Indiana Birding and Nature

Baby Birds are Bustin' Out All Over

2010-06-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of baby doves in our yard on East Main Street.

Urbanism in the Raptor World

2010-05-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while a person is given a special treat. Such has been the case in watching a s nest of Red-Shouldered Hawks,

Its not unusual (thanks Tom Jones) to find bird nests in the city, beside a busy street, tucked away in a bush or in the branches way up in the trees. Peregrine Falcons are known to nest in big cities on skyscrapers with no problem.

But I have to say this is the first "large" raptor nest I have seen in the open, right beside a street in the middle of a completely urban setting. ( I sure it happens, I Had just never seen it before)

But a very stern note of caution, if you see a hawks nest with babies, look, admire and move on. If you do not keep an eye for the parents, one of the parent may just surprise you by trying to take your face off!!

Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) Adults and Juveniles

2010-03-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Species Spotlight: The Tenacious American Crow

2010-03-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

Boisterous, rambunctious, cunning, clever thieves with plenty of intelligence. If it weren't for the last word, one might think this posting is about politicians, but no its about the American Crow. A large black corvid that is plentiful all across the North American Continent.

Crows are extremely social birds, and can often be seen in large groups, most of which are family, as the young often will not breed until they are 3 or 4 years old, and help in raising their younger siblings.

With their intelligence, American Crows are adept at solving problems, and with such can often obtain food from the most unlikely sources, even being so astute as to reportedly following other adult species of birds to find their nests in order to raid the nest for eggs or babies, which shows that they are able to rise above simple problem solving skills, and to be able to plan. It has also been said that crows are able to use everyday objects as crude tools, for example if they happen to come across a shellfish such as a muscle they will fly up in the air with it, and drop it onto roadways to crack open the shell. They are also team players and will work together to solve problems, such as working in teams to chase of potential predators such as raptors that may pose a threat to them or their families.

American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) feeding on a dead fish

American Crows live plenty long enough to learn these skills of survival as they can live for as long as 16 years in the wild, some reports of these birds living twice as long in captivity have been recorded. Some crows have displayed behaviors such as "collecting", where they will decorate their nests, which both the male and female will build and maintain, with shiny objects that they find.

A definate master at survival, whether is calls home open fields, woodlands, wetlands, or urban environments, this loud mouth of the bird world deserves some respect for its intelligence, its dedication to its family, and its ability to readily adapt and overcome. The American Crow, definately one of my favorite birds, which around my house we refer to them as CAW CAW birds!

And then it was gone...

2010-03-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

One day last week I was driving down Old emery Crossing Lane in Clarksville on my way to work, and as usual I had a nice distraction before my work day of watching a beaver climbing out on the ice to have gnaw on a tree it had been working on for quite sometime. I watched the fuzzy little bugger for about 5 minutes and went about my way.

That afternoon, I decided the lightign was fairly decent, so I would stop by the beaver pond on the way home to try and get some more shot of the beaver, or perhaps the bald eagle that I had spotted around there recently, if not the eagles, certainly the chances were good to get a shot or two of the Northern Harriers, or one of the three species of Herons that have come to frequent the beaver pond.

Much to my amazement, the pond was pretty much gone. A couple of utility truck and an older green dodge intrepid were parked in the area, being a good boy I went about my business.

the next morning I drove past the pond (or what was a pond 24 hours earlier), and it was bone dry with the exception of a little water running through the natural creek channel. Sitting high and dry was the beaver lodge, and surprisingly enough, there were no herons, no raptors, no deer, fox, beaver, to be seen.

All that was there was teh white box truck with the picture of a backhoe on the side and the green intrepid.

Days later, I learned through a nature photography contact that potentially the city of Clarkville was concerned about flooding, and hired a crew to destroy the beaver dam, and had asked the DNR to trap and move the beaver.

This pond is on the route of the emerging "greenway" path that connects the three cities riverfronts together, and to create a mixed use trail for users to experience the nature, and scenery of the Ohio River Shoreline. What a way to celebrate nature than to tear out one of natures most crucial habitats.

Interestingly enough, if the reports I heard are true and it was done out of flooding concerns, I find that strange, as the pond is located on the river side of a flood wall, in a natural floodplain of the Ohio River, in a very sparsely populated area.

Besides, is it not true that wetlands can absorb and dispense of excess water much faster than regular land?

Of course it is too late to fight the change, after the DNR built an overlook deck, installed a grill and picnic table, and had become a quite busy destination for nature photographers, and bird watchers from all across our area.

Of course we wont stop to mention the increase in species in the area since the beaver pond came about;
Blue Wing Teal
Great Blue Heron
Black-Crowned Night Heron
Green Heron
Great Egret
Northern Harrier
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Red-Tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Northern Shoveler
Wood Duck
Greater Scaup
Bufflehead
Cormorants
Beaver
Red Fox
Eastern Box Turtle
Wild turkey
Grey Tree Frog
Leopard Frog
Bull Frog
American Toad
Northern Water Snake
Red-Eared Sliders
Common Snapping Turtles
Red-winged Black Birds

Just to start of what has been seen around that pond, but hey, those are just animals after all right?

Aix sponsa

2010-03-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

What is arguably the most beautiful duck we have around here, the Wood Duck (aix sponsa) is a small duck that is quite at home in wetlands, small ponds, back coves of large bodies of water and streams. It is also one of the few ducks in North America that nests in hollows in trees.

As true to form for most bird species the males are much more colorful than the females. And in my humble opinion is only seconded by the mandarin duck for its beauty and grace.

But the females, what they lack in style can make up for that in craftiness. If there are no suitable nesting cavities in their area, a female wood duck is not to shy to lay her eggs in the nest of another wood duck, leaving the young to be hatched and raised by another. which is why at places like Muscatatuck it is nothing to see a mother wood duck with as many as 25 ducklings trailing along behind her.

Most of the time, the nest cavities are very close to water, but sometimes they can also be very far away from water as well. And upon hatching, when its time for the young to venture forth into the world, they start their lives by diving out of the nests (which are often high up in the tree) and falling to the ground or water below. ( NAT GEO VIDEO ON YOUTUBE )

When most people think of ducks calling out, they think of the harsh QUACK usually associated with a mallard, but wood ducks have a soft whistle.

The American Kestrel

2010-02-25T04:18:00.001-08:00

male (left) and Female (right) American Kestrels

The American Kestrel, Falco sparverius, (once known as the Sparrow Hawk), which happens to be the most common Falcon in the United States, is probably my favorite raptor. This pint sized bird of prey should not be judged by its small size. What they lack in size, they certainly make up for in tenacity and ability.

They are probably the most colorful bird of prey in the world, with the males sporting beautiful hues of oranges and blues, and distinctive patterns of spots on there chest, bellies and under its wings.

Kestrels can be spotted hovering over Fields hunting for its prey, which includes insects, small mammals, small birds, amphibians, and reptiles. While the hovering ability is one of the abilities that make these little raptors stand out, it is not used that often, reserved for areas where there isn't a good perch to hunt from.

Most of the time I see these guys sitting on telephone lines over looking Fields and roadsides. The are pretty easy to identify from a distance due to their habit of flicking their tails up and down while sitting on their perch when hunting.

A Male American Kestrel Showing his best colors

So if you happen to see a bird hovering over a Field, or sitting on a line twitching its tail in a rhythmic fashion, chances are it may be the American Kestrel, a very capable hunter who is just as at home in urban environments as they are in agricultural areas, natural and man made Fields, and open woodlands.

Woodpecker Profiles

2010-01-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

In Indiana there are 7 species of woodpeckers that call our area home, at least for a few months of the year.

Of course the biggest of which is the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), being 15 to 19 inches tall, with a wing span of 26 to 29 inches, there is no mistaking the Pileated. Pileated's primarily feed on insects, fruits and nuts.

Pileated Woodpecker

Next on the list coming in at 11 to 12.5 inches tall with a wing span of 16.5 to 20 inches, is the colorful Northern Flicker. Primarily an insectavore, the Northern Flicker can be seen "hunting for ants, beetles, and larvae of insects on the ground, and they are not at all opposed to taking butterflies and moths as well. In winter months they will eat nuts and berries. The best places to look for Northern Flickers are on the edge of woods, in feilds close to woodlands, or around wetlands.

Northern Flicker (Colaptes Auratus)

Coming in next at about 9.5 inches in height and wingspan of 13 to 16 inches is the sleek Red-Bellied Woodpecker. It distinctive black and white barring across its back and and it bright red cap, YOu can primarily find these guys in woodlands, wetlands, and neighborhoods that have a lot of trees. Red-Bellies feed, like other woodpeckers, mostly on insects, nuts and berries, but they have been known to eat small lizards and even minnows if they can catch them.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes Carolinus)

Next is a Woodpecker whose status is considered near threatened, its the Red-Headed Woodpecker, a little smaller than the Red-Bellied, and more reclusive, the Red-Headed Woodpecker can easily be distinquished from the Red-Bellied by its solid red head, and solid black balck with white patches visible on its lower wings, and bright white belly. Red-Headed Woodpeckers are considered omnivores and will eat insects, eggs, baby birds, mice, and nuts and fruit. It is one of only 4 woodpeckers that are known to cover their stored food. Insects that it stores are kept alive, but are wedged into crevices in wood so tightly they can not escape. Also red-heaed woodpeckers are very territorial and will attack other birds in it territory, even go as far as to attack nests and break the eggs with it beak!

Red-Headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)

The next two species of Woodpecker here in our area would be the Hairy Woodpecker followed by the Downy Woodpecker.

Hairy Woodpeckers are 7 to 10 inches tall with a wingspan of 13 to 16 inches. The Hairy is primarily an insect eater and forages through bark to fnd the bugs that it finds tastey. They are not opposed to hanging around areas where Pileated Woodpeckers forage, and once the Pileated has done the hard work of digging open a tree, and has flown off, the Hairy woodpecker will fly in and search for insect the Pileated left behind.

Hairy Woodpecker Female (Picoides Villosus)

The Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight to pretty much anyone who puts out suet feeders in our area. Measuring between 5.5 and 6.5 inches tall and with a wingspan of 9.5 to 11.5 inches, Downy's will readily mix in with other flocks of feeding birds, taking advantage of the idea of safety in numbers. They are also primarily insect eaters, but get about 25% of their diet from nuts, berries, and seeds., you may also find them from time to time taking a sip form a hummingbird feeder.

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

Lat but definately not least is more of a seasonal visitor than it is a resident of the woodpecker family to our area, its the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (no its not just an insult in bugs bunny cartoons) measuring between 7 and 8.5 inches tall with a wingspan of 13 to 16 inches, this sap-sucker is a winter visitor in our area. These guys are the only Woodpecker in eastern America that is totally migratory. And yes, they eat tree sap, along with insects and fruit. the will peck out a "well" in a live tree and maintain it so it fills with sugary sap to feed on.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus Various)

Even with as large as some of our local species of woodpeckers can become, they can still find themselves on the dinner menus of our resident birds of prey, such as this misfortunate Northern Flicker that ended up on the wrong side of a Coopers Hawk:

How many different species of birds could I get in about 2 hours...

2010-01-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Northern Cardinal

Carolina Wren

House Sparrow

Ring-Billed Gull

American Kestrel

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Coopers Hawk

Pileated Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Woodpeckers were definately the order of the day. I had spend years trying to get a good pileated picture, and a got more today, followed by the Sapsucker, which I had only seen maybe three times in my life. Too bad I didnt get a redhead or red-bellied to boot!
Of course I omitted posting things like European Starlings, Mallards, Canada Geese, Robins, Etc. And about the only reason I posted the house sparrow is he was just that damn cute!

Doing Very Well....

2010-01-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

Healthy, strong and majestic! Right here on the shores of the Ohio River

Things are not often what they seem....

2010-01-04T06:58:00.001-08:00

There was some concern regarding this beautiful young red-shouldered hawk, it would appear that he had an injury, birth defect, or parasite on his chest. if you look at the photos you can clearly see a protrusion in the center of his chest.

Coupled with the fact that he exhibited rather un-raptorly behavior ( such as flying up and landing right next to a photographer, and started "calling" to the photographer) No matter how close I got to him, he would not spook or fly away, he just stared with increasing curiosity.
(of course he could have been thinking "how am I going to go about attacking and eating this big old thing")

The photos were posted and passed around trying to figure out what could be wrong with this little guy, and a few people went half insane trying to figure it out, if he was hurt, he needed to be captured and taken to a raptor rehabilitor.

But it turns out the joke was on us, and the hawk was just fine!

The protrusion in his chest, is nothing other than his right foot!!! Young Red-Shouldered Hawks will draw their foot and leg up into their warm feathers when it is very cold outside, and switch which foot is exposed to the cold air!

Now, I have seen this behavior exhibited in all manners of Cranes and Herons, ducks and geese, and of course Flamingo's (since we have such an abundance of those around here), however I had never witnessed such behavior in a raptor. I had seen them squat down in the could to cover their feet, but never do a leg lift and tuck!

So thanks to those who helped to slove this little mystery!

Opening 2010

2010-01-02T10:27:00.000-08:00

Down to the Final 3

2009-12-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

Cedar Waxwing in ice covered tree

Jeffersonville, Indiana January 2009

The Nature Conservancy ( Nature.org) has opened voting up for the final three photos for their Christmas card, and the one above is one of the finalist! WOO-HOO!!

An odd visitor

2009-12-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

A European Starling with Partial Leucism showed up at our feeder today. At first glance I had thought a European Magpie had somehow got let loose into our area.
Regardless, he was a very interesting bird, and seemed much more aggressive than his "normal" counterparts.

A lesson to be learned....

2009-12-03T11:12:00.000-08:00

Study the photo above well. Please take note of the perfect timing, the sharp focus with just enough blur to convey the sense of movement....
You are looking at a photo of a Northern Harrier (AKA Marsh Hawk), who was startled in flight by a pair of passing Sandhill Cranes that flew passed the hawk.
The Marsh hawk reacted by flaring to the right, outstretching his legs and razor sharp talons, his beak slightly opened as if he was about to say "what the hell?!", Note the reaction of the Sandhill crane closest to the hawk, as it flares to the left, and turns its long neck towards the hawk, its beak wide open calling out a sound that would warn others of the danger he has just encountered. All of this is set against a perfect azure blue autumnal sky, with Fields of golden corn stalks below the birds, stretching back to the horizon to a line of leafless trees rising up on a ridge.

This was the .NEF file on my Nikon, a company I now have major issues with. I first looked at the picture as my family and I pulled into a restaurant to have some lunch after a morning of watching the Sandhills during their annual migration through Ewings Bottoms, Indiana. I was in awe, it could have easily been the very best nature photo I have ever taken with a few minor tweaks to the raw picture file to adjust the exposure a bit to bring out the details in the feathers on the surprised hawk.

Did you see all of that in the photo? Of course you did not! As I stood there in amazement wondering if this actually my camera I had been looking at the pictures on, I showed the photo to my daughter, got a very satisfying grin spreading across my face and decided if this was the only picture I got that day, that week, that month, it was worth the 150 mile round trip we had driven that day looking for the cranes.

So true to form when my stupidity takes over, I silently give myself a mental high five, and the proceed to DELETE THE PHOTO! So why do I have an issue with Nikon now? That's simple, instead of asking only twice if I am sure I want to delete the file, it should have asked 4 or 5 times!!

When we went into the eatery, I started clearing out bad photos, ones that were to blurry, or just drab, when I came across that one nearly perfect photo, I saw it, I shared it with my family and I proceeded to delete it.

Needless to say my wife and daughter got a good laugh out of it, I threw a good fit because of it, and I have no started "locking" any photos that I think have potential every chance I get!

Nycticorax nycticorax

2009-11-24T19:43:00.001-08:00

Adult Black-Crowned Night Heron

Meet one of my favorite birds, the Black-Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), the Heron with the largest habitat in the world. Its range covers five continents, and still manages to show up here!

A medium sized bird that is almost always found near water, it has no problem hunting for crayfish, fish, amphibians, and snakes in both daylight as well as night.

For some unknown reason, years ago I started calling them "deadly" night herons, and I often have to stop and think before I talk to people about them, I guess I got the nickname for them from their sinister hunched over appearance, and well as the blood red eyes sported by the adults.

Juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron

The best place to catch these guys around here is the Falls of the Ohio State park in summer, where with a little patience and sitting still near the shallow rapids near the spillway, they will come in close to you, wade and hunt in the rapids fairly close to you.

As summer winds down, and fall sets in, a good population of this majestic little guys can be found hanging out near the bald eagle exhibit in the Louisville Zoo, I have seen them there as late as winter proper, and they will become so comfortable with people that they will sit perfectly posed at eye level as close as 10 feet away. However, just be aware that a juveniles will readily vomit the contents of their stomachs if they are frightened, so it would be a very goo thing to keep your distance! (unless of course you would like to be splattered with regurgitated fish!)

So with a range spanning over 5 continents, coastlines, jungles, tropics and temperate climates, urban environments to isolated environments, this is one tough bird and a testament to the power of evolution and adaptability, no wonder it is one of my favorite birds.

Then and Now; better or worse?

2009-11-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

THEN

1) Practika 35mm slr w/ a 50mm-300mm lens (about $450 for both second hand)

2) A good fairly straight, fairly strong stick about 3 feet long (free)

3) For more daring adventures a decent Topo Map and a lensatic compass (about $18 total)

4) a worn out comfortable copy of a Audubon Society's guide to Birds of the Eastern US ($15)

5) A pair of typical leather, somewhat waterproof hiking boots ($35)

6) couple pairs of cotton "hunting" socks ($6)

7) Army surplus "ruck sack"($12)

8) canteen with tap water ($8 for canteen about 2 cents for water)

9) Couple rolls of 35mm Kodak film [36 exposure] ($8)

10) "snacks" beef jerky, crackers, maybe a candy bar ($4)

11) Film developing of about 35 carefully timed, carefully framed shots ($10)

12) Telling someone you're heading out and will be back around 6pm (free)

Then Total: $566 to have everything you needed for a good time out doing nature photography

NOW

1) Nikon D90 DSLR ($1100) Sigma 50-500mm lens ($1059)

2) Carbon fiber collapsible trekking pole w/ 3 bases for rock, mud and water crossing ($100)

3) Handheld GPS hiking receiver w/ color map display ($275)

4) Apple iPhone ($250 w/ a new 2 yr contract) with Peterson field guide to birds app ($19)

5) Waterproof gore-tex insulated upland Field boots ($189)

6) Couple of pairs of "wicking" medium duty hiking socks ($35)

7)"Adventure" grade photography backpack ($76)

8) 38oz stainless steel water bottle ($25) & a couple bottles of natural filtered spring water ($5)

9) two 16gig Secure SDHC memory cards ($55 each)

10) 5 High energy, organic nutrition bars ($3 each)

11) Going through about 500 randomly shot photos and posting them to an online photographic community (basically free), Printing out the best 10 or so at home ($4)

12) Subscription to Cell phone service with smart phone capability to stay in constant contact with the outside world at all times and to be able to check the news, weather, email, and face book account when things are slow in the Field ($125 per month)

Now total: $3137

I can remember the "good old days" at my younger age when the average person felt they could have a good day of nature photography with just a few items, a little time, and a ride a little ways down the road to a "good spot". Things seemed simpler, and you had to work harder to get those amazing shots that makes your friends say "ooooh!" or "wow!". We would toss everything into the back of an old 1976 Jeep CJ5 3 speed, and drive a few miles outside town, park the jeep at the end of a gravel road, and only take out what you needed, and left the rest just sitting there in the open topped jeep, find our way to a certain valley between some steep hills off of 111 south, and sit quietly and wait, and watch, and when the timing was just right, the light was good, the creatures cooperated you snapped of a few carefully aimed photos. When the day was done you hurried to get the film developed, and would have to wait an agonizing 48 hours to pick up the film from the little yellow shack that sat in the New Albany Plaza that you drove up to. You got home a little later than expected, but that was okay, and everybody talked about their day while sitting around the dinner table together.

After the 48 hour wait, you cringed as you realized half of your pictures we really not that good, and of the ones that were good, only a couple were really good, and if they exceptionally good, you would take the negative back to the photo shack and get a BIG print, a whopping 8x10, and then had to wait a few more days to see if the 8x10 print turned out. And you just couldn't wait to call up a friend and meet at Joe's coffee shop over a simple cup a black coffee to talk about the latest comings and goings, and to show your pictures to them as they showed their to you.

Now, I am a technology geek and addict, so I am not knocking the amazing modern world we live in, or its gadgets too much, but I often wonder, as we drive through unfamiliar back roads, following the guidance prompts on ye ole GPS receiver to guide us to the precise point where a friend had posted a recent picture of a reticulated big-deal bird the previous day, what is missing here? So we drive down the road listening to our choice of hundreds of radio stations piped in via satellite, and pass the time

As the GPS chimes in that we "have reached our destination", and as we fire up the portable GPS and have to wait an ungodly unreasonable minute or two for it to track and lock on to the satellites floating out in space to pinpoint our location down to about 12 feet, we call our family on our blue tooth phones, to say we're here, and get the rundown on what we have missed in the last half hour or so, you get a couple of text messages from this person or that person to let you know they updated their face book wall to include such shocking news as " I cant find my favorite socks".

The portable GPS chimes that it has locked onto to signal, and indicates its 1.1257 miles to reach

Lat. 38.1867, long. 86.2774, and maps out a route to get there, as we sling on our camera backpack full of lenses and gadgets we would never even need to this trip, take the face plate off of the HD radio, lock it in our glove box, put the cars GPS in there too for good measure, make sure the windows are rolled up and lock the all wheel drive utility crossover vehicle up, and set the alarm via the key fob, we pull out the IPhone, send a text we are "going into the wilderness now", and set off after consuming an organic, high energy nutrition bar.

Guided by satellite navigation, you get there soon enough, and you have all ready shot 50 or 60 shots of random photos, BUT WAIT! What was that strange bird call we just heard, check iBird that allows you identify birds by their songs, and in an instant everything you could possibly want to know about the Fluffy Headed Whatever bird, plus comparisons to similar species across all of north America pops up!

As you shoot pics, you can instantly review them, and delete the ones that are not up to snuff, and with the cool little cord going from the GPS on the shoulder strap of the photography backpack to the DSLR, the Lat/Long data of where you were able to shoot 50 shots of the Fluffy Headed Whatever Bird down to an accuracy of 10+/- feet is embedded in the Exif data of the photo so everyone can see just how you had your settings.

The day winds down, and you hit a button on the GPS and it tells you you have 1.260 miles to reach the starting point for this track, you set out and upgrade your online profiles via cell phone from the middle of B.F.E., Indiana that you have successfully captured a photo of the Fluffy-Headed Whatever Bird, and head home and grab some food from the drive thru.

Instead of meeting with your buddy at Joe's coffee shop, you upload your photos to a web based photography community and send instant messages back and forth with brdngBob645 who resides in Auckland, New Zealand about your day.

As nice as technology can make things, sometimes it is refreshing to go out with just a 35mm, an old stick you pick up, and a worn out old bird book....

Vanguard of the Invasion

2009-11-17T05:08:00.000-08:00

Early Tuesday morning I was met with the first of what will probably soon be thousands of invaders who will soon be swooping and soaring around large parking lots, small ponds and lakes, and all along the Ohio River.

Ring-Billed Gull in Flight

That's right, the weather up on the Great Lakes must be just bad enough to push out the first of the Ring-Billed Gulls ( Larus delawarensis ). Before much longer these loud, sometimes obnoxious, but quite smart, and very entertaining birds will be here in large numbers.

Ring-Bills are a medium sized Seagull, with yellow legs, with white under-wings and belly and head, gray upper wings with black tips, and a yellow bill with a black ring around the end of the its bill. (Hence, Ring-Billed Gull).

Adult Ring-Billed Gull

Juveniles are similar in size, but they are of a color that would make them appear to be a dirty mottled grey, with streaking on its chest and flanks, and its legs are a pinkish color.

Juvenile Ring-Billed Gull

Though they will probably get rather boring rather quickly to many birders, keep a sharp eye out, because often mixed into the flocks of ring-bills will be the occasional Herring Gull, a couple of Bonaparte's Gulls, and a Tern or two.

Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia)

Personally I love these loud, rude birds, last year I was able to photograph and record two tagged Ring-Bills, and one that Had been banded. And their antics always seem to cheer me up when the winter days get bleak.

In addition to their character, the return of the Ring-Bills signal to me its time to keep a close eye out for "oddity ducks", I have all ready been able to get some good photos of Hooded Mergansers ( Lophodytes cucullatus ) and Greater Scaup ( Aythya marila ) in Clarksville.

It wont be too long now that it will time to pay close attention to rafts of ducks on ponds and the river, as unusual (to here) ducks like White-Winged Scoters, American Wigeon, and not to mention the Wood Ducks will be in their full splendor!

Okay, you've set up your feeders, and got birds...

2009-11-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

One basic, sometimes overlooked, but very important issue relating to bird feeders and baths is keeping them clean.

Think of it in terms of a buffet open to the public. If it was not cleaned on a regular basis, the chances of getting sick eating there would sky rocket, its the same with our feathered guests visiting our feeder and bird baths.

Taking the time to clean your feeders and your bird baths can make a huge difference in the health of the birds that will come to rely on you for their primary source of food.

Taking the feeders down and giving them a good rinsing at least every two weeks is a very good practice to get into. If your feeders are more heavily used, perhaps clean them once per week.

If the feeders are getting "dirty" with droppings, cleaning them with a solution of 10% chlorine bleach and 90% water, giving them a thorough cleaning in this, rinsing them very well with clean fresh water and letting them air dry before reuse is a good practice as well.

For me, the hardest chore is keeping the ground clean below the feeders. Ground feeders are attracted to the seeds that are dropped or discarded by the birds at the feeders (some ground feeders would include Rock Pigeons, Mourning Doves, etc.). If the birds on the feeder are dropping other things, like dookies, with those seeds, it can spread illnesses to the ground feeding birds.

Under my feeders is generally stone, it can be rinsed easier of bird droppings, and I can use my leaf blower / vacuum to suck up the seed hulls and any eaten seeds. The blower / vac crushes and mulches the hulls and seeds, and I generally dump this mixture into my compost heap.

Bird baths should also be periodically cleaned, and fresh water kept in them. For the most part, I keep mine filled with water from a rain barrel attached to my downspouts, but mainly the birds use my garden pond for water, which is filtered via mechanical filtration as well as UV germicidal light filtering (kills all free floating bacteria and algae).

Of course, I still get a grin on my face when I stop to think about the time the feeders and garden pond attracted a quite unexpected guest, and we lost 6 beautiful Koi to a visiting Green Heron who though the garden pond was his feeder!

Pyrrharctia isabella

2009-11-13T16:57:00.001-08:00

Woolly worm photo by Charity D

Call them Woolly worms, call them Banded Woolly Bears, call them winter forecasters, but these guys are actually the caterpillar form of Pyrrharctia isabella, or the Isabella Tiger Moth.

Classic folklore holds that the more brown the bands on the woolly worms are the worse the winter will be. Reality is the brown band on a woolly worms grow wider as the caterpillar matures, they are not "born" with wide bands pending a bad winter.

The Isabella Tiger Moth is a small to medium size moth that transforms from the Banded Woolly Bear to the adult moth in late spring, and the cycle begins again with the eggs of the Isabella Tiger Moth hatching in the late summer early fall.

Isabella Tiger Moth Adult

Photo by Linden G.

Recent Spotting!

2009-11-02T10:43:00.001-08:00

*stock photo from my flickr photostream

Sandhill Cranes were spotting flying over Jefferson County, Indiana over the weekend! Time to keep an eye on Ewing Bottoms outside of Brownstown, Indiana!

Spotted at Harrison County Forest

2009-11-02T08:47:00.000-08:00

My husband made an early Sunday morning visit to the forestry, now known as O'Bannon Woods. Just inside the entry gate, in the cedar trees next to the restrooms on the right as you enter, were a number of Cedar Waxwings and Eastern Bluebirds, feasting on the cedar berries.

Black Oil Sunflower

2009-11-01T15:23:00.000-08:00

Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus Bicolor)

Aside from controlling the feral cats that sneak into my yard, the best thing I think I have done to date to help attract more birds to my feeders has been to switch strictly to black oil sunflower seeds in the feeders.

When we used the mixed seed, which always seemed to consist of more cracked corn that ended up on the ground, we would only attract the same old usual birds, house sparrows, European Starlings, an occasional Northern Cardinal, and Mourning doves feeding on the ground.

A couple of Downy Woodpeckers would regularly visit the suet feeders, and an odd Blue Jay would show up to make some noise and chase other birds around.

Since the switch to Black oil sunflower seeds, the most prominent visitors are a family of Tufted Titmouse (pictured above), there are at least 5 individual birds, who have now grown so accustomed to my presence by the feeders that they are not shy at all about landing a foot or two away to snatch a seed, fly up to the tree, eat the seed, and repeat.

One more adventurous of them will nearly land on me, and will fly right in my wife's face!

In addition to the titmouse, there have been some larger species of woodpeckers showing up, and regularly. A Northern Flicker, a Red-Headed, and a Red-Bellied Woodpecker have been regular guests.

Red-Bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinis)

*disclaimer, not the red-bellied that has been visiting

Carolina Wrens have also been visiting, as well as House Finches, Carolina Chickadees, and one fleeting glimpse of what I swear was a tiny little brown creeper, however he was not feeding on the seed, but was paying very close attention to a large piece of driftwood sitting by the small water pond we placed by the feeders.

The cost of feeding exclusively black oil sunflower seeds is more, and the mess from all the hulls and the sprouting seeds can be a pain. But it is well worth it for the wider variety of birds that it attracts, and keeps coming back!

We have three main feeders, two on posts, and one hanging on the front of the house, they are all placed where the birds have easy access to cover (butterfly bushes), water (the little pond), and a good clear view of where the previously mentioned feral cats tend to go.

As a side note, unfortunately, feeding feral cats will not diminish their "need" to hunt, it is a natural instinct despite how well they are feed to hunt. After all they are an apex predator, just a smaller version!

Rain, Rain, Rain...and hunter orange

2009-10-25T19:12:00.000-07:00

One definite gift all of the rain has brought us this year has been superb fall colors. Though the peak of the colors hit this week end, its still not to late to get out and enjoy some of the splendor of the fall colors we have this year.

Muscatatuck is vibrant, but strangely devoid of birds right now. A lot of that is due to archery season for deer, and a plethora of hunters driving to and fro.

If you choose to get out and enjoy the woods, it is advisable to wear some hunter orange. NEVER rely solely on thinking there is no hunting in an area.

A hunter orange hat, or vest is a cheap investment, but it stands out like nothing else and definitely sets you apart from a great distance, and readily in the woods and fields from a deer.

A hidden gem

2009-10-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Loop Island Wetlands in New Albany is a hidden gem for bird watching, particularly shorebirds and waterfowl.

Located along Silver Creek and bordered to the south by the Ohio River, there are tow large ponds on the property, the largest of which is a little over 40 acres.

Species of shorebirds here that can be seen and photographed include Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, Green Herons, Double Crested Cormorants, Killdeer, Lesser yellow legs, and Solitary Sandpipers.

The list of waterfowl include, Canada Geese, Mallards, Wood duck, Blue Winged Teal, and in the winter you can see Mergansers, Widgeon's, sometimes you can catch sight of White Winged Scoters.

Also in the 50 acres of the property you can spot Pileated Woodpecker, Downy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Osprey. Red-Tailed and Red-Shouldered Hawks, I have never seen myself, but have been told that a few Northern Harriers have been spotted around the loop as well.
Of real note is somewhere hidden (and hopefully stays that way) is a tree that is called home by some Bald Eagle. After a conspicuous absence for most of the year, at least on has been spotted recently not to far from the Junction of Silver Creek and Ohio River.

Feathered creatures are not the only ones to call the loop home. A regular visit to the Loop named Steve was able to get a fabulous photograph a while back of a Coyote walking on frozen pond in the winter.White Tailed Deer, Raccoons, Virginia Opossums, Grey and Red Squirrels, Rabbits, voles, Ground hogs, and ground squirrels round out the mammals.

And a variety of water turtles, and eastern box turtles, along with ribbon snakes, Garder Snakes, fence lizards, broadhead skinks, five lined skinks and northern water snakes are present for the reptile category.

Amphibians are represented by American toads, Bull frogs, leopard frogs, and grey tree frogs are just a few of these guys around. I have not seen any, but I am quite sure there are plenty of salamanders lurking in the waters and under the leaves and logs as well.

The Near future calls for plans for the "Greenway" to cut through the loop with a proposed two lane road cutting through what is called the Dueling Grounds near the Ohio River.

With the entrance located just east of the intersection of Silver and Main Streets in New Albany, it offers a close to home chance to see some of the wildlife that we routinely drive a 100 mile round trip to places like Muscatatck or Big Oaks, perfect for a late afternoon quick trip or an early morning trip before the start of week end yard work.

Bring a good pair of grippy boots though, as the mud can sometimes get quite slippery. For the most part, the hiking is flat, with the exception of a few small hills and a couple of very small creek crossings. As far as photography equipment is concerned, generally a good 300mm lens is sufficient, as things tend to be rather close if you are quiet and patient. But a pocket point and shoot with a decent zoom will suffice as well.

http://www.loopislandwetlands.com/

Little time...

2009-10-18T19:05:00.001-07:00

I haven't had much time in the last week to get out much, and the next few weeks may be more pressing, but I was able to say hi to a few feathered friends during my comings and goings...

Wood Ducks (aix sponsa)
Pileated Woodpeckers

American Crow

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Killdeer

Raptors

2009-10-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Recently there have been a lot of raptors about.

Muscatatuck has been good for Barred Owls, especially towards the rear of the property near the T intersection by Myers Cabin. Spotted two Mature Bald Eagles in that general area as well.

Also there have quite a few Re-Shoulder Hawks, Red-Tailed Hawks, Coopers Hawks, and American Kestrels about along the Ohio River in Clarksville and Jeffersonville.

Lapping park in Clarksville has also been pretty good as well. Spotted two Coppers Hawks, a young Red-Tailed, and a Kestrel in pretty short order.

As far as other birds, finally got the shots of the Pileated Woodpeckers I have trying to get for so long off of Bugaboo road. Two healthy Pileated's were chasing each other around a dead tree. I was able to get some decent pictures, but it was very cloudy, raining, and starting to get dark, But it was better than nothing.

The feeders out front of my house has seen a growing increase in Tufted Titmouse, and the Goldfinch are becoming more scarce around the thistle feeder.

Welcome

2009-10-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Through the lens is a bit of deceiving title for this blog.
The intentions of this forum is to provide a place for local nature enthusiasts to share tips, tricks, and information regarding all sorts of outdoors activities, but it will be geared more towards nature photography and birding.

We live in kind of unique area here, sitting about halfway between the Mississippi flyway and the Atlantic Flyway, quite a few migratory birds and waterfowl come through this area every year, not to mention our resident population of various species of birds, waterfowl and shorebirds.

From the annual appearance of Ring-billed Gulls that signifies the beginning of winter, to the mass migration of Sandhill cranes which can be seen in the tens of thousands just a little bit north of here in the late fall and again in the late winter early spring, there are many opportunities for fantastic bird watching and nature photography.

I would also like this forum to be a clearinghouse for information from real users about local trails, parks, camping, and paddle sports.

I hope to have several other people I know whose interests span different aspects of enjoying nature to make posts, share information and help to answer any questions.

This may be very successful, and then again, it may flop! But in the meanwhile it will be fun to take that first step...