This morning my wonderful "bird tree" was again sheltering and providing sustenance for a little traveler. I'm pretty sure it's a yellow-rumped warbler, and I developed a new appreciation for them last week at the banding station. Everyone was joking about the abundance of the little butter-butts, along with a scarcity of other species. The bander sort of woke me up with his comment that it's really wonderful to see that one species is thriving, when so many are struggling. Anyway, I haven't ever seen them here in the fall before, althought they do pass through in the spring in all their fancy colors.
It was very polite, and never turned its tail towards me, and I couldn't get a glimpse of a yellow rump, but it has the yellowish sides, and the face looks right.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Warbler in the Bird Tree!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Kiptopeke State Park, Virginia
Definitely not a yellow-rumped warbler!
Warblers and other assorted birds that we saw at the park.
The bird banding station was fascinating. They had banded mostly yellow-rumped warblers for the past few days, and Wednesday was nothing new.....a lot of "butter-butts."
They checked the nets every 45 minutes. The birds were brought back to the station in bags, and were banded, weighed, measured, and checked for general condition and body fat. (He blew the feathers the "wrong way" in order to see how much body fat the bird was carrying.) They were then released; it makes your heart soar away with them to see them fly off. They have a hard trip ahead.Monday, October 22, 2007
Sunday, October 21, 2007
First Post in a Week!
Whew! I was short on help at the store this week, and worked every day, and I was also finishing up on the bluebird story DVD I've been working on, so didn't go anywhere to get pictures, except my own backyard. But yesterday, this gorgeous hawk sat on the snag 500-600ft away for well over 30 minutes before I left. He was doing his peacock imitation and enjoying the sun. He flew down once and had a snack, then went right back to the same spot, still with his back towards me.
Just looking around.
"Oh, grandmother, what a big tail you have!"
"And grandmother, what big talons you have!"
Nigerfest!
"Unto everything there is a season.."
Yummm...
Oh, please, please, please let her bring out the mealworms before those bluebirds get here!
Hey, there's nothing left for me!
I'll sit here for one second - hurry!
"Am I gorgeous, or what?"Saturday, October 13, 2007
Slim Pickins
We went back to SNP Wednesday to spend the night so we could be out early...we should have checked the weather. A cold front came through - it was upper 30's Thursday AM, with really strong winds...the birds stayed deep in the woods. About 9 AM, a few juncos ventured out and I snapped this one....I followed one little ruby-crowned kinglet for 10 minutes or so, but it was too fast and my hands were too cold! So this is the "picture of the day!"
......a sweet little phoebe. It was very still, including the tail, so I was thinking maybe it was a wood pee-wee, but when I looked at the pictures up close, I could see that the bill is all dark.Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Along Limberlost
There were a lot of people out today - While I was answering someone's very loud inquiry as to what I was doing (duh!) John got these shots of a black-throated green warbler. Looks like I didn't crop them enough...the bird is very small - sorry. (The pictures with the hemlock showing are just so nice, I hated to cut it al away.)
This bird, a yellow billed cuckoo, had me puzzled - It was dark gray, not the slightest bit brown, but I don't think it can be anything else.
Singing in the tub!
Golden crowned kinglet - my picture.....
and John's.
Solitary vireo - my picture.....
and John's.
White-throated sparrow - my picture....
Another of mine.....
and John's.
Couldn't resist the junco - they are still abundant in SNP.
The chipmunks are too.Saturday, October 6, 2007
Dreary Day in Oct
This was a nice surprise - I have only seen a yellow-bellied sapsucker here once before - about this time last year. I heard him before I saw him - good camoflage! I have lots of red-bellies, downy and hairy WPs, and there are red-headed and pileated in the big state forest next to my subdivision, but this fellow was just passing through.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
The Home Team
I wasn't expecting to see this little immature chestnut-sided warbler out in my bird tree - and I certainly didn't see him for long, but here he is - this is the only decent shot I managed.
We spotted the black-throated green warbler at almost the same time - this is actually John's photo - mine wasn't very good. I still had "uber-lens" pointed at the spot where the chestnut sided was.
So cute..
Mr C. is looking better. (All his kids have left!)
Yellow is almost gone.
The hummingbirds had all left last week - I guess this one was just passing through - I keep the feeders up for a while after they leave. 













































