Ubiquitous Birds Post-Windpocalypse

American robin on tree branch. (3/10/17)

It has been months since taking my camera (and not the picture taking function of my cell phone) out for a walk but conditions being what they have been the past 48 hour this morning seemed a good time to do so. Following upstate New York's Wind Storm 2017, we and 100,000 of our neighbors find ourselves without power and I find myself with two days off from school. There are only so many hours one can listen to local politicians pat themselves on the back for being such amazing public servants during a catastrophe, so the silence of the trail provided a welcome break.

Emptied pond on Erie Canal. (3/10/17)

A short drive up the road from the Comfort Inn we have relocated to for the (sadly) foreseeable future, the Lock 32 Canal Park is part of a path I am very familiar with both walking and running with my wife and children. I did not really anticipate seeing too much of great interest beyond the traditional barren terrain of the emptied canal bed, but was pleasantly (okay, really) glad to come across some common park birds. It was like seeing old friends after a long absence. Amongst the creaking trees and polar winds, it was heart-warming to come across a few wood peckers, robins and crows on my short trip down the canal trail...

American robin on the ground. (3/10/17)

American robin keeping watch. (3/10/17)

Erie Canal in Winter-time. (3/10/17)

Pileated woodpecker doing his thing. (3/10/17)

Pileated woodpecker. (3/10/17)

American crow. (3/10/17)

Crows. (3/10/17)

Downy woodpecker. (3/10/17)

Duped water birds in winter. (3/10/17)

Downy in Winter

(1/7/16)

Despite facing the likelihood of removal come spring, the final act for the dying tree in our backyard continues to be as something of a haven for passing woodpeckers. A victim of the emerald ash borer, the uppermost trunk of the tree is riddled with both the telltale D-shaped exit holes of the EAB eating through the bark and woodpeckers chipping away at the surface for the larvae delicacy. Woodpeckers love EABs and the tree is clearly infested with them, thus the attraction to woodpeckers. While not necessarily part of the natural circle of tree life (the EAB are after-all an invasive species, so not really "natural"), because the tree is "going out" as such, I have had the chance to catch woodpeckers in broad daylight more frequently of late.

(1/7/16)

Just Sunday afternoon, while washing dishes, the bright red plumage of the make Downy Woodpecker caught my eye. On two separate occasions Sunday morning, I found myself standing in the backyard snapping pictures of him as he feasted on the tree and listening to the distinctive whinnying call. After pecking away at the bark for ten minutes each time, he eventually flew back over the fence and along my neighbors roof line to points unknown.

(1/7/16)

(1/7/16)

(1/7/16)

While this is clearly the tree's final winter in our backyard, in addition to having provided me with quite a few backyard birding adventures over the past ten years, it is appropriate that we have this final go-round, a dance a hope to continue in the coming weeks.

A Welcome Dinnertime Visitor

Judging from what could be discerned from Allaboutbirds.org, this is a female
Hairy Woodpecker. (11/26/15)

While preparing Thanksgiving dinner yesterday afternoon (more like keeping my wife company as she continued making dinner) I noticed a rather large woodpecker pecking out our tree in the back corner of the yard. A large ash tree which recently fell victim to the ash bore, it has long had a suet feeder for woodpeckers (as seen in the last image below).

This past summer was an uncommonly poor one for viewing backyard birding this past summer, beyond the swarms of chickadees that flock any recently refilled feeder. Hopefully this Thanksgiving Day visit was a harbinger of things to come. Most frequently we have Downy woodpeckers stop in for a snack, while this was a slightly larger woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker. Though I have seen them before, this was my first opportunity to snap some pics, first with my phone and then with the preferred option, our traditional Canon camera.

Female Hairy Woodpecker. (11/26/15)

Female Hairy Woodpecker by suet feeder. (11/26/15)

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.

Au Revoir, Little Birds

An adult Red-Headed Woodpecker.(center) with juvenile (upper right)
share the feeder and porch with others. (11/27/13)

Last Friday, we closed on the sale of our family home in Perinton, New York. The Wednesday prior, my mother, wife and I spent an hour or so sweeping out the basement and vacuuming the second floor carpets. I also took one last opportunity to snap some pictures of the birds (and squirrels) feeding at the neighbor's feeder. Fortunately, making one last pass through the side lot, I also came across two wild turkeys cutting through the other neighbor's front yard.

Male Northern Cardinal. (11/27/13)

Female Northern Cardinal. (11/27/13)

Wild Turkey tracks. (11/27/31)

Wild Turkey. (11/27/13)

Adult male Red-Headed Woodpecker. (11/27/13)

Resource:
AllAboutBirds.com

Roadie: Hundred Acre Pond

Canada geese on the western bank of Hundred Acre Pond. (7/9/13)

Today's short trip out to Mendon Ponds Park with my son son, Jack (who needed to do a 90 minute run on trails) was marked more by what I saw and did not photograph, then by what I did and could manage to capture on "film." While Jack put his training mileage in, I did some light hiking in the area around the pond hoping to catch either some interesting birds, or common ones doing interesting things. Though neither objective was met, it was relaxing listening to the birds and attempting to identify them by their calls.

Apparently not used to being in such close proximity to humans,
the geese take off for the safety of the lily pads. (7/9/13)

Contrary to what the images accompanying this post would suggest, during my short time in the wooded area to the north of Hundred Acre Pond, I did have the opportunity to briefly track a rather large male Pileated Woodpecker.

... but have returned an hour later when I make my way back out through the wooded area. (7/9/13)

While I followed, and visually identified him in the tree tops, the flitted quickly away so I was unable to take his picture. Additionally there were the usual cast of characters: Red-Winged Blackbird (among the reeds as was the case the other day at Braddock Bay Park), American Robins and Black-capped Chickadees.

Muddy, soft trails make for great running and slippery walking. (7/9/13)

Many of the worn trails around the pond (and through the nearby wooded areas) are familair to me as a result of my own ancient trail running escapades and those of my student-athletes who compete on one of two course in Mendon Ponds Park.  As was the case this morning, I am always happy to report that there were a number of adults and children in the park bicycling, running and walking their pets.

This is about as "technical" as high school cross-country courses get around here. (7/9/13)

Despite not getting the pictures I had hoped, my thirst for quiet was satiated and I did get to see (and listen to) some beautiful local birds, whose paths I am sure to cross again.

An Open Letter to the Woodpecker Family

A memory of those halcyon days of sunshine and suet balls.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Woodpecker,

You may not have seen me around too much lately and I wanted to apologize to you and your family for failing to leave food out for you. I know this apology won't fill your belly (which must be rather large given the frequency with which you feed).

Though I have only had the opportunity to watch you from a distance briefly over the past month, it has become apparent that your visits have become less frequent. Your staying away seems to have coincided with my own failure to refill your suet feeder. For this indiscretion, I apologize.

While washing dishes today, I was excited to observe you (or maybe it was your child as it has been awhile) flitting from feeder to feeder looking for something to eat. I can't express how wonderful it was to see the Woodpecker family back in our yard!

The only excuse I have is a lame one. For the past few weeks, I have been preoccupied with teaching summer school when I could should have been maintaining the suet feeder in our backyard. (My wife would like to express her apologies, too.) Rest assured that with summer school over as of today, we will be heading right out to the bird store and fill up the suet feeder with those lovely peanut suet balls you and your family seem to love.

I look forward to seeing you again in the yard, soon. Best wishes,

Jean-Paul