What was your spark bird?!

"Spark Bird" being - The bird that helped spark your interest in birding. It helped open your eyes to the incredible beauty

I listened to a This American Life podcast: "📻Spark Bird Stories – about birds and the hearts they sway, the havoc they wreak, the lives they change." 

The expert they interviewed, Noah Strycker, was amazing. He and Ira Glass were out in the field and Strycker identified a Steller's Jay imitating a red-tailed hawk. I knew that blue jays imitate them, as I've heard them. I didn't know why. His theory is that they like to terrorize the chickadees!

Blue jay

It's an interesting podcast for amateur birders, like me. He spotted a crow, focused the parabolic listening device on it, and found it was humming to itself. It was a fascinating story, explaining that turkey vultures were his spark bird. He brought home a deer carcass to put in his backyard and watch them. (Sound familiar? Life includes death in the rural cycle of life: deer carcass & The circle of life. )

We had 13 mourning doves under or near the feeder. Dec. 18th is our Christmas Count, here. JB asked the collective noun for doves.

"There are a number of collective nouns for any group of doves. They include cote, dole, dule, bevy, flight, and piteousness. For the Mourning Dove specifically, I would offer lament as a collective noun because of its sad song, sung over and over and over again."

I don't think I have a spark bird. I just like every bird that shows up!

Winter birds

Project Feeder Watch

It was supposed to be the great big birdwatcher challenge over the long weekend. (Monday is Family Day in some provinces.)

I'm seeing mostly the same early winter birds.

I submitted my regular bird sightings (see the screen capture). It seems as if the late winter birds haven't shown up. (Cardinals, evening grosbeaks, and the like.)

We haven't any cardinals, yet. Nor evening grosbeaks.
I've heard the pileated woodpecker a lot.

We've gone on snowy owl photography trips. These are real winter bird treats. I can't stand them anymore, though. There are too many unethical birders at the spots where the snowies hang out.

The barred owl has been in the forest, I found some owl pellets, but haven't seen it.

One year we had a flock of robins overwinter.

Feb. 14, 2016

We were off to the auction house Friday, the 14th with the girls.

This was so fast, and you can't really see them, but there was a flock of snow buntings beside the highway. They rose up en masse. I guess you'll have to trust me. It was quite exciting!

snow buntings from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

I've only photographed one snow bunting, who seemed to have lost its flock.



I've mapped the location, as I've passed by and have seen a flock along here before. Maybe I need to do a field trip!

Winter birds mosaic

Mosaic Monday #9 - December Delights

How do birds make it through winter?

It has been a mild-ish January. February has been 'shock and awe.' I was not surprised to see our Robin in January. I think this is the same little one that hung around last year. Many people pose the question. It truly depends upon where you are, if there are fruits on the trees, such as crabapples, hawthorn, holly, juniper and sumac.

How do birds make it through winters?

1. Some migrate, of course. Those are the birds who eat only insects. 

   

   Feb. 14, 2016

2. They congregate in flocks in winter, except for our fat dude (right)! They are more able to evade predators when there are more birds to keep watch. Our hawks are as hungry as our other birds!
3. They eat to feed their metabolism, it keeps them warm. They shiver, just like mammals. 
4. They rest, after eating, and puff up their downy feathers for insulation.
5. They preen, since wet feathers conducts the cold, they put an oily substance on their feathers to keep out the moisture.
6. Birds are smart enough to stay out of the cold winds. They sit in the sun, out of the wind.
7. They can find a cavity in which to hold up.
8. They sleep standing on one foot, tucking the other up under their downy feathers.
9. They save energy. They refrain from refrains  ♫♬ .  They don't sing as much, or defend territories, or build nests. I noticed, in a strange sudden melt in January, that the birds were singing.
10. They also have special physiological make-ups, like duck feet.

I commented on how it looks so cold seeing the mallards sitting on the ice, and my geek son-in-law (who knew?) told me that they have specially designed feet and legs to keep them warm.

The veins and arteries exchange heat. The venous blood, as it returns from the feet, is heated by the arterial blood flowing south. Unlike humans, who lose heat from our extremities and can suffer frostbite (lack of circulation in face, feet and hands) the duck's feet do not lose heat and their core temperatures are not affected by cold feet.

Is it unusual to see American Robins in the middle of winter? | All About Birds

Over the past 10 years, robins have been reported in January in every U.S. state, except Hawaii, (see map) and in all of the southern provinces of Canada.

My blog buddies in more northerly and western province will attest to their presence or absence. There are pockets.

The birdbath has been quite fun. The mourning dove didn't get the memo. It had its tail in the water!
On a wetland walk, I spotted my hawk. He didn't like my eagle-eye on him!

Winter birds: they make the cold, white snow dance with colour

Cardinal

Mourning dove

Red-tailed hawk

American crow

Pileated woodpeck

Red poll

Junco

Wild turkey

Downy or hairy woodpecker

Chickadee

American sparrow

Goldfinch in winter colours

Ubiquitous Blue jay

Grouse

American robin - in snow

Cardinal

White-breasted nuthatch

Goldfinch

American sparrow

Eagle

Barred owl: Who cooks for you?

Pileated woodpecker

Purple finch

Downy or hairy woodpecker