Repurposed Birdbath Visitors Finally Arrive

I like it when I can make use of things that are just hanging around waiting to be thrown out. I bought a fire bowl for 35 bucks many years ago. The thin metal bowl part rusted out in less than 2 years but the base had a heavy duty metal braided design. I always felt like I might be able to do something with it so I never got rid of it.

An idea finally came to me. I turned the base upside down and it had a bit of a dish design on the bottom which was too rusty to hold water for birds. I found a plastic terra cotta dish that matched the size and placed it inside. Small birds don't like deep water, preferring a water depth of about an inch. This one was about an inch and a half so I placed some flat rocks on the bottom. Birds also like the sound of moving water or dripping water so I took a gallon sized water jug and poked a pushpin sized hole in the bottom. I finished it off by putting a branch between 2 ornamental garden fence pieces and set it up so it was just above the bath so birds could perch on it.

The first birds to show up were actually goldfinches but I wasn't fast enough getting the camera. The chickadee hung around a little bit longer.

The Tufted Titmouse is a relative of the chickadee and he showed up a few minutes after his cousin.

It's always nice when a plan comes together!

Sparse Birding While Waiting For Migration

I haven't been doing much in terms of active birding this month. Just poking around here and there. I caught a Bald Eagle which is still waiting for fully white head feathers.

I also see a few things here and there down by the shore like this Willet while looking for a local breakfast diner.

 I'm looking forward to the major hawk migration in mid-September as well as some new sparrows and warblers that will soon be showing up. 

Don't Judge A Pond By Its Stench!

                                                 There is a pond that runs right through the middle of town called Pameecha Pond. It was originally a stream and the word Pameecha came from the Wangunk Tribe that once lived in the area. It is roughly translated to mean "water between two stones". These days I might refer to it as mud between two tires.Although it may not be the most scenic pond, it does attract wildlife. We often see Great blue Herons and great Egrets there. The mud can get a little stinky so maybe this heron was trying to catch a breath of fresh air? I also spotted some shorebirds that a fellow birder had told me about but they blended in with the mud background so much that I thought I would try to get a closer look.                                                                              

That resulted in me sinking up to my knees in quicksand, or quickmud in this case.

It's always a nice to find shorebirds right in your local urban pond rather than having to drive down to the shore to find them. The little one is a Least Sandpiper and the other two are Semipalmated Plovers. You don't see those all that often inland.

Birds don't choose habitat by how nice it smells or looks. Humans tend to be the ones that do that. Birds just want to find food to survive. In this case these mudflats fit the bill.  

Goldfinch Flower And Hummingbird Fence

I don't always pay close attention to goldfinches because there are so many of them around but when they land on top of a flower I take notice. This one landed on a Zinnia, but...

It seemed more interested in spending time in the sunflower plants.This hummingbird landed on a fence for a split second but seemed to have evil intent in its eye as it was off fighting another hummingbird a moment later!

During the hot weather sometimes it's better to sit still and just watch the action unfold.