Fowler's Blind 2013

[freedombecki]

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Does a smile spread across your face when you hear the first songbird of spring trilling its heart to listeners?

Maybe you visited a park near a lake in Florida and saw storks playing and walking around like they owned the place and enjoyed the antics?

Maybe you got an eyefull of blue once in western Rockies when a bluebird appeared on a log fence out of nowhere as if to say "See me? I'm the prettiest blue you ever saw in your life!" (And of course, you agree with him, because he's a spectacular Mountain Bluebird).

Maybe you can name 3 North American waterfowl. Can you tell a loon from a Canadian Duck? A Chuckar from a Bobwhite? Has a pair of Peregrine falcons landed on your roof ever? Ever had a Snowy Owl swoop your car in the middle of a ground blizzard? Heard the rat-a-tat of a woodpecker in nearby woodlands?

It's a new year and time to enjoy birds while we still have them in nature.

 

[freedombecki]

Today, I went through my email for the first time since... who knows when...

Anyway, a friend had sent me some pictures of flying peacocks last year. And here they are:

 

[Spoonman]

a few years ago i had taken a vacation day in the early spring. there was still a pretty healthy coating of snow on the ground but it was a really warm day and there was a lot of snow melt taking place. My wife and i took a walk back in the woods. We were surprised to see bear tracks in the snow that early but what we saw a little further in was even more amazing. to see a single bluebird is pretty rare. when there is a lot of woods around they tend not to come near the houses. so we only see one on occaision. Well we saw something I'd never seen before. Probably about 20 bluebirds, i was able to count 17 for sure. they were all fluttering around this one tree. we stood there and watched them for about 10 minutes until gradually they fluttered off.

 

[freedombecki]

Thanks for sharing that, Spoonman. They may have rendezvous for their young to select mates from other tribes. Were they mountain bluebirds or Eastern bluebirds?

Eastern Bluebirds at heated water source
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[Spoonman]

Thanks for sharing that, Spoonman. They may have rendezvous for their young to select mates from other tribes. Were they mountain bluebirds or Eastern bluebirds?

Eastern Bluebirds at heated water source
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Eastern

 

[freedombecki]

[ame=http://youtu.be/3xVk_HjuuKI]Sandhill Cranes Migration-Thousands flying in at Sunset to roost on Platte River - YouTube[/ame]

 

[freedombecki]

Here's a Bird Blind found at Pedernales State Park in Blanco County, TX:

View from the Inside of the Bird Blind:

Pedernales State Park

Seen from the blind: A pair of Lesser Goldfinches:

 

[freedombecki]

Several types of birds seen at Pedernales State Park: lesser goldfinches, woodpeckers, cardinals, Eastern phoebe, and more.

[ame=http://youtu.be/y7-n57h5hg8]Birds at Pedernales Falls February 11 2012 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Spoonman]

Several types of birds seen at Pedernales State Park: lesser goldfinches, woodpeckers, cardinals, Eastern phoebe, and more.

Birds at Pedernales Falls February 11 2012 - YouTube

love the finches. always keep a section of the feeder full of thistle to attract them.

 

[freedombecki]

There were a lot of rosy finches around the bird feeder in the years we lived on Dead Horse Hill in Wyoming. Sometimes that would be the only red you'd see in nature in times when the state flower wasn't in bloom--the other 11 months, that is.

 

[freedombecki]

I just ran into an unusual story about some birds from New Zealand that were thought to be extinct for half a century; in 1948, a man put together some local legends from a remote area of the continent, did some searching, and found 4 pairs in a sheltered valley of the birds that were thought to be extinct. There is a video here of the 1950 outing in which birds are found nesting by a small group of ornithologists.

Ornithology ... Notornis Expedition (Weekly Review No. 437) - Short Film | NZ On Screen

In November 1948 New Zealand got its own Lost World story, when a population of takahē — a large flightless rail, long thought extinct — was found in a remote part of Fiordland. The rediscovery of ‘notornis’ (a cousin of the pūkeko), by Southland doctor Geoffrey Orbell, generated international interest. This episode of the NFU’s Weekly Review newsreel series treks from Lake Te Anau high into the Murchison Mountains, where the team (including naturalist Robert Falla) find sea shell fossils, evidence of moa-hunter campsites, and the dodo-like takahē itself.

Here's a picture of the New Zealand Takahe from Animalscamp:

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After the rediscovery of the Tahake species in 1948, they were dislocated in four predator free islands. Up to July 2008, the number was increased 225. There are number of factors behind the extinction of this bird like loss of habitat, over hunting, and introduction of predators, the common cause behind extinction of every flightless bird. It is long living bird and the reproduction process is slow. The current conservation status of the bird is endangered.

My kudos to those New Zealanders who found, nurtured, and reintroduced the Takahe to four predator-free islands where the birds now number into the 300 range.
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[freedombecki]

Unfortunately, the last credible photograph of an Ivory-billed woodpecker was taken in 1948 in Cuba. No other verified sightings have been made, although some have claimed to hear and see the birds in a remote area of Arkansas a few years ago. It was not 100% authenticated, apparently, although people in the area are hoping they will rediscover the pair someone thought they saw about 5 years ago.

Found this recolored photograph, though:

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Another "thought" they saw a female of the species in the big thicket area of Eastern Texas. They were 20" in length and had a wingspan of 30 inches. Oh, how I'd love to see them. I see birds out at our small lake that are supposed to live in the artic circle in the summertime--Black guillemots. And the roil the waters as they dive. After reading up on them, I found out they can dive quite deep and eat bottom-dwelling fish to survive when dining on fresh waters. I guess our little tribe just likes warm weather like me.



At first, I thought the roiling waters were - ak! - alligators. But then one day, when I was watching the lake roiling like mad, one of them popped his head out of the water and flew away. There was still water disturbance, so that must have been his mate or family members. The first time I saw them, I fell in love with their flight's frenetic appearance due to the white markings on the wings. Also, their faces and beaks are shaped beautifully like the loons of Minnesota. They're just awesome, that's all I can say, and they're not supposed to be here. I sighted one the other day. No other bird is like them.

Isn't he beautiful! Ours had the red legs. That's how I knew it was a Black guillemot.
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And I haven't been worried about alligators with them patrolling our lake at infrequent intervals since last summer. Wild birds are shy for a good reason. Our presence is a threat, and some species won't reproduce anywhere near us.

 

[freedombecki]

The other day, a small yellow bird came and perched on a vine by the upstairs bedroom window that faces the lake where the computer is. It acted kind of like a canary, and even looked a little like one, but I knew I was probably looking at a wild bird. When the feeder out front goes empty, little birds fly around the house and visit my window. I knew she was probably trying to plead for food, although she was silent, and was just hanging around, showing how beautiful yellow can be. Her wings were a dark tan mixture with slurred patterning, and just as suddenly as she flew up, she flew away. I made note of her yellow beak, and overall demeanor, and sure enough, both her coloration and her personality likely meant she is an American goldfinch. She was a little brighter than the description, but her visit was rewarded by our trip to the store and doling out goodies in both birdfeeders out front.

I only wish I had reread Spoonman's advice about the thistle.

Here's a picture that's almost like her--except the one here was brighter yellow and a total sweetie pie: