Bird update 04/25/2012 The 2012 spring migration is underway. So far it's just been yellow-rumped warblers and palm warblers. We also saw norther water thrush and hermit thrush. I'm expecting new birds tomorrow once the winds switch to the S/SW. The migration will peak the second week of May. If you get the chance get out and enjoy it. If your in Ohio you will Want to check out Magee marsh. It's a top 10 spot in Ohio to view the spring migration. If you can go in a week day it's much better as the weekends can be packed. I'll try to keep you posted on what and where I'm spotting the spring jewels as I see them. Great birding and I look forward to hearing from you and what birds your seeing this spring.

Sorry But I'm On Vacation This Week

Sorry for the late post. I'm on vacation this week and I'm spending all my time with my second love flying remote controlled jets. Much like the guys in the picture, I have had my share of close calls. LOL. These days all flights are smooth and really free my mind.

I'll be back to posting the weekly bird this weekend. My sister is coming to town so I'll most likely post the new bird late Saturday evening. The bird of choice will be the rose-breasted grosbeak. I did not reset the poll but will do so when I post this weekend. The American goldfinch will have an advantage as I'll carry over the two votes it received this past week. Hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July and I look forward to getting back to the birds this weekend.

A Day Late But Here's The Blue Jay

Sorry for posting late this week but I had a busy weekend. As you can see from the title and picture the blue jay was voted bird of the week. I'll tally those not chose and add them to next weeks voting. Right now the rose-breasted grosbeak is in the lead.

The blue jay is a larger (12") bright light blue and white bird, with a crest that moves up and down at will and black collar and necklace. They have a white face and gray belly. They have single white wing bars on blue wings. They also have black spots and a white tip on a blue tail. The female looks the same as the male and the juvenile is the same as the adult but more dull in color.

Blue jays build a cup style nest that both male and female construct. The nest consist of twigs, bark, leaves and man made objects. It's then lined with fine rootlets placed in a tree. They have between 1-2 broods per year and lay 4-5 eggs which are green to blue with brown markings. The incubation period last 16-18 days and the female incubates. The fledgling stage is 17-21 days and both parents feed the young. You can always tell if your near a nest because blue jays will not hesitate to sweep down on even humans if your close. I remember getting dive bombed walking to and from school when I was younger.

Their diet consist of insects, fruit, carrion, seeds, nuts and cracked corn. I found that one of their favorites is whole peanuts in the shell. They will come to a feeder, grab the peanut then go work or store it in a tree. During the winter they were very vocal if I did not have peanuts in the feeder. I always put them out the night before and by noon they were letting me know they were out. If you decide to feed them peanuts in the shell, remember to get them with no salt. Salt will kill birds. There was a story on the news a few years ago about a lady finding dead birds in her yard. They come to find out she was feeding them Saltine cracker. So when feeding peanuts of any kind remember NO SALT.

As far as migration is concerned, they are a non-migrator to partial migrator. By partial migrator I mean they will migrate and move around to find abundant food. It took me a couple years to get the blue jays visiting in my back yard. Once they were there I kept them by keeping them happy with peanuts.

Blue jays are a very intelligent bird that is good at problem solving, gathering food and communicating more than other birds. If you have them around I'm sure you've heard their shrill scream like a hawk to scatter birds at a feeder. They have been known to eat eggs or young birds from the nest of other birds. They can also act as an alarm in the woods letting out a loud scream when they spot intruders. I've seen that act to many times while deer hunting. The are also one of a few birds to store food as I mention with the peanuts earlier. A final interesting fact is they don't really have blue pigment, rather refracted sunlight cast a blue light.

If your not getting blue jays in your yard yet you make want to give it a shot. Yes they are noisy and yes they clear birds off a feeder when they want in. But the beauty and color they bring far out ways some of their bad habits. During the winter nothing look better than fresh falling snow and to have both blue jays and cardinals in your back yard at the same time. The blue and red against the white snow is enough to warm anyones cold winter soul.

Until next week keep the birds fed and watered and also to remember to vote in the side poll for next weeks bird. Have a great week.

The Downy Woodpecker

This weeks winner by popular voting is the downy woodpecker. The male to the left was captured by me yesterday enjoying some suet from my suet log. The logs are not very expensive usually $15 to $20 and they sell the plugs at most bird feeding stores. You can also expect chickadees to stop by as well.

A small woodpecker (6") which has an all white belly, black and white spotted wings, a black eye line, short black bill, a white stripe down the back and the male (like the one in the picture) has a red mark on the back of his head. Also you'll notice small black spots along the sides of its white tail. The female looks the same as the male but lack the red spot on the back of its head. Juveniles are the same as the female with the exception that some have a red mark near the forehead.

They are a cavity nester which can be attracted using nesting boxes. If you go to a bird specialty store they do sell nesting boxes for them. I should mention they are the least likely of the woodpeckers to use a nesting box. I found this out after purchasing mine. The box has been up for 3 years now and I've yet to have them nest in it despite the fact I get plenty in my back yard. They do excavate their cavity and both the male and female participate. They have 1 brood per year and lay 3-5 white eggs with no markings. Incubation last 11-12 days and both male and female incubate. (the female during the day and male at night) The fledgling stage is 20-25 days and both parents feed the young.

The downys diet consist of insects, seeds and will visit suet and seed feeders. I've found that any suet which contains peanuts they will like it. Also they like raw peanut half's. Not only do I use a suet log to feed them but I also use an upside down suet feeder. The one in the picture is mine and I purchased it from wild birds unlimited. It's a little more expensive but it's made from recycled plastic and will last forever. The nice thing about it is the grackles and starlings usually never figure it out. The other nice thing is that it is protected from the elements and last much longer with out getting mold on the suet. As far as using it, they use it as much as any other feeder I've used. Also you can purchase a cage type peanut feeder that allows you to place raw peanut half's in and the woodpeckers and chickadees love them.

They are a non migrating bird and you can enjoy them all year. Their habitat includes woods, farmland and suburbs. They are both abundant and wide spread where ever trees are present. Both male and female participate in behavior called drumming. This is loud, continuous and very rapid pecking on branches and hollow logs to announce their territory and attract a mate during the breeding season. When excavating a cavity or pecking for insects, the sound is different as they are light taps in irregular rhythms.

The downy is an easy bird to attract if you live in an area with plenty of trees. They are a joy to watch all year round and you can always count on them during the winter to brighten up your yard. I encourage you to try and attract them to your yard with suet and peanuts and once they arrive you'll be happy you did. I've found them to not spook very easily as many times while filling feeders I'll look around and there they are just a couple of feet away eating.

Remember to vote in the side bar for next weeks bird. Also continue to feed the birds even though it's summer and food is abundant. Birds often bring their young to feeders and the young often return to those feeders with their young in years to come. I hope you enjoyed the post and I'll be back next weekend with a new bird.

Indigo Bunting

No real unusual bird sightings this week. The weather has been extremely hot but the bird activity has been consistent. The humming birds come in all day to lick nectar. Remember if your feeding them to change your nectar more often during hotter weather. I usually change it twice a week and this week I changed it three times.

Now to this weeks bird the indigo bunting. While this is probably not a common bird in most peoples back yard, it is a bird that can be found with a little effort.

As you can see from the picture the male is a deep vibrant blue with scattered dark markings on the wings and tail. It's actually a black bird and does not have any blue pigment at all in its feathers. Like the blue jay, sun is refracted with in the structure of the feathers making them appear blue. When you see one in the sun they really light up and appears iridescent. The male is usually the only indigo noticed as the female is a light brown bird with faint markings. The juveniles are similar to the female.

As far as habitat is concerned, they can be found in brush and low trees near open areas. I usually see them high in tree tops over a stream in a near by park. So the best suggestion is to check with your local bird store or park to see where they can be found in your area.

Their food source includes insects, seeds and fruit. They will visit seed feeders in the spring before insects are available. Normally they forage on the ground and in low foliage for it's food sources.

They construct a cup type nest that the female builds. It's constructed of dead leaves, weed stems, grasses and then lined with finer grasses and downy materials. They will produce two broods a year. They lay 3-4 eggs which are pale blue with no markings. The incubation period last 12-13 days and the female incubates. The fledgling stage is 10-11 days and the female feeds the young.

They are a bird that migrates and it's complete to southern Florida, Mexico Central and South America. They are another bird that migrates at night in flocks of 5-10 birds.

If you have not seen one of these extremely beautiful birds, I strongly recommend getting out while there in your area and try to find one. They are really one of the most beautiful birds you can seek out and is one of my top 5 favorite birds.

Remember to vote in the side bar for next weeks bird. The American Goldfinch already has 2 votes this week and the Downy Woodpecker has 1. Those votes are carry over from last week. Until next week try and stay cool if your in the recent heat wave on the east coast and remember to give the birds some water.

The House Wren

The bird receiving the most votes this week was the house wren. It seems to be the right bird at the right time seeing I opened one of my wren boxes today and found five eggs. The male has been singing back there for three weeks now and I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to attract a female. This will be the second time in the past three years that I'll have baby wrens in the back yard. The male tried for a month last year to attract a female and started a nest in every wren box I had. Unfortunately a female never showed up so it will be nice to have them back this year.

Before I start on the wrens I want to mention that I went looking for the indigo bunting at a local park today and I was lucky enough to spot one with in 20 minutes. If you ever get the chance to watch them in your area I highly recommend you give it a shot. They are one of the most beautiful birds you can see.

As you can see from the picture of the wren I took today on my fence, their a small (5") plump bird with lighter brown markings on the wings and tail. It has a slightly curved bill and faint buffy eyebrows. You can often identify them because if they are on alert or startled they carry their tail cocked up. The female and juvenile look the same as the male.

Their nest is a cavity and can be attracted using nesting boxes. In the spring the male establishes a small breeding territory by singing from exposed perches and putting stick foundations in prospective nest holes. When the female enters the territory, his song becomes very high and he vibrates his wings. Once they pair up the female chooses one of the nest and finishes it by adding a lining of soft material which I've notices includes spider webbing. She will lay between 4-6 eggs that are tan with brown markings. Sources say both male and female incubate while others say the female incubates and the male feeds her during this period. I guess I'll have to pay more attention this week and see what happens. The incubation period is 10-15 days. Once hatched the fledgling stage is 12-15 days. Both male and female feed the young.

As far as food sources go they are insect eaters and forages on the ground and in foliage to find them. I've had good success feeding them meal worms from a tray or lately I've been using a cling on woodpecker feeder that has tubes that I can put the meal worms in. By doing this it helps in keeping out unwanted birds from eating from them.

House wrens are migrators and their migration is complete to southern states and Mexico.

If you have not tried attracting them to your yard you may want to give it a try. They can be aggressive to other hole nesting birds and have even been known to destroy their eggs and young. I've always found them to be very pleasant to have around and their song is wonderful. Also I love their little bullet shape and love their spunky personalities.

Remember to vote for next weeks bird in the side bar. If the bird your interested in is not listed drop me an email at ohiohunter@windstream.net. I'll put it in the voting column and if no one voted or it wins I'll be more than happy to cover it. Until next week I hope you have a wonderful week and that all the birds you're trying to attract show up in your yard.

Chipping Sparrow

Well sticking with the format, the chipping sparrow came out on top this week. Remember to place your vote in the side bar poll for the bird you would like to see covered next. Even if your bird does not have enough votes for this week, I do count the votes for a bird the following week. The Indigo bunting and rose-breasted grosbeak each have one vote this week being applied from people who voted for them last week.

Before starting this weeks bird I want to update you on the birds of interest in my back yard this past week. There were two events that were pretty cool. I thought my black-capped chickadee's left the nesting box for another nesting site. Well I quit paying attention to the box and noticed increased activity again a couple of weeks back. This week I noticed 2 chickadee's going in and out of the box and I noticed one taking small worms back each time. I assumed it was the male feeding the female as she sat on eggs. I waited until yesterday and decided to open the box and check the condition off the eggs. Much to my surprise there was 4 little chickadee's in the nest with full feathers. Two of them flew out really fast. I closed the box and chased them down. Both were returned to the nest and mom was right back in the box taking head count and making sure all was well. I watched her and dad feeding them all day today and I always see a little head looking out the box waiting for food. If I had to guess I think they'll be out of the box and on their own sometime this week. It was really cool to hold the 2 babies. They have the full colors but are about a third of the size as a full chickadee.

I also had a magnolia warbler visit the yard yesterday. I was in the back yard washing and refilling hummingbird feeders when I noticed it in a branch above my head. The color on him was spectacular and he stayed around for about 10 minutes bouncing between the tree and bushes. I would like to see what really visits the yard while I'm not home. I work a mid-day shift so I really do not get a chance to see many birds except on the weekends. Oh well I'm fortunate to get allot of birds so I always stand a chance of seeing something different. But now to the chippy.

The chipping sparrow is a common garden or yard bird that can often be seen feeding on dropped seeds beneath feeders. Its diet consist of insects and seeds and I have found that white millet in a ground feeder really draws them in. As a matter of fact the chipping sparrow is one of my favorite birds during the summer and a main reason I keep a ground feeder filled with the white millet. If you do invest in a ground feeder I recommend getting one that is covered if you live in a place where rain and snow is common, if not you'll be throwing away seed after every rain and also the seeds start sprouting.

As you can see from the picture they are a small (5") gray brown sparrow with a clear gray breast, rusty crown and white eyebrows. They have a black eye line and thin gray to black bill. The wings have two faint wing bars. The female is the same as the male and the juvenile is similar to the adult except it has a streaked breast and lacks the rusty crown. The name comes from the males slow "chip" call. Often you'll hear people just refer to them as a chippy.

They use a cup style nest that the female builds and is usually placed in low dense shrubs and is almost always lined with animal hair. They will usually produce 2 broods per year. They lay between 3-5 eggs that are blue green with brown markings. The incubation period is 11-14 days and the female incubates. Once hatched the fledgling stage last 10-12 days and both parents feed the young.

They do migrate for winter and their migration is complete to southern states, Mexico and Central America. Also they migrate at night in flocks of 20-30 birds. You can often see them gathering in large family groups to feed in preparation for migrating.

To sum them up they are a wonderful little bird that is really one of the better looking sparrows. They are easy to attract and really need no special feeders to attract them. If you feed birds in your yard just look on the ground below feeders and your likely to see one. They can be very unafraid of humans allowing you to approach closely before they fly away. The next time your watching birds in your yard keep an eye on the ground for these wonderful little birds.

The Baltimore Oriole

Finally managed to attract a Baltimore Oriole to the yard this year after three years of trying. As you can see from the picture I was also lucky enough for it to be a male. Unfortunately there was no female so he did not stick around longer than a day, but it was a great day.

I saved the votes from the previous week and the oriole came out on top with three vote. The 2 votes that the chipping sparrow received will be added to next weeks total.

I was under the impression that you would need an open area near some woods in order to attract them. I live in a populated urban area and had given up on getting them after not seeing even one in three years. The large number I saw last week while bird watching and talking to a lady who said she lives in an urban area and gets allot of them convinced me to give it another try. I put the orange half's out on Monday and the handsome fellow in the picture showed up on Wednesday.

If you want to try and attract them to your yard, they eat insects fruit and nectar. The bird in the picture would hang from my hummingbird feeders and drink away. They sell oriole feeders at bird stores and even Wal-Mart. The nectar is also sold only colored orange. You can just use the recipe I put up on the side bar and it will work as well. The best feeder I've found looks just like a feeder for a hummingbirds with some added features. It has a flat tray which holds nectar. The top has dimples where you can put grape jelly. (they also love grape jelly) and the hanger that screws into it is pointed so you can add an orange half as well. It truly is an oriole's dream. You can also just put an orange half on a fence, tree or post as I did, if you have a picnic table out back it will also work, just be aware that the orange half's do attract ants.

The male is easily distinguished from the female. He is a bright flaming orange with a black head and black extending down the nape of the neck on to his back. He also has black wings with white and orange wing bars. He has an orange tail with black streaks and has a grey bill and dark eyes. The female is a pale yellow with orange tones, grey brown wings, white wing bars and dark eyes. The juveniles look the same as the female.

The oriole is a bird that does migrate. It's migration is complete to Mexico, Central American and South America.

It builds a pendulous nest that the female builds. They produce 1 brood per year and lay 4-5 bluish eggs with brown markings. The incubation period is 12-14 days and the female incubates. The fledgling stage is 12-14 days and both parents feed the young.

The oriole has a great song and I've always heard them before I've seen them. Their song is similar to the American robin but just a little different. If your familiar with the sound of a robin and hear something that sounds close but is not quite right, keep your eyes open as there's a chance it's an oriole. Once your familiar with it you'll have no problem identifying when they are around. I've read they often return to the same area each year, so once you have them coming in there's a good chance you'll get them to return next year. I can not say that this is correct as this is my first year getting one, however I will have oranges and grape jelly all over the yard next spring and I'll be able to give my opinion then. They are also some of the last birds to arrive here in Ohio (May) and one of the first to start migrating back out in the fall. (September)

I hope this posting helps motivate you to search out the Baltimore oriole. There are few birds that can match its color and beauty. If your not getting them yet in your yard, check your local bird store or park and see where you'll be able to locate and see one. Once you see your first, you'll have all the motivation you need to try and have them visit your back yard.

I've posted which birds I've spotted visiting my yard this past week in the side bar and will continue to do this weekly. Based upon where you live, it may help you identify where a certain species of bird may be during the migration. Also The vote will be reset for next weeks bird and the chipping sparrow already has a 2 vote lead from last week. Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to sharing more on a different bird next weekend.

Red-Winged Blackbird

Sticking with the wishes of the voting, the red-winged blackbird won by one vote. As promised that will be this weeks topic.

First I want to start by saying that me and my wife went bird watching yesterday. After a trip 90 minutes west, we were at Magee marsh. This is listed as a top spot in the United States to watch the spring migration. The only reason we went was to see a Scarlet Tanager like we saw last year. Well we did not see that but every bird nut in a 100 mile radius was there. So after a few birds we have already seen and fighting the crowd we decided to go to a place that is 7 minutes from our house. Only now it's 97 minutes after the trip west.

Once we got there we were amazed by the number of Orioles we saw. She had to call work before we started and while standing next to her there 25 yards in front of me in a bush was a male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak. We're there 5 minutes and already it beat the other place. She got off the phone and we start a slow walk on a trail through the woods that eventually leads to wet lands. We looked up and one of the Bald Eagles that nest there was soaring high over head. As I watched him my wife pointed into a tree and said "that Cardinal sounds strange." With out even lifting my binoculars I could tell it was the Scarlet Tanager we wanted to see. As many times that we had been to this place we never saw one. He stayed for a while and let us enjoy him on an open branch. We went another 20 yards and there was the female Scarlet Tanager 5 yards away. She did not have a care in the world and stayed there even longer than the male. In order to save time and get to the blackbird I'll finish by saying I saw my first Prothonotary Warbler as well as watched a Sandhill Crane sitting on a nest. She finally stood up and there were the two largest eggs I've ever seen. I'll have to cover the rest of the walk in another post.

I did see plenty of Red-Winged Blackbirds. It amazes me how different the male and female look. The male has its familiar flame red shoulder patch bordered in yellow, the female brown above and heavily streaked below with a buff to white eyebrow. Their song is a dead give away. If your familiar with the bird you know it well, if not try doing a google search for a sound byte of it. It truly is one of the nicest songs during the spring and summer.

The red-winged blackbird is a sure sign of spring when they return to the marshes here in NE Ohio. There have been reports of flocks of up to 100,000 birds. I'm not sure how they came up with that number but it's pretty incredible. The males are the first to return and they defend their territory of 1/8 - 1/4 acre by singing from the tops of surrounding vegetation. I witnessed this several times yesterday. Males repeat their song from the tops of cattails while showing off their red and yellow wing bars. Females will then choose a mate and will usually nest over shallow water in a thick stand of reeds or cattails. They build a cup style nest and usually have 2-3 broods a year. They usually lay 3-4 eggs which are greenish blue with brown markings. The incubation period is 10-12 days (the female incubates) and the fledgling stage is 11-14 days and both parents feed the young.

As for food sources they eat insects and seeds. They will come to feeders alone or in flocks that are filled with either cracked corn or some seed mixes.

As far as the migration is concerned, it's a complete migration to southern states, Mexico and Central America.

I hope this helps those of you that have the right habitat in your are and they visit your yard. They truly are a spectacular bird and one to enjoy during the spring and summer. I'll update the poll for next weeks bird and will start by letting you know that the Baltimore Oriole is up 2 votes already from last weeks poll. My goal is to cover the birds which the readers of this blog most want to see. Thanks for stopping by and I'll have anew post sometime next weekend.

After Some Soul Searching Here's my conclusion

After sitting back a week and deciding what direction I would take concerning the blog, I came up with the following conclusion.

I put up the recommended site meter and the hits are less than impressive, definitely not enough to post more than once a week. I realize I do not make the blog circuit but my life allows little to no time for that. I also realize I'm tapping into a subject that is not as popular as some.

However there are several people expressing their desire to see the blog continue. I've always had the state of mind that if I can help or touch just one person in a positive way then it's worth my time.

With that being said, this is what I came up with. From this date forward I will post on a bird or something relating to birds once a week. The post will be put online either Saturday or Sunday of each week. If for some reason I will not be able to make that time frame I will post on Friday giving the date I'll be posting next. I will still try to keep it in that weeks time frame. If there are any subjects or birds you would like to see a post on simply drop me an email at ohiohunter@windstream.net. I'll also try to keep a poll up asking which bird you would like information on in my next post. The poll will only run from Sunday - Wednesday so I'll have enough time to get the information and post it. If there are no responses I'll pick the topic my self.

I'm going to give this a 3 month trial and see how it goes. If visitors are up and all is going well I'll continue it. If it drops I'll revisit the idea of shutting it down. Thanks to all of you that posted encouragement to keep this up and running. It was heart warming and gave me the boost needed to continue. My next blog will be Saturday or Sunday May 3-4. I'll put up a poll with a list of birds tonight and it will run through Wednesday evening. You should have an idea of what's next based upon the poll. Thanks again for the encouragement and I'll do my best to make the post informative as possible.