Wild Fidalgo

The Black-headed Grosbeak ( Pheucticus melanocephalus ) in the Cardinal family is one of our summer birds.  They breed in all of the western U.S. states and southern British Columbia, but spend their winters in Mexico.  Males are handsome devils, with orange breast and neck, black mask and a tortoise shell pattern on the wings and back. Melanocephalus  literally means "black headed" in Greek, but this refers specifically to the male's coloring.  Female and juvenile Black-headed Grosbeaks have paler buff undersides and white eyebrow stripes.  A thick bill is designed for cracking open seeds. They also like insects, spiders, fruits and berries.  They are one of the few birds that can feed on the Monarch Butterfly in their Mexican wintering grounds.  Monarchs accumulate noxious chemicals in their bodies from their milkweed diet that most birds avoid. Locally, these birds can be attracted to feeders with suet, safflower seed, apple slic...

Dies caniculares , the dog days of summer have provided warm, sultry temperatures to South Fidalgo Island.  After a week of hot weather, the weekend brought overcast skies and a cool down.  Activity at the two BirdCam stations brings the usual late summer pattern.  A lot of juveniles are making their debuts while summer and year-around residents are looking a bit past their prime.  In the morning twilight, an oregonus Spotted Towhee male enjoys some suet for breakfast at BirdCam Two.  In early morning and evening, I would hear calls that resembled a coach's whistle  coming from the trees.  I finally figured out it was one of the Spotted Towhee's vocalizations. A group of Chestnut-backed Chickadees is called a banditry.  These little guys are bold and energetic and their visits come with a lot of chatter.  I get dozens of them in the Madrona trees where they forage for spiders and insects. The Black-headed Grosbeak is our only...

My two Birdcam photo stations have been shut down since mid-February.  Recall the problems I was having with Eastern Gray Squirrels and House Finches.  Too much success can be the worst dilemma of all.  I decided to give all bird feeding a cooling down period.  This week, I began setting up my Birdcam stations again.  Station No. 2 now has a brand new woodpecker feeder and I provisioned it with pepper suet .  I have been experimenting with it for a couple of months, and the Gray Squirrels have shunned it totally. I was pleased to catch this photo of a Pileated Woodpecker ( Dryocopus pileatus ) on the first day out.  This is the bird that inspired me to purchase and install a Birdcam in the first place.  This is also my first photo of a female Pileated.  The black mustache and black forehead are the distinguishing marks.  Until now, I had only seen males in the yard.  Yes, friends, I am definitely back in business. The Bl...

Northwestern Crow Before After The Wingscapes BirdCam is a popular tool for birding enthusiasts.  It is a sensor-activated, 8 megapixel digital camera hardened for outdoor use.  It has a fixed f/2.8 aperture with shutter speeds 1/8 to 1/400 of a second.  Set it up aimed at a feeder and see who is visiting your yard when you're not around.  For birds like these clever and perceptive crows, it would be impossible to capture such a relaxed demeanor if there was a person with a camera in the yard. There are many variables involved in producing a great digital photo.  Since they can't all be controlled, the BirdCam sometimes produces hazy, softly focused shots.  If the lighting is less than ideal, photos might be under- or over-exposed.  All is not lost, however, since these problems can often be fixed with a good photo editor.  Click on the 'Before' and 'After' photos here to view them full-sized.  These methods will also work for ...