Muscatatuck Ducks

Today is a sunny, crisp Winter day in Indiana and Kentucky. I've been feeling guilty about sitting around watching old movies so much, and decided to take advantage of the weather to go birding. At first, I wanted to go Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in Northern Indiana to see the Sandhill Cranes, who should be heading North again. However, a close look at the Indiana map shows this area to be a 3.5 hour drive into a snow covered area. Maybe I'll book that trip for next Fall when it's dry. How about Muscatatuck NWR, an easy day trip? Good idea, I congratulated myself.

Muscatatuck has a nine mile auto-trail, where you can stop and look whenever you see anything interesting. I took along the spotting scope and was very glad, because the first set of lakes had the best viewing of the day. Canada Geese were everywhere, of course, honking loudly. Two geese make enough noise to be mistaken for twenty geese! Around this area, I saw:

• Northern Shovelers
• Green -Winged Teal
• American Coot
• Hooded Merganser
• American Wigeon
• Kingfisher
• Great Blue Heron
• 2 River Otters
• Red Shouldered Hawk

This is my first time to actually see the Merganser, Wigeon and Green-Winged Teal. They looked exactly like the pictures in the book, so when one bird had a white crown and another a chestnut head and green eye patch, I had no trouble identifying them. The hawk came circling over the lake and landed in a tree on the other side, too far to really focus on, even with the scope. BUT it came in calling Keer, Keer, Keer, so I knew it was the Red Shoulder rather than the Red-Tailed hawk. These lakes are often quite shallow, and dark spots sticking up are usually bits of tree. However, I watched two such spots and saw them disappear. The scope revealed that they were River Otter eating fish for Sunday brunch.

Ducks like to sit in the middle of the lake where I can't get a close picture of them. Today I learned that if I can see them well enough for a good photo, they can see me. Wild ducks are very flighty, and will take off on the slightest hint that someone is coming. Geese don't have that problem, and will pose nicely for anyone who wants their picture. I finally got smart when I found three Hooded Mergansers in a secluded pond. There were two males and one female, so I figure some heavy duty courting was going on. I walked on the downstream side of the dam until I was just about even with them. They were busy enough that they didn't notice me for quite a while, and I got some good photos.

The Turkey Trail is only a mile long, so I set out on it. Muscatatuck has so many water fowl because they have lots of water. They flood the moist soil units in the winter to be sure there is enough water, so any trail gets marshy at least in spots. Winter is a good time to hike in these areas. If it is cold enough to freeze the muddy spots, you can walk over them without sinking in up to your ankles! I did have to take a few detours when the path was completely flooded though. I didn't expect to see any snakes in this weather, and when one was stretched across the path, I was surprised to say the least. A quick picture was followed by a gentle prod with a stick to see if it was alive. The whole body lifted up, and I must conclude that it was frozen. I heartily recommend the bookshop at the Visitor's Center. They have a wider variety of nature books than any park or refuge I have ever seen. They also had terrific photos as posters or post cards, which were taken by a photographer named Mark Trabue. Many of the photos I saw at the NWR can be seen (and probably purchased) online as well.

The "Red" Birds of Kentucky

One expects to see large birds on an Eagles Weekend and the Bald Eagles and Snow Geese certainly meet that expectation. However, by walking around a bit, we also saw many different smaller birds, some very familiar, and others which were a first sighting for us. I particularly noticed the number of birds having "red" in their names. The wetlands near the Kentucky Forestry Dept. tree nursery at Kentucky Dam Village is an approachable cypress swamp. The edge of the lake is surrounded by brush, and the shallow water held a light coat of ice early in the morning, but the Redwinged Blackbirds were out in force. They must have some sort of camera radar, because every time I focused on one, it flew just out of sight and started singing again. The classic red bird, the Northern Cardinal, also avoided having its picture taken as long as possible. I have four different pictures of the place where the Cardinal had been a second earlier. Do you think they can hear the auto focus on the camera? Maybe that's why I don't have many Cardinal pictures from my backyard. The Eastern Bluebird is abundant at the Park too. Even though they don't have "red" in their name, they certainly have a roufous belly, which surprises many people The Red-headed Woodpecker, on the other hand, loves to have its picture taken. Almost every time we heard a rat-tat-tat up in a tree, it was a Red-headed Woodpecker. Unless, of course, it was a Red-Bellied Woodpecker! I rarely see Red-headed Woodpeckers at home, so it was a delight to find so many of them at the park. The Red-tailed Hawks perched on the branches along each road we drove. Sometimes what we thought was an Eagle at first turned out to be a Red-tailed Hawk soaring overhead instead. When they bank to the side, that tail glows in a burnt orange color. Of course, I had no luck catching a wild one in my lens, but the one at the raptor program didn't blink an eye when all those flashes went off in his face. He looks rather disdainful of the process. The ducks and other waterfowl were also a bit camera shy. At the tree nursery, we could see through the brush with binoculars and found many ducks we've never seen before, including Common Goldeneye (their eyes really are golden, even from a distance). The stark black and white pattern of the Bufflehead was identifiable from across the lake. Flights of Canadian Geese circled then splashed to a landing. The black rump feathers of the Gadwall stood out for another first sighting. We saw some Ring-Necked Ducks, and I feel confident that Lesser Scaup were also on the lake that chilly morning. This photo is a Ring-Necked Duck, not a Golden-Eye as I originally thought from a distance. We don't see a lot of ducks at the Falls of the Ohio, so this was very exciting for me. I half expected to find some Northern Shovelers, but didn't recognize them if they swam with the other ducks. If the brush hadn't been so thick, or if there has been an observation deck, the spotting scope would have given us a better view. More importantly, I could have had much closer photos of the ducks. Ah well, someday I'll have that big lens, and then the small birds won't escape so easily.

Snow Goose Blizzard

Even on a gray, blustery day in January, the Ballard Wildlife Management Area teems with life. Near Bandana, KY, about 30 miles west of Paducah, Ballard is owned and operated by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. This 8,400 acre wetland area in the Ohio River flood plain is home to many Kentucky birds, but is a special wintering area for Bald Eagles, Canadian Geese, Snow and Blue Geese, other ducks and waterfowl. Right on the Mississippi flight path, many migrating birds stop here on their way to other places, while others live there year round, including some of the Eagles. The wildlife are primarily managed for hunters, but hunting is prohibited from October 15 to March 15 so the Eagles can nest undisturbed. Charlie Wilkins, manager of the property, gave us the special tour in his newly acquired school bus, which we filled to capacity. This one was an improvement, I understand, because it doesn’t leak gas fumes in with the passengers. The corpses of older abandoned buses sat in the yard when we drove in, looking like hunting trophies. It’s just as well that Charlie drove, though, because I would have gotten lost very quickly among the sloughs, cypress swamps and fields of standing corn and grain. The river is high right now, and Charlie warned us that he would be driving through water over many of the roads. I never did see the pontoons coming out from under the bus to support us when we became amphibian though! A regular car would have been flooded, and the passengers would have to find their own way back to headquarters. Our first exciting view was of five juvenile Bald Eagles perched in the same tree. It seemed that every time we made a turn, we spied more Eagles perched on the tip of dead tree branches. Due to the gray weather conditions, many of my photos came out as silhouettes, but you can still tell they are Eagles. The nest we saw didn’t have any activity, but Charlie assured us the brooding pair would show up any day now. White tail deer bounded across the fields and into the woods as we roared past. I imagine there were ducks too, but we couldn’t see them from the moving vehicle. Any turkeys wisely stayed hidden in the brush.

Finally, we reached the point where Charlie stopped the bus, saying “Look at the snow…”, and he wasn’t talking about cold white flakes falling from the sky. An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 Snow Geese and Blue Geese winter at Ballard, and we must have startled all of them. With the bus motor shut down, we opened the windows to hear the most amazing and very LOUD sound made by so many birds. (Click the link and scroll down the page to hear a recording of these geese.) As they flew up, they banked and turned in unison. The black primary wing feathers made it hard to tell one individual from another in the air. To tell the truth, my immediate impression was to compare these geese with swarms of locusts. They made lots of noise, flying in tight groups and wheeling in unison. In fact, Charlie said they are known for stripping a field down to the bare earth in a short time. Canadian Geese will nip off the top edges of any plants they find, while Snow Geese yank the whole plant out roots and all, so the field is cleaned completely by their passage. Apparently, Blue Geese are just a color variation of the regular white Snow Goose, with a white head and dark body. Both and white and dark babies can come from the same batch of eggs. Canadian Geese will move elsewhere when the Snow Geese arrive. I failed to ask if it is possible to come back another time just to walk around looking at the birds. I certainly wouldn't want a hunter to mistake me for something else, but I would enjoy using binoculars and spotting scope without a bus full of people to lean around.

A Gathering of Eagles

The American Bald Eagle was nearing extinction 35 years ago. Now they have recovered to the point where they are being removed from the Threatened list. Just as people caused their decline, people then promoted their reintroduction in appropriate areas for their well-being. Education about these marvelous birds among ordinary people also contributed to their recovery.

We just returned home from our third Kentucky State Parks Eagles Weekend, this year at Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park on Kentucky Lake. A naturalist from Land Between the Lakes described Kentucky Lake as "Eagles' Paradise", with over 300 miles of relatively undisturbed wooded coastline along the lake. There is a resident breeding population, as well as the visitors who come from up north to winter in the mild unfrozen waters of the lake. In less than 48 hours, we saw about 73 Eagles! Since we saw many other kinds of birds too, I will break this trip into three separate blog entries: Eagles, Ballard WMA, and other birds and waterfowl. As always, click any picture to get a larger view of it.

The Parks do a great job offering different alternatives for viewing the eagles. My favorite is the CQ Princess, an enclosed boat that travels up and down the lake shore at speeds favorable to finding and viewing the Bald Eagles as they perch in trees along the water's edge. It helps that a knowledgable naturalist is onboard with stories and guidance on finding the birds. Since the trees are dark and the eagles are dark brown, it takes some practice to spot them, even when someone else is standing there giving directions. "See the cliff, and the white sycamore tree? Look just to the right and about 3/4 of the way to the top of the tallest tree." A good pair of binoculars are a must, and this is where you learn to use them. One guide said look for a football shape with white on the top, and that's a pretty good summary of what they look like. The juvenile eagles are all brown, and more difficult to find. Cloudy weather also affects their visibility, but when they fly it just takes your breath away! There is a nest on the park property, with a pair fondly known as Elvis and Priscilla. Although we found the nest, we weren't lucky enough to see Elvis and Priscilla cleaning house.

Van trips go to Land Between the Lakes led by experts from Ky. Fish and Wildlife or Naturalists from LBL. Having done that trip for two years, we decided to drive to some of the coves on our own this year. At Smith Bay, we found an eagle on a nest. The vans from the official trip were there too, and the drivers agreed that this was a new nest, smaller than the ones usually found. With the bare eye, all you see is a white spot, but the spotting scope was great to watch her with. Last year at Duncan Lake, the eagles gathered in late afternoon, and called back and forth as they bedded down for the evening. This year, we were there in the morning, and saw at least 8 mature eagles flying in courting behavior! Sometimes we would see one adult and a juvenile in the same tree, a mother and child from last season the experts say. Someday, I may have to break down and spend about $3,500 on a camera and really good long lens for situations like this. But for now, I'm fairly pleased with what I got. After a while, I remembered that the camera can also take QuickTime movies, and got Eagles in flight as a movie.

On Friday evening a speaker talks about Eagles and briefs any newcomers in the audience on what they should expect. On Saturday, a live raptor program traditionally comes with birds that have been injured or are in some other way unable to be released to the wild. These birds have certainly caught my interest every year. When I retire, I hope to work with the Kentucky Raptor Rehab program in just this way. It's great to watch the kids in the audience waving their arms to answer questions about the birds. This year David Haggard from Reelfoot Lake in Tennessee brought his Bald Eagle (the picture at the top), and it was really an adventure. This Eagle kept staring intently at the bald head of the guy in the front row! I wonder what it was thinking about.... Dave says that most raptors can make you cry if they injure you, while an Eagle can put you in the hospital. His bird got a little excited, and put a claw through the Kevlar glove right into Dave's finger. He was fine by this morning though. (Dave that is, don't know about the bird!)

My next entries will talk about our trip to Ballard Wildlife Management Area with both Eagles and Snow Geese in abundance.

Constant Change

The only constant in life is change.

While surfing the web one day, I wandered to the National Zoo site, and found an article called "Fear, Loathing, and Adaptability in Birds." The title alone, of course, caught my attention right away. Since when do birds have fear and loathing, I asked myself. The article asks a very timely question. Why do some species seem to adapt to human-altered habitats and thrive there, while others suffer and either move on or die out? We have all seen the myriad starlings and house sparrows who thrive in our neighborhoods. I have watched as crows and even hawks are regularly seen in the suburbs now, although I never saw them there when I was a child. As their normal habitats shrink, some birds move right in along with people, while others become more rare. Some species adapt to the change, while others do not. Russell Greenberg, the author of this article for the National Zoo, suggests that neophobia, or fear of the new, may play some part in this. He conducted some experiments with the wild mallards and wood ducks that come to the zoo, selecting them because of their long association with humans. He expected them to have less fear of the new than other wild ducks, but instead found them to be "amazingly neophobic." Greenberg put some traffic cones, a new feature, near the ducks' regular feeding station. To his surprise, they showed reluctance to feed in this new situation. Other experiments with rats, crows and house sparrows, also closely associated with humans, resulted in high levels of neophobia. Behavior such as an attraction to something new (which might be a new or better food source, for example) must be tempered and balanced with caution (the new thing might be a trap or poisoned). Paying attention to novelty in the local environment has enabled an individual or a species to survive over the ages. Making a decision on what to do with the novelty is the hard part. This becomes even more difficult when one novelty is followed by many more in a short period of time. People have trouble adapting to change too. In our lifetime, I think it is the amount and speed of change that is a problem. My grandfather once related that in his life, he saw the world change from horse and buggy to putting a man on the moon. Change has never happened as fast and as frequently as during the 20th and now the 21st Centuries. Now humans seem to make changes to the world and their society simply because they can, not because the change will be a benefit. Or it may be a short-term benefit, but has anyone considered the long term consequences? Newer isn't always Better. Unfortunately, we don't always get to choose whether to accept or reject the change. It was recently announced that people who just use rabbit ears to get broadcast TV, at no charge, will have to buy a converter because everything will be broadcast in digital. Yet, how quickly we become accustomed to these changes. A hurricane near Hong Kong broke some underseas cables, disrupting Internet access for the area, including the Hong Kong stock exchange. What would happen to our "civilization" when a disaster, either natural or man-made, disrupts communication to a larger area? I once heard a statement that it would only take three days of a transportation failure for our economy to collapse. Think about a blizzard or a hurricane or earthquake that can paralyze an entire region. It is so frightening to think about. Would I trade my life and go back to live during the settlement of the Falls of the Ohio area in the late 1700's? No way! Travel was difficult and dangerous, so not many people travelled. Regional customs and practices were maintained because no one knew anything different. People died of diseases which are easily cured now. Sometimes I hear people lament about how life has changed, and I admit, sometimes the change has not been for the good. But would I go back? Definitely not. I would be interested to see what my great grandchildren will say about life in the early 21st century. Would they be interested in living our lifestyle?

Winter Wildlife Wonderland

Winter arrived with a vengeance last week, when the temperature dropped by some 35 degrees overnight in the midst of high winds and rain. On Saturday, however, the sun came out and we decided to enjoy the spate of sunshine at Salato Wildlife Education Center. Salato is the headquarters for Kentucky's Department of Fish and Wildlife, with wonderful exhibits of Kentucky wildlife, including live white tail deer, elk, bison, turkeys, black bears, wildcats, and two Bald Eagles. The two fishing lakes attract a variety of water fowl as well. Some small birds posed for their pictures against the bright blue sky, enjoying the clear weather too. This little Song Sparrow patiently sat on a branch while I took several pictures in the classic "bird on a stick" setting. The Blue Jays were out in force, darting from tree to tree. One was high on a bare branch and we weren't too sure what it was, since we failed to bring binoculars (we won't do that again), and could see only the gray belly. The long lens on my camera seemed to hint at black markings on the face that made me think it really was a Blue Jay after all. As always, click on any picture to see a larger version.

Bluebirds are relatively new to me, so it's always a thrill to find one. I'm glad to add them to my list of birds who stay around during the winter. At first the flash of blue wings looked like an Indigo Bunting. Then he posed on a rail and we clearly saw it was a bluebird. I got brave with Photoshop too and used the cloning tool for the first time to eliminate a small branch that couldn't be cropped out. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers were making chips fly from the trees in their noisy hunt for bugs, but it is a challenge to get more than their bellies when you are standing on the ground directly under them. This one doesn't seem to have much "red' on the belly. I'll have to look up the females and see if they are paler than the males.

On the fishing lake, we saw a few ducks, and the males all had their breeding plumage. The last ducks I looked at in July were in eclipse, and very dull looking. This time the male Mallards had bright green heads. We saw a male Black Duck, and there was no risk at all of mistaking him for a female mallard. But we were most excited to see a male Wood Duck looking like a little lure painted in vivid colors to draw in the wild birds for duck hunters. They all followed us as we walked around the lake, and I was amazed at how fast they can swim! Inside the educational center are aquariums, and stuffed animals and birds on display, with samples of the various skins to be touched and identified. The main hallway has displays of hawks and other birds in flight, which most people probably didn't notice. After studying all the hawk books since September, I did pretty well at identifying them, especially since they just hung there unmoving. Talk about shooting fish in a barrel! After making my guesses, we found the printed guide identifying each of the birds, and I was encouraged to get so many of them right. Salato is well worth a visit next time you get a chance. I look forward to returning in Spring when the flowers start to bloom.

Winter Birding

The birding has been so great all Spring and Summer, with my new camera, I had forgotten the joys of birding in the Autumn and Winter. The biggest joy is that the leaves are gone and I can see the birds a lot easier! I've been searching online for a site that lists the birds that winter over in this area, to see who I am forgetting, or otherwise not recognizing, but haven't found much yet. The biggest problem is that it stays dark so much longer, Saturdays and Sundays are going the be the only time to watch the birds.

While raking leaves today, we got all the feeders refilled. I even took the screen off the kitchen window so I can use the binoculars and camera from inside without the screen making every photo look fuzzy. Some will still be fuzzy, of course, when my hand shakes, but why start with one strike against you?

As the Summer closed, I noticed that the birds no longer sang so early and so loud in the morning. As I walked to the bus before 7:00 am, it was dark, and I heard no birds at all. Since the change to Eastern Standard Time and more light in the morning, I hear more birds during the walk to the bus stop. My faithful Carolina Wrens sing and scold as I walk down the street. This Wren photo was obviously taken in the Summer, but it's the best one I have and I wanted to show it off.

Blue Jays were not in my backyard all Summer, but I saw quite a few this afternoon. I never noticed Jays migrating before, but they all seemed to heading South as we returned from Virginia. I wonder how long these will stick around.

The White Throated Sparrow blends perfectly with the leaves under the feeder both due to his coloration and the close resemblance to a House Sparrow if you don't look closely. It was good to hear him calling for Sam Peabody again.

Of course, the Dark Eyed Juncos have moved in for the winter. They are also camouflaged in the leaves. I hope to get some of the classic photos of the Northern Cardinal in the snow at my feeder. Maybe Santa will even bring me some feeders that don't have squirrel teeth marks on them!

Lewis and Clark Return

The Falls of the Ohio are always an adventure in time travel. This weekend we didn't go back millions of years but only 200 years. Nov 4-6 was the celebration for the return of the Lewis and Clark expedition to Kentucky after their three year journey through the west. Historical reenactors camped out at the George Rogers Clark cabin, with costumes, tools and activities authentic to the period. http://www.lewisandclark.net/index.htm is the official website for the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles, with wonderful photos and details of the trip. The sun peeked briefly through the clouds on this chill November morning, and everyone dressed warmly. Women wore shawls, fingerless gloves and many petticoats as they worked around the cabin, spinning wool or cooking over the open fire. Frontiersmen sauntered around in buckskins or coats that look like wool blankets. The blacksmith at his forge seemed to be the warmest person around. At least it wasn't raining although there were puddles to avoid. In 1806 there would have been no paved roads or parking lots at all, but lots of puddles for all travelers. A team of oxen were hitched to a wagon, and the drover used only oral commands to drive around the encampment. A group of nuns had traveled in a flatboat to their convent, and the boat was onshore for visitors to examine. I was surprised at how small it was. The cabin was hardly big enough to walk through, but provided sleeping/eating/living space for four or five nuns. The captain slept on deck. One of their biggest dangers was fire. A cooking fire was built in a lined fireplace on deck, but sparks would often blow out and set the boat on fire. Many communities along the river were founded simply because that's where they were when the boat burned. The militia groups wore various costumes, some looking like you would expect a soldier of the Napoleonic period to look like, and others wearing cloth fringes on their jackets. Boys like playing soldier, and used wooden guns to practice drilling. The older "boys", however, used their real muskets, but they too had trouble learning how to follow the commands, turn around and handle the guns in unison. One militia group brought their brass cannon, and it took a team of five to load and fire the gun each time. We may have imagined the splash of a cannonball in the river. Little girls standing nearby knew to cover their ears when the gun fired. What a wonderful activity to do with your children! I wondered how these authentic characters could exist in the 21st Century. Their beards and buckskins looked so natural that I can't imagine them wearing a suit in the board room. I have known a few people who seemed out of place in modern times. I always visualized one woman in Lexington wearing a snood around her hair, black lace fingerless gloves and a hoop skirt. Another woman was even more of a pioneer, and I imagined her in buckskins paddling a canoe down the river each time I saw her. James Alexander Thom writes historical books about this era, and was signing them at the next booth over from ours. I bought Long Knife, his story about George Rogers Clark, since I can use the background information. I started reading it on the bus this morning, and almost wept right there, just reading about the end of his days in the cabin when he lost his leg. I hope there will be a flashback to some happier times, but fear that happiness was something George Rogers Clark saw little of in his life.

Ohio Valley Autumn

Since our return from a successful birding trip to Virginia, we haven't had a lot of luck in our birding endeavors. A trip to the Audubon Birding Trail in Western Kentucky took us to the Sloughs WMA near Henderson. The Sloughs are too wet to raise a good crop, but crops are planted in some of the fields to help attract birds. Small, rather rickety, observation platforms were built along the country roads. Killdeers flashed their white undersides constantly as they crisscrossed the fields around us. Hundreds of Redwinged Blackbirds called from the leaves. The brochure mentioned all the ducks that winter here, but we must have been too early and saw no ducks at all. A pair of Northern Harriers swooped low to the ground, and so fast that we couldn't get any pictures at all. I did get a nice shot of my first Lesser Yellowlegs, and saw, but didn't photograph a few American Coots. We followed a gravel road back into the Sloughs thinking to find deeper water and more birds away from the road. At times the road itself became flooded, and we watched carefully to avoid getting stuck in the mud when turning around to drive out. We saw many warblers in the trees, but the yellow-green of the fall foliage was perfect camouflage for the greenish yellow of the warblers, and it was hard to find them even with binoculars, let alone a camera. Downy woodpeckers abounded however. One area had mature trees growing in a flooded field. We wondered why the trees would grow so big in such a wet environment. As we walked along, we found that the water was the result of a beaver dam. Many trees were downed by the beavers, and at one point we saw a beaver freeway - a path from one pool to the other about 12 inches wide, with a rest area and a little beaver scat along it. Some bird built a large stick nest visible in the bare branches of a tree in the beaver pond. Might it be an osprey nest? The Sloughs themselves didn't look deep enough to have much in the way of fishing, but we don't know how far this was from the river itself. This fall has had an unusual amount of rain, both here in the Ohio Valley and upstream. The gates in the dam have been opened since September, and by mid-October, the gates were lifted entirely out, and water was pouring over the walls of the dam itself. Much too rough for birds, other than a few gulls coming down from the Great Lakes for the winter. Even though the river was rough, the sun shining on the foliage looks like flame. It's hard to decide whether to photograph the entire tree, a few individual bright leaves, or something in between. At least the leaves don't fly away as you focus on them!

Bird Herding

One of my favorite old video clips from the Internet is about cat herding. The "catboys" are on horseback trying to drive a herd of domestic felines to market. The cats resist the efforts to be forced in the desired direction, as cats do. If one becomes injured the herder carries it on his saddle, but of course, gets scratched in the face for his efforts. I regard cat herding as some great and difficult effort, the purpose of which isn't really understood by anyone else, but which has great meaning to the herder. The first rule of Birding Ethics is not to disturb the bird. Their lives are hard enough without being disrupted by people. The problem is learning how close you can come for observation and photographing without disturbing them. Are they disturbed if they walk away or only if they actually fly off? What if that was their next task for the day anyway? How can a person tell? While we were in Virginia, we ran into a bit of that with the shore birds. The Willetts and little Sandpipers, would run back and forth on the beach as the waves advanced and receded. As we walked along behind them, they calmly moved on down the shore as if it were part of their original plan anyway. They didn't seem upset or disturbed in any way. As long as we walked in their direction, they simply walked faster than we did. Groups of Laughing Gulls did the same thing. They just didn't care that we were on their territory. I had seen some Willetts at the Falls of the Ohio last summer when they blew in on a storm, and knew their wings displayed a distinct black and white pattern that was the best way to identify them. I thought the larger birds we saw were Willetts, but so many of the shore birds resemble each other, I wanted to see them flying to be sure, and to show the wing pattern to Dick. So I asked him to commit the birding sin of making them take flight. Run, make noises, I said, so we can see their wings. Well, he tried, but the more he chased the faster they walked. I used to know some Tennessee Walking Horses on a 4H drill team that were the same way. When they were supposed to trot, they just walked faster. In a short time, we started laughing at the thought and sight of a grown man chasing these small birds and being out-paced by them! Eventually, they got tired of the game and flew off down the beach, maybe 20 feet or so, but we did get to see the wing pattern. And we resolved never to be bird herders again.

I Married a Beech Tree

We have long known that women go through a Change of Life when they reach a certain age. Traditionally, we expect them to become moody, burst into uncontrollable crying jags and suffer hot flashes and sleepless nights. Men in our society also go through a change of life. We expect them to change jobs to something they view as more fulfilling, buy a sports car, or take up with some sweet young thing to hold on to their youthful image of themselves. My husband has always been a little nutty, but until this weekend, I didn't realize what kind of nut he was. Here is my confession: I married a Beech Tree. Yes, under the magic of the full moon, he has put down roots at Bernheim Forest and lets his branches sway in the wind. He won't come into the kitchen any more because he is afraid of knives marking his bark. He is very proud that he grows in rich soil, but mourns the loss of his ancestors to the pioneers as they cleared the forest for their farms. I have absolutely forbidden him to let any pigs or deer into the house searching for beechnuts. He no longer asks for a peanut butter sandwich, but says "beechnut butter" is healthier. Some of his friends at Bernheim also changed into trees over the weekend, but I understand that they are devolving back into their human, two-legged selves. I guess as these things go, it could be worse. After all, he didn't mind when the cats played in his leaves on the porch, and raked and vacuumed after himself. But it is hard getting him into a car without closing the door on his roots.

Hawk Watching

Raptors are among my favorite birds to watch. They are regal and so graceful as they soar through the air. We make a trip each January to Western Kentucky to see the Bald Eagles who winter on Kentucky Lake. This is how I learned to use binoculars to find a football shape in the trees that might be an eagle. The State Park which organizes the weekend usually has a raptor rehab program bring in other birds for us to admire as well. At the Falls of the Ohio, I always watch for the Ospreys, Peregrine Falcons, and, of course, the Vultures. At Kiptopeke State Park in Virginia, however, they take their hawk watching very seriously during the fall migration. On the elevated platform, at least one person is on duty each day, and he is joined by any birders who come by, whether they are experts or amateurs like us. One kind expert even explained to us how she can tell the difference between a Sharp Shinned Hawk and a Coopers Hawk at 5 miles and 1,000 feet! It was truly amazing to see kettles of these birds soaring in the air and start counting how many could be seen at one time. The watchers cheered when clouds started rolling in because it gave a "sky-mark" to help locate the birds. I don't think they can collect any sort of Worker's Comp for the stiff neck they must have at the end of the day. We learned to bring a small folding camp seat next time we try this. The highlight of our hawking was the day Joe captured a Red-tailed Hawk who required a size 7E band (really big, he said) and brought her over to the platform for us. Just look at the size of her legs, especially compared to some of the warblers who have legs smaller than toothpicks! What a great opportunity to see the variety of feathers on this magnificent bird's wings and head, and the subtle color variations. Now I know where the phrase about having one's "feathers ruffled" comes from. This was one angry bird who never took her eyes off Joe. Even though she has some film on her eye, Joe said she could see OK, and she didn't hesitate a bit to fly away from us as fast as she could when he released her. Just click on any picture to enlarge it. But the best part was finding and watching raptors on our own, a little closer and easier to see. The Eastern Shore NWR had a female Kestral who claimed the top branch of a cedar tree as her perch, just outside their observation room. For two days, she would leave to catch a juicy dragon fly, then resume her perch to eat it. By the time I went for my camera and set it up, she left and didn't come back. We then drove down a country road among the farms, and saw more Kestrals just floating in the strong head wind, and a Northern Harrier who skimmed only a foot or two above the crops. We recognized the white spot on his rump. Of course, Ospreys are always my favorites and we saw them everywhere. Hawkcount.org publishes the statistics for the hawks observed in migration. In the last five days alone at Kiptopeke, they counted 539 Ospreys and 494 Kestrals!

Birding Heaven on the Eastern Shore

Last week was a new vacation adventure spent birding and staying in an RV at Kiptopeke State Park on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Kiptopeke is at the southern tip of the Delmarva peninsula on Chesapeake Bay, and is the jump off point for migrating birds to cross the Bay on their way south. The Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory sponsors a bird banding station and hawk watch at the park and we participated in many birding activities we would never have experienced otherwise. Nearby is the Eastern Shore NWR and a few hours up the road is Chincoteague NWR. I also got to put my new telescopic camera lens to the test, and am quite pleased with it overall. Especially when I found that I DO NOT have to put it on a tripod all the time to get good pictures! The banding station uses mist nets hung at a low level and primarily catches small birds, including many warblers. This was great for me, since I have trouble seeing small warblers in the trees at all, let alone finding them in binoculars or a camera lens. After the birds were removed from the netting, Jethro Runco identified them, then ran through a series of measurements which were recorded and will be sent for correlation with other banding stations around the country. Jethro's blog gives a daily update with photos of the birds found. Each bird has its wings and tail measured. Then he blows their feathers around the wishbone to see how much fat has accumulated to help the bird during migration. Some water drops on the back of the head help to determine the skull's ossification, and thus the age of the bird. Then the bird is slipped into a tube to be weighed. Many we saw weighed less than half an ounce. Jethro says they mostly get young birds who haven't made the trip before. They fly east, then when they see the Atlantic Ocean turn south to avoid flying off the end of the world. Kiptopeke is a chance to rest and chow down before making the trip across the Bay. Weather determines how many birds will be banded on a given day. If it's stormy or windy, they all hide until it clears up again. We talked to birders of all ages, including this young fellow who was delighted to hold his first wild bird. Actually, Dick and I were also entranced to hold a small warm creature that weighed next to nothing before returning it to the wild. One older woman was apparently involved in the original banding effort. She cradled a small warbler, and when turned on its back, it lay quietly until she moved her hand around enough that it could tell which way was up and fly away. How can you not squash those little bitty things in your hands, I asked. The space between your index and middle finger is big enough to confine them. The bigger problem is letting them escape before you are ready. I'll have more stories and photos to share soon.

Fog on Little Cat Feet

The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. Carl Sandburg

In the Ohio River Valley, fog can limit itself to hovering over the water only, or covering all the roads until you reach the river itself. Last weekend, only the river was hidden in the fog.

Walking along the bank, I knew the birds were all there, but even the Killdeers were silent and invisible. A fisherman, not to be stopped by a little fog, had built a small campfire along the shore. I doubt he was cold, but the smell of wood smoke added a pioneer touch to the air - the scent of smoke meant that people were nearby, though unseen. The water lapped softly along the muddy bank, and I listened to it without competition from other noises. All my senses seemed to be narrowed, focused to the small area visible in the fog. A jet went overhead, its roar muffled, in another unreachable world from my land of fog. As time passed, the fog lifted slightly, and I could see a little farther along the shore. Had I stood there long enough, the entire bend would have come in to sight. Appearing silently out of the clouds, an Osprey glided to the top branch of a dead tree. When you can't see the water, fishing is pretty useless, so he decided to just take a rest. Of course, my telephoto lens was back in the car, so I took a few photos and crossed my fingers. I doubt the lens would have made much difference. If you didn't know this was an Osprey already, you probably would not recognize it. But what can you do in the fog....

Long Distance Photos

The problem with bird photography at the Falls of the Ohio is the distance involved. The best shore birds are found about half a mile across the river, in the quiet water along a long stretch of the dam's wall. I finally ordered a telephoto lens to go with my camera, and couldn't wait to try it out, even though the day was cloudy and threatening rain all morning. For this distance, I guess it's OK, since these Herons look about the way they look through the scope. I'd need a truck to hold a lens long enough to get close ups from this distance!

I carried the tripod mounted camera down along the path, just to see how sharp I could get closer subjects. My tripod sat in the corner for a long time, and needs another good treatment with WD-40 to make it swivel easier before we go to Chesapeake Bay in a few weeks. Nuthatches can be hard to see with your eye at all, and even harder to find in a camera lens, being little birds that move around a lot. Here's a great shot of the nuthatch in its typical upside down position. Notice how this little guy looks more blue than gray. The nuthatch at my feeder (I didn't know they even ate sunflower seeds) will land on the roof, swing upside down, then hang down to grab a seed and fly away with it. My Panasonic Lumix camera has a monitor that comes out and swivels around from the back of the camera, so I could compose and focus, even when the bird was at an awkward angle for a camera on a tripod to point at. Ah, but it's tough to get old. I have to take my bifocals off to see the monitor clearly at all.

I'll have to take a self-portrait of the Dennis Birdwatchers, decorated with hats, binoculars, spotting scope, tripods and cameras. Dick is using the Olympus point and click camera and has lots of fun working with the digital pictures of his own. Certainly, that camera takes a lot less muscle on vacation. Maybe I'll let him be in charge of carrying the spotting scope on its tripod! Our photography hikes may be shorter than those for just the watching, with all this equipment to cart around. I guess that's a choice you have to make. What is more important, the watching or the photos? If you don't take the camera though, Murphy's Law guarantees you will have a perfect opportunity for the perfect shot.