Blog Archives

BIRDS AND HUMANS

5/29/2017

There are approximately 300 billion birds in the world. There are about 71/2 billion
Humans. That is about 50 birds per person. They are all around us. They flash their beautiful colors and offer a backdrop of melodious song year round. They go about their daily lives busily flying from spot to spot, eating, courting, building houses, having babies and raising their kids. Yet one would have to look very hard to see evidence of their presence. Their nests blend so well with the environment, you have to look very hard to find one. They never destroy or disfigure the landscape to design their communities. Their airports take up little space and they require very short runways for takeoff and landing. Most any perch will do. They provide half of all seed distribution in the world. They elect their leaders with little fuss and follow them with great faith. Consider a V of geese moving from the south U.S. to the arctic. They don’t bother us much in spite of their huge numbers. If conflicts occur, it seems as if we are culpable. An estimated half a million die each year from collisions with our reflective skyscrapers. The major cause of accidents and accidental deaths for raptors, including our majestic Bald Eagle is collisions with vehicles or wind turbines. If conflict occurs in the air like collisions with one of our giant airplanes, we get mad with them, in spite of at least equal right to the space!! The birds are mostly peaceful and never start wars with each other. I have photographed as many as 12 species feeding peacefully side by side on the same food at the same spot at the same time. Climate change is right now having a major negative impact on half of the world bird population in reduced habitat and food, lost nesting sites, seasonal temperature impacts that confuse migratory instincts, and create more competition for breeding sites.

It makes one wonder why God gave US dominion over THEM!!??
To see a tiny fraction of these fascinating creatures, check out the gallery below. Pics were taken over the past couple of years.

SEE GALLERY BELOW. CLICK ON ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE SIDE ARROWS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

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THE PURPLE GALLINULE AT SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

5/21/2017

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I spent a few days recently at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge near Savannah Georgia. Please see my previous journal entry describing this visit with pictures of the many birds seen on that trip. The highlight of my visit was my first encounter with the Purple Gallinule, and I wanted to write a special Journal article in tribute to this relatively rare and beautiful tropical freshwater marsh bird. They can be found in the Refuge wandering around the old canals and impoundments of the rice fields of an earlier time. These reclusive birds are difficult to see, and I was very fortunate to see and photograph several.

The Gallinule is primarily found in the tropics, but does find its way into the lower gulf states. The Savannah Refuge is the most northern area where they are routinely found, although they have been seen as far north as southern Canada.. Their habitat is typically freshwater marsh, preferably with dense floating vegetation such as lily pads. They can be seen walking on top of the vegetation, using their extremely long toes to avoid sinking. They prefer walking to swimming and are shaky fliers. Their bill is triangular like a chicken rather than flat like ducks. Their nests are a bowl of grass on floating mat vegetation. The eggs are creamy white with brown spots. Chicks are black and leave the nest within a day. Juveniles are buffy tan. Their food is seed and small invertebrates.

The striking thing about this bird is its beautiful coloration. Adult males and females are very similar, with the male having slightly more intense hues. Their head and underparts are a deep violet purple, the back is bronzy green. The tail is white, and legs are yellow, and are very visible in flight. The bill is red with a yellow tip, and the forehead shield is a light blue. My first view of the bird I can only describe as stunning. The only thing I can compare to is the Painted Bunting. With all this bright coloration, one would think that they are easily seen, but the bronzy green back blends almost perfectly with the color of the lily pads which they prefer.You can see how they blend with the environment in the photos below. I feel blessed to have seen this bird, another of God’s striking gifts to the world. But we need to do what we can to protect them. Since 1966, the world population has decreased 83%, and they are a species of high concern in the U.S. I hope you can visit this site to enjoy this species. I hope you like the photos below as much as I enjoyed taking them.

SEE GALLERY BELOW. CLICK ON ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE SIDE ARROWS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

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MAY AT THE SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

5/15/2017

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Last week Glyn and I spent five days in Savannah, Georgia. This beautiful old city was founded in 1732 by a group of 114 English colonists led by James Edward Oglethorpe. The historic district is organized by square blocks, a very advanced design for the time, by Oglethorpe.The original charter prohibited slavery, lawyers, Catholics, and hard liquor!! In addition to the interesting history, lowland scenery, and great food, my motivation for visiting here was to explore the renowned birding sites in the area, and especially the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. For a complete description of this site, please see the Main Page for the site here. For full information about this National Refuge see the official U.S. Govn’t site here. I have read many reviews of the birding at this site and have been wanting to visit for several years.

During the week, I was able to spend about 12 hours exploring the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive which is a four mile gravel road that meanders through a portion of the 6000 acres of
managed freshwater impoundments which cover the historical 13 old rice plantations that were once here. Around the Drive, there are many walking trails on the old dikes. I have to say that I was very impressed with this site. There are abundant birds here year round, water fowl in winter, and many other species in other seasons. A total of 327 species have been documented here, including 36 accidentals (birds seen less than 6 times over the past 20 years). There are 20 species of ducks and over 30 species of warblers, as well as the thousands of migrating birds traveling along the Atlantic flyway.. all the known wading birds of the Southeast are here. Some of the special species that nest here (and which I had hoped to see) include the Wood Duck, Purple Gallinule, Bald Eagle, Anhinga, and Swallow-tailed Kite. This is about the most northern site where the Purple Gallinule nests regularly. This beautiful bird is a sight to see in the wild and I am happy to say I saw several and was fortunate to get photos of these reclusive birds. There are a couple of pics of them below, but I will be doing a special journal article on them in the near future, so stay tuned. I did not see the Swallow-tailed Kite. Seven species of warblers nest here including the N. Parula, Yellow-throated, Black& White, Swainson, Prothonotary, Pine, and Prarie.

I was able to see a few new “lifer” species including the Purple Gallinule, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Black-necked Stilt, and Clapper Rail. The Black-bellied Duck is an accidental from the tropics that has been seen here only recently, and I was lucky to see and photograph them. Seeing the Purple Gallinule was a special treat. My first sighting of this bird was startling because of its bright and intense coloration. It reminded me of my first view of the Painted Bunting. I will be doing a special Journal entry on the Purple Gallinule in the next few days.

Other interesting critters seen were a Bobcat (plentiful in the Refuge) and a Raccoon carrying a huge rat in his mouth, presumably to his den. Photos included below. I enjoyed photographing the Least Bittern (see pics below), as they flitted from stalk to stalk fishing for small food in the water, Also fun were the Bobolinks--they only pass through this time of year to feast on the Wild Rice grown here as part of the impoundment management.There were hundreds of them there.

I just cannot speak too highly of this site, not only because of the birds seen, but especially the easy access and the quality of the trails. There are literally miles of trails. This has to be now one of my favorite places to visit along with Huntington Beach State Park near Myrtle Beach, and The Chincoteague Refuge in Virginia.

This was a very nice trip and I recommend the Refuge and the city of Savannah as a great family vacation spot. Be sure to see the old downtown area along the Savannah River, hear the Waving Girl story, Oglethorpe Square, the Cotton Exchange, the 24 carat gold dome of the City Hall, and especially the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The Paula Dean Restaurant is here, but we did not get there. There are a few pictures of these below. The restaurants I recommend that we liked that are favorites of the locals include Sweet Potatoes (for lunch), Fiddlers Seafood (dinner), and Pearls Saltwater Grille (dinner-my favorite).

This is a site worth traveling to---GO!! See photos below in the Gallery.

SEE GALLERY BELOW. CLICK ON ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE SIDE ARROWS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

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MORE FROM THE FIELD

5/5/2017

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Recent rains along the east coast and especially in North Carolina have elevated the Tar and Neuse Rivers in eastern NC to flood stages. The smaller feeder creeks to these rivers are backed up as well, flooding many of our flatland fields at their low points. This farm site has many low pockets in the fields now filled with water. One of the consequences of this is the presence of bird species that are not normally seen here. Photos below include shots of Greater Yellowlegs, which I have not previously seen here. Canada Geese are also feeding in these low spots. It is Saturday morning as I write this and has been raining again all night, so I worry that the streams will rise even higher than they are now.

Also in the photos are more pics of early spring arrivals, and quite a few of these are flying images, which are my favorites, but are harder to obtain. I have enjoyed seeing the different species, but we are all praying for a few drier days to let the abundance of water move on by! Enjoy the pics below.