Sharp-eyed birders spot large flocks of winter waxwings

December was welcomed with a wild wind and rain storm, and mild temperatures. The main activity around our area was centred on the arrival of considerable flocks of Bohemian waxwings attracted by the crab apple trees that are loaded with small, succulent fruit.

Don Wigle found a number of them on the road in the Experimental Farm. There was no spilled grain or other food for them to find and, sadly, some of them had been hit by cars. When he saw them drinking water at the side of the road, he wondered if it was the salt they were after.

Wilson Hum followed 200 to 300 Bohemians in the Fletcher wildlife garden and the Experimental Farm. He saw a female sharp-shinned hawk fly in and grab one and carry it off.

Bohemian waxwings are winter visitors. The cedar ones breed here in the summer. Bohemians are a little larger and greyer. The best distinguishing mark is the russet under tail coverts. They are white in the cedars. Also the Bohemians have more pattern on the wings, a white rectangle, some red "wax" that the cedars may also have, and a thin yellow line running down to the base of the tail. Both species have the noticeable bright yellow band at the end of the tail and the silky plumage.

Tom Skeldey reported 40 Bohemians in Merrickville, in two flocks flying back and forth from the woods to the food.

Poor little Waxwing.

Ottawa Citizen

Stop whining    You could be in 40 degree Orlando 

 

EAST BRUNSWICK — Leeron Tagger was driving on River Road, near the Old Bridge border, recently when he saw what he thought was a bald eagle. The 25-year-old East Brunswick resident, who works as an environmental scientist, took several photos of the bird, which he followed for some distance before watching it pair up with another bald eagle.

“I looked up in the sky and saw two of them circling around high up above the South
River,� Tagger said. “When I first saw the one bird, I was like, "It could be a stray, maybe just a male soaring around for habitat or for a female.' But when I saw two of them, I said, "That's nice to see.' They make long-term partnerships with each other.

“It's possible that they're looking for a nesting habitat, and that's really, really
promising.�

Scott Barnes, senior naturalist at New Jersey Audobon's Sandy Hook Bird Observatory, said bald eagles in New Jersey are not as rare as they used to be. Barnes said the state Division of Fish and Wildlife estimates there are about 70 nesting pairs of bald eagles in New Jersey – up from just one recorded pair during the early- to mid-1970s.

Barnes said the discontinued use of the insecticide DDT as well as a proactive eagle
rearing effort by the state have helped replenish the numbers of our national bird in the Garden State. Most of the bald eagles are concentrated in South Jersey, along the major river systems like the Mullica, Great Egg Harbor and Cohansey.

But Barnes said a place next to the Middlesex County landfill also makes for an ideal
habitat, with the availability of isolated spots for nesting next to plentiful sources of fish and water fowl.

Barnes said bald eagles are also taking a liking to to mid-sized artificial lakes and
reservoirs in New Jersey – such as Farrington Lake in East Brunswick.

Richard Wolfert, chairman of the East Brunswick Environmental Organization, said the nesting pair near the landfill has been well-chronicled, and he suspects there may be another pair at Farrington Lake where he spotted a solitary bald eagle in February.

“I got fabulous shots of a bald eagle right on Farrington Lake – it kept flying in the
same area and landing in the same spot,� said Wolfert, who also feels the discontinued use of DDT has made a big difference.

“The DDT used to thin the eggs of bald eagles, so when the female would nest, many of the eggs would break,� Wolfert said. “So the number of offspring significantly dropped because of DDT.�

“Humans have really helped them come back,� Barnes said. “We were the cause for their major decline but we've also been responsible, in part, for their resurgence.�

Daily Record

Here's one from Carol F. I love it!

Wow, how exciting Deb, thanks for the post. Nice, twins. 

Yup, they are getting hit. Does everyone have a snow day? Beauty sure does. Be careful Rochester, drive carefully.  Yeah, we get flurries, whoop-dee-doo.

Oh yeah, check it out!

Snow has fallen again...maybe more later!

Pics from Dec. 5...no Beauty but pretty lights

Main St. on my way to look for Beauty
Liberty Pole at Main St. and East Ave. They lit it up last night after a parade.

[R for Red-bellied woodpecker]

R for Red-bellied woodpecker. From last Winter. The male and female are frequent visitors to the suet feeder.

A frequent visitor to the suet feeder.

Birdwatchers hiking into a remote area of the Peruvian cloud forest were treated this fall to the sight of one of the rarest birds in the world, the Peruvian Long-whiskered Owlet. Birding groups observed the tiny creature multiple times between Sept. 21 and Nov. 8, according to staff at the Abra Patricia Reserve in northern Peru.

The five-inch-tall owl's scientific name is Xenoglaux loweryi, which means "strange owl."

The owlet was only discovered in 1976, and for 26 years there were no confirmed sightings at all. But eco-tourist birding groups from the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Holland, Costa Rica, and Sweden saw the owlet near the Owlet Ecolodge at the Abra Patricia Reserve multiple times. Reserve rangers discovered a new Owlet territory in July.

The species' habitat has been protected there by American Bird Conservancy and the Peruvian conservation organization Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos.

"We are now starting to understand more about its habits and hopefully in the future more people will be able to see this, one of the ultimate birds for any birder," Sara Lara, International Programs Director for American Bird Conservancy, said in a release.

Seeing the owlets isn't a given. To protect the owlets' habitat and keep them from being disturbed, only six birders at a time are allowed in, accompanied by reserve rangers at all times. If owlets do not respond to taped playback of an owl calling after two attempts, visitors are moved on to a different territory.

The Long-whiskered Owlet is ranked as endangered under the International Union for Conservation of Nature criteria. Its range is believed to be just 73 square miles. High rates of deforestation in the area threaten its remaining habitat.



By Elizabeth Weise Science Fair

Sinterklaas or Saint Nicholas actually lived from 271 to 342. He was born into a very wealthy family, however he tragically lost his parents due to an epidemic and later donated all of his material possessions to the poor to become a priest. Later, he went on to become Archbishop of Myra, now Turkey, and it was during this time that news of his benevolence to sailors, merchants and children spread throughout the lands before settling in the Netherlands during the 12th and 13th centuries where he became the patron saint of Amsterdam. Despite his many a saintly role, today he is mostly remembered for his kindness to children, thus earning him the title of Patron Saint of Children.
According to legend, Sinterklaas lives in Spain throughout most of the year watching over the children of the world to see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. And yes, Sinterklaas is keeping score and making notes in his little red book. Sound familiar?

As the beginning of November approaches, he and his helper Black Pete pack up all the gifts into one giant sack and together with Sinterklaas’ trusty steed, Amerigo or Schimmel as he is known locally, the trio embarks on a steamship headed for one of the port towns in the Netherlands. Each year, a different port town welcomes the arrival of Sinterklaas and his friends with a country-wide celebration and parade.  This year, Sinterklaas arrived in Amsterdam on 15 November marking the official beginning of "Sinterklaas Season."


As the story goes, on the eve of December 5, he flies through the night to deliver his gifts to all of the good boys and girls around the world. With his mighty steed, Amerigo and his little helper, Black Pete, they alight upon the rooftops where Sinterklaas listens at the chimney for sounds of good behavior and then sends Amerigo down the chimney to replace the carrot and straw left in shoes with special gifts.


Today, children leave their shoes by the fireplaces in hopes to receive their gifts from Sinterklaas. Either on the eve or the official day, December 6, everyone finds their packages, some with short poems about the recipient that reveals a little known fact or something humorous and shared with all who are present. It’s all in good fun. Then the day of the feast commences.

Despite the fact that Sinterklaas served many a role throughout the ages, he is thought of less as bishop and more for his generosity and benevolence, as a kind of Godfather whose good will is honored through the traditions of gift giving, feasts and good old fashioned storytelling.

On December 5th Sinterklaas brings the large presents, which are left in large plastic trash-bags (the same ones that will be used to throw away all the broken toys in the coming weeks) on the front porch. Sometimes the parents hire a Sinterklaas from the "Sinterklaascentrale" (an organization providing assistant Sinterklazen) to present the presents. They might even dress up themselves, causing uncomfortable situations when the kids recognize those shoes, wrist watches, rings and glasses mentioned before. "Daddy is a transvestite" is a commonly heard and traumatising remark. The old, wise man utters some very wise words such as "Are there any naughty children here?" and "Have you been a good boy/girl this year?". Upon receiving the respective replies of "noooo!" and "yeees!", Sinterklaas proceeds to explain why that reply is incorrect. Loads of children are traumatised by Sinterklaas every year, especially when they are forced to sit on his lap and sing a Sinterklaas song.

Sinterklaas for grown-ups means a party of giving and receiving gifts, much like on Christmas, but now the presents are called "surprises" (pronounce as "sir-preeze-us"). A surprise is a gift hidden within a product of tinkering, aimed at giving the gift the appearance of something completely different, accompanied by a poem. It serves to embarrass the addressee by reminding him/her of some embarrassing moments in the past year, or to point out a general failure of character in a mocking way. It is the day to get even with anybody for anything, but it is mostly played with family and/or friends. The most cliched surprises are a gift:

   1. in a bucket of *&%* [5];
   2. wrapped in five thousand kilometres of sticky tape; or
   3. which is only an empty box.

A fun tradition, no?

it looks like silly string 

uh yup! 

Lola the take off shot is my very first one. When I looked and saw that I had it I was ecstatic! People driving by must have thought I was nuts standing in the middle of the parking lot yelling and raising my arms in the air all by my lonesome. 

Bird Crazy she acts like she belongs there too! She is the queen of Mercury!! 

MAK...I love that picture of Beauty taking off from Mercury...it is great..
And she looks like she is part of that statue indeed....She really does belong there!!! She is the Queen of Mercury and Rochester 

Let's make Beauty the Princess of Rochester, there is only 1 Queen and that is Mariah!  

More snow