Archives

BACKYARD SECRET – THE BIRD THAT MAKES THE SOUND OF A SQUEAKY FAN BELT

Jul12

       From time to time, we hear sounds that sound like they are made by human devices.  For example, several years ago a mockingbird learned to imitate the ring call of my flip phone. When you hear such noises, it seems impossible that birds can make them.

       For example, I recently received a text from a friend that asked what bird makes the sound of a squeaky fan belt.  My first impression was it might have been uttered by a mockingbird.  When I told her this, she wrote back and said she did not think so.

       This prompted me to do a little research on the odd sounds made by blue jays.  To make a long story short, I discovered that blue jays often make sounds that mimic a variety of devices such as rusty pump handles, and gates, as well as squeaky fan belts.  I am now convinced that the sound my friend heard was probably vocalized by a blue jay.

       Whenever we hear unusual sounds such as these, we can never be sure what makes them unless we actually see the bird calling. Since she never saw the bird, it may have actually been produced by a vehicle with a squeaky fan belt.    

       My friend told me she is going to try to get to the bottom of this mystery.  I cannot wait to hear what she learns. In the meantime, I know it is a sound she will never forget.

BACKYARD SECRET – HOW MANY BIRDS VISIT OUR FEEDERS?

May24

                   If you have ever wondered how many species of birds visit our feeders, here are some figures you might find interesting.

       Across the country, some 350 species of birds feed at our feeders.  Ninety of these species are either regular or casual diners. The remaining 260 species are rare visitors.

       Here in the Peach State, those of us that feed birds in our yards can attract as many as 25-35 species to our bird cafes.

       How many species of birds do you feed in your backyard?

WHAT ARE THE 10 BIRDS THAT MOST OFTEN VISIT GEORGIA BIRD FEEDERS?

Jan8

        According to a conservation group named Avian Report the bird most often seen at Georgia bird feeders is the northern cardinal (95.6%).  Rounding out the top 10 list are the tufted titmouse (94.67%), Carolina chickadee (93.78%), Carolina wren (90.22%), house finch (89.76%), mourning dove (85.78%), American goldfinch (85.78%), downy woodpecker (85.33%), red-bellied woodpecker (82.22%), and eastern bluebird (80.89%).

       How does this list stack up with the birds that visit your feeders?

LATE BONESET – AN IMPORTANT POLLINATOR PLANT

Sep3

      Once September arrives, pollinator plants become increasingly more difficult to find.  However, a native plant that helps fill that void is an herbaceous perennial known as late boneset (Eupatorium serotinium).

       Late boneset provides nectar to a wide range of pollinators such as native bees, moths, and butterflies. 

       In addition, it is the host plant for the clymene and other species of moths.  The dorsal side of this moth is most distinctive.  Its wings are creamy and marked with bold black markings that resemble a cross. To me, the markings look much like the symbols seen on the shield of an English knight.

       While I often see boneset blooming in old fields and along country roads, I rarely encounter it in backyards.  Interestingly, my daughter recently found one blooming in her suburban backyard.  She finds this volunteer so fascinating; she plans to let it continue to prosper.

       Since the plant is easy to grow and is deer resistant, it is a valuable addition to the backyard of anybody interested in promoting native pollinators.   

SUMMER TANAGERS EAT WASPS AND BEES

Jul20

      One of my favorite backyard birds is the summer tanager.  The male is Georgia’s only all red bird.  Unfortunately, I do not see summer tanagers as often as I would like.  In fact, I see more bathing in birdbaths than moving about the canopies of the numerous trees scattered across my property.  Fortunately, for the past few weeks I have been hearing them practically every day calling from the canopy of the numerous trees scattered about my property, their picky-tucky-tuck call is unmistakable.

       If I saw the birds more often, perhaps I would have better luck watching them capture wasps and bees. Tanagers catch these insects in flight.  When a tanager captures one of these stinging insects it lands and beats them against a branch and removes the insect’s stinger.  Studies have found that a single tanager may capture and eat 10-20 wasps and bees a day.

       If you just happen to see a summer tanager this summer, spend some time watching it.  Perhaps you will see the gorgeous bird capture and eat a bee or wasp. Now that would be something!

THE BARRED OWL MORE OFTEN SEEN THAN HEARD

Jul14

       The barred owl will sometimes nest in neighborhoods blessed with mature trees. Often the only way you might know birds are living close by is to hear their calls.  The birds’ vocalization sounds like they are saying, “Who cooks for you?  Who cooks for you all?”

       Whether they nest in your neck of the woods is often determined by whether or not they have suitable nesting sites.  The birds typically nest to hollow trees, however, when one is not present, they will nest in the stick nests of large birds such as red-shouldered hawks.

       If you want to encourage them to nest nearby,  erect a barred owl nesting box.  These huge nest boxes look like bluebird boxes on steroids.

       Since of the bird’s favorite food is the gray squirrel, folks that are vainly trying to keep squirrels away from their bird feeders should welcome these large fascinating birds to their neighborhood.

       If you would like to receive barred own nest box plans, and information on how you can certify you backyard in the Community Wildlife Project (sponsored by the Georgia Wildlife Resources Davison, TERN (The environmental Resources Network and the Garden Club of Georgia), email Melissa Hayes (melissa.hayes@dnr.ga.gov)

 

PLACING FEEDERS CLOSE TO WINDOWS REDUCES BIRD MORTALITY

Nov15

       Nobody likes to hear the sound of a bird striking a window.  One of the ways that we can reduce mortalities caused by birds hitting windows is by locating feeders within no more than three feet of a window.  The reason why this technique works is when a bird leaves a feeder so close to a window, it cannot get up enough momentum to suffer a fatal injury. 

       I will discuss other ways to prevent window strikes in future columns.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CHANGE THE NECTAR IN HUMMER FEEDERS IN COLD WEATHER?

Nov3

        Now that November has arrived, we have entered Georgia’s Second Hummingbird Season.  This special time of the year extends from November through February. During these four months, Georgians have the best opportunity to spot see a rufous and other unusual hummingbirds.  Consequently, many hummingbird fanciers maintain a feeder throughout these coldest months of the year.

       Since we rarely see winter hummingbirds, it is easy to forget that hummingbird feeders should be kept clean and filled with fresh nectar.  Dirty feeders containing fluid that is contaminated with mold and bacteria are potentially harmful to the birds using them.


How often feeders should be cleaned and refilled with, fresh fluid is determined by the temperature of the air.  As such, those Georgians that live in South Georgia where winters are milder than anywhere else in the state, will have to clean and refill feeders more often than those of us the live in Middle and North Georgia.

       If the temperature reaches into the 80s and above, it would be a good idea to change sugar water at least every three to four days.  If daily highs average in the 70s, you might be able to go up to a week before refilling your feeder.  When the daily high temperatures drop to 60 or below, nectar will sometimes remain fresh well more than a week.  If the nectar becomes cloudy, however, you have waited too long.

      I hope you will host one or more winter hummingbirds in your yard this winter.  Unfortunately, chances are one will not appear. If one does show up, you are in for a real treat!   Good luck!     

      

 

HOW MANY SPECIES OF NATIVE BEES LIVE IN YOUR YARD?

Oct13

        I have often wondered how many species of native bees forage in my backyard.  I have long realized that my yard hosts a variety of native species.  However, not being an expert in bee identification, all I can say is that a number of native bee species are hard at work in my yard each day.  This observation is based solely on the colors, patterns, and sizes of the bees that I see.

       Research conducted by University of Georgia suggest our yards are homes to far more native bees than most of us would have ever have imagined.  In a two-year study of bee populations living yards in Athens, Georgia, they were able to locate more than 100 species of native bees.  What makes this figure even more remarkable is these urban bees represent roughly 20 percent of the 500+ species of native bees known to exist in the entire Peach State.

       Interestingly, the yards where the greatest diversity of bees was found were adjacent to patches of forested habitat.

TRY SOMETHING NEW – MOTH PHOTOGRAPHY

Aug4

       Recently, my wife and I decided to try our luck at moth photography.  Experience has taught us that success at this endeavor is just a matter of being in the right spot at the right time, equipped with the right equipment.

       Over the years, we have been photographing Carolina Sphinx moths feeding at four-o‘clock blossoms at dusk.  We have several small patches of these perennial plants growing in our backyard.  We planted them close to the house because we enjoy their colorful, trumpet shaped flowers and the hummingbirds and moths they attract.

       On this particular night, I did not go outside until it was very late in the afternoon.  In fact, hummingbirds were still feeding at nearby hummer feeders as we stepped into our backyard.  This provided us with the opportunity to photograph a hummingbird feeding on the nectar found in four o’ clock blossoms before the moths arrived.  Unfortunately, on this particular late afternoon, the hummingbirds were content to feed on sugar water.

       My wife was equipped with a smart phone, and I carried my Nikon D-7500 35mm camera. 

       We had our cameras poised as we checked out patches of yellow and bright pink four-o’ clocks.  For several minutes, no moths appeared.  Then, suddenly a large sphinx moth flew in and began probing the flowers.  Since the moth was constantly moving, it seemed that every time we got ready to snap a photo is flew away.

       After vainly trying to snap photos of this month, four other moths flew in.  This greatly increased the odds that we would capture one in a photograph.  With that in mind, each of us just stood still near a stand of four o’ clocks and waited for the moths to come to us.

       As the afternoon faded into night, we kept taking as many pictures as we could before calling it a night.

       When we returned to the house, we evaluated our results. My wife was not happy with any of her photos.  While most of the shots I took were not very good, a few turned out great. One of these shots accompanies this blog.

       We both set our cameras on automatic. After the session was over, I found that the camera took my photos at F/4.5, 1/60th of a second, and an ISO of 2500.

       We always enjoy our forays to try to photograph moths.  However, next time we are going to apply insect repellent before we venture outside.

       If you decide to try your hand at moth photography, don’t become discouraged it you do not immediately enjoy success.  You simply have to find what works best for you.  Once you discover this secret, you will find your efforts to photograph moths very rewarding.