The Magnifying Glass

Summer Nature

Summer is finally in full swing in these parts... way up here in Nova Scotia we get a bit of a late start.

We found this nest today and think this is the nest of a red eyed vireo... a bird experts feed back is welcome.

These eggs found yesterday on eel grass out in the bay are a mystery... anyone know?

No mystery here... a green snake.

One of the five native snake species living in Nova Scotia. Thank goodness none are venomous.

The blue jays and crows love our big cottonwood trees in the front yard. We have been finding their feathers standing straight up in the grass lately. A fun treat from the birds.

Frogs in all stages of froghood are in the pond... from eggs to the big bull frogs. After their very short captivity we think these three will be much wiser when predators are in the midst of the pond.

We would love to see and hear about the nature you have been observing this summer. Please do tell!

~Dawn

 

Proof

Spring arrived, and Delilah spotted new nests every day. She discovered them in tree branches and corners under the porch cover. She even found one in the hold of the barn wall. The birds crafted their nests from bits of twigs, dead grass, corn husks, and Delilah’s hair. She loved seeing her red strands woven in with all the other textures. She always believed she was a part of nature. This was proof of it (p.6).

 

From The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt

Dike Walk

Whenever we visit my parents, we spend our days outside hiking the countryside. They live near Puget Sound, and the landscape varies here to an astonishing degree.

 

 

The other day, it was just three of us, my dad, my son, and me. We chose a trail atop a dike in the flat muddy land near Padilla Bay. The dikes are earthen walls intended to keep the water from constantly flooding the surrounding farmland as the tide goes in and out. Although the land was picturesque in its own way, I held out little hope for spotting interesting wildlife. But of course I brought the camera--you never know.

 

 

The trail was winding (my favorite kind) and around a bend we spotted our first of several Great Blue Herons. This one actually flew in a little closer and we watched him quietly for a very long time.

 

 

 

We followed the ditch for nearly a mile, and we noticed that there were quite a few ducks in the water. From a distance, they appeared to be common mallards, and rather drab, but on closer inspection they turned out to be Green-winged Teals (male and female). A second pair of ducks proved to be Gadwalls.

   
Male Green-winged Teal                            Female Green-winged Teal
 
 
 
Male and Female Gadwall Ducks

The more time we spent walking, the more we became aware of various kinds of tiny birds sitting in the hedges and poking about in the mud. We believe these birds are Western Sandpipers, although there are several species of sandpipers that are almost indistinguishable.

 

 

We also spotted a number of White-crowned Sparrows. My father found them unremarkable but I had never seen them before.

 

The wind picked up and my son's little legs started to give out, so we turned back to the car. Just before we departed, we spotted a bit of a row in the sky as a bird (no doubt guarding a nest) determinedly charged a large bird of prey until the intruder wheeled off. We thought it might be a hawk, but using binoculars we discovered it was none other than a bald eagle.

"Bird chases off bald eagle"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

 

We don't see such fascinating sights every day, but as time goes by I start to think that we make our own luck. If you get out as often as possible, you just never know what you might see. And bring your binoculars!

 

 

I must share that I was fortunate enough to identify these birds using a fabulous book my father owns--National Audobon Society's The Sibley Guide to Birds. Even more fascinating (a book we may have to own ourselves some day) is National Audobon Society's The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. From the latter book I was reminded, for example, that water birds hatch with feathers and the ability to feed themselves right away; nesting birds are born without wings and rely exclusively on their parents for food until they learn how to fly.

 

If you are out and about, be sure to share your experiences in the comments of a post, link to your own nature walks you blog about, and post your photographs on the TMG flickr pool.

~Nancy

Pale Male: Revisited.

 

    I had originally planned to share a new book with you this week, but I got a little sidetracked by a delightful discovery.

     I don't know how many of you remember my review of Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City from last spring, but suffice it to say, it is a big favorite around our house.  So, of course, we were more than excited to discover that the Urban Hawks blog has been closely following the movements and activities of the Pale Male as he goes about his springtime business in New York.  

    The blog is also following a number of other hawks in the area, and there are some really great pictures of all of them.  It's especially fun to see real pictures of the bird that has become such a mythical character in our house; Mariam has been very interested in the fate of Pale Male since first hearing his story and was pretty much beside herself at the idea that she could see things like recent pictures and video.  So, a few links:

- The New York Times has a live-stream camera set up where you can view the nesting (and now egg-sitting) activities of a pair of hawks who have taken up residence atop the library at NYU.

- The Urban Hawks blog is here.  A word of caution for those of you with younger children: many of the activities photographed in recent days have been very, um, spring-like.  Depending on what your little people know about how animals make other animals, you might want to specifically pick the eating and flying posts to share. 

- Speaking of eating, here is a post showing Pale Male having a meal.  There is a video as well as some good close-up shots that show what the bird really looks like. 

 

--- Annie

 

Bird Week Giveaway Winner! + Share Your Tallies

Thank you to those families who joined us for Bird Week and posted their tallies to enter the giveaway!  Our winner, selected via random number generator, was Kelly, who homeschools her kids (in the UK, I believe), and blogs at We Are Here and Wildhood.  Kelly, I'll be contacting you via the e-mail you provided to us to get your mailing address.

Here is Kelly's family's bird count, with her notes:

Great Tit sightings :: 24 no idea who is who, as they all bundle into the garden in a noisy heap!
Blackbird - two juveniles and a male adult
Wood pidgeon
Pair Robin
Male Magpies x3 - Often sighted annoying the pidgeons, quite possibly just for sport as I can't see any other reason to fly straight at a roosting pidgeon!
Great Gulls - 6 in the air, have never seen them on the ground.
house sparrows - approx 8 although they never stay still long enough to be accurately counted!
Blue tit - 2 visiting each day.

Congrats to Kelly and thanks again to all the families who joined us--we will continue to have giveaways throughout the year so we hope you come back and participate in those. 

 

* * * * * * * *

For anyone who participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count who didn't enter the giveaway, but would like to post their tallies, feel free to do so in the comments to this post! We would love to hear them.

I'll share our family's count from our "best" day.  Sadly, when the home behind us was sold recently, they chopped our very dense evergreens back, and the birds haven't returned in the numbers we're used to:

2 mourning doves
3 black crows
2 blue jays

 

And, just for fun, I thought I'd share my father-in-law's count--he loves bird-watching and lives in a very rural part of Virginia, near the water.  I took this photo of his bird-feeders--you can see that the goldfinches stay on all winter and even sit at the feeders during a raging snowstorm with the wind whipping the feeders around!

All of these were spotted from his porch during the bird count weekend and reported as part of the official Great Backyard Bird Count tally.

a "gazzillion"--but officially--18 goldfinches (naturally!)
2 house finches
3 mourning doves
5 black crows
1 mature bald eagle
1 immature bald eagle
1 turkey vulture
6 mute swans
14 Canadian geese
4 bufflehead ducks
3 herring gulls
and 1 eastern bluebird--just after they put up their new bluebird house--so he was very excited.

Again, whether you saw 1 bird or 50, please feel free to share your tallies in the comments to this post. The Bird Week giveaway is closed, of course, but we're still curious to hear about your bird counts.

 ~ Nancy

The Dino-Bird Debate

Today is the last day of The Great Backyard Bird Count. We hope you have had the chance to get out and spend some time with your local feathered friends. Don't forget to report your numbers on the giveaway post for a chance to win the wonderful poster by Charley Harper.

We have had some fun encounters here is our own backyard with blue jays, chickadees and woodpeckers, along with a few other frequently spotted locals. The most exciting moment was a brief visit from a small hawk. I don't think the regular avian crowd would call in exciting. It was much more terrifying for them.

It was business as usual at the feeder and in the forest, chickadees chasing the juncos, gold finches darting about, the woodpeckers hopping around the trees trucks pecking away, the jays chattering high in the trees, when all of a sudden everything went quiet and everyone disappeared or froze. In the very next moment the doves, who I had not even spotted in the apple tree, went fluttering away and in flew a sharp shinned hawk. Silently it flew through the yard and landed just beyond the tree with the feeder. A poor little chickadee was frozen on the feeder perch. Sitting long enough for me to take note of it's features the hawk took flight and departed just as quietly as it had arrived. The wee chickadee on the feeder must have remained there for another ten minutes after the hawk vacated the yard. It took much longer for everyone to come out of hiding and for life at the feeder to resume. 

I imagine that the fear that hawk instilled in the feeder crowd is the same fear any other meat eater instills in potential prey. 

This encounter made me think about birds of prey. Which led me to thinking about our recent visit with a great predator of the past (to read more about the T-rex predator or scavenger debate click here.)

And of course this train of thought led me to the relationship between dinosaurs and birds. So there you have it... that is how my mind works!

It is amazing that the debate about the relationship between dinosaurs and birds has been going on since Thomas Huxley first suggested that birds evolved directly from dinosaurs in 1869. In 1861 a fossil called Archaeopteryx was found in Germany. The fossil had clearly visible feathers and wings but also had teeth and a tail that looked like a reptile. This fossil find and his own fossil and bird bone observations led Huxley to the conclude that there was a relationship between dinosaurs and birds.

Of course Huxley's suggestion led to a divide in the scientific community. The theory came in and out of favor over the years. If you are really interested in learning more about the history and theories Dr. Paul Willis wrote an informative article about about the debate. 

Most of the speculation has been based on comparing bone structure. The similarities are many (some count up to 85 according to Willis' article) but include hollow bones, similar anklebones and fused collarbones (called the furcula or wishbone.) In 2008 scientist who were studying a protein they said was recovered from T-rex bones claim that their "finding is the first molecular evidence that birds, not lizards or other reptiles, are the closest living relatives of dinosaurs..." Of course there are still skeptics out there.  

While the scientists are sorting it all out you decide. 

Is this guy related to T-Rex?

We would love to hear what you think!

~Dawn

A (Very Surprising) Backyard Bird

The Great Backyard Bird Count has started—and we hope you’re participating! It only takes 15 minutes. Join in, keep your tally handy and come back Tuesday through Thursday and tell us the birds you saw. You'll get a chance to win a lovely Charley Harper poster in our giveaway. International families welcome to join, no need to have a blog. Read more about the giveaway here.

Our backyard birds are very beautiful. On a typical spring day, we see glorious red cardinals and charming chickadees. A pair of blue jays give fierce chase as another bird flies too close. From the tree tops, mockingbirds sing exquisitely.

Most birds that we see near our home, while fascinating in their own right, are hardly ‘rare.’ So we were very, very surprised—as were all our friends—to discover a pair of bald eagles nesting just half a mile from here.

Although we live minutes from downtown Washington, D.C., I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. A powerful river, the Potomac, rolls past this city, and in recent years the river has made a bit of a comeback (cleaner, more full of fish). Here the river is quite wide, with steep banks lined with tall trees (tulip poplars and sycamores) perfect for a large bird of prey thinking about starting a family.

And so they have. This nest isn't new—it's likely several years old—and for the past few weeks, a pair of bald eagles have been spotted adding to it. We heard about the nest from a dear friend and fellow nature-lover. Since that day, we’ve taken several family walks to see these impressive birds.

Typical of bald eagles, the mama and papa take turns at the nest. We can’t be sure, but it seems likely there are eggs they’re guarding and keeping warm. Other times, both birds leave the nest for extended periods, sitting on large branches nearby, staring out over the water.

Perhaps the most remarkable part is that their stand of trees is in the median of a very busy highway. Thousands of cars roar past daily as commuters travel to and fro. Overhead, commercial jets fly past about every 10 minutes. Peaceful and bucolic, this is not.

There is more than a bit or irony, sharing our bald eagle sightings in honor of the return of backyard birds.  But this nest lies next to a neighborhood—people pass by, walking their dogs or taking their morning jog, day after day.  When I stop and ask someone on the trail if they’ve been watching the eagles, as often as not, they say they’ve never seen the massive nest nor spied the pair of huge birds.

I’ve pondered what we’ve learned from our visits to the nest. If someone asked, I’d say, nature isn’t always this showy. Much of its beauty is far more obscure. The very best place for families to start appreciating the outdoors is with the tiny ant, the glimmering web, or the flitting of the backyard wren.

Our eyes are first opened by the small, quiet bits of everday nature. Only then can most of us see the ostentatious when we happen upon it.

For a closer view of other nesting bald eagles, visit these eagle cams:

Norfolk Botanical Gardens Eagle Cam; see also their FAQ page (Thanks to Eren!)

Blackwater Refuge (Cambridge, Maryland) (this one shows the nest both day and night)

~ Nancy

Backyard Birding: Harbingers of Spring

The bulbs are starting to pop their little heads up and you are even beginning to see little buds on the trees.

But it is the birds we are looking for. 

One of my most favorite nature memories is hearing the distinctive honk of the Canada Geese.  Most of the time you can hear them before you see them and I would gaze up at the sky, my hand shadowing my face and look for the telltale V-formation of the flock of geese.  Last week, I couldn't help but smile when I noticed my boys, eyes skyward, straining their necks in search of the geese. 

The birds are the real harbingers of Spring for us!

Here on the Virginia Coast we are situated directly in one of the four main flyaways, or migrating corridors.  We see the geese when they fly South as well as when the begin to head North again.  We began seeing the telltale V formations just last week.

The boys and I watched Fly Away Home during one of our snow days a few weeks back. If you need a flick to support bird week this is a good one.  It is such a great resource for lots of information on geese and how they learn to navigate their route from their parents.  But beware mamas, I don't remember it being so sentimental when I saw it the first time. Have your tissues at the ready!

We spotted the first robin last week.  We've seen a few house sparrows, one of our favorites.  And the first red winged black (and his noisy friends) bird just this morning!

The welcome mat has been laid out for any other birds that might be heading our way.  Seed is in the feeder.  Nesting materials gathered and at the ready.

We haven't spotted our beloved Ospreys yet.  But one good thing about keeping a nature journal is that by looking at our post from last year, it looks like we have another few weeks before they arrive.

But I have to tell you, the bird we just can't stop watching is this little guy...

It is a yellow bellied sapsucker.  We like him for just his name alone.  Ask your kids to say "yellow bellied sap sucker" 5 times fast and watch them giggle.  He is a member of the woodpecker family although he makes holes in the tree not for the insects, but to lick up the sap that runs after he does his work.

Just look at the holes he has made in the trunk of our American Holly Tree!

What birds to you see as harbingers of Spring?

On Backyard Birding.

Before we moved to Vermont, I always thought of backyard birding as a fairly humble enterprise.  My daughter, I think, had similar feelings.  As much as we love a fat little chickadee or a busy sparrow, both of us have always had a fondness for particularly large birds, or those with a little extra flair.  Storks, herons, eagles.  Not your typical backyard feeders.

But, we have both also been long-time followers of the ongoing hunt for the Ivorybill Woodpecker in the Southern United States.  I've read most of the books that have been written on the subject, and Mariam and I have listened to a number of interviews and podcasts about the search.  The result has been a growing love for woodpeckers, both large and small.  However, considering our predilection for the big and fancy birds, the pileated woodpecker (the largest woodpecker after the Ivorybill) quickly became a household favorite and the bird that we most wanted to see in our own yard.  

So of course, the day that he showed up outside the living room window was an exciting one.  Mariam was at school, so I quickly snapped this photo to share with her.  And the experience made me realize that backyard birding can be a completely different experience when you approach it with patience and a watchful eye.  I wasn't out in the yard with binoculars when our woodpecker came to call; I was sitting at the dining room table eating some toast.  But I've become so accustomed to glancing around at the trees in the yard, just in case, that I made a pretty good find.  And that is exactly what I've been trying to teach my girl.  Be observant, take the time to look up.  This has served us well.  We add this pileated woodpecker sighting to a list that includes cardinals, yellow bellied sapsuckers and even a turkey vulture.

All spotted right outside our door.  

--- Annie

Turkey Vultures, Roadrunners, and Hummingbirds: An Interview with Kimberly Hosey

 
Kimberly Hosey's images are hard to get out of your head. She creates them with words and photographs on her blog, Arizona Writer,her flickr page, and in her published work. Those vivid images lodge themselves in your head and prompt you to pause, stare, laugh, gulp, and wonder how she did it. As a writer, photographer, nature nut, wife and mother of David (age 9), Kim somehow juggles it all with quick wit and grace.

When I found out about Bird Week on The Magnifying Glass, Kimberly came to mind. I knew I wanted to highlight her bird photographs, but to be honest, I also wanted to pick her brain and try to learn a bit from her. One of my big frustrations in life is that, although I frequently have a camera around my neck, I rarely have any success in getting photos of birds.  Kim kindly agreed to an interview and in addition to generously sharing her photo tips, Kim shares her favorite birds and thoughts on kids and nature. Please join me in welcoming Kim to The Magnifying Glass.

Welcome to The Magnifying Glass, Kim! Your photographs are stunning, especially the wildlife shots. How did you get started? Do you have any special tips? What sort of camera/camera gear do you use?

Thank you! I only lately have considered myself a photographer. As recently as my son's early years, I didn't even own a camera and had taken about five photographs ever. I finally was given a cheap point-and-shoot in 2003 and it kind of took off from there. I wanted to share the things I was seeing and experiencing. Seeing -- watching, studying, spending time with something -- is really my best tip. In some ways, I've learned more about wildlife in my few years of photography than in all my previous years of study. It's because it takes the same skills to learn about an animal as it does to take a good wildlife photograph: Be still, stick around for a long time, and pay attention.

Beyond that? Get down to the subject's level. Take tons and tons and tons of shots. Shoot just after sunrise and before and leading into sunset. But mostly, just stick around and watch. I'd been propped against a tree trunk for thirty-five mintues before I got my favorite hummingbird shot, and it was SO worth it.

I don't have very fancy gear. My regular gear consists of a Canon Rebel XS 10.1MP digital SLR camera, the kit lens it came with, a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III telephoto lens, and the very occasional gear that I beg, borrow, or rent. About 99 percent of my photos are taken with one of these two lenses. You can do wonders with what you've got, if you make it work for you. That said, I'd dearly love a heavy-duty telephoto or macro lens.

 

In honor of Bird Week at the Magnifying Glass, can you please tell us which birds have recently been visiting your back yard in Arizona? And are you planning on taking part in the Great Back Yard Bird Count?

We've been inundated with hummingbirds! For the past two years now we've had Anna's hummingbirds nesting in our backyard tree, and we've been able to watch the courtship and nesting and, later, watch the young grow each day. They're feisty little birds.

We've also hosted a roadrunner, several red-tailed hawks, mourning doves, white-winged doves, finches, and sparrows. We don't have to travel far to see countless other species. My mom's yard has Gambel's quail and curve-billed thrashers, the park has huge flocks of yellow-headed blackbirds, and the nearby Gilbert Riparian Preserve hosts close to 200 bird species.

I do plan to take part in the Great Back Yard Bird Count this week, and my son wants to participate as well. As if we needed an excuse to go bird watching.

 

 Do you have a favorite bird? Does your son, David, have a favorite bird?

That's a hard one. I particularly love turkey vultures; I'm fascinated with their grace and how they can make utility out of waste, beauty out of garbage. Also, I could spend an entire day just watching the red-tailed hawks and listening to their calls. The rarer sightings are exciting too -- a friend once found me on a hiking trail and dragged me a mile out of the way to see an elf owl. I got to see a broad-billed/violet-crowned hybrid hummingbird at Boyce Thompson Arboetum; that was really exciting.

My son's almost as indecisive. I asked him, and here's his answer: "Oooh. I don't know ..." (silent deliberation for at least five minutes) ... "Maybe a cardinal. They're at the top of my list. Burrowing owls are really neat too. And roadrunners! Put that one for sure. Tell them that a roadrunner let me stand really close."

 

 I first became familiar with your work through your Kids and Nature Flickr group. What prompted you to start that group?

For my master's thesis in writing, I was writing a manuscript on children and nature, using my own experiences with my son as a reference point. I began to share some experiences online. While I found many, many kindred spirits, I also found a moderate contingent of people who would scoff at all but the most postcard-worthy, touristy nature experiences. For example, when my son investigated a snake or held an insect, these people were (and still are, if my e-mails are any indication) horrified. How could I MAKE him do such a thing?

I had to believe that this was the minority opinion, and I started the Flickr group as a way to collect photos from around the world of kids interacting with nature. It's fabulous. Exploration comes naturally to kids. Adults forget; we tend to either ignore nature or demand what it can do for us. Kids just watch. Touch. They love it for what it is. Adults teach a lot, of course -- my son's learned which animals not to touch, for sure -- but we could learn a lot from children.

 

As the proud mama of nature-loving boy, do you have any advice on how to nurture childrens' interests in the natural world?

Join them! That's the biggest one. Nature walks, hikes, photography, and just being outside have been behind every best experience my son, my husband, and I have ever shared. It doesn't always even matter where you go. We pulled off the side of the road one day and found a hidden waterfall after a heavy rain. Just go outside.

Obviously, if you've got an enthusiastic kid who's going to be around animals, make sure they're also knowledgeable and careful. In Arizona, that means knowing which animals are dangerous and how to identify them (black widow spiders, Gila monsters, rattlesnakes, and a few others), and how to behave around any animal, dangerous or not. I always emphasize knowledge and caution, but never fear. He's not afraid of a single animal, but he'll never put himself in unnecessary danger. The same caution goes for outdoor wisdom about hiking, injuries, dehydration, and the like. He's not a Boy Scout, but he's definitely prepared.

Encourage, but don't force it. I can rhapsodize all day long about the hawk overhead, but if my son would rather watch the geese on the ground, I've learned it's best to let him. On one trip to the lake, I tried to get him out of the water to watch a heron. He stubbornly remained in the water, not defiant, just matter-of-fact. In five minutes, water birds were swimming around his submerged shoulders, and bats were swooping within inches of his head. He was overjoyed. Kids know how to appreciate the natural world. We just have to get them there.

 

Can you please share a few of your favorite nature-related posts from your blog?

I wrote a little while ago in praise of turkey vultures with some gorgeous pictures of my favorite turkey vulture. (Doesn't everyone have a favorite turkey vulture?) I really think they're beautiful, seldom-understood birds.

Lately, I've been on a black widow spiders kick. I'm fascinated by them. I discuss my fascination and our project to raise black widow spiderlings, and I cover them a bit here as well; but if you'd like to see a slightly less mature (but funnier) black widow incident, check out the night I wore a hundred black widows. I'm not immune to nature-related misadventures and freak-outs. I just try my best to respect all life.

 

Kim, Thank you for the photo advice, your beautiful images, and your witty words. We'll be eager to see what happens with your Black Widow project.  Happy Bird Week to you and your family in Arizona!

Kim blogs about parenting, nature and more at Arizona Writer. Check out her Flickr stream here. Visit or join the Flickr group "Kids and Nature" here.

---Lucia