Hungry as Vultures

VULTURES are quite common in our area, but usually in more rural parts. Imagine, then, our surprise when we saw one feasting on a delicious dead animal on a lawn not six feet from the road in a quiet neighborhood just behind the school. We stopped to snap a picture but the bird got spooked and flew onto the roof. Then we saw the others - a total of four waiting in a tree for us to leave so they could finish their lunch. In flight turkey vultures and black vultures are easy to distinguish from one another - turkey vultures have white wing tips and white feathers along the back of their wings; black vultures have white only on their wing tips. Up close, the grey heads (not red) gave these away as black vultures. Beauty could not be seen in the eyes of this carload of beholders; however we did appreciate the cleanup work they were doing. I bet the homeowner did too.

Baby Birds

WE'VE been lucky enough to see an number of baby birds
this spring and summer. A slight movement caught our eye in the garden, which turned out to be a tiny fluffy bird cowering under a bush in our garden, freezing whenever we came close but bravely venturing a few hops if we sat quietly for long enough. Our gourd bird box has hosted not one but three sets of baby wrens. They tweet so loudly when mama arrives with food, you can hear them right across the garden. A robin nest high up in a tree is just close enough to see little beaks clamouring for food whenever a parent flies close.

But Emma wins the award for the best bird discovery. She was sitting on our front steps when she noticed a little bird clutching the side of the step. On closer examination there were two of them, baby Northern Flickers. These are a kind of woodpecker and we watched them over the next two days as they progressed from hopping on the ground and step to clinging to the house wall, then climbing up the wall and finally taking their first flights. Amazing to observe!

Sandhill Cranes

THE sound started gradually. Frogs? Insects? Birds? I couldn't quite place it and couldn't tell where it was coming from... until I thought to look up. Hundreds of birds flying very high up in the sky, all in the same direction. I could barely make out the shape except for a long goose-like neck and short tail. Could I be witnessing the migration of the legendary sandhill cranes? I went on a local birdwatcher website and sure enough, there had been many sightings throughout the day.

The sandhill crane is a large grey bird that lives in wetlands and marshes. It has a wingspan of up to 200cm.

Intimate Bird Moments

SITTING quietly outside watching the birds, we were delighted when first a chickadee, then a tufted titmouse and finally a nuthatch flew over and nibbled at the feeders right over our heads. We sat until our behinds threatened to freeze to the metal patio chairs, captivated by the little creatures flying back and forth. The whole time they kept a watchful eye on us, but obviously considered the chance for a tidbit more important than the risk we posed.

Another day we were inside when a strange seagull-like cry enticed us outside. It was a red-shouldered hawk sitting atop a tree in the back garden. They circle the neighborhood now and again, and seeing them semi-close is a treat!

Our Christmas Tree's Next Life

IT must be a funny life, that of a Christmas tree, as tree lives go. Most grow for eight or more years in neat rows on Christmas tree farms with regular watering, fertilization and pruning. Not exactly your natural forest environment. Then just as they reach their prime, they are cut from their roots and loaded onto a lorry for a grand, if short-lived, adventure. Their ultimate destination is a family home, where they become the central decoration for the Christmas season, adorned with ornaments, twinkly lights and glittery garlands. After just a few weeks of glory, the decorations are removed and the tree is cast back out, destined for the chipper.

We are keeping our tree around a little longer. He's moved outside and now instead of baubles, his branches hold sprigs of berries and little bags of nuts, seeds, fat, cheese rind and other goodies. We admire him more than ever, and little winged visitors flock by the dozen to shelter in his branches and enjoy a meal.

Birds, Birds, Everywhere

WE have gradually developed a full buffet for birds in our back garden with a tray feeder, two upright feeders, a suet feeder, several pinecone feeders and a special sock feeder of thistle seed for finches. And they come! So far, we've seen:

• Northern Cardinals (tray feeder)
• White-Breasted Nuthatches (most frequent visitors to the pinecone feeder, also suet feeder)
• Pine Warbler (pinecone feeder - infrequent)
• Red-Breasted Woodpecker (upright feeder)
• House Finch (upright feeder)
• Downy Woodpecker (suet feeder)
• Mourning Doves (ground, tray feeder and they even try to balance on the suet feeder - very funny)
• Chickadees (upright feeder - infrequent)
• Carolina Wren (ground underneath)
• Dark-Eyed Junco (ground underneath)
• Song Sparrow (ground underneath)
• Blue Jays (ground underneath)
• Eastern Towhee (ground)
• Eastern Bluebird (suet and upright feeders)

We also see on the lawn and flower beds American Robins, Thrashers, and now and again great flocks of Red-Winged Blackbirds and Starlings. We like to sit at the back door and just watch. Sometimes we try to draw them...mostly we just watch.

Hummingbird Heaven

WE'VE had a hummingbird feeder up all summer, but only noticed a hummingbird once. However, on a hike by the river this week we had a wonderful surprise. We passed by a man taking picture upon picture, seemingly of the bushes above a rather unappetizing looking bog. He showed us how the bushes and trees here were full of ruby throated hummingbirds! I couldn't zoom in far enough with our camera, but if you look closely in the picture you can just see one perching on a branch.

Some hummingbird facts:

• The extremely short legs of the ruby-throated hummingbird prevent it from walking or hopping. The best it can do is shuffle along a perch.


• It beats its wings 53 times per second.


• They build their 2" wide nests directly on top of a branch, using spider web threads to hold them together.


• The oldest known ruby-throated hummingbird was over 9 years old.

Good Morning Little Red, Red Bird

RIGHT after making a little 'red bird' finger puppet to use in our circle time, we saw a red bird of our own. Beautiful red Northern Cardinals are common in our garden but this was a different bird. It was far away up in the trees, in woods along a river. We couldn't see it well, but it was definitely a different shape from a cardinal, and accompanied by a grey female. We found the Summer Tanager later in our bird book. Here's an interesting fact from www.allaboutbirds.org:
"The Summer Tanager is considered a bee and wasp specialist. It usually catches a bee in flight and then kills it by beating it against a branch. Before eating the bee, the tanager removes the stinger by rubbing it on a branch. The tanager eats bee and wasp larvae too. It first catches the adult insects and then perches near the nest to tear it open and get the grubs."
Well I never.

Good morning little red, red bird
Red, red bird; Red, red bird
Good morning little red, red bird
Oh so red.

Baby Birds Abounding

THIS is the time for baby birds! We were delighted to welcome a family of house wrens to our gourd bird box and watched the parents build the nest, then bring tasty tidbits to their young. If we timed it just right - after the parent had flown from the box but when the babies were still clamouring for food - we could just see their tiny beaks begging for the next delicacy behind the stick wall. They were loud! Both the babies and the parents, whose joyful song turned to a fiercely protective clicking whenever we went in that part of the garden. Then we observed the babies fledging, hopping from low branch to low branch as the parents watched, encouraged and warded off danger.

But that was not all. Around the garden and on walks we noticed baby birds on several occasions. First noticeable by the little cheaping noises, the babies are not obviously smaller but are definitely fluffier and tend to sit or hop closer to people rather than fly away. This week a baby robin allowed me to approach for a photo while its parent watched suspiciously from a tree. We then watched the mama bring food to her baby in our climbing tree continuously for two hours. Then on a walk we saw a red-bellied woodpecker mama and baby high up in a tree and a family of Carolina wrens hopping around in a bush.

Miaow

THERE it was again - a mewing in the bushes at the back of the park. We investigated, expecting to come across a lost kitten or a nest of ferile felines. Instead, we found a rather drab bird, almost completely grey. And he was miaowing. There was no mistaking it - it had to be a Grey Catbird. A look in our bird book at home confirmed its appearance, call and habitat. What a surprise that it really does sound exactly like a cat! You can hear its call here. Even more surprising was hearing it again a few days later in our own back garden. And besides just miaowing, the catbird also has a beautiful song which it demonstrated to us quite proudly. Some fun facts:

• Catbirds can recognise their own eggs and remove any laid by imposters


• Besides their usual diet of berries and insects, they will eat odd things from feeders such as cheese, crackers and milk


• The phrase 'sitting in the catbird seat' means being in an enviable, winning position. During breeding season, catbirds compete with others of their species by singing from higher and higher perches. The bird that reaches the highest perch wins the territory.

Photo: www.kiroastro.com

Bird Walk

IT'S not often I'm on the road at 7:30 AM already on a Saturday, but today I finally got to attend a bird walk hosted by the Audubon Society. The group saw a grand total of 35 species! I didn't catch all of them, but I did discover many birds that I had not previously known or seen. Here are some of my new sightings:

Wood duck
Ruby-crowned kinglet
Blue-gray gnat catcher
Red-winged blackbird
Rough-winged swallow
Double-crested cormorant

We also saw a goose on its nest, plucking feathers for a super cosy lining, a robin sitting in its nest, and best of all, a wild river otter splashing around at the water's edge. Following such a beautiful start, it was a wonderful day!

The Great Blue

ATLANTA'S largest bird is the Great Blue Heron. We were delighted to see one quite close up two days in a row! The first followed us around a lake, dipping with its beak every now and again for something tasty, then always flying off just at the moment we got close enough for a really good photo. The second was hunkered down, its feathers all fluffed up, trying to keep warm in ridiculously frigid temperatures. I'm quite sure that given the choice we had - stay inside in the heated house or go out for a walk by a lake - it would have made a more sensible choice than we did.

Great blue herons stand over one metre tall and have a wingspan of almost two metres. It is a noble looking creature, though its facial markings make it appear to be frowning. In the second photo you can see how the bird has fluffed up its feathers. This is a bird's answer to layering. It has multiple layers of feathers, and by fluffing them, air is trapped between the layers generating warmth for its body. Notice also the beard in the second shot which is a feature of mature males.

Three Red Birds

SINCE Winter's begun, we've been spending more time at the window watching our bird feeders. I managed to catch a photo of three red birds together - a cardinal, woodpecker and towhee (albeit a lousy photo through the screened window). The towhee's the black blob in the middle. Here's a list of all the visitors we've seen so far:

• Brown-headed nuthatch


• Carolina chickadee


• American goldfinch


• Carolina wren


• White-breasted nuthatch


• Dark-eyed junco


• House finch


• White-throated sparrow


• Eastern towhee


• Northern cardinal


• Red-bellied woodpecker


• Mourning dove

We also frequently see American robins, Northern mockingbirds, brown thrashers, blue jays, American crows and an occasional flock of common grackles in other parts of the garden.

Thanks to Common Birds of Atlanta by Jim Wilson and Anselm Atkins for help identifying these. If you're new to birdwatching, I highly recommend a region-specific field guide. It makes it so much easier than wading through pages and pages of 'LBJs' (little brown jobs) only to find the one you've finally settled on only lives on the other side of the country. This particular book is also ordered by size of bird, which I find much more useful than colour or other means of categorisation.

Emma and I were noticing how many seeds fall or are purposely dropped on the ground when birds are at the feeder. When I asked her what she was doing the other day at dinner, sorting part of her food off her plate, she replied that she was eating like the birds: "not yummy, yummy, not yummy, yummy".

Presents for the Birds

AS we are busy preparing Christmas gifts for friends and family, we took a moment to prepare something special for the birds in the garden too. A pinecone bird feeder is a great project for even quite young children. First we had to collect some pinecones that were not too prickly, then carefully poke peanut butter with a butter knife into all the holes. "One for the pinecone, one for me..." The sticky blob was then rolled in a plate of bird seed, then finally a ribbon selected and tied to the top.

We have quite a few of these tasty ornaments around the garden and have learned from experience the optimum hanging place. Too low and the dog eats them. Too close to a sturdy branch or tree trunk and the squirrels have a feast. On the end of a rather spindly twig seems to work best to reserve this treat for the little birds.

Feeding the Hungry

THE weather's getting colder. In our driveway, we had hundreds of acorns fallen, but now we only have the caps. Same with dogwood berries. They're all gone. And when we went out for a walk, we tried to find some really big acorns for crafts, but also only found the caps. Well of course - they have all been snapped up by hard working little animals building up their winter stores. This might seem obvious, but I have never noticed them disappearing before.

While it's not quite a snow-covered wasteland (food wise), it must be getting harder for all the animals to find food. We hung up bird seed and filled our coconut shell feeder with fruit peels. I found some old popcorn that never got popped. I wonder if the birds and squirrels will like that?

The Heron's Dinner

WE had just walked onto the bridge to watch the sliders (turtles), which are rather a common sight at this spot, when we saw a bird we hadn't seen before. It was a wading bird; I thought perhaps a heron but it was small - no larger than 12-18" tall. Naturally we had neither camera nor binoculars on hand, so instead had to stay very still and try to creep a little closer for a better look. Emma and I took it in turns to observe the bird's features out loud. Long beak, grey back, reddish chest and throat, yellow ring around the eye, long yellow legs. It was remarkably well camouflaged among the reeds and dead trees. When it extended its neck, it was definitely a heron. We watched it for a good fifteen minutes. When we first saw it, I could have sworn it was eating a mouse. Something very mouse tail-like was hanging out of its beak, then it gulped and a lump was visible all the way down its neck, like a snake eating something large. After poking about in the shallows, it was stalking something in the water we couldn't see. Then the bird made its move, and we saw what it was after! A water snake. Later I looked it up. It was a green heron, and yes, they do eat rodents. Who knew?

Photo credit to Barbara Simpson

In An English Country Garden

THE house where I grew up has a good many trees - perfect for bird life. Now we are learning a little bit about bird identification in the Southern US, we had already decided that while visiting my parents, we would get a field guide for UK birds. But Emma's Grandma took this one step further with a wonderful sticker book, and Emma took great delight in recording birds she saw with a sticker and a date. Here are some of the birds we spotted in the back garden, and while tooling around town and country roads, roughly in order of frequency:

• black bird
• wood pigeon
• crow
• magpie
• blue tit
• robin
• thrush
• great tit
• wren
• pied wagtail

Harbinger of Spring

THE cuckoo is supposed to be one of the first sounds of Spring, in the UK anyway. However, I don't actually recall ever having heard one. Until this week, when on a stroll around our lovely local pond there it was. Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Over and over again. The sound carried across the whole stretch of water, which despite being called a pond is really more like a lake. (Of course, May is not the beginning of Spring, so it should be noted that these birds can be heard between March and August.) The cuckoo is also infamous for laying its eggs in other birds' nests, where the baby cuckoo boots the other residents out and is fed by its foster parent.

Also around the pond was a large amount of cuckoo spit, the frothy foam in which froghopper larvae live. Emma found this very interesting and kept trying to dig out the baby bug. I just wondered why it was called cuckoo spit. Turns out, the name is a reference to the time of year. The spit appears at cuckoo time.

Swans A-Swimming

WHAT a wonderful time of year to visit a lake. Back in England, we had several opportunities to visit a pond within walking distance from my childhood home. It is a place that holds many happy memories of climbing trees, picnicking on the beach, riding bikes and watching the ducks.

The waterfowl community here is remarkable. A great crested grebe swam in open water and an elegant grey heron watched from afar. Black-headed gulls circled overhead and a cormorant languished on a small island.

Then there were the more familiar water birds. Most striking were the swans - dozens of them. Some swimming nonchalantly around, others more inquisitive. We watched them climb in and out of the water, rest one foot on their back, feed at the water's edge and fly to the other side of the pond. A group of these large birds landing on water just a few yards ahead is an impressive experience! Canada and grey geese, mallards, coots and moorhens were all out in full force, many of them with babies in tow. From a little friend we learnt a new song and we sang it to the birds as they dined:


Dabbling Ducks
All the little ducks turn upside down, upside down, upside down,
All the little ducks turn upside down,
When they dabble at the bottom of the pond.

All the little tails go wiggle waggle wiggle,
wiggle waggle wiggle, wiggle waggle wiggle
All the little tails go wiggle waggle wiggle,
When they dabble at the bottom of the pond.

All the little beaks go snap, snap, snap,
Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap, snap,
All the little beaks go snap, snap, snap,
When they dabble at the bottom of the pond.

First Family

WE were delighted to see a few twigs sticking out of our gourd bird house and upon further investigation, a nest inside! The next day, a long string hanging out, then some grasses. The first family of residents will have a fine cosy bed once this busy pair of Carolina wrens has finished their construction project. The typical building time is 3 days so there maybe eggs there already, though we can't see inside. We are looking forward to seeing the babies for the first time!