Lesser Goldfinch

Wouldn't you just hate to be called "lesser"? It seems that most birds are named for famous people (Lewis's Woodpecker, Meriwether Lewis or Clark's Nutcracker, William Clark), for the bird's behavior or location (Eastern Flycatcher) or for physical attributes (Scissor-tailed Flycatcher). Most birds have ended up with beautiful or useful names. But what happened to the Lesser Goldfinch? It's been assigned a rather insulting name simply because of it's size. They weren't interested in being politically corrected when they handed out this bird's name!

The Lesser Goldfinch is indeed small... it is the smallest of the North American goldfinches at 4.5" compared with the slightly larger Lawrence's (nice name) and the American Goldfinch (patriotic name!) at 5".

I observed my first Lesser Goldfinches yesterday -- a male and female -- and found them to be beautiful and fascinating birds. The birds are usually found in the southwestern and interior western states but on rare occasions, Lessers have been found in two areas of Oklahoma: Comanche County is the southwest part of the state, and the panhandle. I was fortunate to join my birding friend Terri Underhill on a quick trip to our friends Kurt & Sharon Meisenzahl's home in Lawton in hopes of seeing a pair that's been hanging out at their backyard feeders. The birds didn't disappoint even with 35+ mph winds! They arrived shortly after we did and I was able to get photos of both the male and female (male is pictured). I'm never really pleased with most of my photos and these are no exception but they are a beginning! We just need to get invited back and I can try for better pictures :-)

And, by the way, another bird that's been stuck with a diminutive name is the Lesser Prairie-Chicken... a bird that is as sought after by birders because it's become so rare as its cousin the Greater Prairie-Chicken. So let's hear it for these marvelous "Lessers"!!

Ice Storm Woes

The ice storm that stayed over Oklahoma for several days finally took the Backyard BirdCams out of service! A downed power line in the neighborhood on Monday evening, mean that power had to be cut to my home and those surrounding me. Thanks to a very generous sister and brother-in-law who have not been affected by a power outtage, I am getting electrical power form a generator... just enough though to keep me warm and online for a few hours a day. I won't be able to power the cameras themselves until full power is restored. The massive power failures are affecting 400,000 homes in Oklahoma so it may be up to 7 days before things return to normal. The birds are still here -- but they don't like the generator in their yard!

Here's hoping to have live BirdCam images very soon!

Thanks for your patience!

Inca Dove joins range expansion

The phenomenal expansion of the Eurasian Collared-Dove across the southern US in the past decade, since its arrival from the Bahamas, has been fascinating to watch. In 2001, we had two at our backyard feeders and the sighting was noteworthy. Today, I easily count 60 collared-doves at the feeders at one time. (Visitors to my BackyardBirdCam.com site have probably seen the doves crowd the feeders.)

Also in 2001, we had a rare visit from a White-winged Dove, another dove making moves to expand its range, although certainly not at the explosive rate of the collared-doves. That dove, a native of south Texas, has expanded into central and western Oklahoma over the past six years, becoming a year-round resident even through the winter months.

Well, there is a third dove species that is making the move northward from Texas into Oklahoma although it is not present in the numbers of the other "range-expanding"doves. It's the small and elegant Inca Dove! (pictured here) Where these doves seem to be present for long periods of time, they appear in sizable groups. In Lawton, Oklahoma, birders report up to 12 Inca Doves at feeders; in Norman (just 30 miles south of Oklahoma City), the Inca has also been seen in large numbers. But they are still a rare sighting in Oklahoma City and most other areas.

I've had brief sightings -- as in gone after 30 seconds -- of Inca Doves in my yard in 2002 and 2004. But the appearance of one Inca this year during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend was very rewarding because the bird stayed for three days. It seemed to fit in with the flock of collared-doves, although it was out-sized and out-numbered! This little bird is only 8.5" while the collared-dove is 13". The Inca is pale gray in color but has dark edging on its feathers which make it look a bit like a rock when it's sitting still, don't you think?

Okie Blog Award!

A belated but very heartfelt thank you to Mike Hermes at Okiedoke.com for the honor of being awarded a 2007 Okie Blog Award for the Best Unusual Blog! The awards have been presented by Mike and an insightful group since 2005. They were gracious and astute (winners always praise the voters) to nominate the BackyardBirdCam Blog and then select it as this year's winner in the "unusual" category.

As many bloggers learn, it's often a challenge to keep a blog from getting stale. And I'm too often guilty of waiting another day... and another day... thinking I'll take just the right picture and be inspired to write the right article -- the result is a huge gap between postings. Not how I want it! So let's see if this award -- and my good intentions -- will help me stay motivated!

Why does mom have to do all the work?

Sometimes it seems that mom simply has to do all the work in making sure that kids eat like they're supposed to! At least that seemed to be the case with this fledgling Barn Swallow and a very dedicated parent. For the last in my "dinner is served" series, I've chosen an example of how dinner is sometimes (literally) "on the fly." This young Barn Swallow sat patiently on the barbed wire fence while the adult flew over the field catching small bugs. The youngster would flap its wings and get really excited when the parent was close -- which gave me a great cue for focusing the camera! There aren't many times when a bird tells me "great shot is coming!"

While many birds will perch to feed a young bird -- even small birds like hummingbirds will perch at the nest to feed the young -- there are some adults that just don't take the time to sit while feeding. The Barn Swallow is an excellent example. I've also observed Scissor-tailed Flycatcher feeding fledglings while staying airborne. Perhaps it's easier for birds like swallows and flycatchers who are more adept at hovering?

I'm grateful this little family allowed me to watch their routine and get a few photos. It's too easy to take a familiar and common bird like the Barn Swallow for granted. But the experience of watching these Barn Swallows interact gave me a wonderful lesson in the beauty, elegance and personality that is the reward of sitting still. I'm very grateful I took the time!

"Grasshopper" -- the main course or the bird?

This little bird is one of the few birds whose name is associated with its diet. And that's why I chose to feature the little Grasshopper Sparrow in my "What's For Dinner" series. Although this bird has a reputation for being quite secretive, I found a dirt road in El Reno, Oklahoma that is home to some very cooperative Grasshopper Sparrows. These birds are one of the smallest sparrows which made it easy to identify the birds while they perched on the barbed wire fence. And they would sit still, allow me to drive next to them and let me take a few pictures! I have to love a bird that is that friendly. And this little one made a dive into a field while I was photographing and popped up on the fence with dinner! Looks like it could be a tasty grasshopper!

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says the Grasshopper Sparrow not only takes its name from its diet but also from it's insect-like song. They are migrants and breed in Oklahoma as well as most states east of the Rocky Mountains. The Date Guide to the Occurrences of Birds in Oklahoma lists their early arrival date as March 27; they depart by November 2.

This species is undergoing declines in population due primarily to habitat loss. The declines are most severe in Florida, where a subspecies is listed as endangered, and along the East Coast. In Oklahoma the bird remains a summer favorite along wheat fields in rural areas -- I've returned to visit the camera-friendly El Reno clan many times!

It's Delivery!

Continuing with the theme that has developed from recent photos, the dinner menu today moves from prey found in the water (the Great Egret) to dinner on the wing. The Eastern Kingbird is one of the most common kingbird across the United States with a range that extends from the Atlantic Coast to the eastern borders of Oregon and Washington. It usually arrives in Oklahoma during early May and is quite common along fences and open areas. My favorite spots for finding Eastern Kingbirds are along fences by golf courses and in wildflowers along the shore of a lake.

Kingbirds are very skilled flycatchers. In Oklahoma, they have the disadvantage of being overshadowed by our state bird, the spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. But these striking black and white birds hold their own when it comes to aerial maneuvers that result in a tasty bug dinner. This Eastern Kingbird had dinner delivered -- it is a fledgling whose only effort was sitting on the cable and waiting for its parent to drop off this translucent-winged bug (I am assuming it was a dragonfly but am not certain). It looked like more than the bird could handle but the young one devoured its dinner in about three gulps.