[Ruddy Turnstone]

Ruddy Turnstone

The Ruddy Turnstone breeds on far northern tundras, is highly migratory and may be found on sea shores nearly world wide.  This sighting on Floreana in the Galapagos brought a bit of serendipity.  While I was watching it, a family approached.  The man had been the long time director of an Audubon camp just a few miles from my childhood home in Northern Wisconsin!

Gayle

What a great story!  I love those bizarre "small world" experiences.  Jeane and I were vacationing in New England in October, and while having dinner at a diner in New Hampshire, heard a familiar voice; it was someone Jeane used to work with, also vacationing there!

[R]

In a variation on the "red" theme, R is for Roseate Spoonbill, a beautifully rosy bird, elegant except for the bill which gives him his name.  Note that they fly with their necks outstretched, unlike herons.

I took this photo in Florida, at the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge.  We never saw them close up, only flying overhead.  There are better closeups if you visit the Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseate_Spoonbill

[R]

This is a Ruffed Grouse, taken in Grand Teton National Park.  Luckily a hiker coming the other way on the trail warned us that the bird was there, so we didn't have the heart-stopping experience of flushing it.

I included the first photo to illustrate just how nicely this bird employs camouflage, and I just liked the second photo!

Sorry...I have a lot of R birds, but I'll probably wait until tomorrow to bombard you with more!

This striking guy is a Red-billed Gull (Larus novaehollandiae).  He's a New Zealander who knows how to accessorize...red legs and eye-ring match his bill nicely.

[R]

And here is a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, who was incessantly busy during a Cape May October day.  This one was unusual in that his red crown marking was consistently visible.

[R]

Here are three shots of the Greater Road Runner.

The first two shots were taken in Arizona.  At first I was puzzled by the bird, who was too stocky and compact looking for a Road Runner, until he decided to make tracks, at which point he took on a more classic appearance.

The final shot was taken recently in New Mexico, and looks very Road-Runnerish.

[R]

And these are in honor of the season...Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in a festive mood.

They are both backyard hummingbird shots, slightly modified. 

I guess I'll get the 'R's started with a Red-headed Woodpecker, taken here in Kentucky.  These guys were all over the cypress swamps in Western Kentucky.

[P]

Since Gayle put the idea in my head, I thought I'd add to the collection of plovers with this Black-bellied Plover, who is busy molting out of his breeding plumage.  We took this photo in Rhode Island in August, when this bird was on his way south, presumably, for the winter.

Yay, great story. There are good people out there. Thanks Bobbie!

I know we read an awful lot of bad news on this forum...but I prefer to think that there are far more good people than bad, but bad makes for better news stories.

Here are 2 ideas for suet feeders. You can see inverse feeder as Patty said.

http://ccfa-montreal.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=36&Itemid=19&lang=en

I hope it will help. Nicole

Exactly!  On that first page of your link...top right, is the up-side down feeder that worked well against starlings but not squirrels, and bottom left is the current model I'm using, mostly visited by Downy Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadees, and Carolina Wrens, and NOT squirrels or starlings!  I have a major squirrel problem...very old neighborhood with mature trees, including about four magnificent oaks in the surrounding neighbors' yards.  On Halloween we enjoyed sitting on the front porch looking up at the oak canopy counting the squirrels gathering acorns...we counted up to eight squirrels simultaneously harvesting the two oak trees directly in front of us.

I missed most of the Alphabet Game... can I still play? Ok, I will...

I'm glad you didn't wait for an answer!  You have quite a bit of catching up to do...

Starlings are a major pest in my area - they eat all the suet in no time and viciously peck at any other bird that tries to get a share.  If you get tired of your greedy starlings, you could try what I do and put a baffle on the rope/chain just above the suet cage. Very few starlings seem to be able to fly under it and grab on at the bottom of the cage but woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, and titmice manage just fine. 

Dot in PA

I actually have tried a couple of models of feeders that work for this purpose.  The first was an "upside-down" suet feeder, where the only access to the suet is at the bottom...the birds have to be able to hang on the bottom, which as you said, other birds manage to do, but starlings, not so much.  However, I discovered that squirrels also manage just fine, and were cleaning out my suet very quickly.  The other model that works for both squirrels and starlings is a model that has a cage around the internal suet feeder.  Starlings and squirrels are both too big to fit through the bars on the outer cage.  Unfortunately, so are bigger woodpeckers, but downy woodpeckers do OK.

Ah, that's a much nicer poem about December than the one I put in for November!!  But then again, December is always nicer in my neck of the woods, than November is!

Anne in Toronto

Interesting...November is much nicer here; our fall color doesn't usually peak until the first week of November, so it's usually very pretty.  Even now, on December 3rd, many of the oak trees (and our sweetbay magnolia) are holding onto their leaves.  I hate the dark of the early winter, however...

And... I am sure everyone knows that we must put out water, even in the coldest conditions.

Yes, I have to use a birdbath heater for most of our winter, though it's too soon yet; we're not getting consistent enough freezing temperatures.