A Reader Contribution. Rosie Loves Wild Birds Too!

From Scotland, Margaret Cook writes:

"Am sending you a picture of a coal tit feeding on my hand... I've been in Speyside many times and never seen this before. Taken by Dave Slater. Sometimes the blue tits get brave, and even a crested tit, but mostly it's coal tits. Magic!" 

Coal Tit in Speyside, Scotland. Photo by Dave Slater.

Very sweet photo, thanks! We have similar birds come to our outdoor feeders in Southern Oregon, USA. Ours are Chickadees, and related to Coal Tits. Your photo urged me to check for others on the internet. Hence the one below.

Black-Capped Chickadee by Nadine Cox.
This photo is from Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

Like Coal Tits, our local Chickadees are easier to invite onto our hands than most other wild birds. I've not fed one on my hand yet, but can stand next to our feeder and talk to them as they eat. They're not easily frightened.

I read that Willow Tits are the most closely related to Black-Capped Chickadees. Although called Chickadees in America and Tits in Europe, all varieties of Chickadee and Tits have a relationship to one another, as do those in other parts of the world.

 

You Tube has videos of Chickadee, Coal Tit and Willow Tit songs. Interesting that there are similarities in how they sound, as well as looking much alike, even though often continents apart. 

Aren't all birds amazingly unique and beautiful?

 

Peace & Blessings!

 

Great Egrets and Double-crested Cormorants near Coos Bay, Oregon

Rosie Bird's most recent video. Love the southern Oregon coast.

Peace & Blessings!

FREE FLIGHT, Bird Rescue in Bandon, Oregon, USA

This morning we visited Free Flight, operated by Mary Jane Dueul in Bandon, Oregon. Along with volunteers, she is available to rescue wild birds that are injured or ill.

 

This non-profit organization has operated since 1976 and was incorporated in 1978. Currently, there are eight birds being cared for at Free Flight. Whenever possible, the birds are released back into the wild; however, a few are either unable to fly or imprinted on humans and unable to survive in the wild.

 

 

Feeding, housing and medical care for the birds gets expensive. If you love all birds and want to help, donations can be sent to: Free Flight, 1185 Portland Ave., Bandon, Oregon 97411

 

To schedule a visit, call them at: 541-347-3882. Free Flight is very near the ocean with beautiful views, but bring jackets, it can be windy and cool.

Peace & Blessings.

 

Bald Eagle video of a mother with her young

For my bird loving friends, I want to share this charming video of Bald Eagles in the nest.

I notice that Bald Eagles don't regurgitate food for their young. She's feeding them scraps from her mate's kill.

If you watch closely you'll see a third chick struggling to release himself from the egg shell. Wish the video had gone a little longer, but he does successfully exit the shell as the video ends.

 

 

If we love any birds at all, we tend to love them all. Enjoy.



 Peace & Blessings.

 

Hummingbirds, an Observation on Torpor

Dusk and time to replenish for the night.

You probably already know that hummingbirds survive cold nights by lowering their metabolic rate to conserve energy. This results in a state of torpor that makes them unresponsive. Except that they hold tightly to a branch, they may appear dead. In fact, if found on the ground someone might think they are dead. Don't toss one into a trash receptacle!

It may take up to an hour for a hummingbird to awaken from a state of torpor. But this post isn't to discuss the whys and wherefores for torpor. There are many other sites that cover that topic. This is about hummingbird behavior.

One morning I awoke to see a hummingbird in torpor sitting on our feeding. This had never happened before and I assume he arrived late while migrating, was very hungry and as it grew dark he had no time to search out a safer place to sleep. Although on the north side of our house, this feeder is in a sheltered corner.

The sheltered feeder where a hummer spent the night in torpor.
He slept later than others, but was left undisturbed.

I left the hummer alone, but watched as other hummers awakened and came to the feeder while he continued to remain immobile, unmoving and unaware. All seemed curious about him, but none disturbed him. This amazed me since typically one hummingbird decides a feeder is his and attempts to intimidate and chase away all others. All the visiting birds scrutinized the statue-like bird, but none of them touched or threatened him.

Hummingbird protocol? An unwritten law that you don't disturb a fellow bird during torpor? Probably.

If you want to know more about hummingbird torpor, I found this site enlightening.

A Link to "Lisa's Garden" about hummingbird torpor

Not the best choice in feeders.

Compare these two hummingbird feeders. The one below and to the right has a perch that circles the entire feeder. That is one advantage, but there's more. It also separates so that every bit of it can be cleaned. The one at the left (with birds) does not entirely come apart and it's impossible to get into every area to adequately clean it.





A recommended feeder that unscrews completely to allow
thorough cleaning of every nook and cranny.

Since mold is a problem in our area, a feeder that comes completely apart for thorough cleaning is very important. I recommend only hummingbird feeders that dismantle completely to allow every part to be cleaned between each refilling.

Peace and Blessings.

Birds of Paradise in New Guinea - Amazing Project Trailer

Our Creator doesn't just have a sense of wonder, but also a sense of humor. Is there anything more beautiful and unique than the Diversity of Birds?

 

ENJOY!
 

 

Here is another...it's long, but also very fascinating.

Peace and Blessings.

Peacocks Flying

I received these great photos in an email. I've seen Peacocks in zoo's and parks all my life, but never like this.

 

 

Beautiful.

Peace, Blessings and Merry Christmas.

 

 

Northwest Bird Rescue Sites

I've written about rescuing an injured hummingbird and feeding it for several weeks until it recovered. Rehabilitating a wild bird is very rewarding. There's always a need for more volunteers willing and able to do this. A few more bird rehab centers would be advantageous too.



Hummingbird at right had an injured wing after being rescued
from a cat. She made a full recovery after a few weeks in a
cage, surviving on fresh fuchsia flowers daily and sugar water
(boil  together four parts water to one part sugar and let cool).
We still recognize her when she comes to our feeders.

Cyrano, old man of the sea. A resident
pelican at Free Flight in Bandon, OR.
This is from their photo gallery.

Free Flight is a bird and marine mammal rehabilitation center located in Bandon, Oregon on the south coast. A link to their website is given below.

Free Flight in Bandon, OR

I recently learned of another rescue facility in Oregon. It is Cascade Raptor Center in Eugene, Oregon. Here is their website:

Cascade Raptor Center, Eugene, OR 

I haven't gone there yet, but hope to. If you use your internet search engine, you may find some in your area too. They are wonderful places to visit and support.
 





This Red-tailed Hawk photo is taken from the
Cascade Raptor Center website.



 

Peace and Blessings!

 

 

Wild American Goldfinches

Our backyard feeders. The two at the side hold black oil sunflower seeds which attract a host of different birds. The two long ones hold thistle that attracts a variety of finches.

American Goldfinches at "nyjer" thistle dispensers.
Feeders at outside hold black oil sunflower seed.

The birds shown here are American Goldfinches. They love thistle seeds. Years ago this seed was aptly called niger thistle. In Latin niger means black, but apparently it could be mispronounced like a racial slur. As a result, packages seem to now spell it phonetically as "nyjer" thistle.

Why not just call these seeds black thistle? Better than creating a new spelling for it, but no one asked me. It's very popular with Gold Finches, Siskins, House Finches, and many others.

Male Goldfinches become this beautiful bright yellow in the spring. In the winter they lose the bright yellow and become a tan to olive shade. Females brighten up slightly in the spring, but are never as bright yellow as the males. The amount of black on their heads and outer wings can vary from bird to bird. They are also known as wild canaries because of their color.

American Goldfinches

Happy Spring!

A Swimming Bald Eagle? Yes!

The bald eagle in the video link below actually "swims" on purpose. It's no accident. In the Youtube video he is trying to snatch a nutria out of the water that apparently was shot by someone. It's too heavy to lift, so watch how he acquires it. Click on either link below. Amazing.

Use your BACK button to return to this site.

Swimming Eagle

http://www.youtube.com/embed/87xNpOYOlQ4?rel=0

This is not the bird in the video.

CATS and HUMMINGBIRDS, Hummer Update

Admittedly, this photo is borrowed
from Google. Aren't they pretty?

Yesterday as I replaced a refilled hummingbird feeder, a little Anna's hen lit on it and stared at me. Instead of eating, she seemed to want to communicate something. I'm convinced it's the little hen we rescued last summer, unafraid and grateful.  

This morning, as I looked out our front door (we have a window in it), there was a gray tabby cat at the top of the steps leading onto our deck. More spotted than striped, he is quite a regal looking fellow.

I thought he was begging for food, but later decided he'd been drawn there by the many buzzing hummingbirds. I've seen this cat before. He's one of the strays who sadly lives in the woods. We've caught many of them in our "Have-a-Heart" traps. If they've been sick or injured, we've healed them before moving them to new homes or a shelter. Don't want them catching birds and chipmunks to survive.

He has evaded capture, but this morning he came back for a bowl of canned Friskies mixed grill. He left the Purina cat chow untouched. With a full stomach, maybe he will be less inclined to hunt. If I can win his confidence, perhaps we can catch him and relocate him to a shelter or, better yet, a loving home.

Mei-Ling considers Bourkes just other family members.
Boring, actually. To avoid being scolded,
she will seldom even look at them.

Interestingly, for the first time in her 8 years of life, my black Mei-Ling hissed. I've never heard her do that before. I lifted her up to look out the window at him as he ate, and she let us both know in no uncertain terms that she did not welcome him.

Other times I've brought stray females or kittens indoors, she never hissed at them.

Patches likes to watch the birds sometimes, but she never
threatens them. Admonished to keep her distance,
this is as close as she ever gets, and then only rarely.

In fact, our tiny calico is her best friend and she was a stray we decided to keep. That was because the first day I brought Patches home she walked up to our 75 lb. Malamutt (malamute and lab) and rubbed up against him, purring. He likes cats and apparently this is one dog she decided she should befriend immediately.

Our affectionate Patches is funny. This tiny calico will walk right under the dog, or over him, without any hesitation.

When I started this post, I wanted to comment on the hummingbirds. Our cats understand, "NO BIRDS!" It helps that they live with over 20 parakeets ... 31 at present, counting babies for sale. When they leave the house they are admonished with that command. We see them with mice, voles and moles, but not birds, even with all our feeders.

Wild or stray cats are another matter, however. Cats are meant to be domestic lap pets, not wild. People who release them into forests are not doing them or the wildlife any favors. It's sad. Animals deserve our respect and care, not to be mistreated or abandoned. I'd like to know who is responsible for the lonely cats that have, or are, prowling our woods. 

Peace & Blessings 

Hummingbird Release and Return Visit

We released our little hummingbird hen this morning from our west deck near a sugar water feeder hanging there. She didn't hesitate. She flew off and disappeared very quickly. 

However, at mid afternoon today I was watering potted plants on our south deck and in she flew to the feeder! She landed on the holder and sat there cheeping (or singing?) at me. She was very friendly, and unafraid. My granddaughters asked how I knew it was her. She is still missing a few feathers on her breast, and has some white ones near her tail that are unusual.

It was so much fun to see her again and realize that she is less afraid than the other birds. Although they aren't all that timid either. 

Several people have sent messages about her need for protein as well as sugar water. The special items zoo's use aren't available in our community. We tried offering her small insects, but she didn't seem to want them. If you think about it, people can exist for a long time on bread and water ... not the best of diets, but we survive. Hummers do too. She was in captivity about two weeks and managed to regain her strength and ability to fly while being sustained on sugar water and fuchsia flowers. She is healthy and can find insects now that she's released. 

Time for Release ... and off she flew!

A happy ending to this random act of kindness. 

Happy Monday and many Blessings!

HUMMINGBIRD RECOVERY

The hummingbird hen is doing well. She now lands on a perch...not the one in this photo. She feeds at the flowers and from the sugar water. She doesn't "spin" in the air like she did two days ago. We are going to hold her until Monday and then probably release her in the morning. She is still favoring her left leg and we want to give her another day or two to gain strength.  She's a sweet little thing.

Peace & Blessings.

HUMMER HEN

Our injured hummingbird hen is flying better. Maybe a few more days and she can safely be released. She's able to hover without going in circles and flies up to the fresh fuchsia flowers put in a vase in her cage. As of yesterday, she wasn't doing that. She still prefers the dish of sugar water, but we lifted it up off the floor for her and she seems to like flying to it now. One leg still seems a little weak, but she's stronger than she's been in the past and now flies to a perch. Hurray!

We have visitors this week and next, so blogging time is limited. Hope your summer days are pleasant wherever you are. Ours are lovely.

Blessings to you and yours.

HUMMINGBIRD UPDATE #4...

I tried to release the little hummer hen this morning. Days ago she couldn't fly at all. Now she hovers in the cage pretty well.

Took her to the hummingbird feeder on our west deck and placed her on it. She flew across the deck about 20 feet, awkwardly bumped into the deck handrail before making it over the top. She glided down to the grass below, then lifted off and flew about 12 feet landing in tall grass at the edge of the mowed area. Any farther and she'd have been over an embankment and in forest where I couldn't rescue her.  

Another hummer followed her in her flight off the deck.  A mate, maybe? It hovered over her, while in the tall grass she struggled to fly, but couldn't get airborne again. Sad. I went down the steps and retrieved her. Back in her cage, I put her down in front of the bowl of sugar water and she drank and drank. I think she was saying, "Wow, that was a workout!"

She must need more recovery time. I sincerely hope she regains her ability to fly adequately again. She's much better than she was, but apparently not good enough to survive on her own yet.

May all your bird encounters be happy ones! 

HUMMER DOING WELL

Photos taken this morning of the little Anna's Hummingbird with an injured wing.

She can climb up the side of the cage with her wings going. Can't seem to fly very high or very far though. An outside trip proved that. We're eager to release her, as we have enough indoor birds to care for, but she's not ready. Pray she will be soon!  ;-)

Peace & Blessings.

HUMMINGBIRD UPDATE

Hi All,

Thanks for the comments on the previous post. It's very useful. I moved the little hummer into a larger cage this afternoon. I wanted to add real fuchsia flowers and they wouldn't fit in the little travel cage. Perhaps she can get pollen from them. We have lots of fuchsia's in bloom right now.

I tried offering a fruit fly and a mosquito, but she ignored them. Possibly because they weren't moving any longer. I didn't want them to fly away... Her sugar water is replaced daily.

She seems stronger today than yesterday. Maybe having more room will be a good thing.

In the photo she is laying down, but I'd just moved her into the new cage and she's still unsure about it. She can pull herself up to the low perches. The red lid holds sugar water and the blue one plain water. I had a water bottle on the small cage, but she never went near it. This seemed like a friendlier option. She still has a water bottle on the other end of the cage, however.  

The small cage sat on my kitchen table and she could see the other hummingbirds through the window. Having her there was a bit inconvenient as we're going to have visitors in a few days, so the larger cage is now in the living room. She can hear and see other birds, just not the hummers...

I might return her to the kitchen if she's still with us after all the company leaves. God willing, however, by then she will be flying free! Smile.

INJURED HUMMINGBIRD QUESTION

Hello All,

This little hummer was rescued last night from a cat. Her wing is injured and she can't fly without falling to the ground. She is eating the sugar water mixture we gave her: 4 parts water to 1 part sugar, boiled and cooled. An essential red lid provides it. 

Anna's Hummingbird hen with an injured wing.
She was rescued from under the foot of a cat last night.

Any suggestions on helping her recover? I know they also eat small insects. My husband suggested aphids, but we don't have any. I read that fruit flies are a good source of protein for hummers. Now, where did I toss that banana skin?

We do have very small moths and can probably find a mosquito or two for her, especially since our baby Swallows have all left the bird houses and none are staying close to our home any longer. Wish the parents would decide on a second clutch, but that never seems to happen with Swallows like it does with parakeets.

Although we have several varieties of hummingbirds at our feeders right now, I believe this one is an Anna's hummingbird. This variety doesn't migrate and remains in Oregon all year long. That's a positive in her favor if she never flies again and can't leave ... she won't have an urge to migrate.

The bird's coloration is that of a hen or a very young Anna's hummingbird. Males get their irredescent red throats when they mature. Young male birds look like the hens. I hope this bird is actually a youngster and not a hen who left a nest. She doesn't seem to be afraid of us, a possible sign that she's young, or just used to seeing us around the feeders. They will sometimes land on our hands as we carry the cleaned and refilled feeders back outside.

This morning my husband was the first one into the kitchen where the bird slept last night. He came back to tell me that the hummingbird hadn't made it. That she was dead.

"That's odd," I said. "She didn't seem to have any major injuries, just an injured wing."

"Well, she's laying stiff, and her beak is in the sugar water like she drowned in it." He took my hand and we both went back to the kitchen.

The bird was sitting on her perch, looking sedate and comfortable.

If you haven't heard about "torpor" in hummingbirds, you should know about it. When hummingbirds sleep, they go into a hibernation-like state called torpor (pronounced TOR-per). This is a really deep sleep. They may appear dead, but aren't. So, if you find an unresponsive hummingbird, don't toss it in a garbage can! Leave it alone, even if hanging upside down. However, if it's in danger from a cat or something else, you can move it to a safe place and watch it, releasing it when it wakes up.  

We hope this bird will fully recover and can be released. It's illegal in the U.S. to keep a migratory bird, and just because this one doesn't migrate, they might still want to fine us for having it. If she can't recover enough to fly, perhaps there's a bird rescue facility we can locate, or get a permit for her ...? I'll have to look into it. Unless a bird sanctuary takes her, we may have a resident hummingbird for the duration of her life. I've seen videos of tame hummingbirds, but never one that couldn't fly. It's sad and I hope she fully recovers and can be released. If not, I guess I'll have to think of a name for her. Any suggestions?

Peace to you on this lovely Saturday.

Swallow and Hummingbird Update. They Finally Arrived!

On the Southern Oregon Coast, we finally have our usual number of Hummingbirds and Tree Swallows. They were very late in arriving, and had us worried. It is probably due to the cold, wet weather we've had for so long. It wasn't much of a Spring, and although Summer is supposed to be here, it's still cooler than typical this time of year, with more rain.

Yet, the hummers are emptying our feeders rapidly and Swallows have set up house-keeping in three of our seven bird houses. They have reduced the mosquitoe population to almost none. Bless them! (the birds, not the mosquitoes). Smile.


We also have gorgeous black and orange Grosbeaks at our feeders. They arrived late too.

Bless you and your love of birds.