River Bend Nature Center will be hosting a basic bird ID class from 10:00 - 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 12. This will be both an advanced training for the Texas Master Naturalists and an adult education course for River Bend. We'll talk about the process of identifying birds and go over some of the more common birds people are likely to see at their feeders and on the Christmas Bird Count.
Although not part of the class, anyone interested in a bird walk following is welcome (Any excuse to bird is a good excuse.) Although late morning is not the absolute best time for birding, in the winter it won't be bad at all.
I believe River Bend will be charging $3 for non-members; adult education courses have traditionally been free for members. When I get the official ad from River Bend I will post.
Good birding!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Digital Pictures Needed
I am working on a basic bird ID class for the Texas Master Naturalists and others who might be interested. In part, this is an advanced training for Master Naturalists. However, it is also to help prepare participants who aren't experienced birders for the Christmas Bird Count. If you have digital pictures of local winter birds you would be willing to let me borrow (with attribution of course), please send an email to txbirds@gmail.com.
Thanks so much. We are planning this class for December 12, so I need photos before December 5 to be sure I can integrate them into the presentation.
Good birding!
Thanks so much. We are planning this class for December 12, so I need photos before December 5 to be sure I can integrate them into the presentation.
Good birding!
North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club Meets Tonight
I really need to get it in gear to post these meetings earlier. But if you're interested in coming, the meeting is open to anyone with an interest in birds and other flora and fauna in the area.
7 PM, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Building on Southwest Parkway (next to Wichita Valley Nursery, near Barnett.) We have a very information meeting with snacks. We'll have a short program and a planning session for the Christmas Bird Count.
Godd birding!
7 PM, National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Building on Southwest Parkway (next to Wichita Valley Nursery, near Barnett.) We have a very information meeting with snacks. We'll have a short program and a planning session for the Christmas Bird Count.
Godd birding!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Nests
During my walk at Lake Wichita this morning, I saw a vacated nest in a tree, about 3.5 - 4 ft off the ground. I am not good at nest ID, so I can't say what it is for sure. If anyone else has a thought, post it.
Good birding!
LBJs
I woke up this AM and thought I would go to Lucy Park, but decided instead to start scouting my Christmas Bird Count area more thoroughly in preparation for that event so went to Lake Wichita Park instead.
Every birding outing results in the siting of several LBJ's. For the non-birder, that's a "Little Brown Job", a little brown bird that can't be identified before it disappears. Most (but not all) of the time, it is some sort of sparrow.
A few years ago I decided to devote myself to learning the sparrows. I can't say I am an expert on sparrows yet, but I am getting better. If there were more species of sparrows here in the summer, I would get better faster.
Sparrows are a challenge not so much because they are all little brown birds, but because they frequently dive into cover about the same time as you catch sight of them. So you're frequently trying to make a call without a lot of information--that makes the quick identification of field marks and songs very important (not that you hear many songs in the winter.)
Today was a good sparrow day at Lake Wichita. The highlight of my morning was a small flock of Swamp Sparrows that were kind enough to stay visible for about 5 minutes, so I had plenty of time to look at them and catalog their field marks. Other sparrows: song sparrow, savannah sparrow and white-crowned sparrow. There were probably others, if I was faster. I thought I saw a lark sparrow, but wasn't able to be positive, so it's just a LBJ.
Another special bird this morning was the redhead duck (3) on the tank at Lake Wichita Park.
Other birds: White Pelican, American Coot, Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbird, American Widgeon, Northern Cardinal, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Yellowthroat, Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove, Robin, House Finch, Double-crested Cormorant, Ring-billed Gull, Bewick's Wren, Goldfinch, Pigeon, Northern Harrier, Eurpean Starling, Great-tailed Grackle, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Blue Jay.
Good birding!
Every birding outing results in the siting of several LBJ's. For the non-birder, that's a "Little Brown Job", a little brown bird that can't be identified before it disappears. Most (but not all) of the time, it is some sort of sparrow.
A few years ago I decided to devote myself to learning the sparrows. I can't say I am an expert on sparrows yet, but I am getting better. If there were more species of sparrows here in the summer, I would get better faster.
Sparrows are a challenge not so much because they are all little brown birds, but because they frequently dive into cover about the same time as you catch sight of them. So you're frequently trying to make a call without a lot of information--that makes the quick identification of field marks and songs very important (not that you hear many songs in the winter.)
Today was a good sparrow day at Lake Wichita. The highlight of my morning was a small flock of Swamp Sparrows that were kind enough to stay visible for about 5 minutes, so I had plenty of time to look at them and catalog their field marks. Other sparrows: song sparrow, savannah sparrow and white-crowned sparrow. There were probably others, if I was faster. I thought I saw a lark sparrow, but wasn't able to be positive, so it's just a LBJ.
Another special bird this morning was the redhead duck (3) on the tank at Lake Wichita Park.
Other birds: White Pelican, American Coot, Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbird, American Widgeon, Northern Cardinal, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Yellowthroat, Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove, Robin, House Finch, Double-crested Cormorant, Ring-billed Gull, Bewick's Wren, Goldfinch, Pigeon, Northern Harrier, Eurpean Starling, Great-tailed Grackle, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Blue Jay.
Good birding!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Filling the Larder
I went out shopping for bird food today, stocking the larder in preparation for Project Feederwatch that starts tomorrow.
As always, the only place I could find shelled peanuts was Atwood's. $8.39 for a 5-lb bag. They had both the whole nuts and the broken pieces for the same price. Since this is about the most expensive thing I buy, I prefer the birds have to do a little work for it, so I get the whole nuts.
Wal-Mart and Atwoods had the best prices on suet cakes. The year around suet at Wal-Mart was $1.19 and the premium mixtures $1.48. Atwood's basic price was $1.29.
I went to Berend Brothers to get my black oil sunflower and mixed seed. Partly because 100 lb of bird seed is more than I can handle and they are always very nice about loading it in the truck for me (hubby gets the joy of unloading)but mostly because I have always found the best quality mixed seed at Berend Brothers and THOUGHT I was getting the right kind today. Either Purina changed their mixture, Berend's is stocking a different mixure, or I picked up the wrong bag (looks the same to me though) because when I got home and opened the bag, I was very disappointed at the quality of the mix. I noticed that the amount of bird feeding food and accessories has dwindled at Berend Brothers, although I did find an item for the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club gift exchange (sorry, can't tell what it is--I want it to be a surprise for the receipient.)
There was a premium mix I almost bought at Atwood's but it had quite a bit of safflower in it and very little millet. Although safflower is supposed to be preferred by cardinals, mine turn their beaks up at it.
I'll be cleaning out and hanging some of my additional feeders this afternoon.
Good birding!
As always, the only place I could find shelled peanuts was Atwood's. $8.39 for a 5-lb bag. They had both the whole nuts and the broken pieces for the same price. Since this is about the most expensive thing I buy, I prefer the birds have to do a little work for it, so I get the whole nuts.
Wal-Mart and Atwoods had the best prices on suet cakes. The year around suet at Wal-Mart was $1.19 and the premium mixtures $1.48. Atwood's basic price was $1.29.
I went to Berend Brothers to get my black oil sunflower and mixed seed. Partly because 100 lb of bird seed is more than I can handle and they are always very nice about loading it in the truck for me (hubby gets the joy of unloading)but mostly because I have always found the best quality mixed seed at Berend Brothers and THOUGHT I was getting the right kind today. Either Purina changed their mixture, Berend's is stocking a different mixure, or I picked up the wrong bag (looks the same to me though) because when I got home and opened the bag, I was very disappointed at the quality of the mix. I noticed that the amount of bird feeding food and accessories has dwindled at Berend Brothers, although I did find an item for the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club gift exchange (sorry, can't tell what it is--I want it to be a surprise for the receipient.)
There was a premium mix I almost bought at Atwood's but it had quite a bit of safflower in it and very little millet. Although safflower is supposed to be preferred by cardinals, mine turn their beaks up at it.
I'll be cleaning out and hanging some of my additional feeders this afternoon.
Good birding!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
New Bird Course from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Several years ago I took the basic Bird Biology course from Cornell by correspondence and loved it. It has changed a lot since then. I talked to someone else who took the newest version of the course, and they were learning a lot.
I recently received an email from Cornell concerning their newest on-line course, "Investigating Behavior--Courtship and Rivalry in Birds." It looks great, but at $255 for Lab members ($295 for non-members) it is probably a little steep for me right now. But as soon as I can put my fingers on that amount of $$$, you can bet I'll be signed up. If any of you take the course, let me know what you think (although it will probably just make me jealous.)
Good birding!
I recently received an email from Cornell concerning their newest on-line course, "Investigating Behavior--Courtship and Rivalry in Birds." It looks great, but at $255 for Lab members ($295 for non-members) it is probably a little steep for me right now. But as soon as I can put my fingers on that amount of $$$, you can bet I'll be signed up. If any of you take the course, let me know what you think (although it will probably just make me jealous.)
Good birding!
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