Local gardeners do their part to record possible 'global weirding'

Chicago Tribune ^ | August 5, 2008 | Tim De Chant

[trisham]

Heh. We have hummingbirds, goldfinches, rose-breasted grosbeaks, cardinals, hawks and various types of woodpeckers, to name a few. We spend a small fortune feeding them all year. At one time we had a flock or flocks totalling about twenty wild turkeys.

[Flycatcher]

Birding can almost be as bad as golf in the expense department, what with feed, driving around, and especially the new optical equipment. But that's the cheapest way to watch them — from the backyard!

Sounds like you've got some good birds where you live too. Rose-breasted grosbeaks? Excellent!

[SJackson]

Not nearly as many raspberries on my backyard bushes this year. I suspect (through direct observation) that my kids are eating them.

That's funny, it's the first year in 3 or 4 my raspberries have done well. The birds are pleased. The rain I assume. Found some blueberries I never knew I had too.

[trisham]

We had pileated woodpeckers when we first moved here, but I haven’t seen them recently. Maybe this winter, I hope. They’re amazing.

[SJackson]

My garden shows no sign of global warming. It’s the same every year, I plant too early, then a cold snap comes and I cover everything up....Then it gets really hot and I water everything.

You see, it's all about human activity!

[Flycatcher]

I'd call pileated woodpeckers not just amazing, but spectacular. You're lucky to have them in your region. All we have are ladderbacks among all the Joshua trees. They're good, I suppose, but they just can't compare with pileateds.

[tubebender]

Sounds like you've got some good birds where you live too. Rose-breasted grosbeaks? Excellent!

Several several years ago (BC) I actually had a bird on the Rare Bird Phone Line here on Humboldt Bay! It was only the 5th time a male Rose Breasted Grossbeak had been sighted in Humboldt County at that time. Several people came over to put it on their local list plus a Friend from the Local Bird Club verified (?) it...

[Flycatcher]

What a great bird for Humboldt County. I’ve only had one sighting of a rose-breasted grosbeak. It was at a desert oasis called Corn Creek near Vegas. Caused quite a sensation in Sin City. Unfortunately, they were immature males, and didn’t have the shocking red breast of a mature male. But beggars can’t be choosers. At least they were rose-breasted grosbeaks!

[tubebender]

I just spent a few minutes in my garden watching several Black Headed Grossbeaks, American Gold Finches, a few Lesser Gold Finches, too many Pine Siskins and 3 or 4 Allan's Humming Birds feeding and bathing. Also White Crowned, Song and Fox sparrows plus Doves feeding on the ground.

One afternoon I was reading with my back to the feeders by the house and my wife walks by and exclaims “What is this big bird with a flaming pink breast” and without looking I said ...it's a Rose breasted Grosbeak. I had never seen one except in a Peterson field guide but I had been to that page often because we had some Evening Grosbeak stop by and I marveled at them...

[Flycatcher]

Just be patient. Maybe you can turn your wife into a birder too. It worked for me. My wife now loves to go birding with me. She's still pretty lousy on her ID skills, but I try to encourage her. I never tell her what bird it is we're watching until she makes a few guesses first. Her life list now is over 200, so she's plugging along. She even has a favorite bird: the verdin.

Life is good when you're a birder.

[trisham]

They sound just like Woody the woodpecker. :)

[trisham]

They’re beautiful birds.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“My advice? If you like to garden and keep records, do it because you like to garden and keep records. But, jeez, don’t pretend you’re doing something to save the planet.”

Exactly!

[MissyMa]

I am glad to see there are other birders here too. I am going to do the bird count this year and can’t wait.

I have a lot of the birds mentioned here and I just started feeding them this year. I am bracing myself for winter and the cost associated with it, but will do so because I love to watch them!

I planted my first garden this year and the weather has been weird. One week it’s sunny, hot, humid and the next week it’s cool and rainy. But it has ALWAYS been like this because I live in New England.

[gorush]

Here are a few recent shots you might enjoy

[Flycatcher]

They sound just like Woody the woodpecker. :)

Funny you should say that. There's no doubt the animators of Woody Woodpecker based it on the pileated woodpecker. But I think I figured out Woody's trademark laugh. It's actually the sound of the acorn woodpecker, which is very common in the foothills of California. My hunch is that the animators liked the pileated look, but gave him the laugh of the local California woodpecker: the acorn.

Worked out rather well for them, didn't it?

[Flycatcher]

If you enjoy birding, you'll love the Christmas Bird Count. But it's grueling: from sunrise to sunset, with only short breaks to nibble on food. I do CBCs in the Desert Southwest, where the winter temps aren't too bad. I truly pity you attempting one in New England. But cross your fingers — there's always a shot for great gray owls, snowy owls, gyrfalcons, and irruptions of Bohemian waxwings.

Dress warmly! :)

[Flycatcher]

Nice shots of an indigo bunting and a female rubythroat.

Always brightens my day to start with some bird pix. Thanks!

[trisham]

I guess it did. :) Woody is a cultural icon.

[MissyMa]

Doh, is it that grueling!! I guess I will have to triple layer and bring some food I can eat w/ one hand or something.