Another day in the deep freeze

This morning I awoke to see what the temperature might be for the walk with the Fairhaven group. I really wanted to go, but I said I wouldn't even try to go if the wind was still blowing. It's been simply awful: all day yesterday it blew from the northeast so hard that the walls of our apartment that face that direction were cold to the touch. Last night I added another blanket to the bed, as my usual covers just weren't doing the trick.

As you can see from the screen shot from my iPhone just after 7:00am this morning, I was disheartened to see that the wind was still strong, with a wind chill of 1 deg F. But you know what I did, don't you? I decided to bundle up and go see if any other women would be so crazy as to try a walk this morning. There were fourteen of us, all wearing enough clothes to manage a brisk walk for an hour and a half! It was very exhilarating, and I must say I feel really fortunate to have met such a diehard bunch as these ladies. Afterwards, we went inside to have coffee and spend some time chatting.

Warm and cozy now!

Since I am in the process of trying to keep from gaining any more weight over the holidays, I was glad to have burned a few calories so I can eat a bit more than I would have allowed myself otherwise. I worried a little about the birds, wondering how they will get enough water, since all the standing water is frozen. There's been a discussion on the bird listserv that I follow about how to keep hummingbird feeders and water warm for those of us who worry about such things. Joe Meche, a very active local birder, told us about his new hummingbird feeder. He tried it out this morning and wrote this about a female Anna at his feeder: "In no more than five minutes (just minutes ago), she was feeding....taking deep draws on the fresh/unfrozen nectar. What a delight to observe!"

Picture by Joe Meche

This community is filled with people like Joe, and I am so glad that, although I no longer feed the birds, there are other people out there who are, and worrying about them like I do. Plus Joe is a really exceptional photographer, don't you think?
:-)

Senior play date

Al taking a picture of me taking a picture of Amy

Al sent around an email last week asking if any of the Senior Trailblazers might be interested in a snowshoe outing before the weather changes. Three of us showed up early this morning and spent the day in the High Country on snowshoes! We left foggy and overcast Bellingham and headed up the Mt. Baker Highway to find sunshine and warmer temperatures. It felt almost balmy, until a breeze picked up and kept us wearing our coats all day.

Taken at the parking lot with my iPhone

On the way to the meeting place, I realized I had forgotten my camera, and there was no time to go back for it, so I decided to make do with my iPhone camera. Al brought his camera, so these pictures are a mixture of his and mine. I was very pleased with the quality of the pictures I was able to get from a cellphone, but it doesn't have a zoom and makes decisions for me that I would not make on purpose. Not perfect, but WAY better than no camera at all.

We headed up to Huntoon Point from the Heather Meadows parking lot. We really didn't need our snowshoes, since it has been at least a week since it snowed, and we were mostly hiking on what is affectionately known as "Cascade Concrete." The only time it was serene and quiet were the few moments we were in untracked snow.  A storm is due any time now, which is why we decided to go today.

The sunshine left us as we saw a bank of clouds building, but we had magnificent views of our two favorite mountains. Here's Mt. Baker looking regal in the sun, a picture taken with my iPhone. As we continued our upward trudge to Huntoon Point, the snow became marginally better as we gained altitude.

Also taken with my phone, this picture shows Mt. Shuksan with Al in front, as we reached the point. If I had my regular camera, the mountain would look much larger because I would have used my zoom. As it was, I had to crop the picture anyway because my thumb was over the top part of the picture. I'll need to get better at this if I keep forgetting my camera. We sat down to have lunch, and one of our favorite friends, the grey jay (also known as the camp robber) showed up. I fed him a few bits of my trail mix and put together this collage. Pictures are all taken by Al.

You can click on the picture to admire it properly

I have done this before, putting some nuts in my hand and letting the jay take them. The feeling of his little sharp claws on my hand is interesting. He wasn't going to let go or leave until he had crammed every last bit in his beak. I watched as he picked up one, two, three almonds, stopping for a moment to pose for the camera before taking off.

It was a wonderful day spent in the mountains a mere hour or so away from town. Thursday the rest of us will gather for a hike that is predicted (again) to be in rain.  But I don't really mind; I had today in sun, clouds and snow, and Friday I'll be in Florida!
:-)

Moving right along

Our plans to move from the southernmost apartment in this complex to this one, the northernmost unit, are coming along. The previous tenant is moving his couches and furniture (he has three couches, one on the porch and two in the living room) and will be out by the end of August. He said he hopes it will be by the 27th, which is next Monday. But the manager said he needs to get in there and check it all out before he can give me a date. That's all right, as I've been taking the time to get things cleaned up around here.

This is a picture of our front porch, taken last winter when I was feeding the birds in earnest. As you can see, five feeders hang by hooks for the birds to enjoy a steady food source during the lean months, when it's cold and the pickings are very slim. I tried last summer to stop feeding them, but I was unable to let myself think of them not coming to visit me. The very best time to stop feeding birds is after they've had their babies and there is an abundance of food sources. So, this summer the move has forced me to finally do it. I'll miss seeing scenes like this:

The picture was taken in the summer; you can tell by the brilliant colors of the male goldfinch (the top one in front, for example). I've learned many things during these years of birdwatching. I managed to establish a place that many goldfinch congregate. They are still around, although not on my porch in such abundance. Other tenants also feed the birds, so I will still see them. The chickadees and nuthatches are attracted to the suet feeders, and I'll continue to keep those on my new front porch.

The one thing I won't miss at all are the squirrels. They wouldn't stay away, always hoping to get a handout from the stuff dropped on the porch by the birds. They couldn't get to the feeders, although they were absolutely ingenious in their attempts. The overhang of the porch made it very difficult, so they spent their time going around to find what had dropped to the floor.

Cleaning bird droppings from the past four years has not been a lot of fun, but it's a necessary part of my duties as a tenant. It's been days and I'm now almost finished with the porch. We've got another week or ten days before we can actually move, and I'm hoping to have the majority of the cleaning done. Everything else will be in boxes and moved across thirteen apartments to our new abode.

Probably the very best part of the move has been getting rid of what I've accumulated in the last four-plus years. The clothes I brought from Boulder that have not been worn, books I won't read again, and various other parts of my past that don't need to come into the future: they've all been passed along. It's amazing how much more mobile I feel. And! The next very best part: I'm getting to keep the garden I tended all summer long!
:-)

Birdwatching in the springtime

White-Crowned Sparrow, by Joe Meche
"If this photo doesn't say spring, I don't know what does."

Before I moved to the Pacific Northwest four years ago, I never even knew about the pastime of birdwatching and had never thought of feeding the birds. The only thing I knew about those winged creatures was that they sang some pretty cool songs, and I could even identify the meadowlark's beautiful trilling song. And the harsh caw of crows, I knew what they sounded like. I also remember when we had a heavy outbreak of the West Nile virus in Colorado, and suddenly the ubiquitous sound of all birdsong disappeared for many months.

It was maybe three years ago in the wintertime that I noticed some other apartment tenants had sprinkled birdseed on the ground, and I saw all the little bird tracks in the snow. I realized that they probably needed a bit of help during the cold winter months, and I took my first step into the world of birdwatching. After buying some birdseed and putting it out on my porch, within an hour I had little birdies I couldn't identify snacking away. I was thrilled and thus began my love affair with them. 

Bushtit making a nest, by Joe Meche

American Dipper having lunch, by Joe Meche

When a friend at the gym (who is a long-time birder) told me about the online Whatcom Birding Group at Western Washington University, I eagerly joined the listserv and have had my emailbox filled with pictures of birds for years now, giving me a way to identify the ones I've been seeing. I know which ones migrate, show up for awhile and move on, and how to be a good friend to the birds. Joe Meche, who took all the pictures I am putting up here today except for one, sent them to my emailbox this spring. Joe is the current president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and maintains a wonderful newsletter with information about birds and birding (just a click away on the NCAS website).

This beautiful bird is a Great Blue Heron, and Joe said this about it when he sent the email last week: "An adult GBHE flew into the area of the lower creek that's been patrolled by a juvenile heron for more than six months. I didn't see the juvenile anywhere this afternoon." (GBHE is the birders' shorthand for the species when they make a bird count, I've learned.) It makes me wonder what happened to the youngster, but isn't this guy magnificent?

This is the one picture not taken by Joe, but instead by Doug Brown. In the email he sent two pictures, one of an adult Song Sparrow with some hapless bug in its mouth, with this comment: "At a Scudder Pond Song Sparrow nest, one of the parents prepares to make a delivery. The four (or more) targets of the delivery can't be missed." Sometimes I wonder how these little birds manage to feed so many babies! It's a busy time here in the bird world.

And best of all, for me anyway, is that I know what the sound of the song that White-Crowned Sparrow is singing. I've been hearing it for a month now, and some of their relatives have even been availing themselves of the sunflower seeds on my porch and visiting me. I am enjoying birdwatching more than ever!

Glad I'm not a songbird

Photo of peregrine falcon by Joe Meche

One of these days I might be informed enough to be able join the birders around the area in the December bird count, since I study all the pictures I receive from the Whatcom birders group. But as of now, I am still at  loss when I see one, unsure of the species. Joe Meche sent the above picture around with the following information (22 Dec 11):

Seems like today was a raptor-rich day, so I thought I'd offer one more for a nightcap. The Semiahmoo water tower peregrine was taking in the morning sun and keeping an eye on the Dunlin flocks on the flats at Blaine. 

Yesterday while I was struggling to learn more about Pixelmator, I saw a very large bird come onto the front porch. When I looked up, it was gone, and so were all the songbirds. They stayed away for a long time, making me wonder if it was my own resident Cooper's Hawk. If it was, he probably got one because he didn't come back. I've seen him on the porch more than once, and those raptor eyes and beak just give me the shivers. As I said in the title, I'm sure glad I'm not a songbird!

Since I have five feeders on my porch, the birds know this is a place where they can get a handout. And this also attracts the raptors, who see the fat little birds and figure if they can be fast enough, their own stomach will be full, too. It's just the way of things. At first I had a hard time thinking of the songbirds being seen as prey, but I've gotten over it, for the most part. It also bothers me when it's terribly cold and windy, as I picture the little creatures huddled in the trees and bushes waiting for the weather to change. When it's like that, I put extra seed out, and they are always visiting, sometimes in amazing profusion.

On last Thursday's hike, we spied a hairy woodpecker (at least that's what I think it is; it looks like a downy but it's much bigger) rat-a-tat-tatting away on this tree. You might need to enlarge the picture to see it better, but the little spot of red on its head was what I was trying to capture with the camera. It's not the best, but I would need a very different camera to get a picture as good as Joe's. And then I wouldn't want to take a big expensive camera on our hikes in all kinds of weather, so I have reconciled myself to this compromise. Plus I still get all the Whatcom birders' pictures to enjoy, and there are a lot of really good ones.

Tomorrow Judy and I are going to see Albert Nobbs. If you don't know anything about this movie, Glenn Close plays the part of a woman who disguises herself as a man in 19th-century Ireland. She's been nominated for an Academy Award for her performance, and if she wins instead of Meryl Streep (as Margaret Thatcher), I want to know why. I also noticed that Jean Dujardin won the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor, along with already having won the same thing at the Golden Globes (of course the enlightened Globes have two of these, one for drama and the other for comedy or musical). I will be watching the Academy Awards and rooting for Dujardin over Clooney. Not that I thought Clooney wasn't wonderful in "The Descendants," but I'm a romantic. For Dujardin to win Best Actor in a part where he doesn't say a word (well, he does say two) is just plain old romantic!
:-)

Birds and birding

It's funny that I never really paid much attention to the birds in Boulder. Although I would listen to them on summer mornings, I didn't ever think about feeding them. When I moved to Bellingham, into a nice little apartment with a nine-foot-wide covered front porch, I noticed some pegs that a previous tenant had installed on the side farthest from the front door. I figured they were for flowers, which is a possibility.

Some of the other nearby neighbors had bird feeders, and I enjoyed watching the birds come and go, and before I knew it, I had purchased some bird seed and scattered it on the porch. Almost immediately several birds found the seed, so I took a trip to the local Wild Bird Chalet to learn the do's and don'ts of bird feeding. There is also quite a lot of information on line, and now I'm not only hooked, I found a perfect use for those hooks on the porch: two upside-down feeders (such as the one in the top picture), two suet feeders, and a black-oil sunflower feeder hang from them. One peg is vacant because I discovered that the squirrels can reach it. The others are beyond their reach, as well as protected from the rain, so that the bird seed stays dry, an important aspect to consider here in the Pacific Northwest.

I also learned that when you feed birds, it's important to provide a water source, as they need water to digest the birdseed. And in the winter when the water freezes, it's essential to find a way to keep it from freezing up. That's the reason for the coil under the rock in the picture. It works very well, and it did make me feel much better to give them a water source that stays available, even when it gets really cold. I have a family of Northern flickers, chickadees, goldfinches, bushtits, song sparrows, nuthatches, juncos, and the ubiquitous house sparrows (which travel in huge flocks and try their best to crowd out the native species). That's why I have the upside-down feeders: sparrows are perch challenged and cannot feed on them. They are left to forage with what falls on the ground. The juncos also want what's fallen on the ground. So do the squirrels, but that's another story.

I joined the Whatcom Birds email Listserv hosted at Western Washington University that has allowed me to learn a great deal about local birds, as well as to see pictures of them for identification. Joe Meche, president of the North Cascades Audubon Society, puts lots of pictures on the site that can be downloaded to help identify birds. Other people also put pictures up that give me pleasure, such as this one from Victor Burgett:

Taken by Victor Burgett

He said in the email, "This fierce little bird was quite incensed to meet its reflection in the mirror, and spent a few minutes aggressively attacking it, quickly returning after I shooed it away initially, as I didn't want it to injure itself in the confrontation." I laughed at this description and loved the picture, hoping to use it in a post someday.

Taken by Joe Meche

At first I thought this bird was hurt, but Joe Meche explained, "I observed this Glaucous-winged Gull yesterday afternoon, getting in some serious stretching and preening in the bright sunshine on the lower creek." He captioned it "Gull Yoga," which is quite appropriate, I'd say.

I continue to learn more and more about the birds that visit me, as well as other local wildlife, including the hawks that sometimes come to check out the fat little birds that hang out on my porch. Sometimes they will even venture onto the porch themselves, wondering where their tasty treats went off to. Even though the Northern flickers are big but nowhere near as big as the hawks, the birds know the difference and make themselves scarce when a hawk shows up.

Sometimes a bird will strike my front window hard enough to knock itself out, and occasionally to kill it, although I've put reflective stickers on the window to minimize bird strikes. I take the bird and place it in nearby greenery, hoping that it will be recycled into Nature one way or the other. I love my birds, and I do realize that Nature is not always kind. But it gives me great pleasure to see them, to learn more about them, and to appreciate their winged freedom.

:-)

No I'm not tall

Al took this picture of me last week on the Welcome Pass hike. I like it because I think I look really tall, but you know, I'll never know what it feels like to be tall (I'm barely 5'3"). One of the things my partner likes to say to me when I land my parachute a little shy of the intended landing area is that I'll always land a little short.  Do you think some day I might land tall? (smile)

I realize how deeply ingrained my usual routine has become: ride the bus to the Y for my 9:00 class every weekday except Thursday (when I go hiking with the Senior Trailblazers). During the summer months if the weather is fine, I go down to Snohomish to jump out of airplanes one of the two weekend days, whichever one has my friend Linny to organize the jumps.  I prefer Sundays because on Saturday I can go out with the Fairhaven walking group and then have a nice long swim at the pool. Additionally, I can visit the Farmers' Market as it is only open that day. On Sunday, the Y doesn't even open until noon and the lanes are crowded.

Adding an additional hike on Mondays, as we are doing during the summer months, has disrupted my usual routine. When I showed up this morning for class, several people asked where I was on Monday. (One class is M-W-F and the other is T-Th, although I am usually elsewhere on Thursdays.) I carried my iPad to class today so I could brag about recent hikes and show pictures.

As I sit here at my iMac, I can see the nuthatches and chickadees stocking up on black oil sunflower seeds and the goldfinches at the finch feeders. Just now a Northern Flicker hopped up onto the porch and had a quick snack at the suet feeder. I love my birdies, but I am not overly fond of the house sparrows, who tend to arrive in rather dense flocks onto my porch. The flurry of wings when they leave has become an unmistakable summer background noise. They pick up and eat the finch food that falls onto the porch, since they cannot perch upside down. I've watched them try.

Nuthatch, siskins, goldfinch, chestnut-backed & black-capped chickadee
(click to enlarge)

Although the birds take a bit of time, effort and money to make sure they are never without food and clean water, they bring me an amazing amount of pleasure. All of these pictures were taken through my front porch window. It's what I see from my desk. Pretty cool, huh?
:-)

Weather or not

Yesterday we had one of the most beautiful sunny blue sky days I've seen so far this year. And it meant that I would head to Snohomish to join my friends so we could play together in the sky. Here you see my playmates: Kevin and me standing, with Cindy, Dave and Linny in front. These are some of the friends I fly around with in the air. Yesterday I only made two jumps, but of course Ninja Linny made four, staying until sunset while Smart Guy and I headed north to Bellingham. The traffic was not fun. We would have gone back again today, but we awoke to wind, rain, and low clouds. So I took pictures instead.

Some of the visitors to our front yard that don't bother me at all, the deer, drive the flower people who live on ground level a bit crazy, since they LOVE to eat the tender little shoots as they come up. This one is watching the people traffic to make sure nobody is interested in chasing away the local wildlife. Nobody was, so he (she?) spent quite a bit of time on the lawn figuring out what to eat next.

Poppies must not be on their list of favorite things, because these guys hadn't been touched, and I had been meaning to take a picture when they were in their first bloom, they were so beautiful. Now they are a little past their prime, but I walked out just now to capture this picture to share with you. Now all I needed was a bit of blue, and they would be perfect for the holiday weekend.

The penstemon planted in my little planter on the front porch comes up every year whether I take care of them or not. I originally planted them for this reason: they are irresistible to hummingbirds. This is my third season in my planter, and I love to watch these little hummers come to taste them. Although I have an almost identical picture from last year, I have no idea if it is the same little guy or not, and these are blooms from this year's plants. Don't you just love those pretty little wings? And if you enlarge this picture, you can admire those teeny tiny little legs tucked up to reduce drag.

And with that, I'm off to the Y to swim laps, and then to the movies with Judy. We're going to see Midnight in Paris, which is, I'm told, a delightful movie. I'll let you know. I truly hope you are enjoying your weekend, and Happy Independence Day to one and all!
:-)

Birds everywhere

You can see the birds up close, just click on the pic

This picture of my front porch is taken from the ground level. We are on the second floor, but I wanted to show some of my readers why I don't worry about wet birdseed. We have a pretty decent overhang that causes the snow and wind to miss the hanging feeders and only mess with what's on the porch floor.

I feed these birds because in many ways I feel responsible for them. This may be a silly reason to some people, but most of these birds would not be here if I hadn't provided food for their parents during breeding season. Lately, with the cold weather, many more goldfinches are visiting me. I imagine them telling their friends about it. I also belong to a birding listserv, so I know from emails that there are many, many other people like me who worry about our feathered friends during the cold.

The dark material in the upper right of the picture is to block the light from that huge and very bright light that is supposed to keep us safe from burglars. The light reflects back onto the porch and makes it hard for me to sleep when I need a nice dark room. The material helps.

You can also see the suet feeder on the left, which is a favorite of woodpeckers, flickers, chickadees and bushtits. The sparrows aren't interested, which make me happy. Here's a picture I took of the front porch as I approached it:

You can see that the snow has drifted onto the floor of the porch, but the hanging feeders have not been touched.  The birds are gone for the moment because they heard me coming. I'll slip back into the house now so they can resume their breakfast. I also have a birdbath that gives the birds water so they don't have to eat snow when it's very cold out. I use a heater to keep the water from freezing. Birds need water to digest the seeds, so it's important to make sure they have a source somewhere.

It gives me so much pleasure to feed and watch all the birds that visit me, but my very favorites will always be the chickadees, because they seem to know me and talk to me when I come to fill the feeders.
:-)

One legged chickadee

Taken from vtpeacknik's Flickr photos

I haven't yet been able to get a picture myself of my little one-legged chickadee, but he looks just like this one. I couldn't figure out what the little guy was trying to do, the past few days, fluttering his wings and huddling on the ground with the sparrows. At first I thought he had a broken wing, but he can fly just fine. Then I figured out that he has lost a leg somehow. He can drink water and hang with his one leg upside down, just like this one, eating at the upside-down feeders normally visited only by the goldfinches.

At first I thought he was trying to nest or something, fluttering over the flower box in an unusual way, until I called Smart Guy over and we watched him for awhile, realizing that he can fly just fine, eat suet and drink water out of the birdbath, too. On the ground he balances by fluttering the wing on the side where the leg is missing, which seems to have been lost recently. On a tree limb he leans onto his breast but hangs on the branch pretty well. I put some sunflower chips into the flower bed and he found the stash tonight.

It's been a difficult day bird-wise, with a very hard strike by a goldfinch on the living room window. Although I've got lots of markers as well as reflective stickers on the window, which may keep the number of strikes down, it doesn't eliminate them. The finch lay stunned on the front porch while we put barriers around it to keep the interest of predators away. I didn't have much hope, but after about an hour the bird began to look around and finally flew away. Often they have sustained brain damage and don't survive in the long term,  but I can hope it will be back at my feeders tomorrow. It is a handsome bird and there's no way for me to know it from the others.

Upon looking on the internet for information about one-legged chickadees, I found that it is a fairly common sight at feeders around the country. If you're a chickadee and you have to lose a limb, a leg is probably the easiest to adapt to. I guess I should name it (I'll say it's a male but I have no way of knowing) and wonder if "Peg Leg" is just way too obvious. Or maybe "Peggy"? I'll be watching him to see if he keeps coming around and will be putting out some extra food for him. Stay tuned.
:-)

When the frost is on the pumpkin

This morning after my workout, I walked to the Community Food Co-op (which I do most days) and saw their outside display of pumpkins covered with water. I assumed it was frost that had melted from the rising temperature and sunshine. But it only got down to 39 degrees (above freezing) and the dewpoint was also 39, so what I'm thinking is that this is dew, not melted frost. Oh, well, it's close enough to being frost to make me feel the changing season.

We are losing three-and-a-half minutes every day here in the uppermost left-hand corner of the United States, just a little south of Vancouver, BC. The days are now shorter than the nights, and you can feel and see the change of season everywhere. It's October, after all, and even if there wasn't frost on these guys last night, you can bet it won't be long now. I love this time of the year. The sky seems bluer in comparison to the bright leaves, and the crisp bite in the air is exhilarating.

I've got juncos returning to my porch after being gone all summer. They must be migrating south, although some stay around all winter. Maybe this is as far south as they go. They have joined my usual goldfinches, chickadees, nuthatches, flickers, downy woodpeckers and sparrows. I'm sorry, but to me those sparrows just have no redeeming qualities. Those people who brought them over here from overseas (to control insect pests) in the 1850s couldn't have foreseen how adaptable they are, or how quickly they would crowd out native species. I end up feeding them, too, since they don't care how I feel about them and travel around in rapacious flocks.

The other day when I was filling the black-oil sunflower seed feeder, I was getting ready to hang it back up on its peg when a nuthatch landed on the feeder inches from my face. I was still holding it. He seemed to be looking right into my eyes, showing no fear or skittishness. He waited for me to say something and I told him how much I admire him. He said, "tsip tsip tsip" to me, took a sunflower seed from right under my nose and flew off. Although I don't speak nuthatch, I think he was saying thank you.
:-)

Watching the show

All of these pictures were taken from my desk, looking out at the front porch. These sparrows are taking a bath, and if birds can have expressions, these birds are, well, happy. I can't say I appreciate these guys as much as some of my other birds, because they tend to crowd out the more well-behaved ones and hog all the sunflower seeds. House sparrows were introduced in this country during the 1850s to control insect pests. From my bird book:

Not a true sparrow, but a weaver-finch from Eurasia and northern Africa, the House Sparrow immediately began to exploit human-modified habitats after being introduced into the US. This bird has a knack for colonizing far-flung settled areas and usurping territory from native species. Many people have seen this bird cleaning up discarded scraps around fast-food restaurants.

I stopped putting out seed that was scarfed up immediately by the House Sparrows, but I sure don't want to stop supplying black-oil sunflower seed, because the delightful chickadees and nuthatches like them also.

This is a black-capped chickadee, I think. I thought with all this color it must be a chestnut-backed chickadee, but my bird book doesn't show either one exactly. He's really friendly, though, and I think if I were to sit quietly for long enough with my hand filled with seeds, he would eventually come over and take one.

You can see the nuthatch has a much shorter tail and a little longer beak. This one has a seed in his beak making it look longer than it is. I took this picture this morning, and you can see that the sunflower seeds are pretty much gone from the feeder, thanks to the unrelenting sparrow hordes. I have now put out a small amount twice daily, and when it's gone, I would love to say it's gone, but frankly, I'm such a softie I end up putting out more. But much more parsimoniously than before!

Most of the food I provide is for these goldfinches. The male is much more brightly colored, and an occasional pine siskin shows up, as well as other finches. I have two nyjer thistle socks (like this one) and an upside-down feeder that has both small chips of sunflowers mixed with the nyjer. The sparrows can't use it, though, as they cannot hang upside down like the finches, chickadees, and nuthatches.

We also have some downy woodpeckers who come to the suet feeder. I believe this is a new one, he seems smaller than the others I've seen, but he spent quite a bit of time today chomping down the suet, as well as rat-a-tatting this tree. It's amazing to think of how it must feel to bore a hole in a tree with your head!

The other birds I see often on my porch are the spotted towhee (he's there right now), the beautiful Northern Flicker, who also loves the suet feeder, and this little guy, who I think is a juvenile grosbeak, but I can't be sure. His coloring doesn't look like the pictures, but look at that beak, what else can it be?

Anyway, I am enjoying the show, and this hobby of mine has grown beyond anything I thought it would be in the beginning. I haven't seen my hummingbird around since the flowers that attracted him have finished blooming. I put up the hummingbird feeder, but I keep changing the elixer without having had a visitor. And of course, my old friend the squirrels have kept me on my toes. What a well-visited front porch I have!
:-)

My little hummer

Yesterday I caught this little guy drinking the nectar from my planter flowers. (You can click to enlarge to see his pretty little backside.) Last year I put out a hummingbird feeder, but I found that the hummingbirds much preferred my flowers, so I planted these to capture their interest. This is the first one I've seen here this season, because the first flowers have just bloomed.

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback about your dealings with the wild creatures that inhabit your back yards and sometimes your gardens. I feel much more serene and better able to handle the ups and downs of my front porch critters. I would much rather have them around than not; they are very engaging and, yes, I can even appreciate the House Sparrows now and then.

This is an excellent year for goldfinches. I saw this purple finch alight on the thistle sock with them. The male goldfinch at the top is looking at the other finch as if to say, "hey, this is my territory!" The male goldfinches have that black mark on their heads, and the females are not as brightly colored. The one in the middle right is a female. But they are all so pretty!

And just as I was writing this post, the hummingbird came over to my flower pot, so I crept outside hoping I might be able to get a good shot in the low light. As I was adjusting my camera, the hummer flew right up to my face, mere inches away, as if to take a good look at me! It was thrilling. But I was unable to get another good picture, so these will have to do for now.
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Feeding the wildlife

Our neighbors to the west have a big backyard that I've been told is planted with organic garlic, among other things. They put up a lot of barriers to keep out the wildlife. But, as you can see, these deer have been munching there all morning long, with netting, fencing, and other attempts failing miserably at keeping them out.

Feeding the wildlife is sometimes done like this, unintentionally, or by people like me, who like to feed the birds. It was a winter ago when I saw birdseed put out by a neighbor, and I saw all the little tracks in the snow that got me started. It occurred to me that birds might need to be fed in the winter. And then I didn't stop when summer came around, and now I'm hooked on feeding the birds. And the squirrels by default.

At least I live in a second-story apartment so I don't get the deer eating up my hummingbird flowers, but I watch them eat the ground-level flowers that appeal to them. The whole Pacific Northwest is their salad bar, after all.

I have followed the tenets about feeding the birds that comes from some well-known and respected sites, such as the "All About Birds" site at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. I just looked up some information, out of curiosity, wondering how the birds crack the sunflower seeds. I learned that the black oil sunflower seeds have thin shells that are readily cracked by most birds. Some people in my apartment complex put out corn for the birds and other wildlife, but I don't. I found that it rots quickly, and this information on that website caught my eye:

Corn is eaten by grouse, pheasants, turkeys, quails, cardinals, grosbeaks, crows, ravens, jays, doves, ducks, cranes, and other species. Unfortunately, corn has two serious problems. First, it’s a favorite of House Sparrows, cowbirds, starlings, geese, bears, raccoons, and deer—none of which should be subsidized by us. Second, corn is the bird food most likely to be contaminated with aflatoxins, which are extremely toxic even at low levels.

So, it is quite possible that you could be harming rather than helping the wildlife by feeding them. After trying my best to rid myself of the House Sparrows, I've stopped putting out everything except the nyjer thistle which the finches love, and black oil sunflower seeds. I just love the cheeky chickadees, and they eat the sunflower seeds, as do the House Sparrows. I won't stop feeding my favorite guys, so I guess I have to endure the House Sparrows as well.

Here they are consuming the sunflower seeds at an alarming rate. One thing they do, however, is knock quite a few of the seeds to the ground, which are snatched up by the Spotted Towhee if it is fast enough to beat the squirrels to them. And, of course, I help by trying my best to soak the backsides of the squirrels.

I gain so much pleasure from watching the birds, and now from chasing the squirrels in the ancient tradition of all neighborhood kids with Super Soakers. I've written about this guilty pastime of mine before (feeding the birds), and I've decided that I'm not likely to quit doing it anytime soon. Learning to coexist with our wild neighbors takes a bit of effort. Just like those pesky humans I share my environment with, too!
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Birds of a feather

Judy over at The Road to Here has a guest post by Suzie Gilbert who wrote a book about birds called Flyaway. She has a question and answer thing going on with her, and I asked Suzie to mention how she feels about feeding birds, since I am still wondering about the propriety of my feeding of the wild birds. If you want to ask some questions about birds, please head on over there and join in.

This goldfinch (click to enlarge) has changed colors and is now in his yellow breeding feathers. I've watched the male goldfinch change from dull yellowish-brown to this color (and he will be even brighter as the weeks go by). I have quite a few goldfinch at my upside-down feeder and the nyjer sock, but I also have chickaees who head over to the suet feeder or to the black oil sunflowers. They continue to amaze me, they are so bold and cheeky.

I swear this guy is posing for me. He is just the cutest thing. He yells at me when I forget to shake a few seeds onto the tray for his pleasure. The chickadees have also begun their spring two-note song that sounds to me like, "pick me, pick me." Then there are the raptors that are attracted to my feeders, not for the food, but for the well-fed little birdies like these! My juvenile Cooper's Hawk has been joined by a mature Sharp-Shinned Hawk, much smaller (about the size of a pigeon). This is not a great picture, but it shows his red eyes and his coloring.

And lastly, for those of you who love eagles, I've been watching the hatching of the Hornby Island eagles' nest. There are two eggs, and Mom and Dad have been watching over them. There are two cameras, a closeup that is amazing, and one a bit farther away. Last year I watched Mom and Dad Eagle in another nest feed three eaglets and watched them fledge. This one is sponsored by Wild Earth TV in British Columbia. The link to the cameras and the chat room is available here. The website also has some short segments on the sidebar showing the parents turning the eggs and repositioning them. Enjoy!
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Soaring regards: Jean Keene

I received the book that Cary Anderson promised to send me about Jean Keene, the Eagle Lady. I've taken a picture of the book's title page, and his words, "Soaring regards" really hit me. She was a wonderful and very colorful person who deserves to be remembered forever.

The book begins with some absolutely stunning pictures of eagles and of the Homer Spit where Jean lived alone (well, sort of, she did have a lot of eagle friends) for twenty-some years. And then it tells the story of her early life, which is also covered really well on her Wikipedia page. The American Bald Eagle Information website also has a page devoted to her dedication to the eagles.

I was fascinated by the pictures in the book, glossy high-definition pictures of eagles in flight, eagles in huge numbers waiting to be fed, and some majestic head shots of this beautiful bird. Cary Anderson has also included a breathtaking picture of the Aurora Borealis.

Anderson has told the action-packed story of Jean's life and left a legacy for all to enjoy. I highly recommend this book to you, and if you do order it from him, I don't see how you could possibly be disappointed. His website, Eagle Eye Pictures, has portraits you can order, pictures of eagles, reptiles, and other wildlife, including some portraits of people.

Jean lived a full life, passing away at 85, after a career that included being a trick rider in a rodeo, being one of the first female long-haul truck drivers, owner and waitress at her truck stop restaurant, until she found her true calling as a friend to the eagles. From the time she moved to Homer in 1977 until her death in 2009, she hauled an estimated 500 pounds of fish every day from winter to early spring to the Spit to feed them. They go off on their own for summer and fall.

From the Homer Tribune Top Ten Stories of 2009:

End of Eagle Era - Eagle Lady Jean Keene, arguably one of Homer’s most famous citizens, died Jan. 14 at the age of 85. Friends and photographers around the world mourned her passing, but the eagles she devoted her life to feeding continued to roost around her Homer Spit home. That sparked concern from wildlife officials on whether the eagle-feeding should end so abruptly. After much public input, debate and discussion, the Homer City Council voted to let Keene’s assistant continue the feeding as a way to wean them off free fish lunches. Council then enacted a ban on eagle-feeding into law, taking effect March 29. (Photo by Cary Anderson)

 I wonder what they did when they returned in late 2009 and she was gone. She had a favorite eagle, Betsy, that she speculated had spent part of her life in captivity, because Betsy was "uncommonly tame" and would perch on a fence just a few feet away of her. I like to think that is Betsy in the picture above.

Fly free, Jean, and I will think of you soaring with your eagles forever. I will see your spirit in flight with them whenever I see one.
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