25
Oct

Here – in our yard ……

Fall is one of my favorite seasons.  I love cool, crisp weather – which has FINALLY arrived.  I love to look at the dazzling colors of leaves and smell their rich aromas as I walk through the yard, shuffling through all the ones that have fallen, just as I did when I was a child.  Cleon and I no longer rake – we do have an acre.  We use our mulching lawn tractor to run over the leaves which shreds them nicely.  We gather some of them for mulch and the rest we let biodegrade right where they are.  I love this job – the leaves smell great, we are tucking in the plants for winter, and the shredded leaves will slowly release nutrients back into the soil.  When the sky is blue and it is sweatshirt weather, working outdoors beats anything inside!

We have been building fires in the late afternoon.  It is so relaxing to sit in our Adirondak chairs, feet propped, binoculars in our laps, and gazing across the water.  Just us and a flock of Canada Geese with a few Mallard companions.  Life can be so simple.  Click here to watch:  Sitting by the fire – for us, it just does not get any better……

And it is not just about looking out over the water, and watching the geese and ducks slowly swim by, it is also about the play of light.  We human beings are very attached to light – sunny days lift our spirits.  But it is easy to overlook the play of light.  Look for it the next time you are near water and the day is sunny:  Reflected light can be mesmerizing …….

If you have been watching our live-stream cameras, you have noticed our bird population is way down – normal for this time of year.  However, we do have our year-round residents who are coming each day from dawn to about 9AM and again from about 4PM to dusk.  And they will be there off and on in-between those times.  As the weeks go by and it gets colder, our winter residents will start to arrive, but I am guessing we could be as much as four weeks away from that.  So, in the meantime, here are the residents to look for:

Red-bellied Woodpecker.  Both male and female.  And they are noisy, so if you have your sound on – and the Canada Geese aren’t drowning everyone else out – you will hear them.  If you are not sure of their calls, click here to listen:  Calls of the Red-bellied Woodpecker

Female Red-headed Woodpecker. Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash.
Male Red-bellied Woodpecker. Photo by Raymond Eichelberger on Unsplash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hairy Woodpecker and Downy Woodpecker.  They look very much alike – the Downy is a bit smaller.  When they are not together at the feeder so you can compare their sizes, try to get a look at their beaks.  If the beak is the same length as the diameter of the head, it is a Hairy.  If the length of the beak is about half the diameter of the head, it is a Downy.

Male Hairy Woodpecker. The female will look the same but has no red spot on the back of her head. Photo by Patrice Bouchard on Unsplash.
Male Downy Woodpecker. As with the Hairy, the female looks just like the male except she does not have a red spot. Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

House Sparrow.  The black bib of the male is now disappearing as the bird is getting its winter plumage.  The female remains the same all year round.

Female and male House Sparrows – this male is in winter plumage. Photo by Patrice Bouchard on Unsplash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Jay.  In summer, while nesting, Blue Jays are silent and unobtrusive.  In fall, winter, and early spring, they are loud, boisterous, and can be pushy at feeders.  If you have your sound turned on, you will hear them in our trees – most especially in mid-late afternoon as they come to the feeder.  If you are not sure of their calls, click here:  Blue Jay

Blue Jay. Photo by Jeremy Hynes on Unsplash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Flicker.  The male has a ‘moustache’ – called a facial stripe or whisker.  The female does not.  Otherwise, they look alike – both have the red mark at the back of the head and both have a black bib.

Female Northern Flicker. Photo by Margaret Strickland on Unsplash.
Male Northern Flicker. Photo by Patrice Bouchard on Unsplash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White-breasted Nuthatch.  And no, this photo is not upside-down, but the bird often is.  Even at feeders, it will often cling upside-down to eat.  I cannot even imagine!

White-breasted Nuthatch. I think nuthatches are more comfortable upside-down than right-side up!  Photo by Joshua J. Cotten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tufted Titmouse.  Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, and Black-capped Chickadees often travel together in loose flocks throughout the fall and winter.  We should have a flock here in our yard in a few weeks.  The titmice and nuthatches are already here – have been all summer.  They sometimes come to the feeders together.

Tufted Titmouse with a chickadee behind it – most likely a black-capped. We generally have several Black-capped Chickadees, but often not until late fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Cardinal.  The best times to look for cardinals at the feeder are dawn and dusk.  They are truly the ‘early birds’ and ‘night owls’ of the songbird world!

Male Northern Cardinal. Photo by Justyna Zielinska on Unsplash.
Female Cardinal. Photo by Paul Crook on Unsplash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Goldfinch.  The male is now in his winter plumage and so males and females look very similar.  Sometimes, if you look closely, you can see hints of yellow tints on the male, but from a distance and without binoculars, the males and females look the same.

Male American Goldfinch in winter plumage. This one is showing a good amount of yellow tint. In my experience, as winter approaches, most males will show less than the one pictured here. This varies from male to male. Photo by Stephanie Gibeault on Unsplash.
Female American Goldfinch. She looks the same all year round. Photo by Shannon Kunkle on Unsplash.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall is a good time for birding.  You may have to look harder to find birds as they are quieter and many have already migrated south – out of the US, but the birds are there.  What a great time to walk through the woods; shuffling through and smelling the damp leaves; enjoying all the golds, oranges, and reds; and the sky simply looks so blue.  Even going to your favorite city park and sitting on a bench will do much to calm your spirits in this crazy world in which we find ourselves.  Happy birding!  Linda

 

Yellow-rumped Warbler – the Myrtle subspecies that is east of the Rockies. West of the Rockies, you will see the Audubon subspecies. Their ranges overlap.  The easiest way for me to tell them apart is the Myrtle subspecies has a white throat and the Audubon’s has a yellow throat. Photo by Trac Vu on Unsplash.

P.S. Check your trees for warblers – they are coming through.  Right now, we have a wave of Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Several took baths in the large birdbath – hope you were tuned in and watching!  One even clung to the windowsill of our kitchen window and startled Cleon who was sitting at the table.  Nothing like glancing up from your bowl of cereal and seeing a warbler watching your every move!

I added this document to the website’s menu section President Trump’s Executive Orders, Presidential Orders, and Fact Sheets Pertaining to Wildlife and Habitats.  The document is from the Bureau of Land Management:  President Trump’s Progress on Public Lands