Conservation Maven
November 21, 2009
Article in: Bird Conservation
Conservation Maven was launched in July 2009 and provides a lot of interesting insight into various conservation topics including many featuring birds.
The information presented focuses on conservation studies and has summaries that make digesting the science of it much easier. References are included as well.
Attract Woodpeckers to Your Yard: Trees and Peanuts
November 21, 2009
Article in: Birding
Over the past three years we’ve managed to attract a nice variety of woodpeckers to our city neighborhood yard. In fact, of the seven species commonly found in northern Illinois, we’ve had six (Pileated Woodpeckers . . . no).
In order of most abundant to least:
- Downy Woodpecker
- Red-bellied Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
- Hairy Woodpecker
- Red-headed Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Our yard has quite a bit of room (for being in a large city) and has a wide diversity of trees: maples, birch, American Sycamore, oaks, a massive American Elm, and the remains of a once mighty willow. Each of these is a magnet to woodpeckers looking for natural food and sometimes a place to nest.
Downy Woodpecker
If your yard lacks tree diversity the next best way to attract woodpeckers is with feeders, especially peanuts (and suet). We’ve used several types of peanut feeders including a ringed one that was difficult to fill and would periodically lose nuts (photo below). We’ve even just placed them in trees or on the ground but of course that’s a sure way to attract squirrels.
Instead, we recommend a nice, sturdy feeder that holds a lot of peanuts. One of our favorites is the one we sell in our OpenSky store. It has a large capacity (3.5 lbs) and is stylish. More importantly, the peanuts stay put unless a bird (or other animal) works them out.
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and Northern Flickers are a bit more picky and don’t seem to go to peanut feeders. We only get sapsuckers in migration and the flickers seem to avoid our feeders and stick to the trees.
Get free shipping and a $25.00 off coupon when you order now until the end of November from OpenSky and don’t forget to check out the other stores for great products!!
Phriday Photo – Missouri in October
November 20, 2009
Article in: Photography
Just got some photos from Jennie (Veery) from her temporary home in Missouri. These are from mid-October.
Ha Ha Tonka State Park – the castle
Illinois Beach State Park Field Trip Roundup
November 19, 2009
Article in: Birding
Birding was S L O W. But we had a nice group of 12 birders and the weather was pleasant for November. Here’s a recap of what we saw.
Common birds were even lacking and hard to find. Several Blue Jays worked the oak trees along our main trail along the Dead River. We followed this trail out to Lake Michigan and scoped out the water. A large raft of Greater Scaups were the only birds other than Herring and Ring-billed Gulls.
I was the leader for the hike so my photography was a bit limited
We met a group of birders that had traversed further south along the lakeshore to an area where permits are required to bird (they are limiting the number of people because of the ecological sensitivity of the area). They had a slow morning as well.
Prickly Pear along the dunes
We scoped out another section of lakefront and finally found a little variety: 3 Horned Grebes and 2 Buffleheads (could not get any photos).
13-lined Ground Squirrel – taken by Stacia
Afterward, we headed to the north unit of the park where they conduct annual hawk counts. They too had a slow day with only five birds total when we arrived at lunch time. The birds may have been hard to find but we had a great time with good people and great weather.
A dragonfly along the trail
Review of Birds of Borneo
November 18, 2009
Article in: Book Reviews
Birds of Borneo: Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan by Susan Myers is the first full field guide to cover the astonishing, ecologically important island of Borneo. With nearly 1,600 color illustrations covering over 630 species, this is the perfect all-inclusive field guide for birders wishing to visit this birding paradise.
The introduction to Birds of Borneo covers a lot of the standard information of field guides. Climate and habitat types are explained in great detail as well as basic geographic information. Also included (something often left out of guides) is a listing of the endemic birds (those found only in this region) and a list of useful addresses for nature societies.
The layout is clean and pleasant with all the species info including range map side-by-side with the drawings of the bird. Most of the drawings follow the same basic pattern/positioning amongst family groups. This helps with the learning experience and also makes for a much better flow and design. However, some similar birds are shown in opposing directions which disrupts this otherwise solid flow.
This is a minor complaint but the style mastered by the Sibley guides seems to improve learning birds from a field guide. Of course, when producing a field guide there are often reasons to display certain birds differently, often to enhance the identification process.
While Birds of Borneo is a bit “fancier” than our North American field guides, it is still sized right and completely useful as a “true” field guide.
Birds of Borneo: Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan (Princeton Field Guides)
Susan Myers
Princeton University Press
Disclosure: we were given a copy of this wonderful book by the publisher to review. However, we were not persuaded to say or do anything other than give an honest review, which we have.
Snipe Hunting: American Folklore
November 17, 2009
Article in: Birding
Disney/Pixar’s Up
One misconception is that dogs of certain breeds (namely Doberman, Rottweiler, and Bulldog) are vicious animals—not true! These dogs make wonderful pets, and are only mean if their owners train them to be that way. But the biggest fallacy that Up perpetuates is that a Snipe is a mythical creature.
Wilson’s Snipe
The Snipe-hunting myth is one piece of American folklore that I have only become aware of in recent years. A friend had mentioned a joke an uncle had played on the kids in the family, and didn’t believe me when I assured her that Snipes are real birds. To find out more about this myth, I searched online. According to web-indexes.com (http://myth.web-indexes.com/american-folklore/Snipe-Hunt.html), a snipe hunt “is one of a class of practical jokes that involve experienced people making fun of newcomers by giving them an impossible or imaginary task. Inexperienced campers or hunters are told about a bird or animal called the snipe, as well as a (usually ridiculous) method of catching it – such as running around the woods carrying a bag, or making strange noises. Since the supposed snipe doesn’t exist, the hunt never succeeds, no matter how foolishly the newcomer acts.”
Birders will be able to tell you that Snipes do indeed exist, and Birdfreak.com has the photographic evidence to prove it! So let’s get this straight, once and for all: Although newbies to the world of the Great Outdoors are tasked with an absurd method of catching a Snipe, the birds themselves are not mythical beings (although Up does contain a mythical bird, nicknamed Kevin, that I am positive does not exist outside of this movie).
Wilson’s Snipes foraging in a creek
Because the Birdfreak team only watches birds and doesn’t hunt them, we can’t offer any advice on actual Snipe-hunting methods, but if you would like to see a Wilson’s Snipe in the wild, look for this short, stocky, and shy shorebird in vegetation low to the ground, and keep in mind they are very well camouflaged with their surroundings. Look for them along roadsides in marshy, muddy places where they can be seen foraging in the mud for earthworms, insects, etc.
Note: Wilson’s Snipe is often referred to as “Common Snipe” but the species was split into two, the Common being found in eastern Asia.
Post written by Snowy Owl, guest writer and editor for Birdfreak.com
Bird Photography Weekly #64
November 15, 2009
Article in: Bird Photography Weekly
Join in now on the 64th edition of Bird Photography Weekly!!
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Phriday Photo – Digiscoped Downy Woodpecker
November 13, 2009
Article in: Photography
Downy Woodpecker, digiscoped in poor lighting at Deer Run Forest Preserve in Winnebago County, Illinois.
