Poltrack Blog

  I should have guessed it was too good to be true. All winter I was enjoying the bluebirds visiting my feeder. I bought a huge bag of dried mealworms . They are expensive but the bluebirds absolutely love them. All was good for several weeks. One day I heard a ruckus and saw a bird I hadn't seen before. It was a European Starling. It is not a native bird. In 1890 Eugene Schieffelin  released 60 Starlings in Central Park after two other failed attempts. The rest is history. They thrived and reproduced. Starlings love mealworms and swarm down to gorge on them. They are not polite to the bluebirds. They spook easily so I can chase them away if I see them. I haven't found a feeder that will defeat them. This one has a cover which I lower to make it harder for the starling to feed since they are a larger bird. Fun Fact, Mozart had a pet Starling and it could sing   part of his  Piano Concerto in G Major  (KV. 453).

When we stay at Cape Cod we make a point of visiting the Bird Watcher's General Store in Orleans. I have purchased several designs of Baltimore Oriole feeders. I've yet to see an Oriole but the feeders are a big hit with the Gray Catbirds.

Spring has arrived, flowers are blooming, leaves are emerging and the black flies have hatched. Happy Spring! What a great year for Daffodils. This makes up for 2016 with its killing frost The handiwork of the Pileated Woodpecker Pileated Woodpeckers create enormous square shaped holes. Note the pine pitch drop I collected some Sphagnum moss for my Pitcher Plant collection A vernal pool behind my house, a great place for spring peepers Beech leaves hang on till Spring and become almost white in appearance I love Hellebores There is a fungus among us Good bloom on the Star Magnolia this year without the hard frosts seen in 2016 & 2017

Brrr, we are the midst of a deep freeze with temperatures in the single digits (Fahrenheit). I don't know how the birds manage, but I make sure they have food, suet and water. This little guy has a strategy of fluffing up his feathers for insulation I am thrilled to have these visitors just as I'm beginning to read the book Ravens in Winter I'm raving mad about ravens This nuthatch likes the suet The defroster is working and the birds can get a drink One of several woodpeckers A frequent visitor Some color for winter   www.poltrack.net

Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory) are a pair of ravens that fly all over the world to bring information to the Norse god Odin - Wikipedia . I was fascinated by the ravens I saw in Port Hardy on Vancouver Island when we visited relatives last summer. My wife gave me Ravens in Winter by Bernd Heinrich as a Christmas gift which I just started reading. It might be a coincidence, but since my visit to Canada, I'm starting to see and hear an occasional raven here in New Ipswich. They are welcome in my yard and if you know of any hangouts, let me know, I'm looking for my totem animal, especially one that can help me with thought and memory. Odin  enthroned and holding his spear  Gungnir , flanked by his ravens Huginn and Muninn and wolves  Geri and Freki  (1882) by  Carl Emil Doepl er I spent some time feeding watermelon to this raven on a reserve on Port Hardy.I completely understand why they are such a part of Native folklore. www.poltrack...

I tried to get a photo of an adult barn swallow feeding its young. They move quickly so I took a rapid burst of photos. It was dark and I was quite far away so I wasn't able to see details  in the viewfinder. When I cropped the shot I realized I was being "mooned" by one the chicks. When the series of photos were animated, it is obvious why that chick was facing backwards. At least the nest stays clean. I wondered why this baby swallow was mooning me   www.poltrack.net

    And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting,  still  is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;     And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,     And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor             Shall be lifted—nevermore! Fond of watermelon Giving me the eye Raven I made friends with this guy by sharing a watermelon Watermelon, tasty The "Trickster" A gift from a raven I was absolutely entranced by the ravens that I saw at Port Hardy. There were so many of them and they had such personalities. I sat outside sharing some chunks of watermelon. They are so vocal and obviously intelligent. One left me a feather and later in the week I had a dream of them. I'm wondering if they m...

A fond farewell to Winter Storm Marcus. They are already predicting another storm for this weekend. Yikes. what a year. Thanks for the calories, really enjoy this A Chickadee ponders his (her?) environment Could this possibly be a sign of Spring? Red bellied Woodpecker gives me the eye Weird name because his belly is not red, just his head Getting deep out there Along Taylor Road Property is now owned by Field of Dreams From the 2010 archives - Faith and Lynda doing some maple sugaring

One of my favorite songbirds is the Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) . Although their "Chick-a-dee-dee-dee" is more of a scolding than singing when the feeder is empty.

The only bright spot during this dreadful weather pattern is the constant appearance of hummingbirds around the feeders. The rain seems to have dampened the flowering of their native food sources so the feeders are quite attractive to them. It’s great being a teleworker, I can work while listening to Hank Williams and watching hummingbirds. Now if it would only … please… STOP RAINING!

I saw a greenish-yellow bird feasting on Autumn Olive fruits this weekend. I was unable to identify it using Peterson's bird book. It was quite fearless but I was unable to get a close up shot. The color balance is close but not perfect and the predominant feature was this bird's color. If you have an idea what this could be please leave a comment. The Peterson's guide does not have enough color plates and I am stumped!