Unexpected Benefit

Saturday was the big day! Seven glorious new trees finally were delivered and planted in our yard. For awhile we have been wanting to add trees to our "new housing addition look" landscape, so last weekend we made some decisions and got a red maple (Autumn Blaze), a Winter King Hawthorn, 2 Norway Spruces, 1 White pine and 2 Blue Spruces. Almost immediately after the trees were planted, an exponentially larger number of birds were noticeable. It was wonderul! The back yard had the feel of a park like setting.

Interestingly enough, one of the unexpected benefits to the tree planting turned out to be the dirt. You see, all the birds around us had evidently been dying for places to take dust baths. So, all the fresh turned earth around the newly planted trees provided a dust bath oasis for all the birds in the neighborhood. Sparrows, Finches. Doves, Cardinals - they all were finding their special spot in the dirt and rolling in it over and over again. What a treat to watch these guys. Several of them followed their dust bath with a trip to the water bath for a little wet time afterwards. Watching them enjoy the dirt so much kept us entertained for hours.

If you would like to provide a dust bath for the birds in your yard, here is a nice article on how to do so.

Preparing for Cape Cod

In less than 4 weeks, I'll be heading to Cape Cod and Provincetown Mass for what should be a memorable birthday. My 50th! I wanted to combine some birding opportunities among some gay friendly locale sprinkled with some ocean time for the big event. Mostly, I just need a vacation having not had one since February 2005.

In preparation for the journey, I have been studying shorebirds through the new Shorebird Guide book and also by watching a couple of DVD's at night as I fall asleep. Admittedly, I am weak on shorebird identification, having not spent as much time as I would like birding along the coast, but I am determined to at least make a valiant attempt this time of adding some new species to my life list.

Common Nighthawk

Last night we were treated to a small group of Common Nighthawks soaring over the house in search of insects. I counted a total of 8 of these guys soaring around, but I was having a hard time keeping my eye on them as they would occasionally disappear over the neighbors rooftops and out of my sight line. It seems we always see them in August and September in our area right at dusk, but I hardly ever see them at other times of the year in the neighborhood. Kat and I figured it was the start of their migration since they are thought to be some of the earliest migrants. I love watching them soar and their unmistakable white wing bars are visible even to the naked eye. (But are really beautiful when viewed through the binoculars)

In doing a little research on Nighthawk I found some valuable information regarding them through the Project Nighthawk site. So, be on the lookout for these wonderful creatures on their migration path during the period of August 17th to September 5. Watch the sky during the last two hours of daylight.

Baby Bird Time!

There have been several baby bird sightings at the feeders at our house this year. Last year it seemed the only babies around were cardinals and house sparrows, but this year, a whole cast of babies has been observed.
So far we have seen baby....
House Finches
Cardinals
Carolina Wrens
Ruby throated Hummer
White Breasted Nuthatch
Red Shouldered Hawks (2 being taught to hunt by their parents)
Mourning Dove
House Sparrows
And more to come.......!