Image #172 — Seasonal Bounty

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) — White-breasted Nuthatch (*Sitta carolinensis*)

Frequent followers will recall the recent post of a Tufted Titmouse with a mouthful of seed. Here is a White-breasted Nuthatch with a similar bounty. The nuthatch and titmouse are often in the company of one another and have similar feeding habits. Our friends at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology enlighten us more on this pleasant bird.

White-breasted Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them.

December 14, 2013 0

Image #171 – Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescents)

The Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescents) always seems so studious to me. It will invariably go straight to the suet as opposed to the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) who will often swing awkwardly from one of the feeders, flinging out seeds until it finds just what it wants. The Downy knows exactly what it wants.

The Downy and the Hairy Woodpeckers are very similar in appearance with the Hairy Woodpecker the larger of the two. So far I am fairly certain I have only seen the Downy here on Fawn Hill. I have seen the Hairy Woodpecker in the past and it is significantly larger. None of the black and white woodpeckers that I have seen this summer have been that large.

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopis pilestus). Taken in Florida in 2006.

Of course there is the largest of the black and white WPs, the Pileated Woodpeckers and I have to admit I was surprised to see them here in North Carolina. I have often seen the Pileated in Florida and in my head I thought of the Pileated WP as exclusively Floridian. Silly, I know. I think it has to do with their pre-historic look. They seem perfectly at home in the scrub and swamps of Florida. Catching sight of them in the woods around my home here on Fawn Hill was a pleasant surprise. ❧

December 13, 2013 0

Image #170 – Um, You May Want to Rethink that Bite

It seems this Tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor) may have over-judged his ability to swallow but with a prize that large you can understand his inclination. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers this helpful insight:

Tufted Titmice hoard food in fall and winter, a behavior they share with many of their relatives, including the chickadees and tits. Titmice take advantage of a bird feeder’s bounty by storing many of the seeds they get. Usually, the storage sites are within 130 feet of the feeder. The birds take only one seed per trip and usually shell the seeds before hiding them.

After reading this helpful tip I watched the birds more closely and, sure enough, they grab a seed (or a nut) and fly quickly away to store the prize and they are back. One enterprising titmouse has begun to stash the bounty in the nooks and crevices of the deck thereby saving time and energy. I have a Turkey Oak nearby that is, no doubt, one of the primary storage spots for the birds. The gnarly bark offers perfect hiding spots although I suspect the squirrels may be finding many of the stash sites. ❧

December 12, 2013 2

Image #169 – Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

This pretty little dove makes me think of a ballerina–it’s the lovely arch in the neck. Mourning doves are present throughout the United States and in summer months they even migrate into Canada. It’s a wonder they survive at all. They build nests that are impossibly flimsy and often in very public places. I recall a retirement home in Florida where a dove had built her nest directly above the door leading to the patio area. She would sit there all day, not moving a muscle as people by the dozens came and went. The residents of the home were delighted to have the nest so visible and I have no doubt their collective karma guaranteed the successful fledge. ❧

December 11, 2013 2

Image #168 – Female Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

Female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinals) — Female Northern Cardinal (*Cardinalis* *cardinalis*)

The flock of Northern Cardinals continues to populate my feeders and they are a joy to see. I am accustomed to seeing Cardinals as couples and I was surprised to learn that flocks are common in the winter months. With four males and three (maybe four) females they certainly bring some lovely color to an increasingly bleak landscape.

This female has beautiful color in her wings. At first I wasn’t sure if she was a juvenile or an adult. It is the crest that tells the difference and she obligingly shook her head revealing a crest of a delightfully punkish orange. On a juvenile there would be no color and a brownish crown as opposed to a crest. So, I would say she is a young adult. ❧

December 10, 2013 0

Image #166 – Gaping Gator

I’ll be heading down to Florida soon where I plan to spend a few weeks. Looking forward to getting back out to Myakka River State Park and taking more gator pictures, like this one. Unless there is a severe drought the odds are very good that you will see a gator at Myakka. They are all over the place out there. Best of all they love to congregate by the Park Drive bridge which makes getting photos like this one quite easy and safe. ❧

December 7, 2013 2

Image #165 – Nine Turkeys Trotting

This picture of wild turkeys was taken last year at Myakka River State Park. There was a time at Myakka when wild turkeys were nearly extinct. They were aggressively hunted in Myakka Park and a part of me can understand why. The meat of these turkeys would not be anything like the Butterball that some of you cooked last week for Thanksgiving. But I feel certain it was satisfying never the less. And wild turkeys have beautiful feathers that no doubt pulled down a nice chunk of change in the early decades of the 20th century when women’s hats were elaborately adorned with feathers. Living here in North Carolina, where poverty is a very real thing, I find myself thinking about all of this in a different way. It takes me back to my very early days in New England when I recall many classmates who were malnourished and poorly clothed, but once we moved to the gleaming Gulf coast of Florida it seemed poverty went into my rearview mirror. I suppose that was the goal. Still, these “pockets” of poverty are with us and extend to our urban areas as well. Any one who has watched the news in recent days has probably heard about the battle for a higher minimum wage. The current requirement of $7.25 an hour is a pittance and can barely sustain a single individual much less a family. If you want a concise essay on that battle I suggest the article by Richard Trumka and Christine Owens on CNN.

We’ve managed to protect the turkeys in Myakka and they are flourishing. Can we find a way to help our fellow human beings? ❧

December 6, 2013 0

Image #163 – Angry Birds anyone?

Image #163 (1) — Northern Cardinal (*Cardinalis cardinalis)*

Anyone who has ever played “Angry Birds” knows that look! Northern Cardinals are endlessly enchanting. I seem to be over-run with them these days. I counted seven at the feeder today– 3 males and 4 females. So stay tuned for more Cardinal pictures. ❧

December 5, 2013 4

Image #161 – Watching His Back

Squirrels are the bane of those who love to feed the birds. If you aren’t careful about the type of feeder you purchase you could be hanging a “Free Eats” sign that every squirrel in the neighborhood will see. My feeders are a mixture of squirrel-proof and non-squirrel-proof so its no wonder that these varmints are hanging out at Alice’s. When things get too bad I take down the easy-access models and the squirrels eventually stop coming.

But here in Western North Carolina things are different. If you are over-run with squirrels here you simply get your 22 rifle and start ridding the world of squirrels one-by-one. That’s what my neighbor has been doing and the neighborhood has six fewer squirrels as a result. Maybe that’s why this fellow has his back to the post.

A part of me — the urban part — is a little squeamish about this practice. But no one is making me take up a rifle and shoot them. And I have to admit that the squirrel traffic has been considerably lighter at my feeders. ❧