Category Archives: Birds and Butterflies

It’s hard to believe with the temperatures outside in the 60s that very soon, winter will be here, and our little bird friends who are overwintering in Ohio would appreciate some assistance to get by. Today, in our backyard, we had several juncos, a pair of cardinals, and a Carolina wren feeding away in the leaf litter under our spice bushes. I’ve compiled a list of some of the birds that will be staying in Ohio and what we can do to give them a hand to make it through until spring arrives.

Woodpeckers (Pileated, red-bellied and downy): The pileated and downy woodpeckers love suet while the red-bellied loves sunflower seed, peanuts or corn.

Bluejays and juncos: These birds love sunflower seeds.

Chickadees, nuthatches, and tufted titmice: These little guys love suet and sunflower seeds.

Cardinals: Sunflower seeds

So, to attract birds, black oil sunflower seeds and suet seem to be the most popular forms of feed. Others include peanuts, corn, thistle, even fruit. Another important item is water, which can be hard to come by once the temperatures drop. A heater in your birdbath will solve that problem.

It’s also important to provide different types of feeders – platforms, hoppers, etc. I don’t know if birds begin to recognize my voice, but they always seem to appear when I called, “Bird bird bird!” as I fill the various feeders.

Until next time!

With the weather getting cooler in the mornings (Yea, no air conditioner running!), I’ve been able to walk to work again. Because of the Calumet bridge being closed, I’ve only got two routes to walk to OSU: High Street or Neil Avenue. Regardless of how I get to work, I take Olentangy Street along the ravine. A month ago, as I walked along Olentangy about a block east of High, I heard a bird song that I’ve never heard before. It’s a two-note call linked together, ending on the high note. I know it’s not a cardinal because it doesn’t sound the same. In fact, the call sounds like it wasn’t made by a bird at all but by a computer. It’s very hard to describe!

Well, I heard that bird again this week, this time a few houses from my home on Crestview. I spent a few futile minutes looking for the bird with no luck. Pete has no idea what the critter might be – mostly because I can’t reproduce the song very well, and he’s not heard it yet. So if anyone has any thoughts, please let me know!

Speaking of cardinals, I read some interesting research on those birds. I love my finches, chickadees and cardinals. We have a pair of cardinals in our yard. Such beautiful birds, and so well-known. Anyway, the research is co-authored by Professor Amanda D. Rodewald of Ohio State. She indicates that cardinals in urban forests don’t lose their bright red color as easily as their rural counterparts. Color is important because females look for brighter colored males who are seen as being more healthy. But in urban areas, it’s argued that the carotenoid-rich foods that give the cardinal its scarlet color are more readily available, even to birds that aren’t in the best of shape. I just know that I love to see cardinals. That pop of color is wonderful! I especially like seeing them against the snow in winter. Pete tells me that cardinals are resident birds that stay all year long, unlike migratory birds that are only passing through on their way to somewhere else; think Canada Geese.

If you’ve any thoughts on my mysterious bird, send me a comment.

Until next time!

We got good news on the baby finch today! I don’t know if you remember, but my friends Dan and Mike Came to my house, took a baby finch (still in its egg but poking his head out) up to the Ohio Wildlife Center. I hadn’t heard from the Center about the little guy (or girl) and feared the worse, that the little baby didn’t make it, even though when Mike and Dan left the Center, the little tyke was eating whatever it is that baby finches eat.

Well, today, the Center called to say that they had released my little nestling out into the big, wide world. I can’t tell you how happy that made me feel. After having three of the finch’s nests destroyed by who knows what and another hatchling that died, I was so sad for Mama and Papa Finch, who I still see in our yard. I thought that not one of their children would make it. So this news really made my day. Again, I can’t thank Mike and Dan enough for doing what they did. They saved that little guy.

Until next time!

Well, it hasn’t gone very well for our nesting house finches. The second nest built by the first pair was also destroyed by a bird, perhaps a cowbird. The nest was moved and Mama Finch didn’t come back. There was one baby that had hatched and left all alone. Having no idea what to do with the little guy, I ended up doing nothing. I was afraid to feed him for fear of giving him something that would kill him. But I knew that if I didn’t feed him, he’d most likely die. I thought I could get him to the Ohio Wildlife Center if he made it through the night. Poor little lamb didn’t.

But there was another egg that had partially opened with the chick still inside; he was moving inside the egg, which was cracked and open. With the help of two special friends, Dan and Mike, the nest with its one remaining baby made it up to Ohio Wildlife Center. Last we heard, the little guy was taking nourishment. I am hopeful that he’s going to make it. They are pretty wonderful up at the center, taking in the baby rabbits and birds that we’ve found. It’s nice to know there is someplace to take injured and sick wildlife. And it’s also nice to know there are people out there who wouldn’t bat an eyelash at saving an unhatched egg – thanks just doesn’t seem to be enough.

The second pair’s nest was also destroyed with no sight of the eggs or babies. I know that these things happen in nature, but it is very sad to me; I feel like these finches are part of our family, a part that I want to protect.

Until next time.

Today, I saw a mated pair of Cooper’s hawks flying above our house on Crestview. I think they have nested in the large oak tree down the street from us. We also have two pairs of finches (house finches, I think!) nesting in the ferns in hanging baskets on our porch. I call them Mama and Papa Finch. One nest has five light blue eggs in it; the other nest is just in the beginning stages of being built. Finches have been nesting in our ferns for about four years in a row. The finch’s song (at least the male’s) is so lovely to hear. I greet them whenever I walk out our front door; I think they might even recognize my voice. I can’t wait until the babies are hatched. Speaking of bird songs, I heard the elusive wood thrush in the ravine. The recording I placed in an earlier post doesn’t do the song justice. Very beautiful and haunting. I think hearing it in the ravine made it all the more beautiful. Pete says it’s his favorite bird call.

Finally, this week, I saw my first (and only) rose-breasted grosbeak. What an amazing bird. Unfortunately, this one had been hurt. I found him sitting in the middle of the road near OSU. I shooed him into an empty field as  he couldn’t fly; something appeared to be wrong with his wing, probably from flying into a wall of glass in one of the nearby buildings. Since I was on my way to a meeting and had nothing to catch him with, I called Pete, who wasn’t home. He came down later to look for the bird – no luck. I am hoping that he was well enough to fly on his own. But such a beautiful bird. The red feathers were so vivid; I could really see them as I was about two feet away. Pete said he used to see grosbeaks all the time in Connecticut. They are native to Ohio, but this is the first time that ever laid eyes on one. Quite the sight; I hope to see more! Until next time.

Pete mentioned that he has heard a wood thrush in Glen Echo Ravine, although he’s not been able to actually see it. It’s a very beautiful bird, one of the most common woodland birds of the East. The Wood Thrush is best known for its hauntingly beautiful song. A large and heavily spotted thrush, it is a bird of the interior forest, seldom seen outside the deep woods. We are heading down to the ravine this weekend (if it’s not raining!) to have a listen.

We want to have a survey done of birds that are in the ravine now and in a few months, so that we can see how our removing invasive species and adding native species will affect the birds that visit. Having a wood thrush is a good sign that things in the ravine are heading in the right direction.

Pete has also spent a lot of time looking for a Chinquapin Oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) that’s somewhere in the ravine as well (perhaps with a wood thrush sitting in its branches?) He’s managed to find the leaves but not tree.

If you see the bird or find the oak, let us know!

Until next time!