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Bird Photography Weekly #196

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 27 May 2012 06:19:46 +0000

Join in now on the 196th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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Question Mark Butterfly

The Birdfreak Team — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:58:21 +0000

Out hiking at lunch time I found a lot of butterflies, several of them being Question Marks.

Click the image to see notes on the spots to look at for identification.

Apparently, the way to tell these beauties apart from the Eastern Comma is by the number of spots. The Question Mark has four spots in a row starting with a little “dash” and then three circles. The Comma has the three circles minus the dash.

Bird Photography Weekly #195

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 20 May 2012 06:19:01 +0000

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Bird Photography Weekly #194

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 13 May 2012 06:18:22 +0000

Join in now on the 194th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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Phriday Photo – Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Nest

The Birdfreak Team — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:37:26 +0000

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher nesting

Review – What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World

The Birdfreak Team — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:35:12 +0000

What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World by Jon Young is an easy-to-understand guide to learning bird vocalization and how to interpret the dynamic world of animals.

The American Robin is common, bold, and entertaining and provides the starting point of learning the secrets of birds in What the Robin Knows. This sometimes overlooked, boisterous bird is a great study subject because they are so common and often obvious in their behaviors and vocalizations.

Mr. Young explains that there are five types of vocalizations of birds: songs, companion calls, territorial aggression, adolescent begging, and alarms.

The first four vocalizations are the “baseline”. By discovering this pattern you can identify deviations outside the pattern. A whole chapter is dedicated to the fifth vocalization, alarms, as they are outside the baseline.

Along with alarms is a chapter on the “shapes” of alarms. These shapes are formed when different threats are encountered by birds.

Drawings help illustrate the various shape types: bird plow, sentinel, popcorn, hook, cat, and more. Learning these will help you determine what the threat is and what direction you can expect it to come from.

The whole book is focused on improving your senses; from using “owl vision”, “deer hearing”, and learning to walk in a way to cause less disturbance. We are often the cause of the “bird plow” and often our area of disturbance is often greater than our area of awareness.

Mr. Young encourages the use of a sit spot and explains how vital it is to learning bird behavior. These spots provide a quiet, ongoing location to let the birds come to you and to observe them with limited disturbance.

The appendix on learning bird language is an invaluable resource to study on a regular basis to put everything together. This section is worthy of reviewing weekly if possible as you engage in your quest to understand birds.

Finally, there is online access to bird (and other animal) sounds that are cross-referenced throughout the book.*

What the Robin Knows is a great book and we highly recommend it for birders of all levels. From the day I received this book I’ve been working on putting the ideas into use and they work great!

Disclaimer: we received a copy of this book from the publisher to review on Birdfreak.com. The links are Amazon Affiliate links.

*Originally I had stated about a CD but the sounds are accessed online.

Bird Photography Weekly #193

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 06 May 2012 06:17:39 +0000

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Bird Photography Weekly #192

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 06:16:30 +0000

Join in now on the 192nd edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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Bird Photography Weekly #191

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:15:54 +0000

Join in now on the 191st edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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Below a Turkey Vulture Roost

The Birdfreak Team — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:06:20 +0000

Sugar River, the namesake of Sugar River Forest Preserve

One of the most interesting birds to observe is perhaps the Turkey Vulture. They are large and really common in northern Illinois so they are easy to spot.

I’ve found many Turkey Vulture roosts before but was surprised to come upon a group perched in a stand of pine trees at Sugar River Forest Preserve. They had probably spent the night there and as we walked by many took flight.

Below the roost we found lots of whitewash plus a great deal of feathers; victim to some intense preening no doubt.

Feathers and feces

Macro shot of Turkey Vulture feather

If you are interested in bird behavior, Turkey Vultures are one of the best birds to spend considerable time watching.

Midwest Crane Count – 2012

The Birdfreak Team — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:57:47 +0000

Saturday, April 14th marked the annual Midwest Crane Count. We had our usual location; a privately-owned parcel of land known as Moody Marsh.

The goal is to record as many Sandhill Cranes (and hypothetically, Whooping Cranes) from 5:30 AM to 7:30 AM.

During this two hour window we listened intently to determine if there were breeding pairs of cranes. If two cranes do their unison call, they are an official pair.

We did not see a single crane but recorded nine total Sandhills, including two breeding pairs.

We have recorded more cranes in the past and we assume the warm weather prior to the count allowed the cranes to start breeding early and many may had already been on nests.

More enjoyable than hearing and counting cranes is listening to the sounds of nature. As daylight broke, the nocturnal birds made their final calls of the night and the diurnal birds woke up all around us.

We heard both Barred and Great-horned Owls as well as Wilson’s Snipe and Sora.

I always wonder what the birds think when the sun rises and they discover my dad and I sitting in chairs at the edge of their marsh.

In total we saw or heard 40 some species of birds after taking a hike at the nearby Sugar River Forest Preserve.

This count also had the warmest, most enjoyable weather of any crane count we’ve done. Usually we sit there freezing cold!

Bird Photography Weekly #190

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 06:15:18 +0000

Join in now on the 190th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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Severson Dells Earth Day Program – California Condor Reintroduction

The Birdfreak Team — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:13:14 +0000

The Severson Dells Nature Center located in Rockford, Illinois is hosting a presentation on California Condor reintroduction to celebrate Earth Day. Time TBA at Rock Valley College in Rockford.

Earth Day Celebration
Saturday, April 21 (time to be announced 11:00-3:00pm Rock Valley College)

California Condor Reintroduction; An Avian Study on the N.W. Coast
Presented by Dan Varland
Sponsored by The David and Neva Burdick Memorial Fund of Severson Dells Nature Center and The Varland Family Trust

Dan Varland of Coastal Raptors will discuss sampling techniques used to monitor Bald Eagles, Common Ravens, and Turkey Vultures in coastal Oregon and Washington. With positive results from these tests, reintroductions of California Condor to this area may follow. As of November 2011, there were 391 California Condors in existence, 209 in the wild and 182 in captivity. Dan will talk about the natural history of the California Condor and the monumental effort to recover the species to the point of removal from the Endangered Species list.

Dan was born and raised in Rockford. He is now the Executive Director of Coastal Raptors, a non-profit organization focusing on research, education and conservation programs for raptors in coastal environments (www.coastalraptors.org). Dan’s research on Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles and other raptors along Washington’s coast dates to 1995. A leading expert on the application of visual markers to identify raptors, Dan is senior author of Marking Techniques, a chapter in the 2007 book, Raptor Research and Management Techniques. Working in cooperation with environmental organizations and agencies, in 2011 Dan initiated a new, multi-year study to examine avian health and disease on the Pacific Northwest coast.

Free to attend.

Review of How to Be a Better Birder

The Birdfreak Team — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:03:38 +0000

The following is a review of Derek Lovitch’s How to Be a Better Birder. While there is no trick or fast-track to being a great birder, this book provides a lot of easy to follow and easy to practice methods to increase your birding skills and your enjoyment of birding.

How to Be a Better Birder begins with a chapter on advanced field identification, with a focus on using a “whole bird and more” approach. Using this method will help you identify more birds more often. Nobody can identify everything all of the time, but with practice you can begin to identify birds based on movements and overall appearance versus obscure, often hidden field markings.

Following advanced field identification, there are chapters on birding by habitat and birding with geography. These sections go hand in hand and are equally important for understanding what birds you will find where. With more knowledge on these topics you will improve your ability to identify more birds as well as discover those birds that are rare and out of the ordinary.

Next there are chapters on birding and weather and birding at night. These two sections go into detail on how to use weather forecasting, radar, and more on how to predict and anticipate where birds may show up, mostly during migration. Websites and other resources are listed throughout for you to learn these tools more thoroughly.

The chapter on birding with a purpose takes a different approach to the idea of “being a better birder”. The focus here isn’t necessarily building up your skillet but putting your growing skills to good use for conservation and citizen science. We wholeheartedly believe in this, although sometimes it is hard to follow through!

The book ends with a chapter on “patch listing”. Here Mr. Lovitch focuses on the joys and benefits from birding extensively at local spots or “patches”. He has a few small parameters and sets goals to build patch lists and in doing so, is able to learn more about habitat, distribution, and the birds themselves.

How to Be a Better Birder reaches a wide audience from beginner to expert. The tone and flow of the book allow you to gradually learn new methods to be a better birder. You’re bound to find several nuggets of information that you can use today, tomorrow, and always in the search for more birds.

Disclaimer: We received this book for free from the publisher to review on Birdfreak.com. The links are Amazon Affiliate links.
Published by Princeton University Press

Bird Photography Weekly #189

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 06:14:16 +0000

Join in now on the 189th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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Red Admiral and a Shooting Star

The Birdfreak Team — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:32:04 +0000

Just a few shots from a recent hike to Blackhawk Springs Forest Preserve. Didn’t bring my big camera lens so these are just with the sturdy point and shoot.

Here is a Red Admiral:

And a shooting star:

Finally, a small spider (not sure if it is a “baby” or not):

Bird Photography Weekly #188

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 06:13:34 +0000

Join in now on the 188th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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Severson Dells Program – Monitoring Raptors on the Washington Coast

The Birdfreak Team — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:09:58 +0000

The Severson Dells Nature Center located in Rockford, Illinois is hosting a presentation on Washington coast raptors. If you are going to be in the area we encourage you to attend! The program is FREE but you must make a reservation.

From Severson Dells Nature Center:

Monitoring Raptors on the Washington Coast
Friday, April 20, 7:00 p.m.
Presented by Dan Varland
Severson Dells Nature Center

Sponsored by The David and Neva Burdick Memorial Fund and The Varland Family Trust

Washington’s coastal beaches host a diversity of raptors during migration and winter, including Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, Merlins, Northern Harriers and Gyrfalcons. Since 1995, Dan has been surveying raptor abundance and distribution on three coastal beaches in southwest Washington. Surveys involve the capture and banding of falcons, with a focus on the Peregrine Falcon. In this presentation, Dan will report on the relative abundance and diversity of the raptors of the coastal beaches and describe survey methods and marking techniques. He will share his findings from more than 15 years of research on Peregrine Falcons on the Washington coast.

Free but, please call 1-815-335-2915 for reservations.

Bird Photography Weekly #187

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 06:13:03 +0000

Join in now on the 187th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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“Kinda” Birding – Fort Worth, Texas

The Birdfreak Team — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:31:44 +0000

I (Jennie) had the good fortune to be able to travel to Ft. Worth, Texas for some special work training last week. I quickly found out how hard it is to be somewhere “cool and different” for birding and have NO TIME TO BIRD!

All was not lost. I found large numbers of Great-tailed Grackles and Northern Mockingbirds. I love common birds especially when they are not common to me! I could not get enough of the crazy, loud Great-tailed Grackles. They were everywhere! I was able to sit and listen to the harmonious screeches and whistles every evening along with the Northern Mockingbirds mimicking. It was great.

Great-tailed Grackles at the hotel

I was also lucky enough to be near a waterway that had a few species milling about. Double-crested Cormorant, Bufflehead, Northern Shoveler and American Coot and of course Mallard and Ring-billed Gull. I always forget just how striking Buffleheads can be.

Double-crested Cormorants

Oddly enough, I got a life bird. I did not get a great photo, but this Eurasian-collared Dove was hanging out near my hotel.

Another not-so-great shot: Northern Mockingbird

All-in-all not bad for a non-birding trip.

Tree Swallows Already!

The Birdfreak Team — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:45:34 +0000

On Sunday (March 18) I spotted my first Tree Swallow of the season.

Seems early in northern Illinois but with temperatures topping 80 degrees and insects already in high numbers, it also seemed fitting.

Tree Swallow digiscoped at Afton Forest Preserve in DeKalb County, Illinois.

Bird Photography Weekly #186

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:12:21 +0000

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Review of Secrets of Backyard Bird-Feeding Success

The Birdfreak Team — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:18:24 +0000

The Secrets of Backyard Bird-Feeding Success: Hundreds of Surefire Tips for Attracting and Feeding Your Favorite Birds by Deborah L. Martin is a bulky, thorough, and well-designed tome full of tips for the backyard birder.

Whether you are new to the hobby of backyard birding or a long-time vet, you’ll find many nuggets of information to improve your ability to bring in the birds and make you and your avian visitors happy.

There are chapters on the wide variety of seeds and seed mixes available as well as other types of feed: nuts, corn, suet, nectar, etc. For all the types of food there are pros and cons listed as well as ways to grow your own food sources. Growing your own bird food is cost-effective and lots of fun!

We love the inclusion of so much information on gardening specifically to attract and feed birds. This is exactly the type of information we can use to improve and enhance bird-centric backyards.

The chapter on “Feeding Station Features” explains some of the do’s and don’ts of creating a feeding station. There is an emphasis on planning and picking the best location for feeders as well as techniques on making it easier to clean and fill your feeders.

Unfortunately, this is the only section that is lacking a bit as water features and nest boxes are added without much information. These are two major issues that can improve the ability to attract the birds and then in turn, feed them.

The chapter on “Bird Favorites for Your Garden” is a great resource for choosing amazing plants and focuses on creating bird habitat right at home.

The final chapter, “Birds at the Buffet” covers a huge array of bird species you can look for not just at your feeders but anywhere in your yard, no matter where you live in the country. The birds include photographs as well as descriptive text and most importantly, information on what natural and feeder foods to provide as well as what feeders to use.

This last chapter is an excellent resource for choosing a new feeder, feed type, or what plants to add to your native garden based on specific birds you want to see.

We really enjoyed The Secrets of Backyard Bird-Feeding Success and will keep it handy for when we are planning out our bird-attracting yard.

Disclaimer: We received this book for free from Rodale Books to review on Birdfreak.com. The links are Amazon affiliate links.

Review of Petrels, Albatrosses & Storm-Petrels of North America

The Birdfreak Team — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:25:26 +0000

The following is a review of the beautiful book on tubenoses: Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America: A Photographic Guide by Steve N. G. Howell.

Steve N. G. Howell’s book on the tubenoses is thorough and highly enjoyable. No other single source provides so much information on such a complicated group of birds.

These birds belong to the “superfamily Procellarioidea, which also includes frigatebirds, penguins, and loons.”

Living in the midwest we are unaccustomed to the petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels but on occasion we have visited the coasts and seen a few.

“…tubenoses are a well-defined group of seabirds that comprise the order Procellariiformes, and are so-named because their nostrils are encased in tube-like structures on the bill.”

These seabirds use their nostrils to “…drink saltwater and excrete surplus salt in solutions that leak out of the nostril tubes.”

This photographic guide provides the means necessary to learn how to identify these pelagic species by including numerous photos along with the detailed text. The text explains what to look for in the field, similar species to compare with, as well as habitat and behavior.

Surprisingly, the ocean isn’t just one giant habitat of salty seawater “…but instead they comprise many habitats usually invisible to the human eye.”

“On land, these habitats would be as different as deserts are from rainforests, and at sea they are mobile deserts and rainforests!”

Accompanying the species accounts is a colorful map that shows sea range, molting area, breeding range, as well as main migration routes. The main routes even include numbers that indicate seasonal occurrence: 3-4 (March-April) for example.

Also included in the text is conservation information including why tubenoses are important, the threats they face, and what we can do to help them out.

Whether you have a growing interest in these fascinating sea birds or are a seasoned pelagic birder, Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels of North America: A Photographic Guide is the guide for you to learn all about some of the most complicated and interesting birds of the world.

Disclaimer: We received a free copy of this book from Princeton University Press to review on Birdfreak.com. The book title links are Amazon affiliate links.

Bird Photography Weekly #185

The Birdfreak Team — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 05:11:04 +0000

Join in now on the 185th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!

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