No Bluebirds… Yet

My new feeder and live mealy worms have arrived. Luckily, I have a secure place to store the mealy worms outside. I could see one of my guests finding the little worms in the fridge. Of course, my family knows me well and wouldn’t be surprised… horrified, I’m sure, but not surprised.

So far I’ve managed to entice chickadees (and one titmouse) to the feeder with a few black oil sunflower seeds thrown in with the live worms. I did watch one chickadee devour a mealy worm. They hold it with a foot and dismantle it like a sunflower seed, only this treat is %100 edible.  No bluebirds, but I may have heard one high up in one of the black cherry trees.

I’ve also noticed that my red bellied and downy woodpeckers seem to love the finch mix in one of the tube feeders. They’re always on that feeder.

No time for photography today, but if and when the bluebirds come, my camera will be ready.  I have discovered and pored through all of my cuddeback photos, so that is one post that is waiting to get written.

So in the words of that great Governator,  Hasta la Vista, Baby… I’ll be back!

 

-Nancy

Thanksgiving is Intruding

Well, it’s going to be a rip roaring Thanksgiving here in the country.  We’ll be having overnight company for the weekend. I’ve been involved in work and projects getting my house ready for overnight company, and the actual Thanksgiving meal.

I just wanted to post this to say that this week will be a wash for me. Posts will be sporadic until Monday Nov 30.  That is the day when I will begin to post daily again. Sorry for those of you who have begun to check me out every day. Guess I’m a one trick pony. I don’t want to rush through posts just to have them. I enjoy putting those posts together.

Please put up with this week; I just may post a few things, just not every day.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

I’ll be back!

-Nancy

Bird Collisions with Windows; What to Do

“According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, up to 1 billion birds may be killed annually by colliding with windows. By knowing how to minimize these collisions, birders can protect their backyard birds without losing the benefits of windows from which to watch them”

I started writing what I do when a bird collides with one of my windows but with a few quick searches realized that it was time for a few updates on the subject.

First Aid First: The following is an exerpt from How to Care for an Injured Bird:

1. 1

   Try to assess the source of the injury.

2. Step 2

   Cover a bird that has hit a window with a kitchen colander or box with holes in it, and give it time to recover.

3. Step 3

   Remove the box or colander when the bird has regained its senses, and let it fly away.

4. Step 4

   Gently pick up a bird whose injuries are more serious and put it into a box or paper bag lined with soft tissues. Poke holes in the lid of the box or bag so that the bird can breathe.

5. Step 5

   Refrain from giving food or water to the injured bird.

6. Step 6

   Call for professional help. If you do not have a local wildlife rehabilitation organization, call your local Audubon chapter, Humane Society or a local veterinarian to put you in touch with licensed rehabilitators in your area.

One note; A bird who is dazed,  needs to be kept warm. I always pick them up gently and hold them until they recover. That’s me. I have a house full of little carnivores and have to think twice before bringing a bird into the house, in a box or no. They seem to recover within 15 or 20 mintues or so when I keep them warm and calm.

Posted below the exerpt below is a response left by Wildliferehab on the How To Care for an Injured Bird page:

“on 7/8/2008

When birds hit a window its always a good idea to just keep it quiet and let it get its bearings. Many times they just have the wind knocked out of them. Most rehabilitators just do the same thing and after several hours many of these birds are released. So that is a completely acceptable practice and the law allows you 24 hours to get the bird to someone licensed. If the bird isnt able to fly off in 24 hours then he needs medical care anyway.

Many animal do just need supportive care and protection from predators to heal. They are amazing at healing themselves even without our intervention .”

OK, now on to prevention. Another insert, this time from About.com on Prevent Bird Window Collisions:

“Interior Solutions

• Install interior blinds or shutters and keep them partially closed to minimize reflections. Angled appropriately, these can still provide plenty of light and a modified view while being safer for the birds.
• Remove houseplants near windows so birds will not consider them to be shelter or food. Instead, position plants and flowers where they cannot be seen from outside.
• Install frosted or etched windows with less reflective surface area. This can be done with new windows, or craft etching kits are available for existing windows.
• Minimize nighttime illumination by using shades or shutters, or turn lights off when not needed. Similarly, avoid putting candles or other decorative lights in windows.
• Hang sheer curtains over large windows to minimize reflections. Kept closed, these curtains can effectively reduce window collisions without significantly decreasing light and visibility.
• Check all windows for “visual tunnels” that birds may believe they can fly through. Close doors or add curtains where appropriate to eliminate these tunnels.

Exterior Solutions

• Break up a window’s reflection by adding decals, sun catchers, crystals, Mylar strips, windsocks or other obstacles outside. If these objects can sway in the wind, they will provide an additional deterrent. Note, however, that birds will attempt to fly through any space larger than 3-4 inches, so decals and strips must be close together over the entire surface area to be effective.
• Add one-way transparent film to large windows. This film can be seen through from the inside, but will appear as an opaque surface from the outside.
• Add taut screens to window exteriors. Not only will screens break up the reflection, but if birds do collide with the screen it will cushion the blow and significantly reduce the chance of injury.
• Add external shutters to dangerous windows and keep them closed whenever possible to eliminate reflections. Storm shutters are another option.
• Add awnings over patio doors and large windows to prevent sunlight reflections. This will also help cool the window and increase your home’s energy efficiency.
• Place thick planter boxes with flowers and shrubbery at the base of dangerous windows. This will encourage birds to land in the plants for shelter rather than seek escape through the window. Dead branches can also be positioned over the glass without obstructing the view.
• Allow windows to remain slightly dirty to cut down on the strength of the reflection.
• Choose window designs with lattices and patterns in the framing or glass that can help deter birds. French doors and sliding doors can have removable lattices if desired.
• If replacing windows, consider having them angled down to reflect the ground rather than the sky and landscaping. Depending on the window design, however, this construction technique may void a window’s warranty.

Keep birdbaths and feeders closer than 3 feet to the window or further than 15 feet away. If the birds are very close to the window, they will not build up sufficient speed for an injury if they fly at the window, and if they are much further away they will be more easily able to avoid hitting the window altogether.”
They claim that one or two stick-ons on the window won’t really do the trick. The birds will just try to fly in between them. Also, blow up owls or other predators will only work to keep them away from a window for a while. Besides, those of us who are feeding the birds want them to come in, not be afraid by a fake predator.

Now we know better how to care for an injured or stunned bird. I know I learned a few things. Good luck with your flying injured.

One technical note: I’m not crazy about WordPress’ blockquote function.  I’ve used bold and italics to indicate which text is borrowed.

-Nancy

Get Ready for a Surprise!

Are we ready for another northern winter? I suppose we’re ready as we ever are.

As pretty as this picture is, it makes me want to put on a sweater.  Preparing for winter is an annual ritual. Getting our barn full of good hay, making sure it’s locked up tight against those cold North winds is already done. Finding all the warm barn clothes and yes, one or two hunter’s orange hats for upcoming hunting season is a must.

All the bird feeders are out and full, although I could add more during the heart of winter.

There are always doe who raise their young in the shadow of our barn. Perhaps those are the deer who come to my feeders for corn as adults, unafraid of me at the windows.  This year we have one doe with twins, they’re all getting their winter hair.

Here’s a shot of a deer at my ground feeder last November.  We were looking to capture the bears that were terrorizing my feeders at night.

This shot just reminds me of when I still loved snow. Back to the time when I looked forward to our first snowfall, how quiet it could be; how peaceful.

It’s always a surprise when winter gets here with a thud, temperatures plummet, I worry about all the animals and start to put out rabbit food, deer food, and all that stuff for my birds. Winter is not stark around here, we have activity all season long. I remember the year we caught a fox coming every evening to nibble on deer food and corn. They do what they have to for survival; we’ll help them as much as we can.

The very last night of deer season, we begin to put out feed. It usually takes one night for them to find it.

Here’s hoping that you have a way to get through winter where you are. Try to get outside and look up at that sun now and then… our internal clocks need a little sun.  Even in the winter months.

Here it comes. Get ready for a surprise.

Silky Dogwood and Other Wetland Foods

The white berries of the silky dogwood.

Wetlands don’t always mean standing water. Often, the ground water sits just below ground level. Many plants, shrubs shrubby trees and trees specialize in wet areas, where that ground water wets their toes for at least 3 months of the year.

Honeysuckle, another local berry not for humans, devowered by birds.

What results is an ecosystem flush with berry, nut and fruit producers, from the low brush to the tallest trees. That is why wetlands need to be preserved and cherished. Pictured here are the ripe berries of the silky dogwood, a deciduous shrub whos leaves have a silky touch on their undersides. These berries are prized by a number of bird species. There are also a brushy viburnum called Nannyberry that produces a small plum colored berry with a large pit.  These are fit for human consumption if cooked down into jelly or jam. There are few others fit for people. There are serviceberry, or ‘high huckleberries’ as we called them as kids. Very edible if you have lots of netting to prevent the birds from harvesting the berries as they ripen.

There are wild Russian olives, cane fruits like blackberry and raspberry, wintergreen, wild strawberries, elderberries  and rose hips of all sizes. The hedgerows here are well established with huge black cherry trees and other deciduous as well as all the flowering bushes and shrubs. There are also large areas of poison ivy , which is the bane of campers everywhere but produces berries used by many creatures.

I’ve always established bird feeding stations every winter knowing that many species use the area when passing through in autumn.

Of course, the standing water is here  as ponds, swampy areas and beaver dams as well as running creeks and seeps, and at least one artesean well that I know of.  Sometimes folks are surprised to find the variety of flora and fauna in this little corner of life, so close to a small-medium urban center like Scranton. There is little sprawl out this way. We can be in town in 20 minutes or so and we may as well be 100 miles away.

I have decided that I do need more bird plantings in my yard, especially after reading what wonderful goodies you can grow for the birds on the forum on Cornell’s site.  You can only attract what is already near to your feeding area.

I don’t get a huge amount of birds, but I have a good mixture and they keep me busy all winter. I love to walk outside and hear them nearby, they just brighten up the long cold winter.

-Nancy

Solar Cooking

Box and panel solar ovens. Photo by Michele Melio.

Now here’s a subject that is intriguing: cooking with solar energy. The best part is that you get to build your own solar oven.  You can use things that you already have around.  There are a few different versions, but the main idea is to gather as much of the sun’s rays into a box where your cooking pot or pan is. That’s basically it. The better you are able to keep the heat in your cooking box, the quicker it cooks.

The cookers pictured are typical box cookers with shiny surfaces to collect those solar rays (in the form of heat) and direct them into the box, which is painted black in the interior and most likely has something in the walls for insulation. Finally, a glass cover holds in even more heat for the black pot to absorb and cook the meal.

I’m thinking that it’s high time I finally build a small cooker for myself and cook one Thanksgiving menu item with nothing but the sun. It’d be a great way to introduce my family to solar cooking. Perhaps I’ll then give the first one away… not cap & trade,  but cook & trade.

There are all kinds of solar cooking programs around the world, especially the third world. People teach how to build solar cookers for everything from water purification to cooking meals from nothing more than materials they have.  Thus, solar cookers can look different from area to area. Some folks employ old sattelite dishes and cover them with foil, old cd’s, anything shiny. Some parabolic dish cookers can reach temps that can fry foods!

Well, with all I have to do to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, building a solar cooker is top on my list. I think it’s time to show my family that we can cook with nothing but the sun, even in November, even in Pennsylvania.  Pray for sun on Thanksgiving.

-Nancy

Project Feeder Watch Kicks Off; I Need More ‘Stuff’

Cornell’s Project Feeder Watch officially began this weekend. Bird watchers from all over the Us and Canada (and Mexico?) started counting the birds they see at their feeders.  My birds are mostly the usual suspects with a smattering of single birds. It’s exciting to think that my feeders and feeding stations are going to be included in a scientific study.

Yesterday I spotted 4 or 5 bluebirds high up in a nearby tree, but not coming to my offerings in the yard. I did an inquiry at the Cornell bird forum and got an immediate answer to my question: is it possible to attract bluebirds in to feed? The answer seems to be a resounding yes. Bluebirds love meal worms and also will come in for suet in pellet form, or even a free flowing mixture of suet , grains and seed, offered in special bluebird feeders, or platform feeders.

This means that if I’m serious about attracting the bluebirds, I will need more stuff. More feeders, more things to put in those feeders. Maybe even *live* meal worms. I can do the mealworms, I just know it. I’ve put a few on hooks in my time, but never into a feeder. There’s a first time for everything.

I’m not satisfied with the birds I have, oh no. I need more stuff. I’ll have to order everything to get started and then maybe look for suet recipes specifically for bluebirds and make my own stuff. I need places to hang those feeders; safe places. I can see where this is going; by spring my backyard will be loaded with feeding stations and the stuff that goes in them.

Hopefully, I’ll also have the immediate reward of watching whatever extra birds would be attracted to all that stuff. Spending money on feeding wild animals or birds is more fun than getting new shoes, or an outfit. Shoes hurt and trying on clothes just reminds me how my body is loosing the fight with gravity and age.

So call it a personality flaw, but I’m anxiously waiting  my new stuff to arrive, so I can attract 4 more birds that I saw in a nearby tree. 

I hope it comes fast so I can find what kind of stuff I’ll need next week. Gosh I love bird watching.

Update 11:44am ; 11-16-09: Rightly or wrongly, I bundled up and went out to check out that wayward clothespole. One thing led to another and it now has a new home out  in the yard away from my other feeders. I hung a tube feeder and a suet cage on it and am hoping that hubby will do what he does with the bottom and firm the pole up. Now I’m really ready for my stuff to arrive. I can’t help it, I’m just hooked on seeing those little beaks get their fill within view of my windows. -Nancy

The Whole Story of Our Mountain Lion Experiences

The last post here about mountain lions possibly roaming our Pennsylvania woods, and walking in front of my game camera, was only the partial story.  In May, 2002, there was a terrific rain storm, that caused the creek on our property to swell and muddied the paths leading to our back pond, and our campsite. There on the muddy path we found large animal prints. A quick search on the internet confirmed what we suspected; they looked like cat prints, and they were larger than any bobcat.  The first thing I should have done was make plaster casts of the best

Prints with full sized 3 1/2" bic lighter for scale

Bear tracks

prints. But I didn’t. Little did I know that skeptics don’t believe visual evidence and do their level best to explain it away.

There were over 30 prints all together, ending at the edge of our campsite. A few nights later my husband and I walked down to the back pond to check the drains, as it had rained yet again. It was 10 pm with a good fog rolling through the woods and over the pond. As we walked around the pond all of a sudden we heard the unmistakable sound of a cougar scream, only with snarling mixed in. It sounded close, very close by in the next field. My heart was in my throat with every hair standing on end as my husband took out his pistol and fired two shots into the air. We high tailed it out of there as quickly as we could walk.

The next afternoon, emboldened by bright sunshine and just plain curiosity, I walked back there alone, climbed the wall and started checking the field where we thought the cat scream came from.  I found the partial carcass of a fawn that looked like it had been bitten in two by a great white shark. It was pretty gross. I took pictures, but they were lost when my old laptop crashed and burned. Luckily, we still have a few shots of the prints. The rest of those were lost as well. Experts looking at the pictures decided that they were bear tracks. Three avid hunters examined them and all said that they were absolutely not bear tracks. All the prints had 4 toes and no evident claws, but the experts explained all that away.

Fast forward to January, 2008 when the mysterious animal picture was taken with my game camera.   

The Pa State Game Commission was less than helpful in 2002 when all we wanted was information. This time we didn’t even bother with them. I emailed John Lutz, head of Eastern Puma Research Network, and he was kind enough to reply immediately. The following is an excerpt of some of his communications:

John: What has been the reaction of your horses over the last 3 days??  skitterish??  Calm???  Anxious???   want to stay inside barn???  Snortting alot???

My answer: Very skittish, not wanting to come out of the barn, nervous, shaking at times, snorting a whole lot.

John: If they have been anxious, skitterish….then it may be wise to keep a close eye on them…..or keep them in the barn.

John: What’s the deer population in area like as of last nite???

Are they still plentiful in area???

or

Have they become very scarce in last few days???

My answer: we feed them all winter and up until a few days ago we had 15 to 20 every evening.  The past few days they’ve disappeared, leaving the food untouched.

John: Wild cougars do NOT usually go after domestic or farm animals….they enjoy challenges in chasing down deer.

So, the horses didn’t calm down for 2 full weeks after the picture was taken.  Since then, the local newspaper did a story on cougar sightings in Pa and featured our picture. After that story ran last December, we heard many stories of local sightings. A lot of stories, no evidence.

We live in NE Pa, in a blue area on this map from John Lutz’s site, close to a red area.

Do I believe cougars roam Penn’s Woods? You  bet I do. When that cat comes through again, we’ll be ready. The camera’s pointed at the same spot, on a different tree so we’ll get a full face or full rump picture. Yes sir, we’ll be ready for sure.

Little Picture, Big Controversy

One of the simple things in my life that has brought me an endless supply of wonder and an occasional shock is my Cuddeback camera. It’s one of those digital cameras that you attach to a tree, power it up and leave it alone for up to a month at a time. Although, when mine is up and running, it seldom sits for more than a week or so before I check it.

It’s located on one of our paths, about 300 ft or so from the house. The path was originally a deer path that we widened to be a people path many years ago. We’re lucky in that the path seems to funnel wildlife that want to travel between our land to a swampy area across the way. Animals can travel from the brushy fields and mountain behind us all the way across the road to a swampy area without breaking cover. And boy, do they use that path!

The first week or so that I had the thing, it took perhaps the most controversial pic that we’ve gotten. To tell the truth, this is the reason that we got the camera to begin with; the possibility of a large cat roaming NE Pennsylvania, yup, I’m talking a mountain lion.

Here’s the money shot; the ‘experts’ who have seen the pic say it’s just a deer. Everyone else can see that it’s a mountain lion. We found very large tracks about 3 years before in the mud on the very same path. There have also been numerous sightings in our area as well as the larger area of Pa.  The State claims that they are extinct. But we think that they know very well of the big cats and don’t want to manage another endangered species. Half the population would want to protect them, the other half would want to hunt them.

Since this shot was taken, our neighbors saw what appeared to be a juvenile mountain lion moving through their pasture; three people witnessed that mid-afternoon sighting.

So you think that maybe it could be a bobcat? Well, here’s two shots of a bobcat taken from the same position. Same animal? Not likely. I have to tell you our shock at seeing these pics. You may know in theory that your land is used by animals.  It’s another thing to see pics of them walking on paths that we walk often. The pic of Momma/baby bear from a few posts below are from the same spot, although the camera was in a different position.

The main thing on a mountain lion’s menu is deer, and we have them… oodles of them. Plus all kinds of other wildlife that an opportunistic cat could dine on. We’ve also found carcasses of deer occasionally in adjacent fields.

Update: I no sooner posted this when this young 5 point buck just walked up to the back yard and started eating the cracked corn that’s on the ground for my birds. He must be a local, I had to knock on the window to get him to pose pretty. (notice the tiny kernal of cracked corn stuck on the right side of his nose)  He’s not too afraid of me. Like I said. Oodles of deer.

What do you think? The camera was (and is) about 3 ft off the ground, so the large animal above is about 2 1/2 to 3ft tall, and about 4 feet long. A deer? Or a big kitty?

So Lions, Tigers and Bears, huh? Gosh no tigers… yet.  Here, kitty kitty kitty.

-Nancy

Update 2:    US Fish/Wildlife taking over investigation of the presence of Cougars (mt lions) in Pa. It seems as is one Pennsylvania State Senator Roger Madigan. along with several family members picnicking on his Pa farm had a Mountain lion sighting. He was not pleased when told by the Pa Game Commission that he did not see what he saw, so he went to the US Fish/Wildlife Service. Now, any sightings are to be forwarded to them, and not the Pa Game Commission, who have changed their line on cougars in Pa to “There might be mountain lions in Pa”, instead of “They don’t exist and if you did see one, it was an escaped pet”, which is what we heard from them after our first experience with over thirty tracks.  The officer I spoke to added “If you have children in the area, make sure they know what to do in case of a sighting”. Talk about conflicting messages. There’s more to my story, and due to the incredible interest, I promise to blog at least once a week on Cougars in the East.  Open minded scientists think that the progression of cougars eastward is entirely natural. Watch this space.

Bird Calls and Sounds of Common Feeder Birds Part Deux

After hitting a formatting wall yesterday, I’m back to try again.  I’ve already done some of the most familiar birds that we have at our feeders. Most of them are here year round and are beyond familiar. Today I’ll focus on the seasonal visitors.  I freely admit that my formatting problems are probably my own fault and chalk it up to inexperience with WordPress, but I’m learning. Today, more sounds and less photos. Maybe. I love images. The links will take you to a new window, or tab, with a flash player. All sounds are from the Macaulay Library of Animal Sounds at Cornell. On site, if you do your own searches, you can also find all recordings in a Quick Time player.

White-crowned Sparrow The song of this showy little visitor.

White-crowned Sparrow Call notes; a little buzzy quality to it.

White-throated Sparrow A familiar sound coming from the bushes and thickets on my property.

White-throated Sparrow Very similiar variation to the first, but with different notes in the beginning.

Mourning Dove Very familiar but beloved bird. I just love the mournful “Oh no… no…no”. It sounds very much like a fluted instrument.

House Finch A fixture around here; I love their buzzy little voices; they always sound so cheerful when attacking a feeder of sunflower seeds en masse.

House Finch The house finch’s song, cheerful as ever.

Purple Finch The song of the purple finch.  Not as common a visitor to my feeders as the House finch.

 

Pine Siskins ( Carduelis pinus) These little finches are not regular winter wisitors, but when they come, they can sometimes come in droves. I’ve included the latin name in case you want to search the library, ‘pine siskin’ turns up nada. This little guy has a lot to say in his song. This recording starts out with familiar finch sounding call notes, but at about 42 seconds in launches into an incredible song.

Pine Siskin

OK, my browser just crashed and I almost lost my entire post, so I’ll take that as a sign to end this one right here.

Take the time to listen to the birds; they take the starkness of winter and wipe it away with their songs. Remember, even one or two feeders can just brighten up your yard with the colors and sounds of the birds.

 

-Nancy