Posts Tagged ‘binoculars’
Super Snowy
This is a Snowy Owl - he definitely fits right in here. I will have to learn about him and pass it on to you
I love the snow, and that’s a good thing right now. We have gobs of it and more on the way. Yesterday’s storm was the biggest one we have seen since we lived here. We got the driveway cleared so I could go to work yesterday, and today we cleared the sidewalks. It’s the law here that they be cleared within 24 hours of a storm.
Something posessed me before we walked out the door to grab the binoculars. I am always seeing things out in the front of the house and wishing for them. Most of my birdwatching at home is spent in the back of the house, but there is a lot going on in the front that I rarely have the opportunity to see. Well, the effort of carrying the binoculars was not wasted. I got to watch 2 bluebirds sitting high in a tree, and the treat of all treats which gave me hope for the days to come - a robin! According to Paxatawny Phil, the famous Pennsylvania groundhog, we are in for 6 more weeks of winter. Someone forgot to let the robin in on that little tidbit of news!!
Spotting a Bird of Prey
Ever since I installed a trout pond in the backyard, I’ve been lucky enough to spot many predatory birds. A blue heron makes regular pilgrimages to the pond, as does a persistent kingfisher. But the most impressive bird I’ve seen so far is that most majestic of predators – the bald eagle. When I first noticed it swooping through the air to latch onto a rainbow trout, I immediately reached for a pair of bird watching binoculars.
Upon close inspection, it looked as though the eagle was flying to a nest high in the pine trees behind my house. The next day, I packed the binoculars in a carrying case and set out for a short hike. As I had suspected, the nest was about 100 feet up near the top of a towering white pine. Putting the binoculars to my eyes, I was astonished by the size of the branches these eagles had collected to build their nest. I’ll be restocking the pond with more fish very soon, and hopefully there will be enough to feed a family of eagles.
And Now, A Northern Flicker
It’s like a parade. Every day we find a new and different bird. My bird book hasn’t had this great a work out in a long time and neither have my binoculars.
This always seems to happen when I least expect it and of course, when I am in a hurry. This morning as I finished my coffee and was starting to scurry around the kitchen,to get out the door on time for work, my eyes caught sight of a red head bobbing up and down on the ground under the birdfeeders. It wasn’t like anything I had seen here before, though there was something very familiar.
So, since I am the curious sort and can’t pass up a new experience, I grabbed the binoculars and very carefully went out the back door. To my delight and surprise this wonderful creature actually flew toward me and landed on the bird bath to pose so I could get a good look. It was without a doubt a Northern Flicker.
AllAboutBirds. org describes them this way: “Northern Flickers are large, brown woodpeckers with a gentle expression and handsome black-scalloped plumage. On walks, don’t be surprised if you scare one up from the ground. It’s not where you’d expect to find a woodpecker, but flickers eat mainly ants and beetles, digging for them with their unusual, slightly curved bill. When they fly you’ll see a flash of color in the wings – yellow if you’re in the East, red if you’re in the West – and a bright white flash on the rump”.
This one had a red cap on his head and the lovely crescent of black on his chest just like the one in the photo here. He wondered around the garden floor for quite a while pecking for insects and grubs. He was worth every second that I was late for work, and I had to share my excitement!!
Enchanting Robins
There’s no need to supply bird houses for the American Robin, they simply won’t use it. They prefer to make their homes in the bushes. This year we have a nest in an ornamental cedar bush and another in the forsythia. Robins are a year round visitor here, but I always look forward to the spring. It is so comical to watch them with their young. I marvel at some of their habits. The Robin fledglings leave the nest after about 2 weeks, and this is before they have a full compliment of feathers. So they can’t fly. This leaves them under a VERY watchful eye of their parents until they are ready to fly, as it puts them in danger of other animals. During this time before than can take flight, they are so much fun to watch.
At this time of year, my binoculars are never far away, and the other day I heard a rucous outside and grabbed my binoculars only to see a baby robin flapping his wings and jumping up and down on the post of a neighbor’s fence. And in a moment along came the dinner he was so excited about when his Momma landed beside him and gave him a nice juicy worm. This little guy remains under his parents watchful eye and in a few more days he, along with his brothers and sisters will be able to fly away and fend for themselves.
Our home is built on land that was previously farmland. There is absolutely no shortage of worms here, so the Robins we have year round have plentyof food. Occasionally though I will put out some raisins, fruit or peanut butter and take delight in watching them enjoy their special treat.
Hummer Abundance
I have recently been reading some pretty elaborate stories about the things people go through to attract Hummingbirds to their yard. Heck, one story I read was about a woman in Texas who literally rolls out a red carpet by spreading out a big red plastic table cloth that she anchors down with flower pots to attract them as they migrate with the color. There is another story about a man in Minnesota who attaches a hummingbird feeder to a hard hat to attract them and get an up close and personal look.
I am blessed, as time would not permit me to take so many measures. I live in a relatively new development with very few mature trees and yet since the day we moved in here in August of 2004 there have been hummingbirds in my back yard. Yes, I was excited and the hummingbird feeders went out in short order, and the following spring, I made sure to provide them with Hummer Helper nesting materials along with the nectar in the feeders which I put out in mid or late April as they began to migrate back to the area. And, when we did the landscaping I threw in some honeysuckle, and always have a big hibiscus on the back terrace. They seem to love the planters with the bight colored petunias too.
This year I KNOW they are nesting in the Bradford Pear tree that we planted just behind the house, and though I have spent quite a lot of time with the binoculars staring up and examining all the branches I have yet to spot the nest (about 1″ in diameter). I have 5 feeders all positioned close to the house and the Hibisucus plant blooms delight the Hummers as well as my husband and I as the take their nectar about 2 feet from our kitchen table. Blessed, yes. The Hummingbirds are delightful, amazing, and this year more than ever in abundance with some of the feeders having 3 or 4 at time. nature is such an amazing thing!
Make Them Feel At Home
Birds offer us our best chance to observe wild creatures close at hand. Many animals avoid our homes and cities, and those that do happen into our backyard are rarely seen. Birds are all around us, up before we are, and active much of the day. Unless we have retreated to a windowless hole, every day can bring at least a glimpse of a bird.
Those who enjoy the touch of wildness birds bring to their lives often go out of their way to see feathered creatures. According to a survey by the US Department of the Interior, watching and feeding birds ranks second only to gardening as America’s favorite passtime and hobby. More and more people are buying binoculars and field guides and setting off in search of birds. Many are also taking the opposite approach, making an effort to get the birds to come to them.
Attracting birds can be as simple as hanging a hummingbird feeder on a city balcony or as complex as excavating a backyard duck pond. Wherever you live, winged creatures await your hospitality. By providing them the comforts of home, you can turn any backyard into a hotspot for birds.
The Art of Bird-Watching
A bird watcher - Ornithologist, bird lover, bird bander, bird fancier, bird spotter, birder - is still someone who watches birds. I like bird watcher because it is all inclusive. It describes almost everyone who looks at birds or studies them - from the watchers at the window who simply feed the birds at feeders in their backyard to the elite orthinologist who studies their anatomy, habits and behaviors.
Bird watching is among one of the most popular and growing hobbies. For many people , watching birds instills a closeness to nature and a reverence for life around them. The sight of a family of Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks excites a sense of freedom, an escape from the rigors of day to day activities.
Field birding has undergone changes through the years and a sophitication of sorts has developed among binocular addicts. This micro-method of bird watching allows a birder to use the optic magnifiers to observe even subtle differences in plumage patterns to determine the age and gender, or the parasites on a Peregrine Falcon. There are simple bird watching binoculars and high powered scopes for every aspect of the art of watching our fine feathered friends. Regardless of your choice for viewing them or even none at all, you are still a bird watcher.
A Walk After The Storm
I love great quotes, and the simpler the better. Rose Kennedy once said, “Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn’t people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them? “ Well here in this area of the country, we have had lots of storms the last week or so, and I can testify that the birds do sing after each storm. One of our more windy and violent storms last week had me inside the house just a bit too long, and I started to think about the rest of what Rose Kennedy had said.
I grabbed my bird watching binoculars, and put on my sneakers and headed down the road toward the creek. The wind had died down some, and the sun was starting to peak through the remainder of the storm clouds, but before I even reached my destinataion the volume of the birds singing had increased ten fold over the sounds in my backyard.
As I stood quietly by the wooded creek under the trees, binoculars still in hand, I not only became entranced with the sounds, but with the sights. A hawk flew out of one the pine trees that was still dripping and towering high above and a male and female blue jay were dancing in and out of two of the white pines. The sound of the owl was so prevalent above the other chirps and peeps, though I couldn’t catch a sigting of him. Three bluebirds were perched on a bare branch of a dogwood tree.
It stormed today, and I will just bet you can guess what I did after the storm. The experience is amazing, peaceful and I am already looking forward to our next storm. I’m definitely not putting the binoculars away yet!
“Spring would not be spring without bird songs.” Francis M. Chapman
Bird Watching and Beyond
When it comes to hobbies, bird watching is both an educational and enjoyable activity for many outdoor enthusiasts throughout the world. Bird watching has long been a popular hobby among worldwide nature- lovers. Armed with a pair of binoculars and a field guide for identification, bird-watchers can be found in wildlife preserves or in their own backyards. Bird watching not only is a pleasant pastime for young and old alike, but also is an educational means of better understanding various types of our feathered friends and their individual feeding, hatching and singing behavior.
For those bird-lovers seeking methods of accurately identifying birds and their natural habitats, the World Wide Web is an excellent resource. Many web sites feature valuable information and photographs provided by birding guides and various ecological organizations like the National Audubon Society, the American Birding Association and the Peregrine Fund. These organizations, which are dedicated to the study and preservation of birds throughout the world, are useful resources for avid bird-watchers seeking data on such topics as the best locations for pursuing their hobby.
Bird-watchers can also employ these web sites for information on the best birding equipment and bird food recipes, as well as to participate in online discussion forums. Internet users can sometimes even find “live bird cams” and interesting trivia and surveys on bird watching. Regardless of whether you are a novice or an expert in the area of bird watching, the World Wide Web is a good place to go to find information on observing these diverse and fascinating creatures.
I created BirdEssentials.com to share my enthusiasm in this pleasing and entertaining hobby.
What sparked your interest in bird watching? Did you see a beautiful bird? Or perhaps you encountered an unfamiliar one. Maybe a good friend took you on a bird walk and you discovered a really pleasant experience. Maybe you are living with lots of birds in your backyard, like we are, and the experience has made you more aware and concerned about our native birds.
Backyard bird feeding is a convenient way to enjoy wildlife. More than 65 million Americans of all ages watch, feed and landscape for birds. It doesn’t matter where you live - in an apartment, townhouse or single family dwelling, in the city, suburbs or country. Just stand still and you’ll hear them: wild birds. It is hard to imagine life without them.
Bird watching is one of the fastest growing forms of outdoor recreation in the country. Each year millions of people discover for the first time the joys of bird watching. It’s easy to understand why: birds are fun to watch! One of the best things about bird watching is that it can be enjoyed just about anywhere . . . but the best place to start is right in your own backyard. All it takes to get their attention is food, water, a place to build a nest and appropriate vegetation. I would like to return to this publication periodically to share methods of attracting birds to your back yard. I suggest you might start by getting a simple feeder from BirdEssentials.com and some food and adding some shelter and water. I look forward to continuing to give you some tips on landscaping and gardening to attract, feed and help house them; continue to educate you about the types of feeders and houses you will need the attract the exact birds you want.