Ornithology Anthology

Okay, rewind. One weekend last spring I took a whirlwind trip to North Carolina and Idaho for my nephew’s and niece’s graduations, respectively (yes, I realize that NC and ID are nowhere near each other!) While in Idaho, my sister nonchalantly regaled me with her knowledge of the birds in her back “yard” (and by back yard I mean 10 acres of prairie). One day as we were driving into town, she spots a yellow-headed blackbird. We pull up next to it and roll down the window. Here’s how the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s website describes the song emanating from that unique bird:

“…a few musical notes followed by harsh, scratchy
buzzing, like very large, very rusty metal hinges squealing.”

I don’t know if it was my sister’s intent, but I was hooked. Long story short, I get home and immediately check out a few guides and CDs from the Broome County Public Library. In no time flat, I am able to identify about three birds by sight and sound. I then purchase Stan Tekiela’s Birds of New York with the companion CDs. After doing some birding with my pastor/director of one of our junior high camps, Joyce Allen, I invest in inexpensive binoculars. While they do the trick, I can’t even begin to compare them with Joyce’s… One of my first exciting moments with my binoculars was being able following a Northern Flicker scavenging through the trees beyond my driveway.

I resisted the temptation to immediately go out and purchase a bird feeder. Unless there’s snow on the ground, bird feeders around my neck of the woods are what one might refer to as “bear feeders”. Now fast forward to the weekend after Thanksgiving. Relatively certain that any local bears are pretty much settled for their long winter nap, I pay a visit to Wild Birds Unlimited in Johnson City. I return home the proud new owner of a simple window feeder. It was a mild day and I proceed to “install” the feeder on the sliding door in my sunroom. I pour a cupful of the free seed WBU gave me and wait for the first birds to arrive. I then waited some more… and some more… and…

Just when I was about ready to give up all hope of any birds ever coming to feast at my window, the first one arrived. On my way out of the office for lunch the other day, I noticed a blue jay sort of following me as I walked toward the house. Realizing that the feeder was probably too small for it, I decided to be nice and broadcast some of the seed onto the snow-covered lawn to make it easier to retrieve. I continued on inside, made my lunch, and went to enjoy it in my sunroom. As I was walking toward the couch, a sudden movement at my window caught my eye. A few chickadees finally discovered the feeder! I was very excited to say the least.

Yesterday I thought it would be fun to photograph the birds as they visited the feeder. At one point I decided to see how close I could get. It didn’t take long to realize that I could hold my camera flush against the window. Unfortunately, the feeder is below my eye level, but I can see enough of the rear display to point the lens in the semi-correct direction. I look forward to sharing some of my photos and stories with you in the near future. I leave you with this shot:



I just love the sultry look this Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is giving the camera.