A Trusty Spring Bloomer

Spring blooms are short. Very short. If you blink, you'll miss them. Such is the case with our serviceberry and our chokeberry. Therefore, I am happy that our wild columbine flowers are not only thriving, but they have been blooming for more than two weeks now. Yesterday, I received an added bonus as I watched a male ruby-throated hummingbird drinking from every flower of one of our numerous columbine plants. It was a thrill to behold. Wild Columbines not only provide a beautiful splash of color in the spring garden, but they are an important source of nectar for hummingbirds before any other flowers bloom.

Spring brings delightful birds

Spring brings many birds to our yard, especially to our feeders. None of them are more colorful than the rose-breasted grosbeaks. This male beauty landed in our serviceberry and eyed me and my camera suspiciously before it decided it was safe to eat. We have also spotted our first female ruby-throated hummingbird at our wild columbine and our syrup feeder. The juncos have departed now and were replaced by a white-crowned sparrow, song sparrows, chipping sparrows, and Eastern towhees.
We are busy planting for wildlife and have added two chokeberries, two blazing stars, an American plum, and a bee balm to our native garden. Plant it and they will come!

New Bird in our Yard



Our feeder is getting plenty of bird visitors. In addition to the usual suspects - titmice, chickadees, woodpeckers, cardinals, nuthatches, sparrow, and finches - we are happy to announce that two male rose-breasted grosbeaks have arrived the other day. One species baffled me lately, however. Were they common redpolls, very colorful house finches, or purple finches? I could never be sure when I spotted them through the binoculars. When I recently photographed Mr. and Mrs. Finch at our feeder we decided that they were indeed purple finches. The difference between house finches (introduced from the western U.S.) and purple finches is subtle and the best way to determine it is by looking at the tail. The purple finch's tail is split. Perhaps we have had purple finches before and just didn't know it. Such are the thrills of backyard birding. You never know who will come to your feeder next.

Yet More Photos from the Everglades

More Photos from the Everglades

Snowy egrets and great blue herons migrate to Pennsylvania, but they are very photo shy. They won't let me come closer than a quarter of a mile before taking off. I was therefore thrilled how tame those birds are in Florida. This heron was sitting on top of a shelter, providing me with an uncluttered background. Others stalked through the grass right next to the trail. Would that I could photograph a rookery in such close proximity!

Winter in the Everglades

Last weekend I attended a bird photo workshop in Florida's Everglades. Sixteen eager photographers attended the workshop, which was led by Arthur Morris and Denise Ippolito. It was still dark when we headed toward the Anhinga Trail for the first of three field sessions. Here are two photos I took on the first day. The first photo shows the Anhinga, for which the trail is named. The second photo is of one of the ubiquitious alligators we saw everywhere in the water. Most amazing was the fact that the birds stalked just a few feet away from them. It was like a zoo, only without fences.

The Great Backyard Bird Count

For the second year in a row I am an ambassador for the Great Backyard Bird Count, which takes place from February 18-21, 2011. In connection with this event I will give a presentation at the Sewickley Library on February 16 from 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Participating in this free event is easy, but it helps if you can identify the usual backyard suspects. A pair of binoculars also comes in handy. You may watch birds in your backyard, a park, or a school yard - it doesn't matter. Count the highest number of birds you see at any given time and log down the location of the sighting. You may report your findings online. That's it! Have fun.