Judy shot this video today of a goldfinch eating seeds on the Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum) in the front garden. Goldfinches love cupplant, and I love to watch them eat. Though they can be messy. This one must drop at least three seeds for every one he swallows. I guess that works fine from the Cupplant’s …
When we bought Judy’s last camera, about eight years ago, we were amazed by what it could do. It was a Nikon D40, her first digital SLR camera. We both tend to believe that any object that represents a major purchase should be kept until it is used up or no longer working (this explains …
In April I usually start changing the mix of bird foods that I offer in my back garden feeders. There are a few reasons for this. First off, I want to get ready for the neotropical migrants – orioles, grosbeaks, indigo buntings, etc. – that usually arrive in Chicago right around May 1. If you …
This is a particularly interesting time to watch American goldfinches, though I enjoy having them around all year long. But right now is when they do a partial molt, replacing all their feathers except for those on the wing and tail. The feathers that grow in are the bright yellow breeding plumage. In September the …
The guy at the Wild Birds Unlimited store says that, despite the cold, black capped chickadees in the Chicago area are nesting right now. If I were a chickadee I’d think about a postponement, but the folks at WBU generally know their birds. Chickadees are such endearing birds, how can you not want to provide …
There was a disturbing article about birds crashing into windows (or window strikes) in the Winter 2014 issue of Living Bird, the publication of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Apparently the typical American home passively kills 1-3 birds per year through window strikes, likely more if there are bird feeders around. This may not sound …
It’s good to put out feeders with shelled peanuts for the birds, especially in winter. Peanuts attract woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees, and are a good source of calories and protein. That’s why I buy 20 lb. sacks marked “Peanut Rejects”. (Why were they rejected? They look fine to me, so I do wonder. Also, is …
There is a general belief that the more commonplace something is, the less we value it. However, this does not necessarily apply in many situations, such as with the birds in our gardens. I was reminded of this when I found a list of the top 25 feeder birds in my region of the USA, …
We just got another six inches of snow, but let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), which ends today and which I participated in for the first time. The Great Backyard Bird Count is an exercise in crowd sourcing begun in 1998 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, …
I’ve been thinking about Hummingbirds a lot lately. This may seem odd in that the snow along my curb is piled about 4′ high and the temperatures lately have varied between really cold and brutally cold – not exactly Hummingbird weather. But perhaps that is why thoughts of Hummingbirds are such a pleasant diversion. Plus, …
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