Deck Birds, May 13, 2013: Part 2

Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Purple Finch

Another harbinger of spring is the appearance of the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. We get quite a few stopping by on the way north to their nesting grounds but we also hang on to a few as well. In fact, I've had three or four males hanging around lately with their lady friends so they must be nesting somewhere near. The male's bright white underside with the rose-red bib can be seen from some distance and the black and white flash of their wings and tails also helps spot them in the brush and low trees. The females on the other hand...well, they are camouflaged quite well. The better to hide while tending the low nest. Given that the males also incubate the eggs, sit nearby and sing to their mates, however, must give up the location to predators fairly often.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak (female)

Purple Finches are present through out the year, but they take on a real, eye-popping hue in the spring and early summer. More red than purple the males can be pretty easy to identify. The one thing not shown in these two pictures is the bright red patch on their rump just above the tail and between the wings. The similar House Finch lacks that patch and has a more distinct brown triangle around the eye as well as some brown striping along it's flanks. The Purple's song is a lively one heard anytime during the day and lacks the whiney ending of the Goldfinch.

Purple Finch

Purple Finch

Deck Birds, May 13, 2013: Part 1

Monday was a pretty blah day around the Aerie. It started out bloody cold with the deck thermometer registering 29 degrees and, while it warmed up a bit afterwards, it never got very warm--or sunny, and spit snow from time to time. The bird feeders got a pretty good workout as a result. While the numbers of birds at any given time have dropped due to migration and/or nesting duties, the variety still remains. On any given day I could gather a list of 20-25 species while looking out the window or standing on the deck. Not all of them come in to feed, of course. Robins, towhees, crows, ravens, vultures and the like either stay out in the yard or are merely passing by out in the ether.

I decided to snap a few pictures Monday morning to document some of the birds that do come up on the deck. The windows have recently been pelted by sleet, snow and rain and I've not cleaned them yet, but still, the photos seem to have come out pretty well.

I'll put these in two posts because there are a lot of them and that might slow the loading process.

Part 1: Chipping Sparrows, American Goldfinch and Blue Jay

Chipping Sparrows are the smallest of the sparrows but what they lack in size they more than make up for in energy and volume. They are constantly on the move searching for seeds on bare soil and in the lawn. They can contest a good hunting ground with the best of them and you can see some pretty good aerial dogfights among rivals for a good patch of turf. They're steady--and loud--trill in the early morning light can be confused with a Dark-eyed Junco but is ever so slightly faster, higher in pitch and louder.

 Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

One of the magnificent gems of the bird world, the male American Goldfinch's transformation from olive drab to bright, bright yellow marks the beginning of spring. The only problem with them is the little whiney tilt at the end of their lilting song. Otherwise, they'd make lovely caged singers.

American Goldfinch

 American Goldfinch

The bullies of the yard are the Blue Jays. They will chase/scare all other birds off the feeders with either their size or noise. Some have learned to imitate the calls of hawks to frighten the little birds even more. They rob nests of eggs and hatchlings but eat their fair share of caterpillars and bugs. Their bright blue plumage is present even in the deep days of winter when everything and everybody is much more drab.

Decision Time

Yesterday (Tuesday) morning was spent at in Corning, NY at the Guthrie Orthopedics Center discussing and scheduling knee surgery. It wasn't easy and I was a bit hesitant to do so, but I've opted to have both knees replaced at the same time and my physician/surgeon has agreed to perform the procedure.

We're working on (read: "waiting for the insurance company to okay") getting a 3-D printer construction of my joints so two sets of blocks can be manufactured to act as templates for the knees when it comes time to do the actual cutting. This procedure is costly but less so for dual (bi-lateral) surgery like mine. It also reduces the time on the table (from around 5+ to 3-1/2 hours), chance for infection, and any possible misalignment of the new joints. It also increases the life expectancy of the new joints as a by-product of getting things lined up better.

Getting two knees done at once will reduce the total cost of the procedure. (There's only one booking of the OR, hospital stay and anesthesiologist for example.) There are some increased costs of having to stay in the hospital a couple of extra days and then go to a rehab center for another few days before going home, but compared to two trips to the OR, two hospital stays and two anesthesiologists...there is a savings in there somewhere.

One big downside is the recuperation timetable. I literally will not have a leg to stand on for quite some time. Even with rehab it could be six weeks before I'll be able to drive and so will be pretty much at the mercies of my sweet, lovely, long-suffering wife. (This will, undoubtedly cost me dearly.)

The surgery is tentatively scheduled for Monday, July 15th. There will be numerous appointments, physicals, pre-ops, etc before then.

******

Came home after the doctor's visit and chose to push the lawn mower about for two hours doing terrible damage to the dandelions bold enough to stick their pretty yellow flowers up just a tad too high. I'm not kidding myself, however. Short of taking some full strength Round-Up to the bloody things they will return. I did read somewhere that they are actually good for the lawn in that they will draw nutrients to the surface from way down deep. If you've ever tried to dig a mature dandelion out of the soil with an intact root, you can easily believe that. The average adult plant's root goes down some 9-12 inches. Not as far as some other plants like Queen Anne's Lace, but still pretty impressive.

After two hours of pushing the mower about, I'd harvested several bags of clippings for the mulch pile and reminded myself why I went to the doctor. As it was cool enough to not break a sweat, I did not have a pint+ of ale to rehydrate. Instead I went right to the bourbon to act as pain killer while sitting in front of the tube to watch NCIS and NCIS: LA.

Squirrel! White squirrel, that is. Really.

So. Terry and I were on our way over to Darling Run on Pine Creek Gorge this morning when we saw this little guy on the road just down the hill from the Aerie.

White squirrel on the road.

I've seen it before--three times in the last three years--but this was a first for Terry. We had driven past and it had jumped up into a tree alongside the road. I turned around in a driveway and got my camera out. I was surprised to see that the squirrel had returned to the road and stayed there as I drove very, very slowly back toward it. Fearing it would bolt if I got too close I stopped about 20 yards away and snapped the photo above through the windshield. With schmutz on the glass and facing into the sun, I wasn't really positive it would come out so well.

Opening the door as quietly as possible, I hoped to get a better picture but the little bugger sensed something was up and went for the nearest big tree--an ash. Well, I walked over anyway and it sat in the fork of the tree giving me the evil eye. I snapped a few more photos--the best is the one below--before giving up and returning to the truck.

White squirrel peeks from an Ash tree.

We've had a totally black squirrel in the Aerie's yard before but it only appeared for one year. This white one--or its offspring--has been around for at least three years. I couldn't clearly see if the eye was pink,dark red or a more normal black. Pink or red would indicate albinism while a black eye would simply be a melanin deficient critter. It looks a bit red in the second photo. Either way, it's pretty cool.

Our Week

So. What else have we been up to besides birding....

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One really negative note: Last week and again today, my knees proved problematic as we walked around the lake at Hills Creek. I did see the orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday and discussed options vis-a-vis shots or surgery. We left things in the air as I needed some time to weigh those options.

Today convinced me I need to go for the surgery. It's been only three weeks since my last cortisone shot and already the pain is up there in the 8+ range. Sometimes even reaching 9+ on a scale of 1 to 10. Sigh. I'll be calling the surgeon's office on Monday to make arrangements. It can't be done until at least three months after the cortisone shot which means mid-July at the earliest.(The cortisone interferes with the adhesive used to cement the new parts in place.)

I'm going to see if I can get the Doc to do a two-fer. Might as well get them both done at the same time. He's a bit reluctant but says the insurance companies love the idea. I've heard for folks who have done both at once and also one at a time. The former say it's the only way to go. The latter admit it drags the inevitable out but also say its good to have at least one leg to stand on. (I've also heard of at least one person who had the first knee done and then balked at having the second operated on. It was more than she could handle.)

******

Terry and I also visited the ophthalmologist on Thursday. It's been two years for me but my eyes haven't changed and no new prescription was needed. Tests for glaucoma and macular degeneration were negative, too.  Terry needs a new set of specks as she has lost some vision in one of her eyes. She has had some signs of glaucoma but this time round the tests showed some improvemend on that front. Nothing hinting at macular degeneration for her either. She should get her new glasses in a couple of weeks.

******

Friday was Terry's birthday. We celebrated by going out to dinner at Timeless Destination in Wellsboro. Good food, good service and nice atmosphere.

She's had lots of cards, a few phone calls and even posts on my Facebook page of best wishes and such and appreciates each one. 

******

On something of a plus side, Terry's knee has been feeling better...most of the time. The possible, non-dislocated medial meniscus tear has been behaving itself and she's walking far better than I am. Then again, she's not been so foolish as to go hiking on uneven terrain such as one finds on some of the trails around the Hills Creek lake.

******

The birds have succeeded in eating all the sunflower seeds I purchased last fall. (That would be 10 bags of 40 pounds each.) It's not surprising considering the number of Goldfinches and Purple Finches that have been around this past week. A rough estimate would put those numbers at around 100 for those two species alone. The Chickadees are still here, albeit in smaller numbers than in winter. Other newcomers have made up for it, however. Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cow Birds, Eastern Towhees, and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have certainly eaten their share. I may have to go visit Agway for a couple more bags.

Birding at Hills Creek State Park:May 4, 2013

We had another great day for birding at Hills Creek State Park today. The conditions were perfect with comfortable temperatures, clear skies and no wind to speak of. Lots of people showed up, too. While we racked up a respectable number of species in 2.5 hours, the actual number of birds was a bit disappointing and there were areas that should have had birds that didn't. Maybe some have moved north--or haven't gotten here yet from the south--or maybe those that were around were setting up housekeeping. Whatever the reason, this could be considered a good day and not a great one on the bird front but certainly a great morning to be out.

Here's today's list as reported to eBird:

Hills Creek SP, Tioga, US-PA
May 4, 2013 7:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: Beautiful clear morning. 40 degrees at the start, 60 degrees when we finished. Very calm.
34 species

Canada Goose X
Mallard X
Double-crested Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron X
Osprey X
Bald Eagle X
Red-tailed Hawk X
Ring-billed Gull X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Downy Woodpecker X
Eastern Phoebe X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Red-breasted Nuthatch X
White-breasted Nuthatch X
Brown Creeper X
House Wren X
Eastern Bluebird X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Brown Thrasher X
European Starling X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Black-throated Green Warbler X
Eastern Towhee X
Chipping Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
American Goldfinch X

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13985728

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Lazy Man's Birding from the Aerie April 29, 2013

Monday was a gray, overcast, misting, mizzling kind of day punctuated with short spurts of real rain. Not a nice day to be outside at all. The temperature never got much above 50 degrees either. After putting the bird feeders out I retreated to the comfort of the living room and decided to compile a list of all the species I saw or heard throughout the day. Turned out to be 23 of them.

1. American Goldfinch (Maybe two dozen males and as many females. The bright yellow matches the daffodils.)
2. Chipping Sparrow (Small, energetic, nearly impossible to see in grass getting close to cutting length. Thank goodness they also spent time in the clear spaces.)
3. Morning Dove (He was pitching woo. She wasn't catching.)
4. Brown-headed Cowbird (Three or four in a group hung around all morning.)
5. Purple Finch (Another abundant group. Males were as Roger Tory Peterson described them: "Dipped in raspberry juice.")
6. House Finch (Slightly less colorful than the Purple.)
7. Flicker (Hammering away at a dead snag as it proclaimed its territory.)
8. Red-winged Blackbird (Up from the neighbors' ponds looking for some free seed.)
9. Blue Jay (Bullies. Also tried to intimidate by using faux hawk whistles.)
10. Eastern Towhee (Yes! Yes! I know! I'll drink my tea! Now shut up!)
11. American Robin (Patrolling the lawn for worms and other food stuffs.)
12. Dark-eyed Junco (Why are the snow birds still here? Do they know something?)
13. Red-breasted Nuthatch (In-and-out like a flash! With just a tiny furtive look to the left and right before they grab a seed and GO!)
14. Black-capped Chickadee (Friendly little chaps--until I went out to bring the feeders in. Then they got confused/angry.)
15. Tufted Titmouse (My what big eyes you have!)
16. Wild Turkey (?) (I heard one early in the day that seemed to be about 50 yards from the deck and on my land. It is hunting season, however and it could have been someone calling although that's unlikely.)
17. White-throated Sparrow (Two males with their distinctive white bib and yellow pince-nez patch scratching for stuff under the feeders.)
18. White-breasted Nuthatch (Climbing head first down the trees and telephone pole; rotating 45 degrees this way and that as they move. A sudden flutter of the wings as the back is arched and the tail and head go up tell me at least one of the three is a female.)
19. Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Female, darn it.)
20. Eastern Phoebe (Nesting on the window ledge, it came out to search for bugs but couldn't find any of them flying so it was hitting them on the ground like a miniature hawk.)
21. Osprey (!) (I think this is the first we've ever seen from the Aerie.)
22. Downy Woodpecker (Came searching for seeds, bugs, anything it could get.)
23. Common Grackle (A dapper, sleek looking male with a bright yellow eye and a glossy deep plum-purple head and his elegant Mrs.)

A few of these were firsts for this year. I'm still waiting on the warblers to come through and the local Indigo Bunting to show up. He should be here any day now as the aspen leaves are getting larger than a cottontail's ears. Perfect for him to hide amidst. If the weather stays above freezing, I'll be hanging the hummingbird feeders in a day or two.

Birding at Hills Creek State Park:April 27, 2013

Another Saturday morning that was just perfect for a bird walk at Hills Creek State Park. Nary a cloud in the sky and barely enough breeze to ripple the lake surface. The temperature started at 32 degrees at 7:30 AM but climbed steadily so it was 55 degrees when we called it a morning at 10 AM. We had a great turnout of both the human (22 people) and avian (37 species) kind.

Here's the day's list as reported to eBird:

Hills Creek SP, Tioga, US-PA
Apr 27, 2013 7:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: Clear, calm morning. Started at 32 degrees but ended at 52 under bright sunshine.
37 species

Canada Goose X
Wood Duck X
Mallard X
Lesser Scaup X
Hooded Merganser X
Ruddy Duck X
Pied-billed Grebe X
Great Blue Heron X
Osprey X
Bald Eagle X
Spotted Sandpiper X
Bonaparte's Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Mourning Dove X
Belted Kingfisher X
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker X
Northern Flicker X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Black-capped Chickadee X
Red-breasted Nuthatch X
Eastern Bluebird X
American Robin X
Gray Catbird X
Brown Thrasher X
European Starling X
Palm Warbler X
Yellow-rumped Warbler X
Chipping Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
American Goldfinch X

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13899535

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)