got images to go through, so there may be more Warbler Shows to come ... 

The Not a Warbler Show

My Mom hates squirrels.

I wonder how the birds feel.

🐿  🐿  🐿  🐿  🐿

In my younger days, growing up, a squirrel or squirrels, chewed through the fuel line of my Mom's car while it was parked in the driveway. Dad's car, parked right next to it, was left untouched. And then, when my parents were redoing the kitchen, squirrels had nested in the attic. This in itself was a bad thing (talk radio blasted from a boom box got them to leave, but the damage was done). And one day, when the walls had been removed from the kitchen, a squirrel came crashing down from the attic, onto the kitchen counter, just as my Grandmother was making her breakfast. The resulting commotion, and screams, ensured everyone else was awake that morning.

The squirrel wasn't all that happy either.

Kersplash!

On the same day that this happened, this happened:

Incoming!

Splash!

And then, a bit of a splashing competition ...

Lots of action at the bird bath.

Yeehaw!

Drama at the bird bath. A Northern Parula and an American Redstart.

I'll just let the pictures tell the story.

Yeah, I don't know what went on here.