Category Archives: Birds

November 29, 2024 · 21:47

First Light 2024

I always forget how much time and physical effort it takes to get all of the extension cords, timers, and power strips into place for my Christmas lights. At this house I have four basic circuits (at the Pomelo house I had six) with a digital clock/timer on each, coordinated to turn on at 16:00 and off at 01:00, each with as many lights as I can get without blowing the circuit breaker.

Today’s primary task was getting all of that equipment in place. It all has to get installed so there aren’t any trip hazards or other interferences with anyone moving around, and it has to get installed so that if/when it rains it doesn’t short out and cause electrical problems. A lot of that work involves getting into tight, uncomfortable spaces, some of it on ladders, some of it in trees. I also today remembered that the wooden 6′ step ladder that I’ve had for decades finally gave up and fell apart earlier this year and now’s the day that I’ve put off for years where I need to get a new one. The big question for tomorrow is whether or not an 8′ step ladder can fit into Hissy, a Honda Fit. We’ll see. I sure know that it won’t fit into a Volvo C70… although, I guess I could put the top down on it…

While tromping through the plants near the front door I came across a wounded mourning dove that unfortunately probably won’t last long. It’s right wing is obviously broken and sticking out at an odd angle and it never tried to fly, just kept running away from me. I did put out little dishes of bird seed and water, but it ran away from them also. The juncos on the other hand took to the feast like it was their Thanksgiving banquet. I suspect either an owl or a hawk will eat well sometime in the next couple of days. Of course, there was also the matter of the “Black Friday” Chiefs v. Raiders game. (“Cardiologists are standing by!”)

By the time I got done with the last of the electrical work, it was dark. I pushed through to get at least one string of lights up, and I got the wreath on the door, and the Christmas tree and decorations moved from the garage to the living room, but the rest of the lights will have to wait until tomorrow.

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Filed under Birds, Christmas Lights, Critters, Photography

November 18, 2024 · 23:03

Office View

Today starts Week Six working back on-site in the office, after over 54 months of working from home during the worst of COVID. Here’s my view, with a couple of trees turning red for the fall.

Today there was a murder of crows squawking around and making a racket outside, as well as a new bird hopping around in those bushes, and I thought I recognized the type even though I only remember seeing one in our yard (about five miles away) once. It finally sat still long enough for me to get a picture and the Merlin app (get it!) confirmed the ID:

About the size of one of the Juncos, similar body shape, but solid black on top and white on the bottom, it’s a Black Phoebe!

There are also hummingbirds that go zipping by, always fun to watch.

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Filed under ALS Network, Birds, Photography

October 17, 2024 · 23:56

Purple Flowers & Green Hummingbird

First, a couple of comet notes:

  • If you only got the email version of the post from Monday where I had a link to a YouTube video of a timelapse of the comet setting, you may not have gotten the link. I don’t know why the email notices when I include a YouTube link don’t show the link, but they don’t. Just click on the email and it should take you to the website itself, which WILL show you the video.
  • Cloudy again tonight here, but I see many, many photos on social media, some of which are utterly incredible, some of which are like mine, taken with phones and of marginal resolution. But it’s amazing to see the joy that folks are showing in seeing the comet themselves and sharing their pictures, even if they’re just so-so compared to the pros.
  • The other thing I’m seeing in today’s batch of pictures in social media is that the comet seems to be fading just as fast as it brightened a couple weeks ago. With today’s full moon, haze or clouds, and light pollution from cities, while most folks could get their phones to spot it in a 3-second exposure (or longer), many could only barely see it with the naked eye. Which means if you haven’t seen it yet, be looking this weekend for your last good shot at seeing it, and if you possibly can get away from the city lights to a good, dark sky location.
  • Good comet hunting to all!

I was getting the mail the other day when I heard a familiar LOUD buzzing sound. Right in front of me, arm’s length away, attacking the purple flowers that surround the mailbox, was a vibrant, green hummingbird.

I didn’t have much time to get my phone out of my pocket and on to snap a couple of quick photos, but I got something.

I think it was so close to me (and fearless) because it was trying to remind me (in a bitchy, very passive-aggressive way) that the feeders were empty and had been that way for a couple of days. I apologized and promised to get them re-filled (which I did) and it zipped off, message (or threat) delivered.

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Filed under Astronomy, Birds, Photography

September 27, 2024 · 23:38

Scattered Tiny Feathers

From one side of the yard to the other.

Not quite as many in any one spot as I’ve seen before when there’s been an “incident,” but it seems way to much to just be from normal shedding or moulting.

And they’re everywhere. The wind’s been blowing, so that might explain the scatter, especially if the target was hit one the power line 20 feet up over the sidewalk.

No idea if it might have been one of the two new fledgelings, but they’re on the VERY short end of the learning curve, and the hawks are experienced. You do the math.

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Filed under Birds, Critters

September 18, 2024 · 23:45

Controlled Flight Into Terrain

I heard the thump, all the way from the kitchen to where I was still in bed down the hall at the other end of the house. I expected to find another dead mourning dove. But there was no carcass, and at first I didn’t even see a mark on the window.

Until almost sunset, when the sunlight coming directly in the front door backlit the door.

The detail in the feathers on the body is remarkable.

From the right view, you can even see its head, even the eye socket detail. I’m amazed.

This has happened before, which is why I’ve taken steps to try to mitigate the problem.

The butterfly clings seem to have helped lower the incidence of collisions.

In the human flying world, this is referred to as “controlled flight into terrain.” My first NASA social at Edwards Air Force Base many years ago was about some of the amazing work being done to prevent F-16s from doing it. I’m not sure how we get that software downloaded into mourning doves.

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Filed under Birds, Photography

September 13, 2024 · 22:38

Baby Mourning Doves

After the small flock of mourning doves was seen at last year’s nest under the eaves of our front porch in early August, there’s been a single bird there almost 24/7 ever since.

I assumed that meant that there were egs in the nest, but I never bothered to get a ladder and get nosy or invasive to see.

Now I see that the one, larger mourning dove has been joined by two smaller ones, seen here. Just an assumption on my part, but I’m thinking two eggs hatched.

A couple of times I’ve gone out (they’re right outside the front door) and looked up and if Mom’s not there, these two will open their mouths wide. Um, yeah… Good luck with that. I have my limitations. (Don’t worry, Mom hasn’t abandoned them, she’s there most of the time, I just caught these pictures when she was out hunting down lunch for everyone.)

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Filed under Birds, Photography

September 11, 2024 · 23:39

Fine Feathered Friends – September 11th

It’s a pigeon. An absolutely commonplace, standard issue, run-of-the-mill pigeon.

Even here in SoCal, pigeons are almost everywhere. Go to any shopping mall or apartment complex or school or office building where there are outdoor trash bins, and you’ll find a flock of pigeons. (And probably raccoons, but that’s a different post for a different day.)

“Pigeons are almost everywhere.” “Almost” is the key word. One place I’ve NEVER seen them is in the feeding grounds of our back yard.

You can go back through these posts for the six years and change we’ve lived here and you’ll find LOTS of birds. Especially tons of sparrows, juncos, and most especially, mourning doves. Which is what I though this was at first.

But it was much too big. Probably 25% bigger than the adult mourning doves. At first glance, at the other side of the yard, I thought it might be a juvenile turkey or something else equally exotic. But then it moved over right next to the kitchen and it was crystal clear what it was.

What wasn’t clear is why it’s here. Did they clean up the garbage cans and loading docks down at the local 7-11? Any port in a storm, even if it’s stealing bird seed and sunflowers from mourning doves and house finches, instead of leftover doughnuts?

Welcome, I guess?

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Filed under Birds, Critters, Photography

August 20, 2024 · 23:09

The Bluest Of Blue Skies…

…and a hovering hummer.

The second backyard feeder’s on the left, and in front of the most bluest of deep blue, cloudless skies, there’s a single hummingbird, hovering as it just chased off another hummingbird that was trying to eat at “its” feeder. This isn’t Little Bastard – it has laid claim to the first backyard feeder over on the other side. In the past, this second feeder has been a free-for-all with no dominant hummer trying to control it, but that might have changed.

The blue skies, warm afternoon, slight breeze, and sound of hummers zipping by got me to thinking about the skies and environment on other worlds that I’ve fantasized about since I was five years old. To be on the Moon, or on Mars, with no blue skies, no breeze, no critters, instant death on the other side of a thin spacesuit… Yeah, I would take it in an instant, but I would miss “the Green Hills of Earth.” That’s a price I would be willing to pay, but I acknowledge that the price exists.

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Filed under Birds, Deep Thoughts, Photography, Space

August 19, 2024 · 23:45

Fledgeling

Yesterday I stumbled across this smallish dude plotzed out on the backyard patio.

It didn’t seem particularly in any sort of distress or injured, nor did it seem too concerned about my presence.

Obviously a mourning dove fledgeling, which isn’t surprising since we have probably a dozen nests within a couple hundred yards of our back yard. Feeding time in the morning looks like a Hitchcock film between the house finches, scrub jays, juncos, mourning doves, towhees, and all of the other miscellanous freeloaders who have figured out that we’re a soft touch.

Even when I got right down on my knees (more fun than usual!) and just a foot or so away, it never tried to flutter or walk or run or fly, and it barely moved its head. It wasn’t near any of the windows or sliding glass doors, so I didn’t figure that it had run into one of them.

I finally ended up with my iPhone maybe an inch away, and all I got for my efforts was a scowl. They definitely had an attitude!

I had no idea what to do that might help, so I did the absolute minimum and otherwise left it alone. I went to get some bird seed and a cup of water, but by the time I got back the fledgeling had vanished. I left the food and water out there anyway – if he doesn’t need it, one of the other birds will finish it off, it won’t go to waste.

We don’t see any feral cats in our yard, so the hawks during the day and the owls at night are probably the biggest threat. “Circle of life” and all of that – I checked a couple times today and I don’t see any signs of an attack, so no news is good news.

Good luck, my attitudinal fledgling friend! Your species is hardly endangered around here (or anywhere else) but I hope you make it!

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August 13, 2024 · 23:22

Fine Feathered Friends – August 13th

House finch – male.

The colorful red head gives him away – the females don’t have any of that coloration, just muted browns & greys.

I got a couple of decent pictures of him through the kitchen window before he saw me and screamed, “NO PAPARAZZI!!” before taking off for a more private perch.

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Filed under Birds, Critters, Photography