Hummingbirds

This morning while leaving for work, I spotted the female Ruby -throated  Hummingbird again at my feeder.  I have been a bit perplexed on why I don't see the male and why only one bird. 

This prompted me to do some research on the Hummingbird.  I found these facts very interesting.

This hummingbird breeds in eastern North America and is the only hummingbird species to do so. Males establish a territory and court females who enter it with flying and diving behaviors, and by showing off their red throat plumage. Females provide all care for young hummingbirds. They lay one to three eggs, incubate them for about two weeks, and, after hatching, feed their young for about three weeks. A female may have several broods in a year. Ruby-throated hummingbirds are largely solitary outside of the breeding season. So, according to these facts, they are solitary birds which explains why we only see one at a time.  For a short period immediately after fledging, a female will tolerate the presence of her own young at the feeder, but they are soon treated the same as other adult birds - as rivals in pursuit of the food necessary to prepare for the fall migration.

Also,  the Male Ruby-throated Hummingbirds don’t stick around long. Pairs are together long enough for courtship and mating – just a matter of days to weeks. Then he’s off on his own, and may begin migration by early August.  The Male is such a beautiful bird, so I am sorry he is a delinquent father, but we are grateful to have our one Hummingbird frequent out feeder.

The Early Birder...

Even the rain couldn't dampen our spirits!  Our alarms were set for 4:45 am, true dedication to our avocation.  We arrived at the David Weld Sanctuary around 6:00 am, there were heavy clouds but no rain.

Upon entering the park, there were birds aplenty breakfasting on berries in the trees above and the vast over growth surrounding us.   Numerous as they were, we were unable to identify a single one due to the 'jungle like' surroundings.  Birds were singing, flitting from bush to bush but all we could make out were gray shadows.  We, finally, were able to identify some of the many birds out this morning such as the Grey Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Yellow Warbler, Song Sparrow and the Black Capped Chickadee.  Our destination was the bluff overlooking Long Island Sound.  We arrived at 7:30 am.  This time no 50 lb. chairs in tow, but a designer picnic blanket from Zegna.  

We settle in amidst baby rabbits nibbling on grass and take in the panoramic view set before us.  The first bird we notice is a Greater Black Backed Gull.  Just to the east were a group of Double Breasted Cormorants. Its feathers, like those of all cormorants, are not waterproof and it must spend time drying them out after spending time in the water.  This we were able to capture on film.

While contemplating the view, we notice a flock of Semipalmated Sandpipers enjoying the company of one another on the shoreline.  The Semipalmated Sandpiper gets its common name from the short webs between its toes ("palmated" means webbed).  They are ground foragers who feed on insects.  We were so happy to spot these Sandpipers, and as we watched them walking in the low tide, we spot a truly rare sighting.  The Semipalmated Plover, two couples!  The Semipalmated Plover is among the few plovers whose numbers are apparently increasing, perhaps owing to its versatility in food and habitat choices.  As we bask in the triumph of this wonderful sighting, San spots a bird that we are actually able to add to our list of year-round birds.  The Belted Kingfisher, which is a common waterside resident throughout North America, the Belted Kingfisher is often seen hovering before it plunges headfirst into water to catch a fish.  

As we take it all in, we spot another bird we hadn't seen yet this year, even though we can't add it to our list it was nonetheless a great sighting.  A female Scarlet Tanager.  The male Scarlet Tanager is a striking black-winged red bird, and is a common species of the eastern forest interior. Despite its brilliant coloring it is often overlooked because of its rather secretive behavior and its preference for the forest canopy.  So seeing the female meant that we were in the right place at the right time.

We also spotted the Bank Swallows, and a Great Egret. 


By now its about 10am and we felt our first rain drops, so that made it a perfect time to break for brunch.  This gives us time to go over the list of birds we've seen thus far.

While brunching in St. James, we watched some American Crows in the trees across the street.  The weather was quite fickle.  One minute it was raining, the next minute, it looked like it was going to clear up.  We decided to head back to Ar's for a regroup and to check out the Weather Channel.  (We both live by the Weather Channel!)  While there, we check out her backyard preserve and spotted some Mourning Doves, Tufted Titmice, Blue Jays, Grackles, American Goldfinches and a House or Purple Finch, (he wouldn't turn around so that we could get a good enough look!)

Quite alot of rain showing up on the radar!  We decided the weather was too questionable to venture out to Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge.  No worries!  We'll just stay a little closer to home.  We decided upon the Hoyt Farm Park Preserve and arrived there around 1:00 pm.  We headed for the apple orchard in hopes of seeing either a Cedar Waxwing or an Indigo Bunting.  Alas, it was not to be.  We were first greeted by a plethora of House Sparrows and almost an equal number of American Robins.  As we viewed the apple orchard from afar, we saw some Red Winged Blackbirds in among the apple trees.  We were half way through the orchard when the drizzle turned to a more steady rain.  We left the orchard for the cover of some larger trees along the path.  While there we saw a Wren, that disappeared before we could narrow down what kind of Wren it was.  (This was one of about three Wrens we saw today.)  They could have been House, Carolina, Marsh or Winter Wrens, all here on Long Island this time of year.

As the rain lessened, we ventured back into the orchard.  We spyed a Downy Woodpecker. We also met up with the Red Winged Blackbirds that we had seen from afar.  They did not seem too happy that we were in the orchard.
So we left them to their apple trees and continued down the path.  We were happy to spot a Wood Thrush in the brush.  He sat there long enough for us to make a positive identification.  Wood Thrushes have a beautiful flute-like song.  When it is recorded and then played at a slower speed, it really sounds like a primitive flute! 

We followed the path into the woods, where not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.  So we about-faced and headed back.  By this time, the sky was getting a little bit darker.  We lingered for a while by the main house and checked out the Butterfly/Hummingbird Garden.  A few white butterflies but no hummingbirds.  As we were just about ready to head for the car, Ar spotted a bird at the tippy top of a tall tree.  It looked to be an Oriole, but again, it was too high up to determine if it was an Orchard or a Baltimore Oriole.  It doesn't matter.  We were happy to see him.  As we arrived back at the car, the real rain came!  Looks like we timed it just right!

Back to Ar's to assemble our Post for today.  Wow!  What a great day!  Twenty-seven birds!  Even though we can only add one to our year-round list, we still had a blast and were able to spend some quality time together.  Ar's last words to San before she left were, "This day would be perfect if we saw a Ruby Throated Hummingbird at the feeder."  The sentence was not even finished by the time we got to the door and saw, lo and behold, a female Ruby Throated Hummingbird at the feeder!  That makes twenty-eight!  What a great..... no, what a perfect day!

Past Due for an Adventure

Well the time is fast approaching for another Arsan adventure.  San and I haven't gone exploring for months.  So we both decided to take tomorrow off and hit the woods.

We are thinking of venturing back to the David Weld Sanctuary.  These are a few reasons why we might go back:

At the David Weld Sanctuary, you get bluff-top vistas of Long Island Sound, flowering fruit trees, a hardwood forest highlighted by colossal tulip trees, colorful swamps, birds galore, a remote group of kettle-hole depressions, and even a few glacial erratics. All that and more, without being nicked for an admission fee! Scenery: Splendid variety of habitats includes fields, swamp, deciduous forest, beach frontage, and kettle-holes.

We are scheduled to start at 6:00am!! eeek!!!  But it gets so hot during the day, we need to start early and be ready for some Slushes by the afternoon.

I would also like to venture over to Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge.  This 2,550 acre refuge on the south shore of Long Island is bisected by the Carmans River—New York State-designated wild and scenic and one of the largest. Wertheim hosts a variety of habitats including oak-pine woodlands, grasslands, and fresh, brackish and salt water wetlands. These habitats attract and support many types of wildlife including white-tailed deer, osprey, muskrat, fox, turtles, frogs and fish. The refuge also serves as a haven for waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds.  There are four miles of hiking trails and the best canoeing on Long Island on the Carmans River at Wertheim. There you can also enjoy wildlife viewing, nature photography, fishing, environmental education, nature interpretation, hiking, and cross-country skiing. They say Bird watching at Wertheim during the spring and fall migrations allows you to view a variety of birds including raptors, waterfowl and songbirds. So here is another spot we might try.

Have any of our fellow Bloggers been there, if so why not leave a comment about the Refuge.

Wren's

As of late most of my birding has been solo.  San and I are planning another birding and bonding day next week, so needless to say we are due for another outing.  We had a Red Tailed Hawk in our backyard again today, which is pretty cool even though this time there were Robin's trying to convince him to go somewhere else.

However I did see another bird today in my yard for the first time this summer.  It was the Carolina Wren.  San and I heard and saw one on our last adventure, but it was the first time I saw one in my backyard. 

I had House Wren's nesting in our Wren house earlier this spring.  The most distinctive difference in the birds is the white marking over the Carolina Wrens eyes.

Song and calls:

The Carolina Wren is noted for its loud song, popularly rendered as "teakettle-teakettle-teakettle". This song is rather atypical among wrens, which tend to sing songs which are similar to other wrens' songs. A given bird will typically sing several different songs. Only the male birds sing their loud song. The songs vary regionally, with birds in northern areas singing more slowly than those in southern areas.

I spotted the Carolina Wren doing exactly what my research said they do when foraging for food.  They eat insects, found in leaf litter or on tree trunks; they may also eat small lizards or tree frogs.  In winter, they occasionally eat seeds, berries, and other small fruits.  In my case he was feasting on insects on the Oak tree right off my deck.

Time to leave home : (

Well we knew it was coming, and the time has come for Loxley to leave the nest.  So yesterday morning as Loxley sat in the nest, she no doubt was contemplating what life would be like outside the nest and safety of this hidden haven.

So after of few minutes of reflection, she ventured out on a nearby branch to test things outside the nest for the first time in her life.

So far so good.  No mishaps, and she is still standing.  The adult male and female both are active in protecting and feeding the fledged chicks until they learn to forage on their own. The adult Robin gives alarm calls and dive-bombs predators, including domestic cats, dogs and humans that come near the young birds.

The fledglings are able to fly short distances after leaving the nest. The wings of juvenile birds develop rapidly, and it only takes a couple of weeks for them to become proficient at flying. The cryptically colored young birds perch in bushes or trees for protection from predators.


So will Loxley venture further??? Yes of course she will, she made it to a nearby branch.  So we are not sure if Sandi will be able to track her comings and going any further, but we were all  thrilled to see the progress of one of God's beautiful creations do what he instinctively created them to do.

Proud Parents

Sandi and Warren have more shots of their baby Robin, Loxley.  Loxley seems to be progressing well. 
The American Robin begins to breed shortly after returning to its summer range. It is one of the first North American bird species to lay eggs, and normally has two to three broods per breeding season, which lasts from April to July.
Since this nest is at times located only about 5 ft above the ground Sandi has gotten some great pictures.

Did you know that the nest is built by the female alone.  A new nest is built for each brood, and in northern areas the first clutch is usually placed in an evergreen tree or shrub while later broods are placed in deciduous trees.

The American Robin does not shy away from nesting close to human habitation which we can plainly see from these awesome pictures of Loxley.

Since the eggs are incubated by the female alone you can see why there is a special bond between them.  Mother Robin is spending quality time with Loxley.

While the chicks are still young, the mother broods them continuously. When they are older, the mother will brood them only at night or during bad weather. Even after leaving the nest, the juveniles will follow their parents around and beg food from them. Juveniles become capable of sustained flight two weeks after fledging.

Loxley looks as though she is ready for flight, what do you think she was thinking about when this picture was taken?

The White Storks of Lithuania

Yes, I realize that Lithuania is not anywhere near Long Island.  And I also realize that we do not have any storks here on Long Island.  Our nearest stork population is, in fact, Florida.  However, our friends Darek and Sheryl just forwarded this picture to me.  I thought it was so great, I wanted to share it.

The name Stork is the feminine form of the Hebrew word for "loyal one; one of loving kindness."  This description fits the stork well, as it is noted for its tender care of its young.  They said the storks nest every summer in the area where they live.  Lithuania is a country in northern Europe, sharing a border with Poland.  Storks winter in Africa.  These birds are 40" to 50" tall with a wing span of 61" to 79".  They must be quite a sight atop their nests!  They may use the same nest from year to year, adding to it.  Some nests have been as large as 6' across and 10' deep.  They feed on frogs, fish, small reptiles, grasshoppers and locust.  Something else that is quite amazing is that storks are almost silent.  They communicate by noisy, mutual bill-clattering when adults meet at the nest.  (Hmmm, I wonder what these storks are talking about!)


Thank you Darek and Sheryl for this great shot.  It certainly honors the one who created all things, Jehovah!