Close Encounters of the Animal Kind

After a close-up experience with a young fawn over the weekend in my backyard,  I had another run-in with a young animal today, this one a red-tailed hawk.  As I was walking en route to an errand this afternoon, I hear the unmistakable, screechy call of a young red-tailed hawk.  The call kept getting closer and closer, and finally I spotted a hawk on top of a nearby building (above).  I knew that this wasn't the hawk that I was hearing - it was too far away - but I moved off the sidewalk to get a picture of it with my phone.  In the meantime, someone had come up behind me, and when I turned around, she asked why I hadn't taken a photo of the other hawk.  "What other hawk?"  "The one directly above you."  So, from the building, mom or dad was keeping an eye out for the kiddo, while I was recklessly standing right below it.  I got a quick picture, then moved along, before I was dive-bombed.

Sounds of Freeville

One day when I was out in the yard, I heard more bird sounds than usual in the neighborhood.  I shot this video not for the sights, but for the sounds.  And by the way, I've been working on more sophisticated videos combining music and imagery...hopefully more on that later tonight.

Customers at the Birdfeeder

It's been an exciting morning in Freeville.  I got inordinately excited yesterday when a squirrel (above) tried to climb on the birdfeeder.  Finally, something out there had noticed it.

But the awareness of the feeder - which has been hanging in the same spot for two-and-a-half weeks - quickly spread beyond that one squirrel.  I opened my dining room curtains this morning to the spectacle of lots of small birds in the trees, testing out a new food source.

The first customer that I saw was a blue jay, sampling the seed that I had tossed on the ground, then flying up to the feeder and trying to snag some of the seed. He seemed a little too big for the feeder, though.

Other birds were a little more cautious, flitting over to the branch and taking a peek to see what was on offer.

The feeder is far enough away from the window that I had no idea what types of birds - like the goldfinch above - were out there.  It wasn't until I started going through these photos that I realized that there was such a variety!

The feeder makes a better perch for these smaller birds...I hope that they liked the mixed seed and come back for more, because I bought a 50 lb. bag!

These pictures don't really do justice to all of the activity that was going on...lots of chirping...lots of birds taking turns at the feeder, snagging a bite or two, and then quickly returning to the safety of the tree.

With the success of this bird feeder with its generic mixed bird seed today, I decided to move the thistle feeder to the front yard as well.  Now I just hope that I have company out my front window as I eat my breakfast every morning.

Come And Get It: Part 2

As I type this post, the snow is falling, with at least half an inch of fresh dendrites on the ground and somewhere around 4" (or possibly a bit more) on the way.  It's falling fast enough, and the ground is cold enough, that there's a slick coating on the roads.  But I'm safely ensconced in my house for the evening, where I can watch the snow fall.  Before the storm got going, I picked up some nyjer seed and filled the newly-cleaned thistle feeder. Placing it somewhat closer to the birds' habitat than the feeder in the front yard, I hung it from a screw on a tree in the backyard.  I'll be able to keep an eye on it from the living room.  My new birdfeeder filled with conventional mixed seed is still hanging patiently in the front yard, waiting for its first customers.  I'm hoping that with the coming of spring and the warm-up that is sure to follow, the birds will venture a little farther from home and find the food I'm offering them.  Until then, I'll keep waiting.

Come and Get It!

My nice, new birdfeeder is still full!  It's been over a week since I put out seed to attract birds to my front yard, but I've still had no luck.  After a couple more days, I'm going to move this feeder to the backyard, and I might try filling my thistle feeder with nyjer seed and see if that works.  I guess there's really nothing more I can do besides put the food out and wait.  Hey birds, come and get it!

Bird Spotting at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Part 2

Yesterday I posted about my short walk around some of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's grounds.  Today's post follows up with the view of the bird feeders by the visitor center.  As you can see, they have quite an array of feeders set up.  While I was there, the birds were a little skittish,  hesitant to come close to the glass.

But I did see quite a few birds...some in the trees, and quite a few on the little birdhouse feeder that was farthest from the onlooking humans.

Sometimes the birds would hang out in the trees for a bit, waiting to see if it was safe to approach the feeders.

It was easier photographing from a chair inside than trying to catch the birds in their native habitat.  I managed to get a few close-ups of the birds on the feeders:

Some were also picking for leftovers on the ground:

I also checked on the mallard ducks around the corner on the pond.  There were quite a few around, looking for a late lunch or an afternoon snack:

They were joined by a couple of larger friends....Canada geese:

Some of the ducks had apparently already had their lunch and were taking a nap:

Stay tuned to Acorn Place next week...the first full week of March is "Looking Ahead Week".  I'll begin to make some plans for the spring and summer.  It's time to start figuring out what I'm going to do with the pieces of eyesore, wildflower areas, and, of course, the garden!

Bird Spotting at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Part 1

I spent a short part of my birthday back at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to take a short walk and get some pictures of birds.  It had snowed/sleeted the day before, so the trails were much like they were on my last visit - snow-covered.

It looks like the squirrels use the trails, too!

My main purpose for going was to hang out at the bird blind, wait for birds to show up and partake from the feeder.

Here's the view opposite the bird blind...it's right by the pond:

There was one big problem, though...the bird feeder was empty!  Not going to attract any birds on this visit...

So I had to take my photography skills to the next level and try to capture the birds in their natural environment.  Here are my best efforts:

You have to look hard in this one:

Look closely...there's a bunch in this one:

Of course, the Lab provides some birds with homes, too:

While other birds make their own homes:

What do you think...if you were a bird, does this look like a nice place to live?

It looks like some premature buds are starting to appear on the trees:

Not quite sure what's in this feeder:

Woodpeckers have made their presence known around the Lab's grounds too:

Some birds might prefer a house in the woods:

And others build their own house in the woods:

While I was at the bird blind, I took a 30-second video...not for the sights, but for the sounds.  The birds were all around, chirping away.  And a plane was getting ready to take off at the airport, not too far away.