Wild Fidalgo

Attention bibliophiles, logophiles, linguaphiles, physisaphiles and especially aviphiles.  I just found a book that may satisfy all of your obsessions in one package. I have always been interested in language and words.  When I was in school, I took an odd little nerdy course called Latin and Greek in Current Use.  It looked at the etymologies of English words derived from the classical languages.  It turned out to be useful studying for a career in health care (bradycardia = slow heart). Some English words have the same etymological meanings, but different connotations.  Examples are synchronous (Greek) and contemporary (Latin).  Once in a while it is possible to deduce the meaning of an unfamiliar word if you know the meaning of its roots.  Ever since I took this course, I have found myself wondering about words and their origins. Now move ahead more than thirty years.  I love exploring the natural world in my neighborhood and bloggin...

Gregarious is a good word to describe Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) .  They like to gather together in groups with their own kind.  This is Cranberry Lake in Deception Pass State Park.  Two years ago, they gathered together here to such an extent, the park had to close the swimming beach.  Too much you-know-what in the water.  After steps were taken (that we probably don't want to know about), the beach was reopened last summer. Several collective nouns are used to described groups of geese like this:  flock, gaggle, blizzard, chevron, knot, plump and string.  I think it depends on whether the geese are flying, swimming or just hanging out together for some of these terms.  For example, a chevron of geese refers to the V-shaped formation they assume while flying.  I have seen blizzards of Snow Geese when 5,000 or 10,000 of them launch into flight.  It is truly a snowstorm. As an experiment, this is the same photograph using...

There's a new BirdCam from Wingscapes called the BirdCam Pro .  It offers several improvements over the BirdCam 2 which it replaces.  Here are some first looks as a brand new one comes out of the packaging. The BirdCam Pro consumer packaging provides a glimpse of the device through a window in the box.  Like the BirdCam 2, it is a motion-activated, point-and-shoot camera with an 8 megapixel sensor.  It can also be set for time-lapse photos.  Mount it pointed at a bird feeder or other target where birds or critters visit to capture their JPEG photos or short AVI videos. The back of the box shows setup examples and features.  The box reveals that the camera has no internal memory like the BirdCam 2, but will accept up to 32 GB SD cards.  The '2' would only accept a 4 GB card.  The box also reveals that this camera is WiFi SD card compatible and will record sound as well as stills and video. The device, manuals and accessories are ...

Golden-crowned Sparrow at Wiley Slough I was on Fir Island last week hiking along the Spur Dike Trail at Wiley Slough .  This is always a good place for bird watching, but it was unusually quiet on this morning.  Sub-freezing temperatures may have been responsible for that. Along the edge of the dike, I did encounter a small group of Golden-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) foraging on the frost-covered ground.  There were five altogether, busily scratching in the grass.  Such a group of Golden-crowneds is called a "reign."  I guess this helps them maintain a regal bearing.  They appeared to be eating seeds and other bits of vegetation.  They also eat shoots, berries, flowers, buds and insects, according to iBird Pro .  In my yard, they are attracted to feeders containing suet or safflower seed. BirdCam Photo, South Fidalgo Island I also caught a Golden-crowned Sparrow at  BirdCam One in my yard last week.  They...

The first day of October and Deception Pass State Park have given me beautiful weather and a first sighting.  In a small grove of Shore Pines at West Beach , I spotted a half dozen tiny birds making a chattering ruckus in the branches.  From their size, I first thought they were wrens.  When I noticed the light gray coloring, I wasn't sure what they were. These fast moving, active little birds were difficult to photograph in the branches, but I managed to get a few shots.  I hoped a couple would turn out to be useful.  When I got home, I identified them as Bushtits ( Psaltriparus minimus ) using iBird Pro's * search function.  This is a handy tool I have used several times. This is an adult female bird in the photos, identified by her light colored eyes.  Males and juveniles have dark eyes.  According to Birdweb, they live in "mixed coniferous and deciduous areas with shrubby growth."  That describes the dune forest at West Be...

I thought I would try something different and use a birdbath as a BirdCam lure.  I got the idea from a recent post by David Lindquist at Cary BirdCam Blog .  I found a little birdbath on sale at Ace.  I thought it would look good in photos.  It also fit nicely within the depth-of-field setting on the BirdCam. When I started reviewing photos, I was taken aback to find this Eastern Gray Squirrel showing up on the first day out.  As some may know, I have been engaged in something just short of hand-to-hand combat with these invasive and  resolute feeder pests . In the end, I would only get three squirrel shots, these two and one that was blurred.  What a relief.  This is in stark contrast to the 1,200 a day I was getting with a suet lure.  As long as he is behaving himself, he will be welcome to come for a drink now and then. My very first customer was actually this Song Sparrow .  They have always been reliable BirdCam vis...

This week I set up a BirdCam for hummingbirds and I am finally getting some decent pictures of the little guys.  These are Rufous Hummingbirds ( Salasphorous rufus ).  I was puzzled why I was only seeing female birds in the photos.  Not a single male has made an appearance so far.  Then I found something interesting at the BirdWeb website regarding Rufous Hummingbird migration: "In June and July, males leave the breeding grounds for higher elevations, from which they will later migrate south. Females and juveniles leave the state from late July through September, with most migrating in August." Apparently, all the male Rufous Hummingbirds have already left the area.  I will keep an eye out to see if I catch any stragglers. On her approach to the feeder, she flashes her tail.  I think it's like lowering the flaps on an airplane to maintain lift while decelerating.  The rufous orange band on her tail differentiates her from our other hummer, A...

Webster's New World Dictionary defines "sabotage" in part as: "Destruction of railroads, bridges, machinery, etc., as by enemy agents or an underground resistance." "The deliberate obstruction of or damage to any cause, movement, activity, effort, etc." This is the current state of affairs at my Birdcam 2 station in the back yard.  The key words in the definition are "enemy agents," "deliberate," and "damage."  In this case, the enemy agents are the non-native Eastern Gray Squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis ): This Birdcam photo shows the suet feeder under attack when it was still relatively undamaged.  For several weeks I had been getting virtually nothing but squirrel photos at the Birdcam from dawn to dusk.  Two entire cakes of suet would be consumed in a single day.  The situation was insufferable.  I took some steps to try to solve the problem.  You can see these in the photos: I used a more robust lat...

Chestnut-backed Chickadee ( Poecile rufescens ) on Dogwood Reconsidering the NWF My yard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.  Their banner, currently in the upper right corner here, has been proudly displayed.  Thanks to information from Kelly Brenner ( @MetroFieldGuide , Google+ ) and Carol Sevilla Brown ( @CB4wildlife , Google+ ) , I have learned that the NWF has apparently entered into a partnership with Scotts Miracle-Gro®.  This is the familiar garden fertilizer and pesticide company and a division of the Big-Ag chemical company ICL.  A firestorm has erupted over this news.  To those of us seeking to create natural, sustainable habitats in our yards, the very idea of this partnership is bewildering, to say the least. While this gets sorted out, those of us in Washington State have an alternative.  The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also has a Backyard Wildlife Sanctuary Program .  I am apply...