WINGSCAPES

A Finch from "Across the Pond"

With Wingscapes BirdCams increasingly being put into use by people all around the globe, we are seeing an exciting expansion in the breadth of bird species images being uploaded to the Wingscapes BirdCam Photo Gallery. Just the other day, in fact, we noted this European Greenfinch that was added by Tony in Yeovil, Somerset, UK. 

If this bird looks very much like some other birds – such as the Pine Siskin or one of the North American goldfinches – that are very familiar to American bird watchers, that’s because it's a member of the same genus (Carduelis) to which these species also belong.

Lawrence's Goldfinch Makes the Life List

Once most bird watchers have both the American and Lesser Goldfinches included on their respective life lists, unless they frequently find themselves in southern California, they generally don’t expect to see the third U.S. inhabiting goldfinch, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, added for some time. So it has been with Team Wingscapes and the BirdCam Life List… 

That is until this past week when Janice from Yorba Linda, California uploaded her BirdCam photo of this beautiful male Lawrence’s Goldfinch that she discovered visiting her bird feeder. As Lawrence’s Goldfinches move around their habitat area from year to year, they are often difficult to locate on a regular basis. 

 

Thanks for the addition to the life list Janice!

Speaking of Pine Siskins...

By far, the most commonly seen bird visiting the feeder set up by the representatives of Swarovski Optik at the ABA convention at Snowbird were the Pine Siskins. They dominated the feeder and while generally content to sit and much the hulled sunflower hearts for long periods of time, they could also become quite feisty when a newcomer approached. In this image, an established feeder denizen defends against an approaching newcomer. If you look closely you can even see the tongue of the defender extended from his open beak as he lets out a loud, shrill warning call.

Cassin's Finches in Snowbird, Utah

One of the points to always remember when watching birds in a montane area such as Snowbird, Utah, is that although the birds to be found there are quite interesting, beautiful, and not always easily seen at lower elevations, there are also fewer species in general to be observed. One of the species that is regularly seen is the Cassin’s Finch. The males are absolutely stunning in their raspberry red-headed plumage.

Occasionally, a camera shy Pine Siskin perched alongside a more colorful Cassin’s Finch would be digitally captured by the BirdCam.

Finch Video from the ABA Convention

As the good people at Swarovski Optik went to the trouble to set up a feeder at the American Birding Association in Snowbird, Utah to demonstrate their fine selection of digiscoping equipment, it seemed a shame not to attach a Wingscapes BirdCam to it as well in order to record the various birds visiting throughout the day. As they welcomed the idea, we wasted no time in setting one up. We were very pleased with the results, such as this video of a Cassin's Finch and a number of Pine Siskins enjoying a meal in the bright alpine sun.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak and More from Wisconsin

Michael from Shorewood, Wisconsin sent in these great shots!

Thanks Michael!

Two New BirdCam Life List Birds Added from Oregon

Check out these great shots sent in to us by Floyd in McMinnville, Oregon.

The Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler and the Pine Siskin are the first photos submitted of these two species so we have added them to our BirdCam Life List.

Floyd writes:

...photos taken by the BirdCam during the past week.  Still having fun with it.

 

Great photos from Georgetown, Delaware

Chuck from Georgetown, Delaware sent in some great shots!  We hope he sends in some of the Pileated Woodpecker he talks about below.  We would love to add that to our BirdCam Life List.  Thanks Chuck!

Chuck writes:

Having lots of fun with the BirdCam.  I am trying to lure my evasive Pileated to my suet feeder(s).  He likes to stay up high so I am desigining a suet feeder cam on a track to hoist above ladder limitations.  What a magnificent bird.  We are lucky to have him & her around.

 

Oh the Things You'll Learn!

When I first began watching birds – well, perhaps consciously and intentionally watching birds, for who among the living has never stopped for an idle moment to watch a bird at some time during his or her life – two of the birds that most challenged my identification skills were the House Finch and the Purple Finch.

Living in the Pacific Northwest, we have all three of the red and brown finches common to the U.S., House, Purple, and Cassin’s. Cassin’s Finches have never been very common near our home so that only left me with two of these perplexing little birds to sort between. House Finches being more common and less skittish, I tended to have more opportunities to study them at length until I felt I had more or less come to know them pretty well.

So what happened when I had a Purple Finch in the field of view of my trusty bins? Too often I simply played it safe and called it a House Finch. Embarrassing, I know. I’m even a little ashamed to admit it now. Had I only had a BirdCam I could have learned the differences in no time at all and avoided this entire traumatic memory.

Take, for example, this male House Finch I recorded with my BirdCam just the other day. The facial pattern is clearly defined with the brown prominently differentiated from the red, the wings show little if any reddish color, and the dark streaking on the flanks is easy to see.

Now compare the House Finch to this Purple Finch, recorded the very same day at the very same feeder with the very same BirdCam (a key challenge to learning the differences between these two species – they don’t often mix with one another). The head is completely awash in a raspberry red that extends its hue well back onto the wings and breast. The flanks lack the clear streaking, showing a smudgy, indistinct pattern instead.

Being able to view these two birds together, and not simply the field guide standard depictions but the very birds appearing in my yard, the differences between them are so clear I can scarcely believe I was ever in doubt.

Wingscapes at the Verde Valley Birding Festival

Wingscapes took the “show on the road” to Arizona last week and attended the Verde Valley Birding & Nature Festival at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona. The weather was hot and dry, the people were warm and friendly, and the birding was superb.

While I escaped from the hottest parts of the days sheltered inside the main exhibition tent demonstrating the Wingscapes BirdCam to festival participants, the BirdCam was busily recording some of the feathered visitors to the feeders set-up along the trails near the festival site in the park.

The shelter of the spreading branches of the Cottonwood trees provides a natural oasis for the wildlife in the park so the feeders get a respectable share of the birds to be found in the area.

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(By the way, if you’ve ever wondered why they call it "Cottonwood," this shot of the seeds of the namesake trees caught up in the ground vegetation should provide the answer.)

Lark Sparrows and Lazuli Buntings were plentiful. Both spent considerable time on the ground picking through the seeds that had fallen from the feeders. The Lark Sparrows seemed to be far more tolerant of the hot sun, spending more time out in the open while the Lazuli Buntings kept in the shade as much as possible.

Another commonly seen bird, and one I did not expect, was the Cassin’s Finch. These finches were seen equally on the ground as well as at the feeder trays. The pale color of these birds was quite striking to all who were more familiar with their darker cousins found farther to the north. Of course, as with any ground-level placement of the BirdCam near a feeder, capturing images of seed-loving mammals, such as this Rock Squirrel in the picture, is always a possibility.

To get a wider variety of photos of local birds, a couple BirdCams were also loaned to birders living in the area.

As might be expected at many home-based birdfeeders, House Sparrows were quite common. However just like the Cassin’s Finches, the House Sparrows were considerably lighter in color than those seen farther north. Even their normal red showed more of a red-orange hue.

The local House Sparrows, however, showed no such lighter colors – they were as bold as would be found anywhere.

Being Arizona, there were of course hummingbirds.

Anna’s Hummingbirds are fairly easy to recognize by the bright, cherry-red faces of the males.

Black-chinned Hummingbirds were plentiful but a little more difficult to identify as their dark gorgets (throat patches of iridescent feathers) were much darker – as their name implies.

With all the great birds to be seen, who couldn’t have a good time? Many festival participants learned about the enjoyment that can be had with the BirdCam and some fine images were recorded with it. I even added a life bird – Common Black-hawk – to my own life list. How could anyone ask for more?

City Birder Finds BirdCam Success

Since beginning this project two years ago, I've been reading birding blogs. I have a particular interest in urban bird blogs. One of the most compelling aspects of birding is that it provides a way for people to connect with wildlife and nature regardless of where they live. Anyone, anywhere can enjoy birds...less true with other types of wildlife. That so much bio-diversity exists in cities is missed by many, and it sets up an "ah ha!" moment for many beginning birders. Once you realize how many species are around you everyday, it is hard not to be curious about what you can find if you actually start looking.

Anyway, I've enjoyed urban bird blogs like City Birder and  A DC Birding Blog for a while. I'd asked both to test out the BirdCam and was eager to see some images, especially from New York City. I was surprised when Rob Jett (City Birder) didn't have quick success, but he seems to have had a watershed session with it. In just several hours, he captured a Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Chipping Sparrow and Purple Finch. Check out his post on December 1st. Hopefully we will see more BirdCam images from NYC.

 

Grey Goldfinch?

Floyd at The Flycatcher blog captured what appears to be an unusual Lessor Goldfinch with his BirdCam...