{BIRD NOTES} August 11, 2014

 

Bird Notes

 

Feeding the Birds . . . Yes or No

With the threat of roaming Black Bears raiding bird feeders in the area, you might ask ”well, why not forget about putting out bird seed when the birds have plenty of natural sources for food now that the weather is warm”. In case you haven’t noticed most of the local birds have nested and by July have fledged youngsters and are bringing them in to feeding stations for a free lunch/dinner. Since everything is new to them, we enjoy watching them being taught avian schooling by their parents.

          Our list of species lengthens each day as new species wander in with their youngsters.

Here is our list so far:

          Blue Jay, House Wren, Song Sparrow, Downy Woodpecker, Phoebe, Cardinal, Catbird, Robin, Titmouse, Chickadee, Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Yellowthroat.  We also have a male and female Indigo Bunting that frequents our feeder but has not shown up with babies yet.

          It is entertainment rated “G” and well worth the few grains of seed that it costs. But, you must remember, if you are in the danger zone, to bring in your feeders at dusk and eliminate suet altogether until the cold weather arrives.

 

Brookside Pileated Woodpecker

Dear Al, Several times now the mommy Pileated woodpecker has been feeding her baby the suet from my feeder right on the railing of my deck. What a sight. I don't know if she had only one baby, but it sure is fun to watch.

---Eleanor Temple, Brattleboro

 

Louisiana Waterthrush

For the last 10 years or so the Louisiana Waterthrush has nested or attempted to nest along a small stream that runs close to my house in Dummerston. In each of these years singing by the male bird usually fades out by late May. However, following this period of quiet, the male begins singing again in late July into mid August. This is a regular occurrence. Over in Westmoreland, NH, Adam Burnett has also reported this late summer singing. This behavior seems to be poorly recorded. In fact, many sources claim that LOWA is one of the earliest warblers to head south. This is not my experience and it is one of the latest species to sing. I suspect that the fact that their later song period has gone unrecorded is partly because it occurs very briefly ( a few minutes duration) and early in the morning (5.30 am this morning, for example).
---Hector Galbraith, Dummerston, VT

 

Return of the Bear

Back on August 2^nd we had a visit from mother bear. She showed up for the first time since early July when she made off with our small suet feeder.  We immediately withdrew suet from the birds diet, much to the dismay of the woodpeckers. Well anyway, she returned today to show off her bear cubs, 3 of them ! ! They had all followed “mom” down our back hill, running and tumbling in the tall grass and ferns. Mom stopped short of our lawn and sniffed the air in the direction of the seed feeder. It evidently was nothing to her liking so rounded up the rowdy gang and walked back up the hill. Upon arriving at the crest she stopped once more and sniffed the air in our direction before disappearing into the dense undergrowth of the wooded area with cubs in tow.

 

Swallows are Gathering

The electric wires along Abbott Road across from the Gateway Farm barns, have been loaded with the gathering swallows. Mostly Barn and Tree with a few Rough-winged.

 

 

SVAS Program Note:

“Journey Around Mount Kailas: Tibet’s Sacred Mountain”

A trek with Lani Wright through far western Tibet and around the mountain that the Tibetans believe to be the center of the universe.

August 19 – 7 p.m. in the community room, Brooks Memorial Library

Free and open to the public.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PLEASE share your birding news and photos with us so we can all enjoy reading about your birding experiences.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Al Merritt  chpmnkx@sover.net

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Southeastern Vermont Audubon Society:   www.sevtaudubon.org