Rosyfinch Ramblings

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Shades of blue and brown, and an Easter memory

Eastern Bluebirds are among my favorite bird species. They add not only color, but a sense of peace and order to any scene. "The bluebird is a symbol of hope, love, and renewal and is also a part of many Native American legends. It symbolizes the essence of life and beauty." [ Bluebird Symbolism And Spiritual Meaning]

Here at our new home in central Connecticut, bluebirds now occupy one of our two nest boxes. Another pair seems unsettled about whether to choose the second one. Both boxes face open lawn areas. The first is backed by a woodland, while the second has a drop-off and wide open space behind it.

The timing of the seasons has changed over the years. My life list of bird species, which I started in late winter of 1948, recorded the first American Robin on February 12, 1949. It was my 18th species. Back then in northern New Jersey, it was unusual to see a robin much before early March. On March 22 an Eastern Bluebird was entry #32, then about average for its first sighting. Now both species are quite common in the dead of winter all over the eastern US and southern Canada.

Although Eastern Bluebirds are now numerous in the eastern US, their population was severely depleted in the early 1900s because the older trees which provided their nesting holes were removed by forest management practices. They also competed poorly with other hole-nesting birds, particularly the introduced House Sparrows and European Starlings.

Bluebirds never returned to extreme southern Florida. Attempts to reintroduce them have had limited success, particularly in Everglades National Park and surrounding developed areas. Although I compiled 1,520 checklists between 2005 and 2022 since I started birding the West Miramar Water Conservation Area, I never encountered a single bluebird.

Sparrows are often described as LBB's, dull little brown birds. They may not be given credit for their subtle beauty. Preparing to depart for breeding grounds to the north, the plumage of White-throated Sparrows is quite striking:

Tiny and inobtrusive, the Chipping Sparrow brightens up in spring:

Even smaller, a House Wren was the 41st species I have seen on or from the property since we moved here. He was singing vigorously near our window on April 16:

The nearly full Pink Moon was setting behind the ridge just south of Hartford early on the morning of April 15. I hoped it would sink behind the flashing lights of a tall communications tower visible in this iPhone photo:

The Moon did not quite get to the tower before disappearing (telescopic DSLR view a few minutes later):

This is my Easter street scene, a chalk message on the path along the shore of Diamond Lake:

Moving from our 4-bedroom home in Florida forced us to downsize. It was very difficult to give away so many of our belongings. One decorative piece that we spared was this crucifix, as there is a story behind it.

In New Mexico, just after Easter in the 1990s, we were preparing for arrival of a house guest who was a special friend, a Catholic priest who began his ministry in our town just as I started out in private family practice. He joked that we were the two people in town that nobody trusted-- the new doctor and the new priest!

Just before he arrived, I decided to try to make a cross out of 2 lengths of dried and skeletonized Ocotillo which littered the floor of the Pinyon-Juniper woodland back of our home. I quickly found 2 sticks that were properly proportioned. On my way back to the house an old dead branch caught my attention. I wired the three pieces together without changing or cutting them, to create a crucifix. Here was the result, a nice reminder of his Easter season visit:

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Linking to:

Garden Affair

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Natasha Musing

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

________________________________________________

Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
________________________________________________

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Spring Peepers

One evening this past week while photographing the setting sun from the patio above our Casita, I heard the Spring Peepers (members of the group of chirping frogs known as "chorus frogs") singing in the forested wetlands in the preserve next to the property. The sound transported me to my childhood in New Jersey as it was a much celebrated sign that spring had arrived, even if the weather had not lost its chill.

I remember searching for the tiny creatures with a flashlight, wading through the muddy snowmelt. The individuals whistled a plaintive "wheep!" but their calls combined loudly to create overtones which sounded almost like the tinkling of silver bells. As I approached, those nearest would stop calling and disappear under the leaf litter and vegetation.

Spring Peepers inhabit much of eastern North America, but their range does not extend into the south Florida or the arid western United States where I have spent most of my adult life. Hearing them now in Connecticut raises my anticipation to see budding tree leaves and the return of migrating birds.

Resident American Goldfinch males were molting into breeding colors:

This male House Finch had particularly bright red plumage:

A male Northern Cardinal looked at me as I shot through the window glass:

Two pairs of Mourning Doves were frequent visitors:

A male Downy Woodpecker at the suet station was joined by his mate:

A pair of Song Sparrows were building a nest in the Rhododendrons next to the house:

Eastern Bluebirds continued to visit the nest boxes but did not seem to have settled in:

This is the view of the bluebird box at the edge of the lawn, looking through our office window:

My yard list of birds seen on the property is up to 37 species, of which I photographed 28, but all are normal winter residents. The latest addition was a Chipping Sparrow:

An afternoon April shower produced a nice rainbow over the woodlands surrounding Diamond Lake:

We watched another gorgeous sunset from the upstairs patio (That's the back yard bird house in the lower right of the photo):

Looking through the window very early in the morning on April 11, the waxing gibbous Pink Moon set over Hartford, about 11 miles to the west and about 800 feet lower in elevation:

Moments later, the Moon disappeared behind a ridge beyond the city:

I had high hopes of getting out to photograph a Spring Peeper for this post but never set eyes on one. My New Jersey friend Dave Blinder did much better than I. Back in 2013, he posted his first ever photo of one on FLICKR. Dave wrote: "I've been hearing these guys peeping amidst the small polluted swamp in the backyard. First time trying to shoot frogs at night, I'll probably try to improve on the shot sooner or later." (April 10, 2013, Denville, NJ). Here is a link to his photo © DRB 2013 all rights reserved.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Linking to: