Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Sunday October 5, 2014

The Best Way to Help Birds

The best things to help birds is to stop using pesticides, keep cats inside, and use decals or ribbons attached to your larger windows or glass doors that will move in the breeze.

The migratory western Yellow-billed Cuckoo now listed as an endangered species, which automatically protects it under the Migratory Bird Act. This new designation takes effect on November 3, the biggest factor being habitat change.

Japan has many wonderful birds, too, but not the same ones that we do. There are a few that we share during different seasons, but for the most part, these are birds that we’ll never see unless we go there. Meet a few of the birds of Japan.

Don’t give up the ghost of summer yet, my friends, for she still lingers in the air. Mornings may be a little cooler and nights a little longer, but there is plenty to look forward to with gusto. The pumpkins are still on the vine, first frost will bring plenty and the harvest will be great in our neck of the country. We’ll be baking pumpkin pie and cookies, along with gingerbread, and beating good, sweet heavy cream for those lusty dinner toppings. We may no longer have to stoke the woodstove that was replaced decades ago, but no matter what warms the house now, this is the same time of year where we give thanks, join with family and friends, and are thankful for the bounty that we have.

Soon, we’ll be saying goodbye to the butterflies that have graced our fields and trees with the beauty of their presence. Their slow, undulating flight might be replaced with a few snowflakes in the not-too-distant future, but we can hold on for a while. We’re still seeing those robust orange and sometimes red sunrises that still indicate warm air, and no ring around the moon yet in the deep of night.

Our young songbirds are growing up and looking more like their parents every day, who have already left. The little ones aren’t so little any more, and they are getting ready for their first flights to the south. They’re already getting up later, because their body clocks are in sync with the rising and setting of the sun, but that night is coming when they will be turning away from magnetic north and making that maiden voyage for themselves. It is an exciting time.

I usually see Bewick’s Wren in the dead of winter, but today I was in the right place at the right time in order to capture the lovely countenance of this little soul. I heard the warning calls, got my camera set up, and this was the one chance that I had in order to record this bird today, for posterity. Meet the little Bewick’s Wren, who happens to be scarce in the eastern part of the country. They are attracted to dense thickets, gardens, and will often stay in a nest box if you have the forethought to have one or two on your property. They also favor moister woodland and swamp locales, and will often be found near semi-wooded lakes. My eastern variety is red-brown, and you’ll find the western interior birds to be grayer, but as one heads north west, they become much browner and darker.

The American Coots are moving back to the area for the cooler seasonal temperatures. They can easily be confused with small ducks, save for the chickenlike bill, smaller head, and head shields. They have a pumping motion as they swim, and are most often found on or near the water.

Last but not least, the Blue-winged Teals are slowly moving in, but I didn’t expect to see them this early. These are smaller-sized dabbled ducks, which means that they upend themselves for feeding on the bottom on shallow waters, like the Mallard. Late in the year, like now, the molting males resemble females, who are brown and mottled, with a dark eye line. The tell-tale blue on the wing helps identify them, and as we come closer to winter, the male will have the white facial crescent and his head will darken.

Also, the Northern Shovelers will be coming to town sooner or later, but will likely prefer the quieter habitat of Teal Ridge or Sanborn Lake.

Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding!