Eastern Phoebe: Early Spring Migrant

On April first we saw an Eastern Phoebe in Luria Park and managed to get a photo of this sparrow-sized bird. He was perched on a branch near the creek (where the bluebird house is located). This early spring migrant is a flycatcher. He perches on a conspicuous branch and then swoops out to catch a tasty insect flying by. The Eastern Phoebe often returns to the same branch or very close by branch to await for another insect to happen by.

From Cornell's website: In 1804, the Eastern Phoebe became the first banded bird in North America. John James Audubon attached silvered thread to an Eastern Phoebe's leg to track its return in successive years.

 Eastern Phoebes breed in wooded areas (particularly near water sources) that provide nesting sites—typically human-built structures such as eaves of buildings, overhanging decks, bridges, and culverts. Before these sites were common, phoebes nested on bare rock outcrops and still do occasionally. They seem to choose nest sites with woody understory vegetation nearby, possibly to make the nest site less visible or to provide perches near the nest for the adult. On migration they use wooded habitats and show somewhat less of an association with water. During winter, Eastern Phoebes occur in deciduous woods, more often near woodland edges and openings than in unbroken forests.

Wood Ducks In Luria Park

On March 15th a pair of Wood Ducks were spotted in the creek in Luria Park to the north of the bridge.

Here is a photo of this colorful pair of waterfowl:

These ducks will nest in low holes in trees usually made by the Northern Flicker. Some parks, like Huntley Meadows in Alexandria, will put in Wood Duck boxes which look like giant bird houses on fairly short posts at the water's edge. This is breeding season for Wood Ducks, so having a resident pair of the "parrot-like" birds in our park is very special indeed!

Bluebirds and Pileated Woodpeckers

I was in Luria Park on Saturday, March 14th, between the rain showers and was pleased to spot a pair of Eastern Bluebirds perched near the bridge.

The female is in the top photo and the male is in the bottom. This pair was among other birds pairing up for spring. I also observed Brown-headed Cowbirds and Red-winged Blackbirds in Luria Park, both species early spring migrants to our area.

A few days ago, I heard a Pileated Woodpecker on Brad Street. I saw a male in the backyard of a neighboring home and rushed to get a photo as I have yet to adequately capture a decent image of a male Pileated. The male and female look very much alike, but the male has a red "mustache." This make was stripping the bark from a half-dead oak tree looking for insects. The female was nearby tapping her strong beak into a dead limb.

A pair of Red-shouldered Hawks have been seen in two different nests behind homes on Add Drive as well as flying around Raymondale being mobbed by American Crows. Here is one of the hawks on an oak in our backyard seen the morning of March 1st.

Happy Birding!!!!

JOIN IN! Great Backyard Bird Count

On February 13-16, 2015 the Audubon Society joins the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in hosting the Great Backyard Bird Count. Everyone is invited to tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of count, and you are asked to submit your observations online through the GBBC website: www.birdcount.org.

This is an easy and fun to do activity with your family, especially your children. Not certain as to what bird you are seeing? Any on-line guides can help you such as Cornell's www.allabout birds.org site.

Some of the more common birds you will see in Raymondale backyards this time of year are:

 American Goldfinch

 Carolina Wren

 Dark-eyed Junco

 Downy Woodpecker

 House Finch

 House Sparrow

 Northern Cardinal

 Pileated Woodpecker

 Red-bellied Woodpecker

 White-breasted Nuthatch

White-throated Sparrow

All photos taken in Raymondale in January-February 2015 (by Beth Fedorko). Good luck and Happy Birding!!!

It's All Fun and Games Until...

...the Cooper's Hawk shows up.

On this snowy day our feeders were hopping with a nice variety of songbirds enjoying the thistle and safflower seeds, and suet, and heated birdbath.

This male Downy Woodpecker and pair of House Sparrows were sharing the suet feeder as well as the myriad other birds at our other feeders. But as typical on snowy days when birds are very visible at the feeders, a raptor had to break into the fun and scare everyone away.  This time it was the Cooper's Hawk.

This raptor measures about 15 inches long and has yellow on its beak as opposed to the Sharp-shinned Hawk which can also be found hunting at bird feeders. The Cooper's is more the size of a Crow and the Sharp-shinned is more Mourning Dove sized. This day this Cooper's left our yard without a meal. When you suddenly see that NO songbirds are at your feeders, look around for a raptor in the vicinity.

Critters Other Than Birds At Your Feeders

The other day I looked out at our backyard just in time to see a chipmunk loading up his jowls with safflower seed. He was happily sitting in the middle of a glass "donut" feeder that we hung from a post near our fence. He had jumped from the nearby planter box and into the feeder to gorge on the tasty treats and to take some back to his burrow. Sometimes you just have to give in to the other critters that inhabit our yards and let them have a meal from your bird feeders. As long as you have other feeders in your yard that are critter proof, then its OK to let the little furry beasts enjoy the bird food. We had a Cooper's Hawk land on our deck a few days ago, and he no doubt was interested not in our bird feeders but what was feeding from them. A circle of life for certain, but the hawk flew away unsated...this time.

Tales of The Friendly Blue Jay

This story is true, every bit of it, as told by Raymondale neighbor Whitney Redding...

"Friends in Holmes Run Acres tell me that lots of neighbors have enjoyed visiting and chatting with this guy, who showed up there within the past few weeks. Clearly he has been fed and raised by a human. He followed Sanny and me along Surrey Lane last Thursday as we were out walking my dog. We became aware of him because he hopped from trash can to trash can (it was trash day), shadowing us and listening in on our conversation. Finally, Sanny reached out an arm and the blue jay hopped right onto it, made his way up to Sanny's shoulder, gently pecked at her dangly earrings, decided they were really not that tasty, continued walking with us for a minute or two, and then decided to move on. We were so flattered by all that attention!"

The Blue Jay is related to the American Crow, one of the most intelligent of wild birds. It is possible for Jays to learn through repetition and conditioning that humans are not the enemy but are providers.