Birding for Mother's Day!

My mother was a birder, so I grew up watching cardinals at the window feeder and listening to bird songs on the record player.  I also grew up visiting Mass Audubon Sanctuaries frequently, so I think it's fitting that I honor my mother by participating in Bird-a-thon on Mother's day weekend.  After all, I wouldn't be able to bird for 24 hours straight if I hadn't learned birding at my mother's knee, so to speak.  

Bird-a-thon will be crazed and exhausting and fun, as usual.   My goal is to increase the number of species we see by at least 10.  Tom and I were so intensely focused on shorebirds last year that we forgot to look for familiar feeder birds like the American Goldfinch pictured above. (Such idiocy is hard to believe, I know!)  Believe me, that won't happen again.  This year Mother's Day will be on my mind, and I'll remember my mothers favorite backyard bird without fail!

My mother taught me all about birds, but I am just one of many amateur birders that she inspired.  Her four siblings used to laugh at mom's bird-watching, but eventually every one of them had a feeder or two in their own back yards!  I know that many of my mom's nieces and nephews are at least casual birders, and that all my cousins brought their kids up with a real appreciation of birds and nature in general, as I did.  My second cousin's blog, BirdingGirl, inspired me to start blogging myself, and now my son has a birding blog (Nature of Oregon), too.  Three bird bloggers in one family, for goodness sake!

I admit that I was less than enthusiastic about tagging along on bird-walks as a kid - especially before I got my first pair of glasses.  I was blind as a bat, and couldn't see a bird in my hand, never mind a bird in a bush (or a tree, for that matter.)  But Mom never gave up on me.  She dragged my sister and I to every birding hot-spot in the state long before anyone invented Important Bird Areas (IBAs).  Looking back, I can't help but wonder how the real birders put up with two little kids tagging along on trips to Block Island or Mt. Auburn Cemetery.  (BTW, I'm the one with the glasses; my mother is the tall one, and my sister is the blond.)

Mother's Day is going to be really tough for our family this year.  Mom's been in a Nursing Home for over a week now, and that is a desperately sad place for anyone to be.  I doubt I would have signed up for Bird-a-thon if I had known what was ahead for my mom.  I want to cry every time I think about how excited she was to learn that I was giving another Bird-a-thon presentation for all her friends at Carmel Terrace.  She told every resident that they had to attend, never imagining that she wouldn't be attending as a resident herself.  It hurts just thinking about it, but the show will go on anyway.  I'm doing the presentation in her honor, and she'll be there to see it if I have to carry her there!

Actually, participating in Bird-a-thon and raising money for Mass Audubon is a very appropriate way of celebrating my mother on Mother's day.  It is thanks to her that I love nature and it is thanks to her that I love birds and birding.  What better way to show my gratitude than raising money for Mass Audubon and helping to ensure the nature of Massachusetts will still be here for other generations to enjoy?

Donating to Bird-a-thon is an excellent way to honor your mother this Mother's Day.  Why not make a donation in her name right now?  

Wet Birds

These birds are still handsome when wet! I think this American Robin is gorgeous!


A drowned looking house sparrow soaked too the bone.


All the birds look miserable in the drenching rain.


The Blue Jay is wilted from the rain. Of course, I was warm and dry inside the house!

This red, red robin is in no mood for bobbin' along.

I'm back!!!!

I'm BACK! After three weeks of no camera and no computer, my eye injury is healing and I can put a contact lens in my good eye. I swear I'll never complain about my backyard birds again! Not that this guy is a regular. He's a non breeding starling, and very scary looking - but check out the valentine shaped spots on this bird!


Here is a better look at the heart shaped spots. Isn't that incredible?


Until today, I thought there was only a single Carolina Wren at my feeders. Today I saw two, and I assume it is a pair. They may be living on the ground in the vegetation behind the birdbath.


Here is a burning question: Are there still Carolina Wrens in Carolina?


What the hell are you looking at!

You can't imagine how wonderful it felt to be looking through a camera lens again! Welcome back everybody, and let's roll!

Cold Weather Backyard Birds

He's checking me out - and not overly pleased with the result.


Throwing water down his throat.


Just a house sparrow, I know, but pretty nonetheless.


I saw my Red-breasted Nuthatch yesterday, but couldn't get a photo. The White-breasted performed nicely.


There were actually three White-breasted Nuthatches eating suet yesterday.

Juncos and Jays!

I've had Blue Jays all summer, but suddenly I have a lot more of them. It is possible that some of these jays migrated here from farther north; a theory postulated in this blog post by Chris Petrak. I like that idea, but I can't be sure the extra Blue Jays didn't move in from next door! Isn't he a beautiful bird, though?


I'll always be crazy about Blue Jays, despite their voracious appetites and somewhat aggressive feeder habits. Can you believe my mother used to make me chase them away from the feeders? She said they were hogs, and ate the food intended for the little birds. Maybe that's why I always feel so defensive of them!


I have to admit that up close they can look a little scary!


My first Dark-eyed Juncos this year look much darker than usual. Freshly molted feather, maybe?


I hate winter with a passion, but who could could fail to celebrate the return of winter birds like the Dark-eyed Junco?

Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, White-throated Sparrow, and more

Saturday, February 27. Less than 1 hour of sunshine between the snowflakes - but what an hour it was! I got tons of good pics, including this Flicker rooting around in the garden.


The Flicker from the back, showing it's distinctive red collar.


I managed to get quite a few great shots of animated Blue Jays in various poses. I really like this curious fellow, who was captured in the moments between snow and sun.


A White-throated Sparrow in the quickly melting snow. You can identify White-throated Sparrows by the yellow color between their eyes and beak.


This is the tan striped variety of White-throated Sparrow. There is a white striped version, as well.


A small female Northern Cardinal finds a sunflower seed beneath the snow.

Blue Jay in the Backyard

A quintessential backyard bird seen on day one of the Backyard Bird Count.


Images taken through a window, as are most of my Blue Jay pictures. It is hard to sneak up on a Blue Jay. Like all corvids, Blue Jays are always alert and aware of their surroundings.


I love the black trim on his face. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, "the black bridle across the face, nape, and throat varies extensively and may help Blue Jays recognize one another."


This one is a little blurry, but I like how it highlights the blue and black on his back.

Blue Jays, Juncos, Sparrows, and Starlings - Again!

It is too cold to go outside, I'm drowning in paperwork, and I've come down with the flu - but I can still take photos of the backyard through the windows. I am as sick of seeing the same few species in all my posts as you are, but what choice do I have? I think of it as photography practice. In any case, this is a handsome fellow, right? Blue jays are gorgeous and very intelligent birds. I particularly like the bright cobalt blue color on their backs and tails.


Blue jays are extremely alert and have excellent hearing. This one heard the camera shutter from inside the house, and kept taking off before I could frame a shot. Here I think he was evaluating the potential for danger from the sound. You can see the intelligence in his eyes.


Check out the dramatic eyeliner effect! He (or she) evidently likes the Egyptian look!


Magnificent color scheme, in my opinion. Very alert even when eating.


I can always find a sparrow to pose for me! This is a female house sparrow.


Another female house sparrow.


Dark-eyed Junco with feathers fluffed up against the cold.


Dark-eyed Junco in the feeder instead of below it.


A closeup of the Junco chowing down. It requires a lot of food just to stay alive in this frigid weather.


The smart suet-eating European Starling was back again today.


It looks like the same one that was there yesterday.


The starlings (there are four or five of them in the yard lately) also puff up to stay warm. They are a bit less cute than the juncos, however.


How gorgeous are those patterned wings, though?