February 24, 2010 | 
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I had some time a couple of weeks ago to shoot some pictures of the activity in my back yard on a highly unusual snow day. I always put out a scoop of peanuts-in-the-shell each day, and I hang a thistle/nyjer feeder in the winter. Needless to say, my back yard was busy!
This photo is one side of my back yard – where my Bird Lounge is located, next to my pile of “cover” branches. I’ve labeled a few other items – I know it may be hard to read, but you get the idea. Now for the birds…
This female Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) was keeping an eye on her man. Or her brother – I have so many cardinals around my back yard, it is impossible for me to distinguish pairs or family groups.
This is the fella that Miss Cardinal was looking out for – and he was enjoying some kind of seed or berry.
This Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) stayed hidden in the bottom portion of the Bird Lounge most of the time I was watching, but popped out long enough for me to snap a picture. I like the fact that the drop of water in the frame gives us bearing - a testament to the wren’s position.
I guess she(?) needed a better view – or the blood was rushing to her head – and decided to flip upright. She is right beneath the area where I put the peanuts.
This is a Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis), but I’m not certain which subspecies. My “Birds of Texas”1 guide tells me that there are three subspecies found in Texas: Slate-colored Junco, Oregon Junco, and Gray-headed Junco).
This junco is definitely darker than the first, but I can’t say if the variation is due to sex or subspecies. What I take away from this is the thrill of the diversity of birds in general. To think that for so long I was unaware of this diversity, unable to appreciate what I did not see. Might there be a message in this self-reflection…that we could apply on a global scale for all species and all peoples? Think what THAT would do for protecting the planet’s BIOdiversity!
It is primarily for these winter visitors that I put out the thistle feeder each year. The American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis) arrive in flocks and add to the colors and activity in my yard. Sometimes they stay long enough for me to see their feathers change from this mostly dullish-yellow to the fantastically bright yellow they display in Spring.
This can’t be comfortable…
This American Robin (Turdus migratorius) was just one of MANY. I read that Larry over at The Birder’s Report counted (Great Backyard Bird Count) a large number of robins over the weekend too – and he is in the northern half of California. As I was standing outside, snapping off dozens of pictures, my father called to tell me about huge flocks of robins that were on the streets and park all around his house. I wonder if robins in these numbers at this time of year is normal? Or if the weird weather we seem to be having all over the continent has messed up their schedules?
This is my favorite photo of the day – this little Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is singing so merrily and wholeheartedly, that I can’t help but wonder what the jubilation is all about. I simply must learn more about birdsongs – I know that there is a wealth of information available on their meanings (as far as the scientists can tell). Their songs, while delightful to the human ear (maybe some are not-so-delightful) – actually mean something amongst each other. This is why I never “pish” while on the trails, and don’t even own a portable birdsong-playing device. Jason over at xenogere.com has written at length about pishing and tape-luring, in a two-part, controversial-yet-thought-provoking series.
I couldn’t very well take pictures of all the fun in the snow, without including my beloved Eastern Fox Squirrels (Sciurus niger). This squirrel is on the much-traveled branch that leads right to the peanuts…
…bingo!
I’ll close with pictures of my Beagles each enjoying a little snow as well!
Roxie, the Snake Knot finder, by the “big” frog pond.
Tootsie, preferring to stay on the patio, but following her beagle-nose all the same.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the post – this was fun!
- Birds of Texas, by Keith A. Arnold and Gregory Kennedy, © 2007, by Lone Pine Publishing International, Inc ↩
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Wow! That is beautiful Amber. I love your pond surrounded by snow – it looks like it could be out in the woods somewhere. Did it freeze pretty solid or do you have enough water movement?
Hi Tina – the pond has certainly come a long way. All of the grasses (arrow grass, I believe) growing in the pond were volunteers, and the birds & frogs really appreciate them. I know that the surface froze, but I don’t know how deep. I have the fountain running again, so there is definitely more movement now.
Awesome photos! My favorite – after the beagles of course – is the titmouse. What a great shot!
I knew you would like the titmouse!
I haven’t lived here long enough to be authoritative, but this has been the first year that I’ve seen huge flocks of robins. I *know* they weren’t around in great numbers last year. This year, they’re a constant presence in the front field.
I wonder if it seems like we are seeing more robins because our weird weather made them stop here longer than they normally would??
I love the shots of your yard Amber and the bird photos are magnificent! My favorite are the Carolina Wren and the cool shot of the Tufted Titmouse head-on.
According to Cornell Lab on the Spring migration of the American Robin “In late February, large numbers migrate northward through Florida and the Gulf states toward breeding sites…and in the far west, T. m. propinquus that wintered in Mexico and Central America move northward through California in February.” This is in response to the seasonal availability of soil invertebrates.
I suspect I was just lucky enough to stumble upon a smaller group of migratory birds. Apparently they can number in the thousands!
Thanks for the link too
I had so much fun taking those snow-day pics. I get a chuckle from the goldfinch sittin’ in high…snow.
(Ack! I need to get back to that series…)
Stunning photos, Amber! Snow really does wonders. The titmouse image is my favorite with that fierce stare, though the close-up of the squirrel enjoying a treat is captivating and fun. And I had the same thought about the goldfinch standing in snow up to its belly: doesn’t look very comfortable at all. Oh, that shot of Roxie puts a huge smile on my face. Too cute!
The robin question is very interesting. There have been multiple reports on TEXBIRDS this winter about unusually high numbers of robins, eastern bluebirds and cedar waxwings. The bluebirds and robins are year-round residents, but all three being here in such large numbers this season–in my not expert opinion–could mean the weather forced more of them to migrate than is usual. Then again, maybe it’s just natural fluctuations in their populations. I admit it’s been 15-20 years since I remember any of them being here in such large numbers. Still, what a thrilling spectacle to behold! (By the way, robins nest at the rookery and you’ll get to enjoy seeing that this year. Very exciting to watch the juveniles hunt worms in the grass!)
As for your juncos, they both look like slate-colored females, the first being a juvenile and the second being an adult.
Hi Jason, I know this is a controversial subject, but since you’re “Mr. Controversy,” I thought it’d be okay to bring it up. When I read articles on Climate Change, birds are frequently mentioned as supporting evidence (e.g., disrupted migratory patterns, altered eating habits etc.) I don’t know a lot about Robins, so I was wondering if you thought Climate Change could explain this current phenomenon that everybody is observing?
AJ, you honor me by saying I’m “Mr. Controversy.” Thank you! It’s easy enough to garner praise by doing the honorable, but I think it’s equally important to claim derision by poking a stick in the beehive of complacency. We need to face uncomfortable subjects; that’s the only way we learn and grow. If I’ve approached that with even the smallest efficiency, I’m thrilled. (Not that I want to be an enemy to the world, but I’m willing to face the tough subjects if I think it’s important.)
One thing I should have thought of yesterday–but embarrassingly didn’t–is that Texas just ended a two-year drought of historic proportions. There were horrifying wildlife die-offs, cataclysmic nesting failures amongst birds, massive disease outbreaks from organisms that thrived in the crippled environment, whole ecosystems made near lifeless because even insects and microorganisms couldn’t survive… Well, it was quite bad. But what I failed to consider yesterday is this: that drought was at its worst in the southern half of the state. Though the drought has now ended, the areas affected have yet to recover fully, something that will take much more time to accomplish. That means those areas lack seeds, fruit and insects for birds. Hence: the large numbers of robins, bluebirds and waxwings in the state most likely are being seen in areas that can support them, and those areas are confined to the northern half or third of Texas. That means we’re cramming a lot more birds into a smaller area than is usual (and not just in Texas since the backwash would flow into surrounding states).
And climate change is a complex issue. It’s not as simple as making the planet warmer or colder; it’s more like giving a child a chemistry set without an instruction book: you can’t predict the outcome. The climate is a vast and complex system that works by chaos theory: the smallest change in one place can cause a domino effect that creates monstrous repercussions all the way around the globe. Sadly, we don’t understand the system well enough to know what’s happening. That means we’re interfering in a mechanism that’s so complex and unpredictable that we haven’t a clue what our interference will cause. It’s a pretty safe bet that we’re not helping, though.
So yes, climate change can and will cause issues like this–at least in my opinion. I was a physics and mathematics major in college; the one thing I can’t deny is atmospheric physics: it’s an unbelievably complex system in which every minor change vastly affects the outcome, sometimes in small ways but often in large ways. And because the environment is also a chaotic system (e.g., changes to the microorganisms in an area greatly modifies the whole of the ecology), what problems the climate causes ripples down through the whole chain of life–from top to bottom.
Jason, Thank you for your thorough reply. I truly appreciate your willingness to share both your personal philosophies and your intellectual theories. Your comparison of Climate Change to the Chaos Theory substantially increased my understanding of the situation. Now – thanks to you – I actually feel like I can offer a succinct explanation of the topic when my Fox-News-Watching-84-year-old Grandma snarls out something like, “It snowed here again. So much for Al Gore’s nonsense.”