Mistletoe Berries

As I started out on a walk yesterday at the arboretum, I noticed some birds fluttering around In the oak trees by the parking lot at arboretum. They were in the trees just above the office. As I walked up there to take a closer look, I saw that they were western bluebirds. As I watched them, I noticed that the mistletoe was loaded with berries, and they were excitedly feasting on them. I hadn’t noticed the berries on the mistletoe, and I was grateful to the bluebirds for pointing them out.

Listen for the call of the western bluebird. Peterson describes it as a “short pew or mew.” Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes, “The most common call is a soft, quavering kew that may be given from a perch or in flight and is often given several times in succession.”

Click here to have a listen: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Bluebird/sounds

Ready and... Action!

Ruby-crowned Kinglets are one of my favorite birds. Over the past couple of weeks they have migrated back to the area.

I see them in mixed flocks with golden-crowned kinglets, chickadees, bushtits, nuthatches and brown creepers. They are very energetic, zipping from one branch to another gleaning insects. I will often see them hover in place underneath a leaf or branch of a plant as they catch an insect.

I will often hear their call note that Peterson describes in his field guide as a husky "ji-dit”. Even now I will occasionally hear them sing a line of their song. It is such a sweet, warbling whistle. Peterson describes it as, “several high notes, lower notes, and a chant, tee tee tee-tew tew tew — ti-didee, tididee, tididee.”

I managed to get a photo that wasn’t completely a blur of this high-spirited, enthusiastic creature.

Feathers

Mt. Pisgah is a great place to go bird watching. Occasionally, I’ll get lucky and find a feather. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They can have patterns on them too. Birds have different types of feathers on their bodies and each type of feather has a specific function. For example, wing and tail feathers help with flight. It is always interesting to try and figure out what type of feather I have found and maybe, what bird dropped it there.

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