Spring Through The Lens

Happy Sunday friends! Spring in the Willamette Valley is now in full force. I've been watching the birds and the bees from my kitchen window and while weeding in the garden.

The Mourning Doves visit our backyard often each day to feed and rest but can only be observed from a distance. They do not like to be anywhere near people, so I stay inside the house, camera in hand. They are very keen to any movement or sudden noise and will fly away in an instant so patiently moving slowly towards the window is key. It's always such a joy when I can capture a few frames.

The Chickadees came around for a few days. Such tiny little creatures, flitting to and fro looking for food. I observed them eating the peanuts we put out for the squirrels. This one kept coming up to the sliding door area, grabbing a peanut and flying a few feet away to the blueberry bushes to eat it. They move so fast, I'm amazed I was able to capture this one!

Speaking of squirrels, they are the old stand-by around here. No matter the season or the weather we are assured of a visit. This particular squirrel has taken to sitting in the bird box our son Tayo made when he was a kid. The box faces the window in the kitchen that is above the sink area, so it's a very 'eye to eye' view for both the squirrel and us!

And with Spring in full force, it's great to see the bees out again.

This one was buzzing around the muscari in my garden. If you look closely you can see the pollen it has collected thus far in its sac. Sitting on a low stool allowed me to get my camera lens quite close. It's okay, they are completely focused on collecting pollen and will pay you no mind!

April has been an exciting month for observing nature in my backyard. I'm looking forward to what May will bring. Oh, and don't forget, next month is No Mow May!

 
 

Flattening the Curve, Day 14

Well friends, today marks two weeks since I last worked my job and in some ways that time frame feels like an eternity and everyday since has been a ball of confusion.

Sound familiar?

Since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic appeared in the US it feels as if we are spinning through time and space with not much of anything to hold onto - not knowing where we are going or when we will get there. There are so many people hurting right now, across the USA and across the world.

So I find myself coming here to the blog so that I can share something about life that has some familiarity.

For instance, as I was looking out onto my backyard garden yesterday morning, I saw a European Starling flying along and then land in our maple tree. It had a rather large piece of plant material in its beak. I watched it take flight again and head towards the neighbors attic crawl space. It was not successful in its attempt to get itself into the space and flew right back into the tree and landed on the exact same branch it had started from. I watched it make another attempt, which was successful. So of course what I witnessed was the beginnings of nest building season.

And as I was thinking about that Starling again today, I remembered our experience with a baby Blue Jay last spring...

Jim had gone into town on an errand and when he returned he noticed a small little puffy ball of grey-blue at the top of the driveway. It was nestled in a corner next to the garage door. As he got closer and inspected it, he realized that it was a baby Blue Jay. It looked right back at him and chirped.

Jim came into the house to let me know he found a baby bird and we grabbed a plastic container and scooped the baby up and brought it into the backyard. We quickly created a makeshift shelter from a box and then wondered what the heck we should do.

I called the local Wild Birds Unlimited shop and they gave me the phone number for the helpline at the Chintimini Wildlife Center. Friends, it turns out that if you find a baby bird you should leave it be. The woman I spoke with at Chintimini explained that even though it may not have been obvious, the baby Blue Jay's parents are there and they are watching over it and that there is no need to be alarmed. She encourage me to put the baby back where we found it.

So I scooped the baby Blue Jay back into the plastic container and proceeded to head back to where we initially found the bird. Suddenly there was an uproarious cacophony of Blue Jay squawks coming from above. As you might have guessed, it was the parents and they were quite upset at us! My Birds of the Willamette Valley Region book describes their calls as a harsh, high-pitched, rising sheeeenk. They were definitely upset.

And the biggest surprise of all is that as I was walking and looking up at the displeased parents, I suddenly realized that straight ahead of me, near an arborvitae branch that was growing very low to the ground, was another baby Blue Jay!

So I placed the baby we had picked up with the second baby and left the parents to do their job.

Over the next week or two, I checked on those two babies several times. Sometimes they were there and sometimes they weren't. I learned that the parents move their babies from place to place in order to keep them safe.

So unless you absolutely know a baby bird is abandoned, please leave it be.

Take care family and friends - take good care in these uncertain times. 

Willamette Valley Backyard Birds: Red-Breasted Sapsucker, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Mourning Dove, American Robin, House Finch, Downy Woodpecker, Cassin's Vireo & Oregon Junco

Hello friends - Happy Spring! I'm very glad to be back on the blog and excited to share with you some images of the birds that we have had the pleasure of watching in our backyard here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

I am still learning how to use my new (second hand) Lumix GH2 camera. With its 45-200mm telephoto lens it is by far the best camera I have ever had for photographing from a distance. For years I longed for a camera that could be used for bird photography and the GH2 came with not only the standard 14-42mm lens, but also the telephoto lens mentioned. It was within my budget and I am very happy to have it.

Already this new year has brought a surprising variety of birds to our small humble backyard garden. There have always been, and continues to be, the usual sparrows, blue jays and starlings. But so far, this year has been different. There have been a few new species. For instance, our latest visiter, this Red-Breasted Sapsucker, (a kind of Woodpecker) flew into our yard just this past weekend. It went straight to Jim's maple tree and set about vigorously eating insects and/or drinking sap. It only stayed a short while and then was gone. How lucky we were to see this!

Also surprising was this pair of Eurasian Collared-Doves. They started arriving in our garden in early March and soon were visiting 2-3 times every day. At first they were a bit shy and would only perch on our privacy fence for a short period and then leave. But over the course of a few weeks their visits became longer and they began to feed. It's so cute how they seem to enjoy each other's company. They stay in close proximity to one another and spend quite a bit of time pruning.

My bird book says their diet is almost exclusively from seeds on the ground. I suspect the reason they came to visit in the first place is because we always have seed strewn all around the yard. Also, there are lots of sparrows, juncos and towhees that come here to feed and the doves seemed comfortable joining in and eating alongside them.

It's hard to say if the two we saw were the same pair every time, but it was a very unusual (and welcomed) visit!

Then, just as I was feeling sad that the Eurasian Collared-Doves were already moving on, there was another astonishing bird watching moment. Another kind of dove arrived! This is the Mourning Dove.

The Mourning Dove is a bit smaller and more slender than the Eurasian Collared-Dove. It has a pointed tail and black spots on its wings, whereas the Collared-Dove has a blunt tail and a black collar on the nape. Like the Collared-Dove, they are also seed eaters.

Such a pretty blue color around its eye and on its beak, don't you agree?

We experienced some other new (to us) bird sightings in the later part of the winter also. For example, in the past we had sighted American Robins in the neighborhood but never had the pleasure of any of them visiting our backyard garden. But this year they did!

I think the Robins may have finally discovered our holly trees with their abundance of berries. They seemed to eat a lot of them. It was fun to watch them pick the berries off the stems and with one gulp - gone!

I discovered that Robins like to travel from place to place in a group, but while they are foraging and resting each keeps a bit of distance from the others.

Robins are also extremely adept hunters. They are remarkably good at standing perfectly still while they scout for worms and insects. And when they see one, they pounce!

Theirs was another short (maybe 2 weeks?) but oh so enjoyable visit.

Like the Red-Breasted Sapsucker, this House Finch came and went rather quickly. My bird book says they are regulars at sunflower feeders and this one is (hopefully) enjoying just that.

And lastly, here are a few images of our regular, year round visitors. First is the Downy Woodpecker. The Downy loves suet cake, although they also eat insects, fruits and seeds. It appears to forage alone, as we always have just one visiting at a time. 

This Cassin's Vireo, also called the Solitary Vireo is one of the smallest birds we've had visit our backyard. They are only about 5-1/2" in size. They also forage alone, although we often see the Vireo amongst the sparrows and juncos. Like the Downy Woodpecker, the Vireo comes for the suet cake.

And last is the Oregon Junco, another seed eater. I captured this one eating a millet seed. The Juncos arrive in the early autumn and stay through late spring. They are often seen with sparrows and towhees. 

Birdwatching has been a favorite hobby of mine for a number of years. It's a small daily pleasure to sit at our kitchen table, tea or coffee in hand, and look out onto the garden waiting for the birds to arrive, watch them eat and observe their habits. Do you have a small daily pleasure?

As always, thank you for reading.

World Collage Day

Hi Friends! Since Kolaj Magazine has declared today World Collage Day I thought it would be fun to share with you a few collage projects I'm currently working on.

Last month the local public library had its annual used book sale - tables and tables full of books for about $2.00 each. I happily filled one bag (the limit I imposed on myself!) with books about birds, flowers and art history. A couple of the books I purchased are shown above. 

Birds are some of the most fascinating creatures on earth and the collage pieces I'm sharing with you here today are my creative expression regarding the importance of birds.

National Geographic Magazine has declared 2018 the Year of the Bird in celebration of the centennial of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act passed by the United States Congress in 1918. The purpose of the act is 'to protect birds from wanton killing.' According to the Geographic, "Things with feathers can be found in every corner of every ocean and in land habitats so bleak that they're habitats for nothing else." Their diversity, social structure, ability to fly and migrate hundreds or even thousands of miles surely commands our respect. Not surprisingly, the Geographic posits that bird populations indicate the health of the ethical values of humans. From the recognition that birds are living dinosaurs, having witnessed life on earth for millions of years, to the fact that they connect us to the natural world, we must care for and about birds simply because humans have the unique ability to reason and reason inevitably leads one to a place of responsibility.

Because of these facts and more it only seems right to give owls a regal place in my imaginary owl world - a place that respects their ability to survive in spite of the pressures of human intervention.

Thanks for letting me share.

My Bird Diaries

Dear Diary,

Today I walked a very short distance from my hotel room here at the Trail's End Motel to the sandy beach where I fed the seagulls. 

Of all the stuff our family does in this tropical paradise - beach strolling to collect shells, playing mini-golf and shuffleboard, or walking to the shopping center to look for souvenirs, I love feeding birds the most.  You see, Dear Diary, I have loved birds for as long as I can remember.  

In fact, when we drive the 1,000 miles from my hometown of Chicago to our destination of Treasure Island, Florida, I don't even think I'm really in Florida until I see that big colorful bird on top of the Thunderbird Motel!

That's all for now Dear Diary.  See you next time!