Backyard Birdwatching Throwback

A male house finch (as evidenced by its head, neck and shoulder
reddish hue) and an American tree sparrow share a bite at our
backyard bird feeder. (4/18/14)

Scrolling through the 90 posts in my draft folder I came across this one from April 2014(!). Despite this January 2017 being very unseasonably warm, with very little measureable snow, I still look forward to warmer weather and the increased bird activity that seems to accompany it.

According to Wikipedia, "Originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern United States, [house finches] were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s." While house finches (and tree sparrows) are extremely common to my Western New York backyard bird feeder, it is a joy watching them interact. I refuse to wish the remaining months of winter away, but look forward to future visits come spring.

Male house finch. (4/18/14)

Male house finch. (4/18/14)

Backyard Birding

Male Blue Jay keeping an eye on American Tree Sparrow. (7/30/15)

I spend many hours a day during the summer watching the aviary (and rabbit) activity in our backyard from either the large windows in the kitchen or from our recently reconstructed open back porch. My wife, who is much more observant (and knowledgeable of bird-types), will often call me to the window if I am elsewhere in the house to tell me that "there is a Gold Finch on the feeder!" or "the rabbits are playing in the backyard!" Contrary to popular misinformation, despite living in a city, there is quite a bit of beauty to observe in the natural world daily. You do, however, need to look for it.

Blue Jays and squirrel vie for position. (7/30/15)

Over the course of the past week or so, I am happy to report a slight uptick in activity around our backyard bird feeders, of which we have three: one cylindrical feeder with traditional variety mix of seed, a second smaller cylinder with Nyjer seed and a third suet feeder. While a personal goal is to lure the more "exotic" (i.e. colorful) birds into range of my shaky lens, it is quite relaxing to observe any birds (yes, even the Sparrow mobs) stop by to interact with one another and the environment.

Female Northern Cardinal glides past squirrel on way to feeder. (7/22/15)

The uppity recreational backyard birder in me would LOVE to see more Woodpeckers and Gold Finches, but the truth is that all birds "gotta eat." As much as I love seeing rabbits in the yard (and they are often within the field of vision of the frames shared here), it would be unfair for me to begrudge the squirrels their due too. This of course, doesn't deter me from attempting to minimize their gorging by using peppered feed and suet (which works better than you'd expect).

Tree Sparrow rests amid conifer branches. (7/23/15)

Downy Woodpecker makes an appearance! (7/31/15)

Downy Woodpecker observes... (7/31/15)

... a mob of gorging Tree Sparrows, which chase him 
from the feeder! (7/31/15)

Male (upper) and Female (lower) Northern Cardinals assess the situation 
from electrical wires. (7/22/15)

Common Male Grackle stops by for a set. (7/17/15)

Female Northern Cardinal, striking in a subdued, earthy way. (7/22/15)

From coloring to call, nothing subtle about the Male Northern Cardinal.(7/22/15)

Gray Catbird--the angler minimizes the generally longer , 
narrow beak.(7/25/15)

The ubiquitous but sharp American Robin. (7/22/15)

Omnipresent visitors: Tree Sparrows and squirrels. (7/22/15)

In a few short weeks, I will return to coaching and school, and with the change of scenery will come a shift in lens. Rather than staring out into our backyard, I will have the parks the girls team and I train at, as well as the courtyard my second-floor classroom window looks out into. There I will attempt to sneak peaks into the trees during the day. Whether at home or t school I look very forward to catching a glimpse of an uncommonly, beautiful bird or the beautiful in the common bird.

Watching Wascally Wabbits

Two rabbits in one frame. (7/20/15)

Welcome back, my lagomorph friends!

Blackbeard waits for the
show to begin. (7/21/15)

During the first two weeks of July, while we were having our house painted, the rabbits that previously had become so common in our backyard had seemed to move into the neighbor's yard (over the past few weeks I would see them occasionally foray into our yard through a loose board on the wooden fence). It took a while following the painters' removal of their equipment, but it now appears that the rabbits are once again comfortable enough to come hang out in our backyard, a situation which makes both our cat, Blackbeard, and I very happy.

As I've written about previously, our area of the city has seen a resurgence in the rabbit population over the last five years. This year, at nearly anytime of the day, it is difficult to walk a block without running into a rabbit lounging in the lawn of peering from beneath shrubs. At one point I wondered if it would be possible to do an unofficial census of the rabbit population, but now realize it would be impossible.

Each morning when I go for a run, walk or bike ride, out of habit I'll whisper "good morning" to the rabbit that daily sits in my neighbor's front yard. Now that our friends are back, we can enjoy watching them interact and do "rabbit" things from our back porch. It is easy to project human qualities onto animals (we all do it with pets, right?),  and this fantasy is only easier to create when the same animals are a part of our daily lives. In that way, one of the rabbits pictured in this photos, the one with the large "red" spot on his back, has consistently visited the yard during the majority of the summer, so much so that we now look for the signifying spot.

The rabbit with the red spot (7/20/15)

You lookin' at me? (7/20/15)

Even this male Northern Cardinal doesn't understand why I'm taking pictures 
of ubiquitous rabbits!  (7/20/15)

Grooming time. (7/20/15)

Making separate meals for dinner isn't so difficult. (7/20/15)

Chillin. (7/20/15)

It is great to once again have these wily wabbits back in the yard. The relaxing summer past-time of watching bunnies at rest and play is hopefully back to stay.

Summer Backyard Birdwatching Begins

Tree Sparrow and House Finch snacking on seed. (5/24/15)

These pictures were taken during the waning days of May and early June, so while colorful and varied, I am hopeful of even a wider array of visitors as we officially move into summer. Between the birds and the bunnies which have frequented the feeder and garden I am please to share that things are looking up. If and when the painters who have been working on our home for two weeks (it's a long story) ever get around to finishing, and the human activity once again minimizes, the yard will be even more welcoming. With our recently built (or re-built as it returns the exterior of the house to a more historically accurate structuring) open back porch, there is now a pleasant locale from which to observe.

Male Northern Cardinal. (6/8/15)

Yes, they are very common in most yards, but I do enjoy the bright colors and sharp coloring of the male and female Northern Cardinal. The two captured in the images above and below came over our next door neighbors fence together and spent a short time surveying the immediate area. It is fortunate that their coloring make them easy to pick out among evergreens and leaves, though I wish I had better luck snapping pictures of them in motion. Who knows, maybe this is the summer I get it right!

Female Northern Cardinal. (6/8/15)

House Finch. (6/3/15)

Despite my wife's occasional (okay, frequent) gentle ribbing about my taking time to photograph the incredibly common American Robin, I do so enjoy watching them. While the pic below is not terribly dynamic they are sharp dressed little birds.

The ubiquitous American Robin. (6/3/15)

The little Mourning Dove below hopped around in the hardened mulch beneath the feeder for nearly thirty minutes before flitting over the fence into the neighbors yard. As I watched him (her?) interact with the yard, he was clearly favoring his left wing. Obviously injured, though I am unsure how badly he was hurt after pecking away at the dropped seeds and discarded shells fallen from the feeder above, he (presumably) hopped or flew into a neighboring yard. A short time later I went out to the yard to see if he was trapped back there but he had gone.

Injured Mourning Dove scrounges for vittles. (6/3/15)

Sparrows. (6/1/15)

Sparrows. (6/1/15)

Like most urban settings, squirrels are constant visitors to most backyard bird feeders, and our's is no different. While I recognize the inconsistent thinking involved, as much as I adore the bunnies that have suddenly become so plentiful in our neighborhood, I would be completely okay with fewer tree rats squirrels stopping by. On the plus side, occasionally you catch them in precarious situation (see below) at which points they do provide a chuckle or two.

The Evil Empire of the Squirrels makes an appearance at the feeder. (5/31/15)

Sparrows. (5/31/15)

Blackbeard's Backyard Bunnies

Blackbeard spots TWO bunnies from the kitchen window. (4/3/15)

With our puppy having recently passed away, and the icy finally melted, our backyard has become something of a haven for our backyard bunnies. While Gracie never bothered the rabbits that would frequent our backyard (and apparently live under the shed), without her presence they have nothing to fear. As much as Blackbeard yearns to get outside in the back to play, that ain't going to happen... at least not intentionally!

Tougher than you'd think getting two wild rabbits in a single shot from inside 
the house. (4/3/15)

Gooood bunny! (4/3/15)

Later! (4/3/15)

A dewy day for checking out the slumbering gardens. (4/3/15)

Blackbeard waits by the backdoor to go out. (4/3/15)

Yummy! (4/5/15)

Rabbit has gained confidence now, sauntering to brick 
back patio in daylight. (4/5/15)

Out for a morning hop around the hood... (4/12/15)

... but not without checking back first. (4/12/15)

Yeah--We're in the Pilot!

In the mail yesterday, we received notification from the City of Rochester that our neighborhood would be part of an upcoming Single Stream Recycling pilot. Currently, we are required to separate out select recyclables into paper and plastic/glass containers (or, in most cases, the city's sanitation staff need to do so when emptying the containers). As a family that generates more recyclable waste (including compostable waste which we pay a fee to have picked up weekly by Community Composting, Inc.) than "garbage," this is exciting news as we continue looking for ways to minimize our footprint.

It is great to see our local municipality continuing to pilot (with an eye towards wide-spread implementation) ways to make recycling easier and more convenient!

Rochester's Neighborhood Little Free Libraries

Little Free Library on Dartmouth Street in the Park Avenue neighborhood. (11/27/13)

I am pretty sure it had been there for a while, I had just failed to take note of it. Two year's ago, while walking the dog around our neighborhood, I noticed a small mailbox-type structure in the front of a yard two blocks from my home. It was positioned close to the sidewalk, but too far away from the house to be a mailbox in the city. Taking a peak inside, I realized there were books and a small sign affixed to the roof identifying it as a "Little Free Library".

Little Free Library on Marion Street on Rochester's East side. (1/11/15)

On another walk later that winter, I snapped a picture of it, where it became just one of many digital images that become hidden away on a hard drive. Over the past year, however, I have discovered myself stumbling across three more such libraries (one of which  seemingly went "off line" not to long ago) and after recalling that original Little Free Library picture, finally decide to share them along with some background.

Little Free Library at Rochester Public Market. (11/30/14)

The interactive map on their website reveals that there are indeed many Little Free Libraries around the world in such far flung locales as the Netherlands and Nicaragua! Currently there are at least ten in the metropolitan Rochester area, as well as a few in the nearby suburbs. Two observations from reviewing the organization's map: it does not include some of those pictured on this post and, oddly there appear to be none located in any of the city's west side suburbs such as Greece--the school district in which I work. In both instances, one hopes that the site is just in need of an update.

Interior of Little Free Library at Rochester Public Market. (11/30/14)

As explained on the Little Free Library website, the "take a book, give a book" movement is intended to give "neighbors share their favorite literature and stories." Since 2009, the brainchild of two businessmen out of the Mid-West, Todd Bol and Rich Brooks, the grassroots organization has been working to create this avenue for ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to read. I am curious as to how much actual foot traffic these little beauties actually receive.

Based solely on location, the majority of Little Libraries in the metropolitan Rochester (the notable exception being the one located in the Public Market, though it is a trendy city-spot for suburban visitors) reside in middle to upper-middle class neighborhoods where I would reckon most residents probably purchase books or borrow them from our well-stocked county public library system.

In the end, in addition to being very aesthetically pleasing additions to the often drab winter landscape, any organization such as this that continues to positively promote a love reading is certainly worth supporting, if only to help generate some word of mouth.

Sources:
Little Free Libraries of Rochester, NY on RochesterSubway.com
Curious and Uncommon
LittleFreeLibrary.org