BLuebirds homeshopping

A pair of Eastern bluebirds were checking the birdhouse in my back yard this morning, after the house wrens left it this summer after two broods. The warm wet air ahead of today's cold front must have convinced them it was time to find a nest already.

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Front brings bird boom

This is amusing. I've had a house finch who's dominated the birdfeeder outside my office window for the week, then comes today's peculiar weather front and the birds arrive, starving and fussing over who's going first. Carolina wren and chickadee, titmouse, downy woodpecker (a first at this feeder), brown thrasher (another first), white-breasted and brown-headed nuthatches... and the first kinglet I've seen in a while, in a nearby maple.

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hawks bluebirds warblers finches

Busy morning - two red-tailed hawks and a Cooper's were about, as well as scads of bluebirds hovering around a hole in a snag. Couldn't see any bugs coming out, and none went in... squirrel-sized hole, it was. Mixed warbler flocks with worm-eatings for sure. Lots of purple finches grazing while bluebirds perched on the headstones.

house finches too

House finches at the feeder, along with carolina chickadees, carolina wren, white breasted nuthatch and brown headed nuthatch

Purple finch, Swainson's thrush

Yesterday had 3 Swainson's thrushes at the birdbath. Purple finches are cleaning out the feeder today.

Common nighthawk

Common nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) circling above the Decatur First United Methodist Church steeple - the lights attract the bugs that the birds eat - you can see their white wing markings as they feed. Their short beaks and wide mouths are surrounded by whiskers that help scoop in their prey. Saw 4 in all, about 9:30 PM Friday Sept 25th. No diving though - we used to watch them at our old condo on Briarcliff Road, a complex with many flat roofs where they may have nested, circling very high towards twilight, and dive at great speed with a distinctive buzzing sound like rubber bands in a wind tunnel coming from their primary feathers, as well as BEEEEZRH screech, which Sibley describes as the male courting display. 

Swainson's Thrush

catharus ustulatus in the backyard at noon today, looking for food in the bushes & on branches - David Sibley says the long-distance thrushes like Swainson's prefer woodland fruits (Spicebush, Sassafras, Black Tupelo, Flowering Dogwood) that are rich in lipids, which is the most efficient fuel for their long flights in late summer and early fall when these are most plentiful.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Catharus_ustulatus_-North_Dakota-8a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catharus_ustulatus_-North_Dakota-8a.jpg&usg=__AceYfzuoV-F3e31d-owEQXMyJPk=&h=1944&w=2592&sz=2208&hl=en&start=15&sig2=7wFIw6Zzazq37pqv1yY5Mg&tbnid=apjlBRDhl5YJ6M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcatharus%2Bustulatus%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG&ei=CfK8Svm8CZWyNtyXyLcO

bubo virginianus map link

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104609993383735643097.00047445cd15cf516c09e&ll=33.781517,-84.292375&spn=0.001663,0.001711&t=h&z=19

090922 6AM

Two great horned owls again hooting softly to each other in the same oak trees in Decatur's cemetery near the tennis courts. One takes the highest perch on a dead limb silhouetting itself against the low cloudcover reflecting streetlight glow, easily more than 24" tall. The dog and I walk the circular road and take a route leading directly beneath them; I figure they're watching us with each step. Glad we don't have the pomeranian with us - she'd be a fine meal. They show no disturbance, but stop calling. I'll get back during one of these days to seek pellets possibly 5" long. There are lots of squirrel and chipmunk, but don't know what they're finding at night - cats, rats, coyote???
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.

Chuck will's widow

I heard this one also in the early morning back in late spring at the Decatur Cemetery, along the steep embankment at the creek on the northeastern corner. I've also heard barred owls carrying on along the stream corridor over the years.

Great Horned owl pair

September 16 and 17 at about 6:30 AM, Decatur Cemetery, top of oaks near Glenwood tennis center - these two were hooting softly but overcame my ipod anyway, so stopped and listened, eventually seeing the profile against the early morning sky, and turned on Birdjam for a perfect sound match, even the half-tone lower response of the second one.