Question: My Corn Snake seems to have trouble shedding. The skin comes off in ragged pieces and sometimes he has trouble shedding the eye area. Is there anything I can do to help him? Will it hurt him if I help by gently pulling the skin off?
Answer: Medically, this condition is called dysecdysis, but in simple terms, improper shedding will suffice. In almost every case this condition is a symptom of a problem, not a primary problem. In other words, nearly all cases are the result of improper husbandry or handling issues. It is found in both snakes and lizards.
Husbandry factors which may cause dysecdysis include low cage temperature, lack of adequate humidity, improper nutrition and not having the proper cage furniture for the snake to rub its skin on. You should check each of these areas for problems. The place to start is to know what the requirements in each of these areas are for your snake. You can go to our Reptile Care at a Glance Chart to find the requirements for your pet. Once you have the requirements you would also need the tools to monitor the requirements, especially temperature and humidity as these are often the cause of this malady. A good dual temperature and humidity gauge will always tell you if you have a problem. A rough rock, hide or rough piece of wood or branch will also help the snake in rubbing the old skin off. Once the factor causing the problem is corrected the shedding should return to normal.
In some cases handling the snake during its shed cycle can cause damage to the skin and cause it to come off in patches. Your snake should develop a blue film over the eyes during the shed cycle and during this time the snake should not be handled.
In the instance when you have the problem of a bad shed before you it is important to treat your snake. The dead skin needs to be removed as it can harbor many disease causing organisms such as mites, bacteria or fungi. However, do not rip the skin off yourself as this may damage the fresh new skin below if done improperly. For snakes or lizards, the best way to remove tattered skin is to soak the animal in tepid water which is just deep enough to cover the animal’s body but not deep enough to drown it. It is very important to never leave a soaking reptile unattended. After soaking apply a good shed aid to the entire body. Then release it back into its tank with all other husbandry areas set up properly. Sometimes it will take two or three soakings to remedy the situation, but, be patient. In situations where soaking is impractical you may gently, but very thoroughly mist the snake or lizard and follow the same instructions.
As the snake or lizard sheds always check the skin over the eye which is called the spectacle or eye cap. These eye caps act as clear eyelids and protect the cornea of the eye from damage. If they are retained during the shed the eye may become infected. These retained eye caps can be hard to remove and the best action is to use the soaking or misting technique discussed earlier and let the snake take it off itself. In an emergency you can hold a moist rag over the the eye caps for about 15 minutes. Then allow the head and eyes to dry. When dry, gently press a piece of Scotch tape onto the retained eye cap and very gently pull the tape off. If there are no other complications, the eye cap should come off. If it does not come off easily then it is time for a veterinary consultation as there is probably a complication of some sort involved.
If all of the requirements of handling, heat, humidity, food and furniture are taken care of then problems with improper shedding in pet reptiles should be minimal.
Question: The goldfinches and siskins are birds that I want coming to my yard so I purchased a thistle sock. It seemed to let a lot of thistle seed slip through and land on the ground. I then tried a feeder from a box store and have the same problem. What do I look for in a finch feeder to stop this? Thistle is too expensive to waste.
Answer: First, please go out to your feeding station and take a good look at the seed on the ground. Finches and siskins crack the seed, eat the meat and leave the hull. What you may perceive as wasted seed may have already been eaten by the birds. If this is not the case, then it is time to pick a quality bird feeder. When looking for any bird feeder the first criteria should be easy to clean. The feeder should come apart so you can get into every nook and cranny. You should clean your feeder at least once a month. Second, the bird feeder should be easy to fill. This may not sound important at first, but after the first month or two hard to fill feeders are usually empty a great deal of the time. Third, look for a company whose main line is bird feeders. These companies take the time to develop a great design. Many companies who build bird feeders as a side line will ususally build a pretty feeder, but not pay attention to the details that make bird feeders great. The bird feeders we carry meet the above criteria and most have been tried in our yard or in the yards of the savvy birders we know personally.
Finches feeding at a thistle sock.
You have tried a sock, but know that there are different qualities of thistle socks. Look for a sock that is made of heavy duty material and has a locking closure. To keep the seed fresh after rain, roll the sock between your hands. It will keep the seed from retaining moisture and molding.
The finches cling to the screen of the thistle feeder.
Many of our customers first step from a sock to a thistle feeder will be the one quart acrylic finch feeder. The features that make this a quailty feeder are the stainless steel screen, durable acrylic top and bottom with drainage holes in the base and a seed diverter so there will be no waste of your thistle seed. It comes in 4 different colors. If you are feeding lots of finches we also have a 3 quart acrylic thistle feeder.
Once our customers try a quality thistle feeder, it is usually a short time before they start looking for larger feeder or one with a lifetime guarantee. Browse through our large selection to find the perfect feeder for you. If you have any questions about any of the feeders, please contact us.
Question: I recently acquired four Squirrel Treefrogs. When I got them they were all bright green and beautiful to watch climbing around on the rocks in their terrarium. Now, they have all turned various shades of brown. Is this a disease? What is happening to them?
Answer: Fear not. This is not a disease or even a bad thing. Squirrel Treefrogs are very much like the anoles (American Chameleon) in that they can change colors. Many other species of frogs are also able to do this. Your Squirrel Treefrogs can easily change from green to brown and be solid colored or spotted in either color phase. Many of the field guides for reptiles and amphibians in the United States show two “color phases”of this species. It has been found that this is not true as any individual can show either color at any given time. It does help in identification however with both colors shown.
Squirrel Treefrog -Green Coloration
Contrary to popular belief, the color changes are not necessarily due to trying to blend in to the frog’s surroundings although it probably does help some in nature. Like the anoles, this ability has been tied to mood, comfort, time of day and the presence of other tankmates. A tank with no plants or few hiding places will often result in a brown color. While ill heath may or may not be a factor, stress caused by too many treefrogs for the space available or other incompatible tankmates will often cause a perpetual brown coloration. Cold temperatures and low humidity can also be a factor.
So, what can you do to attain a better ratio between the two color phases? Start with the habitat. Eco Earth or Frog Moss may be used as substrate to keep humidity up and stable. A light misting each day will also help. Temperatures in the mid 70s to low 80s will help bring out the colors. A good dual thermometer/humidity gauge can help you keep these two items in check. Plants are important and should be arranged to provide a vertical aspect to the terrarium. Either live or artificial plants may be used, but, we find that artificial plants are easier to keep clean and to rearrange in the tank. Lighting will also help. While amphibians generally do not need UVB light like many reptiles do, a good UVA light such as the Naturesun series will help to bring out the best colors in your pets as well as support interesting natural behaviors.
It is also important not to overcrowd your tank. A 10 gallon aquarium with a good screen top will accommodate up to 4 adult treefrogs providing that there are adequate hiding places available for each. Small snakes should never be mixed with frogs and small lizards may be kept with them as long as they do not threaten the frogs or think of them as food. The anoles and small geckos such as House Geckos or small species of Day Geckos are good companions for your tree frogs as are Long-tailed Grass Skinks. Make sure that the requirements for your other inhabitants are the same as the treefrogs to reduce stress on all of them. You may check this out on our Reptile Care Chart.
We have a couple of Canyon Treefrogs in a tank in our home. When they sit on the driftwood near the water container on the bottom of the tank they are the color of an old cinder block, gray with small black specks throughout. While moving up through the plants hunting crickets or small moths near the top of the tank they evolve into a beautiful frog with nice shades of tans, yellows and dark browns.
Color change in treefrogs is normal. With the correct setup you can enjoy your pets in their various attire.
We were recently in South Dakota and of course we had to do a little bird watching while we were there. One of the species that I enjoyed seeing was the Black-billed Magpie. Although it is not rare and not really hard to find, the striking black and white pattern always makes me smile.
The black and white pattern along with the long tail make identification easy.
When I started bird watching I was startled to see a magpie sitting on the back of a deer. I watched it land on the deer’s back, fly away and then land on the deer again four times. This behavior sent me back to the books (this was before the internet) to find out why. It seems that magpies are tolerated by the deer because the birds are removing ticks. The magpies will eat some and then cache some for later use as many members of their family do. The problem with this is that the ticks are stored alive and unharmed. The ticks simply crawl away and resume their lives.
The large domed nest of the Black-billed Magpie is unmistakable.
The nest of the Black-billed Magpie is unmistakable. It is a large domed nest, made primarily of sticks and mud. The interior of the nest is lined with hair, grass, bark, or rootlets. The nest can take the birds up to 40 days to build. A recent study found that the pair only spent about 1% of their daily energy to build their nest. The female on the other hand spent 23% of her energy laying the eggs.
As with other members of the corvidae family, the magpies will predate the nests of birds taking both eggs and nestlings. However this predation only makes up a small part of the Black-bill Magpie’s diet. Most of the time the magpie will forage on the ground for insects, grains, with acorns being a favorite, small mammals and some carrion.
When we lived in South Dakota the magpies would sometimes visit our suet feeders and our platform bird feeders. The smaller songbirds would sound the alarm and quickly make the magpie feel unwelcomed. They never stayed very long and we never seemed to be visited on a regular basis. Maybe they just came in with the deer that visited our birdbath for a drink occasionally. :^)
A few days ago, I was on my way out to check our Box Turtles when I caught a slight movement out of the corner of my eye. There, crawling slowly across the gravel of our driveway was a beautiful 14 inch long Arizona Coral Snake. I quickly brought into my head the old adage “Red to yellow kills a fellow. Red to black venom lack.” I did this because, in addition to having the highly venomous neurotoxic Coral Snake locally we also have the Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake in the area and the New Mexico Milk Snake is native to the next mountain range to the east of us. Both are harmless Coral Snake “look a likes.” The above adage helps to sort out the venomous from the harmless.
It was easy to see the bright red bands of this snake bordered with light yellow bands even from 10 feet away so I knew that the snake I had was, in fact, venomous. Arizona Coral Snakes are fairly common in our area of southeastern Arizona although very few people actually see them. For the most part they are nocturnal and are most often observed at or soon after dusk on warm rainy evenings. Their generally flat build is an indication of their preferred habitat under rocks and in crevices in rock walls. They feed on other small snakes including the Blind Snakes and Black-headed Snakes and small lizards. All of these are common in our area.
As Arizona Coral Snakes go, this was one of the largest I have observed. Most individuals in our area are from 8-12 inches in length. We have an informal truce with all of the wildlife on our property. Unless they are causing property damage we leave them alone to go about their lives. This snake made its way into our rock wall which should provide it with a happy home and a great food source.
Two days after the sighting in our yard a neighbor called to report that he had a Coral Snake caught in his cattle guard. He is much nearer to Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake habitat than our local Coral Snake habitat so I thought at first that he might be mistaken. Upon reaching the scene 10 minutes later I found that he was correct and he did, in fact, have a 12 inch Arizona Coral Snake trapped in his cattle guard. I took out my Midwest snake tong and hook and worked the little fellow out of the cattle guard and into an empty quart jar. I had learned long ago that Coral Snakes are escape artists and that they easily find the way out of my snake bucket that I use for moving rattlesnakes and snake bags. As our friend really did not want a venomous snake near his home, I took this little waif home with me and released him in the rock wall near where the first snake had disappeared. Maybe we will get a population on our property in years to come.
Previous to this year I had never observed more than one Arizona Coral Snake in any one year. Last night I was called out on a fire near my home ( I am a volunteer fireman in our small town.) During the course of putting out a small structure fire I located a third specimen. This one was a little smaller than the first two and, in an effort to save it from any other firefighters which might notice him, I caught him and placed him in an empty Gatorade bottle. This specimen was donated to a friend who maintains an educational reptile collection. He will be set up next to a display with a Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake to show off the differences between the two species.
These are truly beautiful little snakes and it has been a pure pleasure to see three of them within a week’s time.
I was at Southwest Wings Birding Festival when I noticed David a 10 1/2 almost 10 and 3/4 year old boy looking at our novelty signs. I couldn’t tell if he was looking at the bird signs, dog signs or the reptile signs. When I asked David which sign he liked he replied that he liked the sign like his pet, Herman the Second. With a name like Herman I took the dachshund sign down.
David’s father started laughing at me and told David to tell me what he had for a pet. It seems that Herman the Second is a Bearded Dragon. The story goes that David’s Grandmother had a dachshund named Herman Von Clouse. David and Herman were great friends. They liked to play in the sand pile. Well, David played while Herman slept in the sun. They also shared a chair while watching TV. Herman died when David was 7 years old. For David’s eighth birthday, his family tried to find a new puppy. None of the puppies could compare to Herman Von Clouse.
The family was wandering around the pet store deciding what to do. David found the reptile section and became fascinated with the lizards. David and his father went home to research lizards. They found that Bearded Dragon care was easy and they made great first pets. David brought his Bearded Dragon home and was sitting in the same chair he had shared with the dachshund when Grandma asked what the lizard’s name was. David replied Herman the Second. Grandma thought it was a great name.
Today started out like most other days. We got up, filled our coffee mugs and sat down to watch the morning breakfast crew at our bird feeders. The White-crowned Sparrows and Brewer’s Sparrows were coming in in numbers with Cactus Wrens on the recycled oriole feeder munching on the peanut butter and jelly. A Curve-billed Thrasher chorkled from the top of an agave stalk adjacent to our four tiered bird pond. A small group of Scaled Quail worked their way down our “wildlife path” which leads down to the pond from the scrub land habitat behind it. As the quail drank, the smaller birds all hit the bushes in a fast panic! In a short moment only one juvenile (We call them teenagers.) Scaled Quail was left at the pond and in the blink of an eye a Cooper’s Hawk had him in his talons and had dispatched him at the pond’s edge. The hawk put the quail down and took a short drink. Then, grabbing the quail in his talons again, the hawk skittered along the ground to the path where it started to eat the unfortunate bird. After a couple of minutes the hawk flew to the top of the agave stalk, screaming loudly. A close look showed a beautiful coyote walking up the wildlife path. The coyote calmly walked up to the quail body, picked it up and carried it away to eat it back in the brush.
Scenes like this are why we always start our day in front of the bird feeders. You just never know what is going to happen and which of nature’s wonders you will have the privilege of observing.
Here in Portal, AZ most of our snakes are brumating for the winter, however each December we have a few hardy snakes that make a surprise visit. Today we were called to help move a Diamondback Rattlesnake out of a firewood pile. The call came in early afternoon from a lady who wanted the snake moved and definitely not killed. We love calls like this!
We grabbed our professional hook that is made specifically to turn logs so we could tear the firewood pile apart without getting our hands in harms way. We also took a set of snake tongs to control the head and a snake hook in case it was a large snake and we needed to support the back third of the snake while we placed him in a bucket with a secure lid.
When we arrived on scene the lady had the snake pinned and was hoping we were coming soon. Now you may be wondering why I am blogging about such an everyday occurrence.
Is it because we have a Rattlesnake up in December? No, we have a few each year.
Is it because the lady wanted it moved and not killed? No, this lady had a great respect for all of nature’s animals and has been known to trap and release mice when they are in her home.
Is it because she had the snake pinned when we got there? Now you are getting close, you see this lady is 90+ years old and had to hold onto the porch railing to do this. This is because she had used her cane to pull the 4 foot snake out from the woodpile and was using the handle on the cane to pin the snake’s head.
We both exclaimed at the same time “What do you think you are doing?”
She gave us a sour look and stated she had been moving snakes longer than we had been out of diapers. She also reminded us that the snake wasn’t moving any faster than she was. After all it was December.
We used the snake tongs and the snake hook to place the snake in the bucket and took it a safe distance from the house next to a rock pile. The only question we have at this point is should we carry a cane when it is time to move the next snake?
Question: I selected a filled thistle sock from your bird store at a Texas bird festival. After I got home my better half said that thistle seed will make tumbleweeds and I shouldn’t use the thistle sock because Russian Thistle is definitely an invasive plant that ought to be exterminated. Is what he is saying true, am I planting tumbleweeds when I give food to the birds?
Reply to to the Question: This isn’t the first time I’ve got this inquiry from people who begin to use “thistle” in their feeders for finches. The dilemma happens in the terminology. What we sold you is Guizotia abyssinica, an upright, stout, branched annual plant originally out of the Ethiopian Highlands. The common name there is nigernood, which in turn translates to blackseed. When the seed became a cash crop, and exported to the U.S., corporations changed the name of the blackseed to thistle seed to take advantage of the finches affinity for native thistle (certainly not the invasive thistle your husband is referring to.)
Later the Wild Bird Feeding Industry (WBFI) has trademarked the name Nyjer. The industry’s objective is to have the seed known as Nyjer so birders won’t mistake it with Russian Thistle. They thought a spelling adjustment was in fact recommended in order to avoid any ideas of a racial slur.
Before you buy Nyjer to use for your thistle feeder, the seed is going to be heated to 120 degrees for 15 minutes to actually sterilize the Nyjer seed. It insures that you can fill all your “thistle feeders” for the finches, Pine Siskins and Redpolls without propagating invasive seeds within your landscape.
Subsequently, your hubby is correct, Russian Thistle does indeed create tumbleweeds. Nonetheless, you should feed Nyjer seed with no need of concern.
The goldfinches and I appreciate your interest in feeding birds.
Question: We began feeding wild birds when we bought a hummingbird feeder through you at a farmer’s market. Since that time we enjoy feeding birds and consequently now possess a little window mount feeder which we start started using any time we take a trip in the RV as well as a suet bird feeder you suggested. At this point with the economic climate in less than ideal shape, I am searching for techniques to continue to feed the birds, yet achieve it in a much more cost-effective method. What precisely do you recommend?
Answer: To start with, please do not change to a inexpensive seed mixture. Nearly all of these types of seed blends have “filler seed” which help to make it considerably less costly, however a lesser number of birds are going to consume it. Furthermore a great many of these kinds of bird feeds are not really cleaned properly, consequently you are paying for chaff. The preferred choice is to get the little window feeder from the motorhome and install it on a window from which you will enjoy seeing the birds. This compact feeder may dissuade pigeons, jays and a good number of squirrels. Fill the feeder with a small quantity of feed at the exact same time each and every morning. Figure out how much you wish to spend and then put out only that amount of bird food. I understand that you might have birds investigating an empty feeder, nevertheless keep in mind that really quite little of what birds eat really come from bird feeders, therefore you should not feel bad. ( See Tom’s article entitled “Will Birds Starve If I Stop Feeding Them?“) You may discover that you have the birds patiently waiting for you every single morning each time you fill the feeders. You might possibly be scolded when you are tardy some days.
Furthermore, attempt to buy bird seed in the biggest quantity feasible. Pound for pound it is the more cost-effective approach. Always be sure to keep your bird seed in a cool dry place. I utilize a twenty gallon steel trash can. The birds and I say thank you for your continuing enthusiasm for feeding wild birds.
This morning between sips from our coffee mugs, we had a Vesper Sparrow come into our platform bird feeder. This was one that they could have taken a picture of for the field guides. The chestnut patch on his wing was clearly visible, the streaking on his breast was well defined and the white outer tail feathers were there for all to see.
I remember when I first started birding and had memorized the song of the Vesper Sparrow in South Dakota. When we visited North Carolina there were many songs that were not familiar, but I was seeing a Vesper Sparrow singing and thought the song was not quite right. I have learned since then that the songs of the Vesper Sparrow can vary between regions, but a Vesper Sparrow in South Dakota will sound like every other Vesper Sparrow. And a North Carolina Vesper Sparrow will sound like every other Vesper Sparrow. I’m not sure how the regions are established, but there will be regional differences in their songs. There is even a documented report of a Vesper Sparrow that learned to sing like a Bewick’s Wren!
The Vesper Sparrow was first called the Bay-winged Bunting and then the Grass Finch. John Burroughs gave the bird the name Vesper Sparrow because he felt that its singing was “sweeter and more impressive toward the evening”.
This sparrow is a very adaptable little bird. It is often the first species to return to a forest area when a mining site or farm fields are reclaimed. We felt complimented by his visit to our bird feeder, as we are slowly reclaiming over grazed pasture land and have some native trees that are now taller than we are!
ASSESSING CHANGES IN THE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF BURROWING OWLS IN CALIFORNIA, 1993-2007 ROBERT L. WILKERSON AND RODNEY B. SIEGEL
The Institute for Bird Populations
Abstract.The Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) has declined in recent decades across much of its range, including California, where it is classified as a Species of Special Concern. During 2006-2007, we surveyed the entire breeding range of the species in California, except the Channel Islands. Relying largely on volunteers, we surveyed 860 5km x 5km blocks, and documented exact locations of 1,758 pairs. Using data from randomly-selected blocks, we extrapolated a statewide, breeding-season population of 9,187 (SE = 2,346) pairs. For all of the species’ California range, except the Modoc Plateau and the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, we compared results with those of DeSante et al. (2007) using identical methods and study area boundaries during 1991-1993. Our 2006-2007 estimate of 8,128 (SE = 2,391) pairs was 10.9% lower than the previous estimate, but the difference was not statistically significant. The major patterns of Burrowing Owl occurrence across California appeared to be relatively unchanged since 1993, although non-significant declines were apparent in numerous regions. Burrowing Owls appear to have declined particularly sharply in two urban areas: the San Francisco Bay Area and Bakersfield. Our surveys of previously unsurveyed portions of the species’ California range yielded few or no owls in the Modoc Plateau/Great Basin, Northern Mojave/eastern Sierra Nevada, eastern Mojave, and Sonoran Desert regions (excluding the Palo Verde Valley) but detected large aggregations in the Palo Verde Valley and the western Mojave Desert region.
This past week-end Tom and I were in Rockport, Texas for the Hummer Festival. This is one of our favorite shows. The timing is great, you will see many, many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the Best 1 Hummingbird feeders. Also, the Buff-bellied Hummingbird is always in the area for the show. We also had a report of an Anna’s Hummingbird, though I personally did not see the bird. Our spirits were some what dampened by the rain the area received during the festival, but many of the houses had hummingbird feeders under eaves of their houses, so at least the hummers were dry and happy!
The Ruby-throated Hummingbird was first described as a “spritelike bird, scarcely bigger than a good sized insect……..most unbirdlike, more like an overgrown bee.” ( Scott- 1890) Comments like this are understandable when the Ruby-throated Hummingbird can beat its wings 53 times a second, can hover in one place and is eastern North America’s only breeding hummingbird. How would you describe a hummingbird without using a camera? I think Scott did the best anyone could do!
Scientists have placed hummingbirds and swifts in the same taxonomic order, the Apodiformes. This name means “without feet.” If you observe this little hummer for a while you can see why the classification is appropriate. These short legs prevent it from walking or even hopping like many birds do, it does more of a shuffling motion when it moves along a perch. The only time you may see its legs are when the hummer has an itch on its head or neck. The bird can scratch by reaching around its wing to get to the itchy spot.
When you put out a hummingbird feeder for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, you need to be patient. These hummers are a creature of habit, and will return to the same spot to look for the bird feeder they used last year. If you have moved the feeder or put out new ones, they will take their time in adjusting to the newness of the situation. They will eventually adjust and come back to a new spot until you move or change something again. Then the process will start all over again!
Next time you see a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, try to describe it to someone who has seen a hummingbird before. Try to see it’s feet. If you are really brave, move the hummingbird feeder and see how long it takes for the little guy to find the new location!
The Rufous Hummingbirds have taken over the hummingbird feeders hanging from our porch in front of the sliding glass door. The Rufous chose this end of our line of feeders because of the perches available above the feeders. This is a yearly happening, though I still get upset when the Rufous chase off the Black-Chinned who regularly nest in our yard.
There are two solutions to hummingbirds that try to posses a hummingbird feeder for themselves. One is place every feeder in your yard out of sight of any other feeder. The option we use is to offer 30 Best 1 Hummingbird Feeders along the front of our house. The ‘bully’ cannot posses all of the feeders at one time. While he is at one end of the house, the hummers enjoy a snack of sugar water at the other end. We do not fill the hummingbird feeders full and always clean them every 3-4 days. You can learn how we clean our hummingbird feeders.
Today we we lucky enough to witness a very brave act! We had a Magnificent Hummingbird that ignored the bomb diving, hovering and buzzing of the Rufous and helped himself to a hearty breakfast. Several of the Rufous where just plainly enraged by this act. But, no matter what they tried, the Magnificent was going to have his breakfast!
While I was laughing out loud at the activity in front of the porch, Tom was counting the number of feeders that had hummingbirds at them. We had 14 feeders being used at the same time! It seems that many other hummingbirds knew enough to use the distraction to grab a sip or two.
I have blogged about the migration the Rufous Hummingbirds undertake each year. I should realize their tenacity is necessary to their survival, but today I was really tickled that their tenacity (I still call it bullying) was held in check by the Magnificent Hummingbird! It was a “magnificent” sight! Pun intended.
OK, be honest, how many of you remember when you first started to get serious about bird watching? Do you remember your first fall bird migration? Do you remember trying desperately to ID those “little brown birds”? You were just getting your confidence up and not heading for the bird book every time you saw a sparrow. And then the plumage changed. Not only did you have “little brown birds,” but all of the warblers became female!
Well, it’s that time of year down here. As we sipped from our Southwest Canyon Bird Coffee Mug, the fall sparrow migration hit our bird feeders. We had had a few Lark Sparrows into the recycled platform bird feeder last week. Today the flock arrived! We had them enjoying our bath bath and then using both platform feeders. While we were watching them the Chipping Sparrows started filtering into the triple tube feeder. Shortly we also had Savannah Sparrows, Lincoln Sparrows, Black Headed Grosbeaks, Blue Grosbeaks and a Green-tailed Towhee. Most of these species seemed to prefer the platform bird feeders, but many used the various tube feeders we have scattered around the yard, especially the shy species. Many of these species will stay with us for the winter. Some will get their field marks back after this molt, making the ID so much easier.
We were visiting some friends and, since they are birders also, they understood when our attention was drawn to their bird feeders. The sunflower bird feeder was just outside their family room picture window. Now I know that a Red-breasted Nuthatch is not a particularly rare bird, but we do not get them out on the desert where we live. This group of nuthatches was very busy taking one sunflower seed at a time out of the tube bird feeder, cracking it, eating it and then returning to start the process all over again. Occasionally they took a seed from the platform feeders.
These birds reminded me of watching a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches build a nest at my folk’s house in the Black Hills of South Dakota. When I arrived the pair were busily collecting resin globules from coniferous trees and plastering them around the entrance of their nest hole. I expected the birds to carry the resin in their bills. I was amazed that the nuthatches used what I considered a tool. The male collected pieces of bark with pine pitch on it and then used the bark as an applicator. The male puts the resin primarily around the outside of the hole while the female puts it around the inside. It is thought that the resin helps to keep out competition for the nest cavity and also deters predators. The nuthatch avoids the resin by diving through the hole, not perching in the entry as most birds do.
My father reported that the Red-breasted Nuthatch had fought hard to claim the nesting cavity. He had first seen a Downy Woodpecker hammering away, trying to enlarge the hole. The Red-breasted Nuthatch aggressively chased the Downy away after a two day battle. Next the Red-breasted had to defend the cavity from a White-breasted Nuthatch. It seems this pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches were particularly feisty and again won the battle.
This pair brought 3 young off the nest. My folks were as proud as “grandparent”s could be. In fact, they purchased a peanut bird feeder when the young left the nest as a way to keep the nuthatches in the area. I don’t know if the same pair stayed around, but the familiar “yank-yank” has been heard for years at my parent’s house.
We noticed an older gentleman standing back away from our booth and just listening to us answer questions about the bird feeders and help with identifying some species. He would wander away, but always seemed to return.
After the crowd thinned out a bit, he walked over to the thistle socks and picked one up. When I asked if he had any questions he started to tell me that he wasn’t really a bird watcher, but had just “kinda noticed the birds in his yard a few weeks ago”.
I asked a few more questions and the whole story came out. I just have to share it with you.
It seems that “Country Grandpa” has always lived in a rural area and has retired from a large ranching operation to just keeping a few goats and chickens. His son had recently married a woman with a young girl and they came to visit for the first time last summer. His new granddaughter “City Girl” was born and has spent her life in the Philadelphia area. Country Grandpa’s wife had died recently and he was worried what he would do with a “City Girl” for a week.
His son reassured him that he would bring things for her to do, but to just treat City Girl like you would any other child that came to visit.
The first morning Country Grandpa took City Girl to help him feed the goats. The goats bumped into City Girl, nibbled at her fingers and smelled funny. City Girl returned to the house with tears welling in her eyes and needing her mommy.
The second morning, after assuring City Girl that she would not have to enter the goat pen, County Grandpa took her to help feed the chickens. City Girl got chicken poop on her Hanna Montana shoes. That was apparently the worst thing in the world. County Grandpa has struck out again.
That afternoon after plying City Girl with Kool-Aide to come out on the porch and the promise of a shopping trip to town to buy her favorite food for supper, City Girl noticed that there were birds in the trees in the backyard. She said that they were smaller than the ones at the park at home, but people liked to feed them popcorn. She asked County Grandpa if he fed the birds and could she help him do that?
Country Grandpa and City Girl headed to town to buy a hopper bird feeder and seed. They put the bird feeder up that afternoon and the next morning City Girl noticed some brown birds coming to the feeder. She asked County Grandpa what kind they were. The wise and wonderful daughter-in-law said that the birds were the same color as City Girl’s Brownie troop’s uniforms so they should call those birds Brownie Birds.
The next bird that came in had yellow eyes and a bill that turned down like he was frowning. He also scared the Brownie Birds away. He became known as Bully Bird (curved-billed thrasher).
County Grandpa then saw a bird that had a feather sticking out funny on his head and some red, but not enough to be a cardinal, it was just kind of a dull looking cardinal. County Grandpa named him “Arizona Cardinal” (pyrrhuloxia) because some times watching the Arizona Cardinal football team om TV was dull. (Opinions expressed by Country Grandpa are not necessarily those of Tom’s Bird Feeders.)
The next bird was named “Mrs. Liby” (cactus wren) because she always sat up in the top of the tree and scolded everyone and sounded really bad. It seems Mrs. Liby was the playground supervisor at City Girl’s school.
Country Grandpa had stopped by our booth to see if we had a used bird book so he could learn the name of the birds before City Girl came for her next visit. I helped him identify the birds he had seen, but after looking through the book he decided that he liked the names he and City Girl had picked out.
He said that he was sure we thought it was silly, us being biologist and all. I reminded him that my husband’s name is Thomas but I call him Tom. It was his nickname, and in Country Grandpa’s yard the birds just used their nicknames.
After a rough start, I think City Girl and Country Grandpa are on their way to a great relationship, all because of some sparrows sitting in a tree.
We have had several Western Tanagers into the birdbath in the past week. These colorful birds have the remarkable ability to hide in plain sight. It took me a little while to help Tom find the tanager in the mesquite above the birdbath. The attempt goes something like:
”There’s a Western Tanager right above the birdbath.”
“How high up in the mesquite?”
“On the left side of the tree about level with the thistle feeder. Hold on, let me find it again, it just moved. There it is, right above the birdbath, just go straight up from the bath until you find it.’
The Western Tanager breeds farther north than any other member of its family. They nest as far north as the Northwest Territories of Canada. Most of the other members of its family are considered tropical.
The Western Tanager was originally called the Louisiana Tanager. The name may seem inappropriate as it is a rare migrant to the state of Louisiana. When this bird was first identified what was then known as the Louisiana Purchase extended from the Mississippi River to the Continental Divide and northward to British Columbia. As the bird is distributed over much of that territory, the name was then much more appropriate.
The red in the face of the Western Tanager is rhodoxanthin, a pigment rare in birds. The rhodoxanthin is ingested from the insects it feeds on. The insects acquire this rare pigment from the plants they ingest. Other tanagers are capable of making the pigment that make their feathers red. In this case, you really are what you eat!
Next time you see a Western Tanager, take a good look at the red and know that that “Louisiana Tanager” has been eating well!
Our spring bird migration is continuing. Today we had our first Blue Grosbeak into our sunflower bird feeder. He then hopped down to have a drink from our tiered bird pond. He had not completed his molt completely, so he wasn’t the most beautiful grosbeak, but was welcomed to our yard anyway.
The Lark Sparrows are still here in great numbers enjoying the platform bird feeder. Their face pattern on this sparrow plus the fan shaped tail with the white band make this one of the easiest to identify of the sparrows.
One interesting observation is that Lark Sparrows walk rather than hop across our bird feeder. If fact, hopping is only used during courtship. During courtship a male Lark Sparrow crouches on the ground, holds his tail up at a 45 degree angle from the ground, spreads the tail feathers to show off the white tips, and then struts with its wings drooping so that the wingtips nearly touch the ground. When the female is receptive, the male gives her a small twig just before copulation.
In our area we have observed Lark Sparrows recycling old Mockingbird and thrasher nests. I have also read reports where the eggs and young of two species are found in the same nest, suggesting that the Lark Sparrow shares the nest with the other bird.
I will continue to report on the spring bird migration here in Portal. Good Birding to all.
We have been in Wyoming and South Dakota for the past couple of weeks. The duck migration is in full swing and the Greater Prairie Chickens are on their lecks. It was great to get the ducks, we don’t get many in my part of the desert (lol).
We came back to Lark Sparrows in great numbers at our bird feeders. We had 9 in our platform bird feeder and about 10 more on the ground under the bird feeder. The Pine Siskins and Lesser Goldfinches are still coming into the stainless steel thistle feeder, but we have not seen the Lawrence’s Goldfinches since we got back.
We have had a Cassin’s Kingbird into the bird bath and the warblers are bathing on a regular basis with the most common being the Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Our first juvenile Black-throated Sparrow was being fed just above our triple tube bird feeder in the mesquite tree.
The most common birds at our Best 1 hummingbird feeders have been the Broad-tailed and the Black-throated Hummingbirds. All three of our orioles have be into the saucer oriole feeder and they have been sneaking sips from the hummingbird feeders.
The spring bird migration is still slowly filtering through. The Hooded Oriole visited us for the first time just before Easter. His bright yellow/orange head with the orange on the saucer oriole feeder would make anyone’s day brighter.
Today we had a Wilson’s Warbler into our bird pond. His black cap was identifiable without binoculars. Our pond is a recirculating 4 tier pond and he seemed to like the more shallow middle tiers. He was splashed by a Northern Mockingbird in the top tier. Our pond is one of our most popular areas with birds migrating to the north. The pond allows us to see birds that do not come into our bird feeders. The Wilson’s Warbler is just one example of what adding water to your yard will do to attract birds to your yard.
Lucy’s Warblers are one of the smallest warblers and has chosen to make the desert its home, making its nest in the driest of all warbler habitats.
Dr. J. G. Cooper discovered this tiny and inconspicuous warbler at Fort Mojave in Arizona in 1861. He named it after Miss Lucy Baird, daughter of his associate Dr. Spencer F. Baird.
The Lucy’s Warbler is one of only two warblers that breeds in cavities. (The Prothonotary Warbler is the other.) If using a woodpecker hole, the warbler may fill the cavity nearly to the top with debris and put the nest on top so the bird can see out. Abandoned Verdin nests are also a favorite nesting place.
I could not find if anyone has established the size of a Lucy’s Warblers territory. However, it is not unusual to find up to 5 nests in 1 acre. When Tom and I do breeding bird surveys, the over lapping songs make it very hard to impossible to get an accurate count on the number of males singing.
Most people spot this bird while it is gleaning insects off foliage, and its quick movements catch the eye. Remember, if you are in the dry desert do not eliminate all warblers when trying to identify a little gray bird! It just may be a Lucy’s Warbler!
This is just an update to keep people current on how the spring bird migration is progressing. This past week we had our first Black-chinned Hummingbird into our Best 1 hummingbird feeder. He was quickly followed by several other Black-chinned, and the aerial contest was on. As usual they dove at each other and hovered above each other buzzing angrily. They created quite a show for us.
Meanwhile, a Magnificent Hummingbird was quietly sipping nectar from our saucer hummingbird feeder. The Black-chinned Hummingbirds chose not to challenge him. I’m not sure why as they have done so in the past.
The Lawrence’s Goldfinch continues to come in to the thistle bird feeder. He comes in with a flock of Lesser Goldfinches, so be sure to check the entire flock out.
We still have only the Scott’s Oriole coming into the jelly at the oriole feeder. The rest of the orioles should be arriving soon.
Hope everyone’s bird migration is great this year. Ours is off to a good start.
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