It has been 100 years since the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and a threat is on the horizon in the form of an amendment tacked on to HR 4239, the SECURE American Energy Act, that would exempt oil and energy producers from prosecution under the Migratory Act for failing to prevent the killing of birds by reason of energy equipment or infrastructure. Read more at https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/dont-mess-with-the-birds?google_editors_picks=true
The author of the amendment is Liz Cheney, daughter of Dick Cheney. A vote on the full bill including the amendment will be up soon.
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
My first positive sighting of a purple finch. Two things made it stand out from the -- usually -- more common house finches. 1. The color really is like raspberry jam, as the books say. 2. The raspberry color extends onto the feathers of the back instead of stopping at the head or neck.
Even house finches have been rare at my feeders for most of the past 2 years, while they were fairly common before. Don't know why.
Photo is much cropped and adjusted, and doesn't show the coloring of the back well. But this is the bird.
Even house finches have been rare at my feeders for most of the past 2 years, while they were fairly common before. Don't know why.
Photo is much cropped and adjusted, and doesn't show the coloring of the back well. But this is the bird.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
This afternoon I went out to Canyon Lake #6 a/k/a Jim Bartram Lake a/k/a Dunbar Lake. Suffering from sitting disease and metabolic syndrome, having gone from a reasonably active and healthy 62-year old to a a couch potato 66 -year old, I desperately need exercise. Nice 2.5 mile walk around the lake with binoculars. Here's what I saw.
Lot of double-crested cormorants, some unidentified gulls, passed near one great blue heron up in a tree -- never got anywhere that near to one without it flapping it's wings and taking off to parts unknown -- and darn it, I did not have a camera.
Loads of red wing blackbirds but as is often the case I did not see a single female; presumably the females were down in the reeds. A small flock of juncos, slate-gray, dark eyed variety, and some kind of dark sparrow near them.
Canada geese and some smaller geese that may have been cacking geese; I am not up enough on the differences to say for sure.
Northern shoveler ducks, positive ID, and a first for my life list. Coots. Some other ducks I didn't see enough to ID.
In bushes near MLK there was a shy yellowish bird with a tiny "cheek, cheek" song that might be the same one that has haunted me for two years that I thought might be a yellowbreasted chat or nashville warbler. Saw it in the bush but only as greenish-yellow and some kind of pattern on the folded wings.
Thinking they were burrowing owls over near a patch of prairie dogs, I glassed then startled several hunkered down birds that turned out to be western meadowlarks.
That's all I can remember for now.
Lot of double-crested cormorants, some unidentified gulls, passed near one great blue heron up in a tree -- never got anywhere that near to one without it flapping it's wings and taking off to parts unknown -- and darn it, I did not have a camera.
Loads of red wing blackbirds but as is often the case I did not see a single female; presumably the females were down in the reeds. A small flock of juncos, slate-gray, dark eyed variety, and some kind of dark sparrow near them.
Canada geese and some smaller geese that may have been cacking geese; I am not up enough on the differences to say for sure.
Northern shoveler ducks, positive ID, and a first for my life list. Coots. Some other ducks I didn't see enough to ID.
In bushes near MLK there was a shy yellowish bird with a tiny "cheek, cheek" song that might be the same one that has haunted me for two years that I thought might be a yellowbreasted chat or nashville warbler. Saw it in the bush but only as greenish-yellow and some kind of pattern on the folded wings.
Thinking they were burrowing owls over near a patch of prairie dogs, I glassed then startled several hunkered down birds that turned out to be western meadowlarks.
That's all I can remember for now.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Misc. Bird Stuff
Great Backyard Bird Count begins Feb 16, and I am ramping up for it. Not that I do more than guesstimate how many house sparrows and white-wing and eurasian collared doves I see from the general boil around feeders.
I exaggerate. There are the curve-bill thrashers, mockingbird, and blue jays plus the starling or two nearby and passing grackles. Also known as "the regulars."
Who knows? There might be a surprise of two if I look carefully.
This morning was the first I've seen of a starling coming to the platform watering pan. Messy drinker, splashed itself and the environs while drinking. But this is a warm day after a mild night, and the nearest standing water is at the stream in the canyon a mile away. A black bird is likely feeling the heat after 9 a.m. But then why aren't the grackles coming for water? Rare when they do.
Yesterday I dropped by the arboretum at Clapp Park for a look-see. Pair of kildeer in the pathways east of the G&A center. Some fast-moving sparrows I couldn't get a look at. A streaked bird high in the evergreens, and some largish dark colored sparrows that might have been field sparrows or fox sparrows. The latter I watched from the car while they took a sand bath in leaves near the fence and had plenty of time to make an ID but I didn't have a a bird book with me and with my poor short term memory have trouble remembering salient details.
I exaggerate. There are the curve-bill thrashers, mockingbird, and blue jays plus the starling or two nearby and passing grackles. Also known as "the regulars."
Who knows? There might be a surprise of two if I look carefully.
This morning was the first I've seen of a starling coming to the platform watering pan. Messy drinker, splashed itself and the environs while drinking. But this is a warm day after a mild night, and the nearest standing water is at the stream in the canyon a mile away. A black bird is likely feeling the heat after 9 a.m. But then why aren't the grackles coming for water? Rare when they do.
Yesterday I dropped by the arboretum at Clapp Park for a look-see. Pair of kildeer in the pathways east of the G&A center. Some fast-moving sparrows I couldn't get a look at. A streaked bird high in the evergreens, and some largish dark colored sparrows that might have been field sparrows or fox sparrows. The latter I watched from the car while they took a sand bath in leaves near the fence and had plenty of time to make an ID but I didn't have a a bird book with me and with my poor short term memory have trouble remembering salient details.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Raptor Downtown!
Briefly this morning there was a large raptor perching near the top of the microwave tower in downtown Lubbock.
It soared off at 11:07 a.m. Broad wings.
I first saw it when adjusting my 10X42 Prostaffs (I often use that tower to adjust the diopter to fit my right [bad] eye), then ran to get the 12X50 Aculons and confirmed it was a bird and not a piece of trash that had lodged on the tower. Took a couple of photos then went for my 16X50 Bushnell binoculars.
As I got the 16s focused, the bird soared off the tower. Thought for a minute it was an eagle the wings looked so broad, but I am not sure of the size of the bird.
Mourning Dove
First sighting of a mourning dove at my feeding places since I started ID'ing what came to eat in late summer 2015.
Was on the ground, pecking at seeds in the short grass. Aggressive, chased away larger white wing doves, bristled but did not chase away a very large eurasian collared dove.
Was on the ground, pecking at seeds in the short grass. Aggressive, chased away larger white wing doves, bristled but did not chase away a very large eurasian collared dove.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Female Ladderback
Female Ladderback Woodpecker. Males have red on the head, this one is black & white.
Was on my front porch before noon today watching a cardinal approach for a feed, then heard a chirp high up on the side of the house, and searched the trees and saw this little bird.
Couple of times in past years I heard tapping. Once I circled the trees (which were in leaf it being summer) and never saw the woodpecker. Another time near this location I saw the bird after hearing the tapping but it flew before I got my camera. Easiest to see woodpeckers in winter. I did not hear a loud tapping today, likely because this bird was pecking on new soft growth.
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