Spring Courtyard Birding

The view of the north-western quadrant of the courtyard...
from my second story classroom window. (6/3/15)

Aesop once wrote "It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds," a phrase which reminds of the beauty in even the most familiar birds (and people and things and so on). Just as the spring weather was slow to develop this past May, the aviary activity in the high school courtyard just outside my classroom window is just now beginning to show signs of life. Beyond the sparrows that populate the overgrown "trees" and shrubs growing unabated next to the building (and now reaching to the second story), the area has been fairly quiet. Yes, the common American Robins and grackles have made appearances, too, but absent are some of the more unusual birds of year's past. A suggested by Aesop, the ubiquitous nature of the familiar does not mean, however, that there is nothing to observe.  It can be equally entertaining to watch American Tree Sparrows flit along the grass, fluffing feathers and calmly playing.

American Tree Sparrow, 1 of 4. (6/3/15)

During lunch this past week, I watched this little fellow roll around in the recently trimmed grass for about 15 minutes. The way he repeatedly fluffed himself and rolled(?) about in a fairly small grassy area, it seemed very much as if he were bathing in the blades.

American Tree Sparrow, 2 of 4. (6/3/15)

American Tree Sparrow, 3 of 4. (6/3/15)

American Tree Sparrow, 4 of 4. (6/3/15)

When Northern Cardinals do stop by, their call and color make them easy to find even from the second story window. This dapper fellow dropped in during a drizzly, damp day, so his plumage showed up easily against the lush grasses and leaves. His stay was a short one, so I was happy to have my camera nearby...

Northern Cardinal. (6/1/15)

Northern Cardinal. (6/1/15)

The one real find of the week was my spotting of a Gray Catbird below. I caught a glimpse of him the previous day, but by the time I retrieved my camera he had slipped from view. It had been a grey day weather-wise so my ability to find his a second time was severely hampered. The next day was a sunnier one, and though he stayed out of the clearing where I might take a better shot, I was able to snap enough (thought the perspective was a little awkward) to verify my identification against The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's AllAboutBirds.org later that afternoon.

This Gray Catbird's body seems stubbier due to the angle. (6/4/15)

The Gray Catbird's narrow, straight bill is more visible from this angle.  (6/4/15)

With three more weeks of school left, I remain hopefully that the activity will pick-up, or at the very least I'll find some interesting ways to write about the familiar birds that entertain!

Birds Doing Bird Things

Athena Courtyard Cardinal. (5/20/14)

MY recent lack of posting is not due to a lack of avian activity in either the school courtyard or home backyard (though that has diminished slightly), but the product of a very busy end-of-school year schedule. Last Tuesday as the end of class, one of my students inquired as to whether or not I'd seen any "inetersting" birds in the courtyard recently. To that point in the day, I had not, but as fate would have it, at the end of the day as I went to close the blinds for the evening, I spotted both the Northern Cardinal above and the bathing American Robin below.

Thankful the grass had not been cut for the week just yet. (5/20/14)

American Robin takes a dip in the "cement pond." (5/20/14)

A brief break between splashes. (5/20/14)

A quick air-dry before flitting away. (5/20/14)

Starling Splash!

(5/16/14)

This week in class, after nine days of assorted Advanced Placement exams, my classes and I watched the excellent documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005). In the closing minutes of the film, following his relocation away from the San Francisco community wherein the Cherry-headed conure parrots flock, Mark Bittner begins reflecting on the common, native birds he had never taken the time to notice, despite spending so much time tracking, watching and befriending the much more superficially exotic conures.

(5/16/14)

In our school courtyard, not many "fancy," exotic birds pass through--occasionally, the splashes of color and noise that accompany Blue Jays and Cardinals will make brief appearances, but generally there is less colorful fair to be observed. As Mark learned only after the loss of his exotic avian friends, that does not suggest that the birds that do frequent the courtyard lack character.

(5/16/14)

After a good hard rain this morning, the European Starlings (along with a few grackles) were out in full force, pecking and probing the wet grass for food. One of them even stopped for a few moments to splash around in one of the puddles that had quickly formed during the rain. It's easy (and fun!) to anthropomorphize the actions of these goofy little birds, especially when they respond to environmental conditions ,such as lonely puddles of water just needing someone to splash in them!) just as we humans might under similar circumstances..

A School Week In Bird Pictures

Female Mallard (left) and adult male Mallard (right) on Friday, April 4, 2014.

Most days, I bring my camera to work with me. This practice is not necessarily because I intend to take pictures, but primarily because I hope an opportunity to do so will reveal itself. The opportunity to snap pictures of birds the school courtyard outside my classroom window frequently occurs while I'm teaching. As I'm circulating around the room or lecturing I'll catch a shadow flit across the corner of my peripheral vision. It's either during a break in classroom discussion of during the five minute transition time between class periods, that the camera comes out.

Adult female Mallard basking in the sun in Thursday, April 2, 2014.

This is when (if I'm not in the middle of a thought or discussion), I'll retrieve my camera the drawer of my desk (where it;'s secured during the day). If I'm really lucky the window will be open so that I can just nudge it slightly to allow for greater visibility. Due to cold weather hanging on, it has been much more likely to be closed. Opening the window from a latched position is apt to create just enough of a squeak that any birds within the general vicinity will scatter. At that point I'll sit by the open window grading papers during lunch in hopes of catching them when (and if) they return.

Sparrow in tree on Wednesday, March 30, 2014.

Sparrow in shrub on Tuesday, March 30, 2014.

Adult Blue Jay chilling on Monday, March 30, 2014.

Though all are fairly ubiquitous species, it is relaxing to see so many birds frequenting the school courtyard in the weeks before the doors to it are unlocked. At that time the area becomes a thoroughfare between parallel hallways, and though I have yet to see anyone "bother" the birds, they are less inclined to linger in the grass or low tree branches with the increased human activity. Which of course does not mean that a good shot or two won't reveal itself during a class reading of The Scarlet Letter...

Outside My Classroom Window

A clearly proud Blue Jay. (3/21/14)

Two days ago during class, I received a tweet from a former student (sitting in another class elsewhere in the building) that "@Mister_Scott !!!! I see Bluejays in the court yard". Though spring has just sprung, winter seems to be hanging on, and despite frequent glances out the second story classroom window, I had not observed much activity in the courtyard. The tweet gave me hope that things might be picking up....

With the potential for a Blue Jay sighting in mind, and my camera packed stuffed into my backpack for the school day, I set off this morning to work hopeful of a view myself. Halfway through third block, I heard the unmistakable sound of Blue Jays vocalizing outside the closed window.

Fortunately this was (in part) my lunch period, so I could turn out the lights, open the window wide (despite the 32° temp), and let the time unfold int he courtyard. What followed was nearly 30 minutes during which I caught four Blue Jays, a Red-Bellied Woodpecker (which I had initially misidentified as a Downy Woodpecker) and what I believe to be an American Tree Sparrow at play in the courtyard.

Between trips to the higher branches, a Blue Jay at rest. (3/21/14)

My desk at work with the courtyard visible outside the window. (3/21/14)

Blue Jay strikes a pose with acorn in beak. (3/21/14)

Red-bellied Woodpecker. (3/21/14)

First spotted camouflaged against the tree but given away by his flashing red cap. (3/21/14)

Red-bellied Woodpecker. (3/21/14)

Standoff? Blue Jay mid-picture to left with Red-bellied Woodpecker
about 15 feet directly to the right. (3/21/14)

Best as a I figure, an American Tree Sparrow. (3/21/14)

American Tree Sparrow with fluffed out feathers--for
an even chubbier effect naturally. (3/21/14)

In the five years I've been in this classroom, this was diverse and interesting extended observation period I have had the pleasure to watch. Blue Jays and Tree Sparrows are fairly common visitors (as are American Robins which I did see briefly but failed to capture with my camera), but the introduction of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker is new. It will be interesting to see the season unfold and to track just what types of birds drop into the enclosed courtyard for a visit.

Winter Birds

Athena High School courtyard tree with birds at 7:45 a.m. (2/6/14)

Each morning, House Sparrows flit and jump from branch to branch on the small shrub and naked tree just outside my classroom window. As the sun rises over the courtyard, the birds set off in small groups over the building for parts unknown. During most days, even in winter, I'll open the window and the area is silent. Only the very occasional "jeer" of a Blue Jay passing-by breaks the quiet.

Just as I head home after the school day ends, I presume they do the same; returning over the then empty buildings to the low scrub branches. There, I imagine, they await the early morning sunrise that prompts them to set in motion the day's activities.

Courtyard Calls

Blue Jay on branches. (12/5/13)

Yesterday morning during class I had our classroom window slightly ajar (despite the protestations of a few students--it was after all almost 40°F out!). While entering attendance into the computer, I heard the familiar "jeer-jeer-jeer" of the Blue Jay just outside the window. Seizing the moment, I quickly took some photos of the two birds who briefly flitted about the trees and grass before heading over the wall of the courtyard. It has been so quiet this school year in the courtyard, almost any aviary chatter has been worth taking--though the occasional Mourning doves that peck about the pebbles in the early morning hours have been unusually quiet...

Blue Jay surveying the area. (12/5/13)

Birds of Change

Wild Turkeys in Perinton, New York. (11/10/13)

The trees are nearly naked and the first snow flakes of the season have fallen. The past few weeks have seen our little slice of heaven in upstate New York transition from fall to winter, and while the twice-read tea leaves suggest a tough winter ahead, change is good.

American Robin in the Greece Athena High School courtyard. (11/12/13)

Ironically, it is in the last few weeks that the bird activity has increased in the school courtyard, just as the wild turkeys in Perinton have gone into relative hiding. With my mother having moved from the family home in Perinton , the likelihood of too many more turkey photo opps is decreasing, though the Robins (and an occasional Blue Jay) are striking a few poses before the snows really begin to fly any day now...

High School Courtyard Birding

An adult male American Robin (Turdus migratorius) relaxing among leaves
in the school courtyard. (11/5/13)

Two days ago, I became acutely aware that our feathered friends had begun returning to the school courtyard with a degree of regularity. Maybe it was the unusually warm temperatures. maybe they were simply seeking refuge in the enclosed courtyard from heavy winds. At nay rate, after a September and October with little birdsong or calls of any sort to speak of, things have picked up considerably since November begin. It was nice to have the occasional guest appearance by a Blue Jay during class, and to hear the sparrows playing in the overgrown bushes on the first floor. (All pictures posted here were taken from my second story classroom window.)

Such a beautiful Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) ... if only he'd come closer! (11/5/13)

Yet another adult male American Robin, this one hanging by
the unmaintained artificial watering hole. (11/5/13)

Catching Up in the Courtyard

Not quite the Garden of Earthly Delights, but a worthy natural distraction during a busy school day. (5/9/13)

Any number of times during the course of the school day I'll peek out the classroom window to see what aviary activity may be taking place. Any number of slight environmental factors (whether the lawn is cut, the state of the small artificial pond, if students are out there taking the course I affectionately call "Raking Class") can impact what may be gliding in for a rest. As the name would suggest, our school courtyard is an enclosed area that is somehow populated with any number of types of birds who find their way over the three story square building and onto this small patch of green.


Given the greenery of the courtyard, even the muted red of the Northern Cardinal stands out. (5/9/13)

Last week while teaching class I couldn't help but notice a small, brightly colored male Northern Cardinal briefly flitting around the courtyard at school. The bird captured in both images is the same one, though it's sharp color was much clearly captured in the one above. I am quick to notice colorful birds such as this one as they are not as common here as the more ubiquitous American Robin or the occasional .

Slightly different angle and lens results in more brightly captured red coat. (5/9/13)

In these pictures, the lawn is rather long (it was freshly cut a few days later) and and industrious American Robin can be seen in the images below collecting grass for nest building. I haven't had the opportunity to get down to ground zero to search for its location, but I suspect he is building for the summer. Robins are extremely common regionally, and this type of behavior in my backyard usually means a nest is going up in a nearby bush or soffet.

Just left of center, Robin looks for suitable building material (5/9/13)

The following day, (presumably) the same bird could be seen in roughly the same location scratching and pulling at dead grass and leaves. It occurs to me that any nest that is under construction may be taken down by school maintenance staff, or Raking Class, especially if any nest location is exposed. Reckon it's time to escape the "ivory tower" environs of my second story classroom and look around the courtyard for myself.

Robin certainly is enamored of that shadowy area just beneath the shrub's branches. (5/9/13)

Spring

The Courtyard Pond, Athena High School (3/13/12).

This past Tuesday morning outside my second story classroom window (which opens into the courtyard) a single duck had been barking beside the small artifical pond. As students cut between hallways by going outside, his calls became louder. I had hoped that this was meant to indicate that (as in past years) a gaggle of ducklings would soon be arriving, hatched from eggs hidden in the brush.

Three days later, with no duck (young or old) in site, I regret that there appears no such story to watch unfold this spring... at least thus far.

In the Courtyard... Owl Down! Owl Down!

Pictured above is the North West area in the courtyard, where you can see both the artificial pond and (in the upper right hand corner) the greenhouse. This picture was taken out my classroom window. I had noticed the other day that somehow had honored the initial request to bring a plastic owl in to ward off any hungry crows. When I first looked out the window, I did not see the artificial owl (nor did I see any ducklings or crows) protecting the inhabitants of the artificial pond.

I did not see the plastic owl, that is, until my gaze shifted slightly to the right and I noticed a small brownish pile on the ground beside the bench...


AND THERE HE WAS! Laying face down beside the bench, a likely victim of the recent rash of windy rainstorms which blew through this morning, was the guardian of the ducklings, Mr. Plastic Owl!

A Duck Pond Darwin Emerges!

Though not the actual ducks inhabiting the small artificial pond in my school's courtyard, this picture (taken on June 7, 2008 by my wife and I) is pretty representative of what I have observed outside my classroom window.
Following up on yesterday's post concerning my school's courtyard duckpond, of course, someone piped up with "a mean, sarcastic email" in response to one person's request for solidarity in protecting the ducklings which were recently hatched.

In her original e-mail, Employee X, a professional in the school who is not a classroom teacher, asked for volunteers to consider bringing in "Owl statues, or something similar" to be "placed in the courtyard to scare away the crows." Apparently the crows were snatching up and, presumably, eating the ducklings.

So here is the e-mail which was sent out to all staff in response to Employee X's query:

When you say "we" would all like to see them survive, are you including the crows? I have to believe that 5-day old baby duck is a delicacy for those crows.

I vote for natural selection. I'm a big crow fan. As a matter of fact, lets video tape it and show it in our Living Environment classes.

C. Darwin

It's important to note that "C Darwin" also signed his real name to the e-mail and used only the pseudonym in the body of the letter. Any guesses as to what class this individual teaches?