Happy Hunting

There's something special about wildlife encounters. Every time I see a deer crossing the road or a bunny eating grass at twilight I get a little thrill. And then when it is a bigger more elusive animal, it's even more magical. I've seen a porcupine in a tree, a fox one morning before work, pheasants crossing the road, and even a wolf. And each time I stop whatever I'm doing and just watch. I like to say that spending time with wildlife and nature is the closest feelings I have to a religion. Bird, mammal, even insect encounters can feel like magic to me.

I've had two hawk encounters at home in the last couple months. The first was when I noticed a ground squirrel making an alarm call on the patio. The chipmunk alarm call is loud, loud enough that you have no idea how such a small creature makes such an intense, and irritating, noise. I went to the window to see the little guy sitting on top of my air conditioner, calling away. I was curious about what had alarmed him, until a hawk walked around the side of the air conditioner. Walked. It was already on the ground hunting the chipmunk. But sadly the little bugger had eluded him. We tried to get pictures of this huge (and beautiful) bird just standing on the patio but before we could snap a picture he noticed Jeff and was gone.

See how close I am       ^

The second encounter was just this past weekend. For anyone who's a Facebook friend you've already seen one of these pictures. On Saturday I'm sitting on the couch knitting when all of a sudden Jeff gasps. Then tells me, in a low whisper, to look to my right. Sitting on the patio fence is this beautiful hawk. He's alternating watching us and watching the mice that I keep unfortunately attracting to the feeder. There are several of them below him but he's taking his time to hunt. Jeff grabbed the camera and this bird was far more accomodating than the previous one. He sat for about 25 minutes, watching the mice, debating an attack. All the while we snapped photos and video. It was only when my neighbors left to go out that he flew away. I was less than 10 feet away from this bird. I was able to watch him at leisure. It was such a fantastic moment. I only wish he had managed to get one of the mice. Before they find their way in. Wildlife encounters are wonderful...in the wild. Not in the house.

[Edit: I forgot about Jeff's encounter in mid-summer with the bird below. He/she landed on the fence and mantled there. Then after a while it dropped to the ground to spread its wings further. I wonder if most of these encounters are the same bird. The stomach banding is the same. The bird below (the earlier one taken) has yellow eyes, but hawks eyes often darken as they age. I wonder if we are seeing our juvenile all grown up. 

Recent Visitor

Ever since I put up my bird feeder I've had regular avian visitors. I started seeing birds only 17 hours after putting up the feeder and have rarely had a break since. I love seeing the chickadees, finches, nuthatches, cardinals, woodpeckers and sparrows that flock to the feeder. I have a rabbit that has started coming in the morning, along with numerous ground squirrels and squirrels. But none of them is as exciting as what Jeff saw when he looked out the window this past week.

He was watching Olympics coverage when he heard something loud out the window. He glanced out to see this beautiful bird above. It's either a juvenile Sharp-Shinned hawk or a juvenile Cooper's hawk. They look very similar at this age from what I know. The yellow eyes tell me that this is a juvenile. They'll turn a beautiful red as she ages. From the size I think it's female. She's a bit bigger than a crow which is the average size.

Jeff tells me that after sitting up on the fence for a bit, the hawk flew to the ground and spent some time sunning. It spread it's wings out and hunkered on the ground. No doubt it was waiting for some of the regular sparrows to come back. Coopers and Sharpies regularly eat feeder birds. So this pretty bird was waiting for a meal. After Jeff sent me a text with a picture my next question was whether it had found a meal or not. I'm excited that it's hunting my area. I love that not only does my feeder attract small birds but the big predators come by extension. Such a beautiful sighting. While I wish I'd gotten to see it but  I love all the pictures Jeff took for me.

Squirrels and Squinties

Today I did an experiment. I sat outside and knit on the front patio. I set out some seed on the ground stretching from the feeder right up to my feet. I was curious to see how close the creatures and birds would get. I sat still, mostly. I avoided looking directly at them. I sat and waited. I got a lot of knitting done. The birds came down while I was there but wouldn't get any closer than five feet. They were wary of me. But slowly the squinties (It's a Des Moines name. Ground squirrels to the rest of the world) and one large grey squirrel started creeping closer.

Squinty

They started as far away as they could get and within an hour I had a squirrel sitting at my feet, less than a foot away from me, eating seed and watching me. I always wanted to be a Disney princess so that birds and small animals would flock around me. I wanted to be close to nature. Today I was close enough to squirrels and ground squirrels that I could have petted them. And trust me I thought about it. But as the squirrel inched closer and closer I started to worry. Rabies, rodent bites, and crazed creatures running up my pant leg ran through my mind. And for a moment I was nervous at the proximity. But it was an experience that was well worth any worry. If only I had gotten pictures.

Squirrel (albeit a red squirrel)

Plunderers

I woke at 4 am this morning. With the windows open any outdoor noise wakes me up, although I don't think that's what got me. I woke from a horrible nightmare with a start and then, only then, did I notice the odd thunking sound. It sounded like someone pounding on my fence. I stood up and glanced out the window to see plunderers attacking my bird feeder. Two raccoons decided to make a feast of my seed and were practically pulling the feeder off the shepard's hook. I hissed at them from the upstairs window but they didn't even bother to look up. I woke Jeff up who had the idea of going downstairs and trying to scare them away from there. He flipped the light on and off, opened and slammed the door and the bigger one didn't even bother to jump off the fence. It was only when he went outside (not ten feet from them) that they scurried away. But they were back within seconds. He finally went out and collected the feeder before they went away.

It was eerie, standing there watching them. They don't seem mammalian. Or at least not the type that I'm used to. And they were big. Bigger than I expected. I've only had one other run in with a raccoon before and that was way too close for comfort. I didn't get a good look at its body as I backed away hurriedly from the bushes it had been hiding in. I just remember screaming. Raccoons will not hesitate to go for the eyes if they feel threatened. So I had forbidden Jeff to go outside last night. He didn't listen and I'm very thankful. They would have easily ripped the hook down (it was loose this morning) and destroyed my feeder. The cat, wisely perhaps, chose to watch from the safety of the upstairs window. They easily had a good 20 pounds on her.

I tried to get pictures but none turned out. If I had been thinking (it was 4 after all) I would have just turned on the light and clicked away. Instead I tried to get shots with and without the flash, none of which turned out. After the feeder was in we went back to bed, only to be woken twenty minutes later by a woodpecker who was trying to break through my neighbor's metal gutters. It's become a daily habit with the stupid bird. I hiss at him and he goes away but is normally back within half an hour to try again. I'm not sure how well his tiny little brain is working. Or mine. I'm beginning to think that the feeder might not be such a good idea.

Cardinals Courting

I saw the cutest thing this morning. I was packing up my lunch to get ready for work when the cat started meowing at the open front door. I open the front door but leave the storm door shut so she can watch the birds. This morning she was trying to talk to the beautiful male cardinal that was sitting on the patio eating. I stopped for a moment and watched him. That's when I noticed the female cardinal in the yard.

Scruffy looking female cardinal

Now cardinals mate for life, which means that after courting they breed together each year until one or the other dies. They are not strictly monogamous in the winter but during the breeding season they are. And they always travel together. Normally the male comes down to eat while the females waits in the tree, keeping guard. Then they switch. This morning they were both on the ground. As I watched the male picked up a couple of seeds and then flitted over to the female and passed the food to her beak-to-beak. He then went back to the pile of seeds picked up more, and repeated the process. He was feeding her.

A cardinal at the feeder in winter

It looked like a tiny cardinal kiss when they ever so briefly touched beaks. I read up a bit on the behavior and just as I thought, those cardinals were courting. Mate-feeding normally takes place during courting and for much of the breeding season. It's actually a pretty common practice among courting cardinals, but I'd never seen it in person. As I watched, the male made about 6 trips back and forth from the seed to his mate. It was truly one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

I didn't even think to grab the camera this morning to take some shots (cut me some slack it was 6:30 in the morning), so I've stolen the image below from a Toronto newspaper. Sorry. The other shots are mine.

New Feeder

I've been meaning to write about my birthday present from my parents and just hadn't taken the time yet. But I've been enjoying it on a daily basis and figured I'd finally share my new toy. You know you're old when you ask for a new bird feeder for your birthday. Well I'm officially old. And I couldn't love my new feeder more.

The squirrels had destroyed my last one. In one swipe of a paw they had sent it flying to the ground and broke it. When asked by my parents, Jeff had mentioned I wanted a new finch feeder. And not just any finch feeder, an antimicrobial feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited. So I went without for almost two weeks waiting for my birthday. When I opened my gift I knew instantly what I was getting. But I didn't realize that they would include the great rain cover. I hung it up the very next day.

I filled my new feeder with Finch Feed from Wild Birds Unlimited and look what I get. Finches!! Those are five goldfinches (in their winter plumage) eating at my feeder. What you don't see are the three others on top of the hook, the woodpecker waiting his turn, and two chickadees that are waiting for an opening. I have a constant stream of birds. The only ones who haven't come back are the cardinals. Oh..and the squirrels. I watched a squirrel come up to the feeder, sniff it, and walk away. I don't think I have to worry about this new feeder.

Bird Photos

As I sat outside today I started taking pictures of the birds and playing with the zoom on my camera. I took two photos that I'm the most excited about. I love how close they are and how detailed.

A pair of Black Capped Chickadees

A weather-beaten looking Titmouse

Lazy Sunday

The weather can't get much prettier and I am soaking it up. After finishing a really tough but fantastic book this morning called The Underneath (I cried like I was reading Charlotte's Web, which is to say a lot), I've spent part of my day relaxing on the patio watching the birds at the feeder. Jeff bought me some new birdseed from Wild Birds Unlimited and the birds are flocking to it. It's amazing what good seed will do. So I'm sitting outside writing and eating a huge salad and watching the world go by. It's an amazing day. Tonight I'll probably continue my reading jag. I've been working on the collected Sherlock Holmes stories for a couple weeks now and I'm completely hooked.

I also did some baking today, some homemade gingerbread cupcakes which are tasty but not quite as gingerbready as I would like. Yes I know it's not a word, but it makes sense right? I've found I enjoy baking. I really want to get into cake decorating eventually but for right now, cupcakes are right up my alley.

Oh and I have to share. Last night Jeff and I were having dinner when I suggested some bad TV. About a year ago I had picked up the first nine episodes of the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon I watched as a kid. We had never watched the DVD though. So last night we sat down and relived a bit of my childhood. The animation was primitive by today's standards and the violence was pretty tame. Jeff was reading that at the time, the show was considered one of the more violent out there. But all we saw were bad guys getting pushed around or tripped, never killed. The dialogue was cliche and Eric the Cavalier drove me crazy, but the show was still fun. I still like the odd way that the baby unicorn Uni spoke (didn't we have such original names in the 80s?). For $5 I think we got our money's worth.

Tomorrow is Labor Day. I'm probably heading to my parent's house for at least part of the day. For all of you out there, don't labor too hard tomorrow. For me, I'll be on the front porch with a book in my hand and some birds at the feeder. I love long weekends.

Bird Feeder Woes

I came home from knitting tonight to find my new bird feeder damaged on one side. A big section of plastic was missing and most of the seed was gone. I had no idea what happened until Jeff told me to check out the video he had taken this afternoon. I now know what happened to my feeder...and the seed.

Halloween Bird

{Warning: The images below might be a bit icky for some people.}

With the time change, I've been getting up extra early. Even on weekends I'm waking up at 7:30 or 8. I'm much more of a morning person so I'm not complaining. I love the quiet stillness of Saturday mornings. I make a pot of coffee, haul out my notebook and pens, and watch the birds visit my feeder. That had to be the most entertaining purchase I've ever made. I find infinite pleasure in watching the variety of birds that visit. I've had beautiful birds like this gorgeous cardinal that visited during the snowstorm we had in October.

I have nuthatches and chickadees that visit regularly. They are my most frequent visitors. So frequent in fact that I've stopped photographing them. I do watch them with the binoculars though. I was watching this Saturday when a house finch landed on the feeder. I noticed that his head looked a little rough and picked up the binoculars. One half of the head was fine, a perfect finch face. The other side was...not. It looked like the finch's head had exploded. I was fascinated and horrified by it.

Here is the regular side.

Here is the other.

So I found my way to the computer to see if I can figure out what could be wrong with it. It appears to be Avian Pox which means I had to wash my bird feeder again. This is a contagious disease for birds (finches are regularly infected). The finch didn't seem to have too much trouble eating but I had to feel sorry for it. It will eventually starve or be killed by a predator. I watched it most of the morning.

The other birds, like this woodpecker (above), didn't seem to have a problem with it. But for me it was like a train wreck. It was the first injured or ill bird to have visited my feeder and I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. I hope it does okay and comes back. I keep the feeder full. I'll see if I see it again.

Cleansing Post

I need a little cleansing post. Today has been a hard day. It has been filled with unpleasant surprises about illnesses and I'm not even going to discuss the horror story that is my office right now. Things are, pretty up in the air. So instead I'm going to focus on my happy thing for the day.

My feeder has been discovered. Sadly it's been discovered by a squinty (thirteen striped ground squirrel for everyone not in Iowa). He arrives at the feeder, stuffs his cheeks with tons of food, and runs back to his den. And while I'm frustrated that he can empty my feeder in a day, I think he's absolutely adorable when his cheeks are stuffed with seed. Here he is peering over the side of the feeder. Not sure what he's looking at. [Note: I have no idea why these little creatures are called squinties in Iowa. It's the name I grew up with and just seems to be the standard for the state. I'll see if I can find that out]

Here is a black-capped chickadee that has been coming for a couple weeks. Today he fought over the feeder with this white-breasted nuthatch. I've never seen more than one bird on this feeder but I switched food today. It was a nice surprise in a day filled with bad ones.

And here is a little video of my uninvited guest. Enjoy the chubby cheeks. I wonder how much seed he can pack in there. Plus he appears to think that my feeder is a swing. He's a cute little fellow I just wish he ate a little slower.

Thanks for allowing me to share about the happy part of my day.

Early Fall

I'm sitting on the couch typing in front of my front window when I hear an odd sound. Particularly an odd sound for August. The leaves are rustling on the front patio. That's when I look up and realize that half the leaves in the tree are yellow. The trees at the other townhouses are the same way. All day the wind has been blowing strongly and the leaves are falling.

The summer has been one of the coolest on record. This July has not had one single day over 90 and we've had most of our nights below 60. There has been almost no rain and no serious storms to speak of. So I think the trees are confused and are heading into fall early. I know that I've been confused. I keep thinking it's September. My sweaters have not yet been packed away for the season. The office is constantly freezing. It simply doesn't seem like August.

With this said, I've been enjoying a little bit of outdoor time this weekend. Jeff and I went driving yesterday and found a new lake to explore. We got lost and discovered a beautiful new neighborhood with some incredible houses. We spent some time walking and just hanging out. And my big excitement for the weekend is a bird feeder. (Yeah I'm apparently old). I finally bought a feeder and hung it up yesterday. I've been avoiding buying one because of my mother. She feeds the birds, obsessively. It's a testament to her generosity but she carries it to a bit of an extreme. I don't want to get to that level. But I figure one won't hurt. Now I just need a bird to find it. I've been sitting in front of the window, playing on the laptop, and watching for the birds to arrive. I love Sundays. I just wish I didn't have to rake in August.