Birds and Bugs and Things with Wings
The Canadian goose:
Whatever you think of them, you have to admit they aren’t boring birds.
So grab your binoculars and let’s get started on this wild goose chase! [Read more…]
Chickadees are bouncy, energetic little birds that dart rather nervously from branch-to-branch. This somewhat erratic-looking behavior is perfectly normal for a tiny bird that is viewed as a delicacy for a number of predators, including hawks and owls.
The Black-capped chickadee is the most common and the most plentiful of the seven species. They are non-migratory and spend the entire year from New England to points on the West Coast. Their western range takes them all the way to New Mexico and, in the eastern portion of the country, they’re seen from the Appalachian Mountains south to Georgia.
Neither Canada nor Alaska are left out of the loop since the perky little birds also spend time in the lands of shorter summers. [Read more…]
There are dozens of adjectives to describe the American goldfinch and his British counterpart.
Lively. Cheerful. Perky. Energetic. Animated. Athletic. Bouncy. Take your pick or add more. The goldfinch is wonderful to watch, either in the wild or as a back yard resident.
The goldfinch was originally described in 1758 as a small bird from four to six inches long with a 7.5 to 8.7 inch wingspan.
The beak is small, cone-shaped and a pinkish color. The design of the beak makes it perfect for extracting seeds from flower heads, such as sunflowers.
The American goldfinches are songbirds that go through two molts per year, which is very unusual. The pink beak mentioned above turns bright orange during the molting.
Goldfinches are rather drab in the winter, a dull green/brown with little to no colorful ornamentation. That shifts dramatically in the spring, however, when the male must begin concentrating on attracting a lady. The “men” turn into quick-change artists, donning bright yellow feathers, black and white wings and a black cap. That, combined with its melodious song, is definitely enough to turn the girls’ heads. [Read more…]
Who doesn’t love birds congregating in their yard? Hummingbirds are quite majestic to behold. These quick, agile birds are a member of the Trochilidae family and are the smallest bird species known to man.
On average, they measure only three to five inches, and weigh about two-and-a-half grams. Hummingbirds are marked by their colorful appearance, with varieties appearing in bright blues, greens, and the like. Most notable, though, is the Hummingbird’s great speed. They fan fly at more than thirty-four miles an hour and flap their wings more than fifty times a second. As such, they have a high metabolism, the greatest of any homeothermic animal.
They’re beautiful birds, and to give them a boost (plus attract them to your yard), you’ll need a quality hummingbird feeder to supply them with nutrients when they decide to hang around your property.
So what is the best hummingbird feeder? [Read more…]
Ducks. The name is a general term used to refer to a group of species in the Anatidae family of waterfowl. As you might already know, this family also includes swan and geese, but ducks are unique in some of their characteristics, hence the distinction.
One should not confuse ducks for similar fowl, like loons or coots, although they are all primarily aquatic birds that will normally congregate in salt and freshwater areas.
Ducks are smaller than geese and swan, and while their necks are long, they are nowhere near the immense length of a swan neck. As they are similar to these other water bird varieties, one might also assume that they share some dietary characteristics.
Is this the case, however? Let’s look at where the duck, specifically youngling ducks, turn to for nutrition. In short: what do baby ducks eat? [Read more…]