Fantasy Celebrity Interview

Today I'm very excited to bring you my first ever celebrity interview!

I'm a little nervous, as this is something I've never done before.  So, let's just get started.

My guest is Mr. Great Blue Heron.  I'm a big fan of his, and I've been anxiously awaiting his arrival!  He made his appearance on Sunday afternoon, but I thought I'd give him sometime to settle in before the interview.   He seems to be ready...

Hello, sir, may I call you Mr. Heron?

Well, ma'am,  I'd prefer you just call me Hank.

Hank?  Hank Heron!!!  Oh, I'm sorry, I apologize for my outburst... I've known you since you were a young heron and didn't realize it was you!

That's quite alright, ma'am, we all pretty much look alike.

Here's a photo of you and your brother and sister just before you fledged from the nest, Hank... do you remember that?

Sure, I was the last one to go... and I'm still a homebody.  That's why I'm the first one back!  I missed the old place over the winter.

(If you'd like to read about Hank's 'childhood' you can click here).

Well, Hank, I am wondering about that.  I think the folks would like to know where you spent the winter and if you are sorry you came back?  I mean, the weather here has been pretty cold the last couple of days.

The weather is cold, but the fishing is good.  That's what I really care about.  I can take the wintry weather as long as I have plenty to eat. 

And down it goes!

Though sometimes it takes me awhile to get it all the way down!

As for where I've been, my family and I spend our winters in a marsh in the low country near Charleston, South Carolina.  They have sweetgrass there that smells so good, and lots of fish and frogs to eat.  Herons like us live all up and down the coast and in Florida.  Pretty much anywhere there's good fishing!

Hank, I did notice you had a bit of a Southern drawl, and of course, calling me "ma'am", too... that's very polite! 

(Hank just smiled and didn't say anything).


Hank, I have to admit that I'm such a big fan of yours that I've been watching for you.  I knew you'd probably arrive soon, and you came on the exact same date as last year... March 22nd.  

Oh, did I?  Well, I don't know anything the date, I just thought it was time.  But that first night, I wondered if I'd made a mistake.  It was pretty cold out there on the ice with the snow whipping around in the wind!

I suppose you were glad when the sun came up?

Yes, ma'am that's for sure!  And that's probably why the rest of the clan hasn't arrived yet.  They remember that bad storm right after we all came back last year. (click here to read about it).

Hank, I asked readers to figure out how many of your family they could find in a photo in that blog post... maybe it would be fun to see if they can find YOU in the next photo.

Okay, sure... can you see me?

No, then how about a little closer?

If you still can't find me, how about if I turn my head?

Hey, that was fun.  

Another question, Hank.  Do you have any ambitions? How about your short-term and long-term goals?

Short term is easy.  This will be my third summer, so I'm old enough now to find a nice girl and raise a family.  Maybe use the old nest.

That's the nest in the upper circle, and Hank is in the lower circle.

Long-term goal, hmmm, well-- I've heard the longest-lived heron was 23 years old!  It would be really something to beat that record.  Our average life span is around 15 years.  

I wish you well with both those goals, Hank!

By the way, I know you need to get back to fishing, but I'm wondering if you are lonely waiting for more herons to return to our swamp?

Not really, ma'am.  I guess I'm kind of a loner (that's why I wouldn't mind nesting here instead of in a colony like most herons).  

That would be great, Hank!  I would love for you to raise a family here.  

Yes, it's a very nice place.  With the exception of a crow who occasionally likes to sneak up behind me, I like it alot.

 He seems to want to be my friend, but I don't think we have anything in common.

I appreciate your time, Hank.  I'm sure you would like to get back to work.

It's been a pleasure, ma'am.  And you can take photos of me anytime.  

Thank you, Hank!  I'll do that.  I hope you find a wonderful girl and that you continue to catch a lot of fish!

Thank you.  Bye y'all!

 Well, that was exciting, wasn't it?  I was a little worried that communication would be difficult, but Hank put me at ease and we understood each other well.  Even with his southern drawl!

Ruby Searches for Spring

Spring officially begins tomorrow-- according to the calendar.

Ruby and I searched for signs of spring today and came up short.  Well, Ruby did, anyway.  

Perhaps if she weren't so short, she would have found some.  

"The pond is still frozen solid," says Ruby. 

 (I guess Ruby can't see those red maple buds swelling in the distance).

"No signs by the creek either."

"What about the water, Ruby?... Ruby?"  Guess she can't hear me over the noise of the creek running.

 
If Ruby would look up, she would see a Robin sitting in the tree above her.

But she just keeps her nose to the ground.

The ground.... LOOK, Ruby, bare ground!

Doesn't the grass look a tiny bit green?

Ruby still doesn't pay any attention. 

Nice shadow Ruby, the sun must be strong!

Try harder Ruby... can't you see any signs of spring?

"What's right under your nose?" (and by the tip of your tail!)

"I'm sorry, I just don't see it" says Ruby.

"Well, maybe if you weren't sitting on them!" I tell her.

"Let's go back inside, it really is still very cold out here".

"But first, let's enjoy the Snowdrops by the front door".

Ruby may not have seen any signs of spring today, but they ARE out there!  

Tomorrow might be another story, since the weather forecast is for 3 to 5" of snow!  

Oh, wait, snow is what it does here in northeastern Pennsylvania in the spring.  Guess we'll just have to try to enjoy it if it comes.  (Yeah, right! I think we're all past that at this point.) 

Or hibernate thru it like the chipmunks.  I haven't seen any of them yet!

UPDATE - First day of spring - On my walk this morning I watched two chipmunks chasing each other around...

 and a flock of Canada Geese heading due north!

Robin Report and Some Spring Silliness

They're back!!!

My husband and I saw our first American Robins of the year on March 10th, as we were driving along our road about 3 miles south of our house.  The next morning on my walk, I kept watching and sure enough, there were two at our place.

One of my field guides says "This species is one of our most familiar birds".  As it is with familiar things, they can be easily taken for granted, so I decided to see if I could learn more about Robins.

First, I went to two of my favorite books. 

Yes, they are children's book, and no, that is not the silly part... I really do like these books!

Both books had this interesting piece of information about Robins:  They can eat 14 feet of earthworms a day! What an engrossing tidbit.

Almost everyone has probably watched Robins eating earthworms in the warmer months, but what are they eating this time of year?  The ground is still mostly snow-covered and frozen here.  Worms don't seem to be readily available!

The answer is... they eat berries and fruit, like this one is doing.  He was eating the hips from a multiflora rosebush.

He didn't look quite as comfortable doing this as Robins usually look when they are hopping along on the ground, but he was getting the job done.  (I say "he" because the males are usually the first ones back.  There is not too much difference in the appearance between male and female Robins other than the females are a little paler.)

One thing I learned about Robins that I didn't know was that they have an expandable esophagus they can store food in.  So on a cold winter (or even spring) afternoon, they can stuff it with extra berries or fruit to eat when they need the calories during the long night.

Last March, our Robins were eating apples that had made it thru the winter.

Wow, that would have been a lot to fit in an expandable esophagus!

This morning I saw more Robins... a flock of 13, in fact.... on Friday the 13th!  Thirteen might be a lucky number for them, since the oldest recorded Robin lived to be 13 years and 11 months old.

Here are some of the flock from this morning:

If you'd like to learn more about our American Robins, including why they are named that, you can read about them by clicking here.

Of course, you know that Robins are thought of as a sign of Spring.  I would agree, but the birds of my childhood that meant spring had arrived were Red-winged Blackbirds.  We had a small creek that I walked by on my way to our school-bus stop.  I would be excited when I saw the first blackbirds there each year.   Even now, many years later, I still listen and watch for their arrival... and this morning was it!

I was out feeding the birds and some Blue Jays were making a racket, but I thought I heard a different voice... sure enough, it was the "O-ka-lee" of a blackbird.  The photo above shows one Blackbird (there were 2) and one of the robins.  

I already know that by mid-summer, when our swamp is full of Red-winged Blackbirds, their singing will be causing me to think: "Please be quiet so I can hear the other birds".  Such is the fickle human heart!  But for now, mine is happy they are back.

Some other birds I actually wasn't expecting back yet were in the swamp, too.

Our first-of-the-year dates for Mallards are typically in March... but, after there is more open water!

There was a tiny bit of water on March 9th, the date these photos were taken, but not much.  In the photo above, you can see the top of the head of a Mallard drake (slightly to the right of the hen standing on the snow).  He was in the water, and that's how high the snowbanks were on each side.  She seemed to express her displeasure in this situation by taking flight.  "Those silly drakes said it was time to come back here!"

She didn't go far on that flight, but I haven't seen the three ducks since, so I think they decided to go somewhere else, at least for the time being.  I don't blame them-- this is how the swamp looked that day:

Since then, we've had a bit more water open up...

and other critters are taking advantage of it, like this muskrat:

I watched him for quite awhile late Wednesday afternoon.

He was eating something, and then seemed to be taking a bath.  Seriously!  Well, maybe that's silly, too. 

Off he goes...

It was so nice to be able to go for a walk after supper (a good thing about day-light saving time) and enjoy the warmer temperatures.  The sun was going down and making a shadow of our house, and palm trees (just kidding, but they do sort of look like that, don't they?).  A strange person is waving.  You can also see the muskrat if you look closely just above the peak of the roof shadow to the right.

I hope you've seen some signs of spring (and that you are so happy about it that you can be a little silly, too).

Home, Sweet... Snowy, Home

I hope you enjoyed my birding reports from my travels to Colombia, South America.  In case you missed any of those posts, here are the links:

Intro to the trip:  To Bogota and Beyond, and Back Home
A visit to the Bogota Botanical Garden: Jardin Botanico de Bogota
Of Toucans and Woodpeckers  (obviously, about toucans and woodpeckers!)
Hummingbirds of Colombia: A Question for God
And, finally, a round-up of different birds of Colombia, and my methods for IDing them:
Name that Bird

I don't usually list links to my posts, but I put a lot of time and effort into writing those (it was definitely a learning experience for me to bird in Colombia!), so I don't want you to miss any!

Now, a little catching up with what's been happening here at home.  

Basically, it's been cold and snowy.  Still, there's no place like home and I'm glad (mostly, anyway) to be back!

The snow is hanging in there.

The dogs don't seem to mind.

No, you are not seeing double... we have a new grand-dog!

Norad (on the right) arrived just before we went to Colombia, and already he's become a regular part of the family.

Mac and Norad even share the tennis ball when they come to play with Grammy.  

Ruby still comes on Thursdays.  The snow is deeper than Ruby's legs are long, which keeps her mainly in the pathways.

Spring is coming though... my geranium is flowering nicely in the sunroom.  At least it was, until I trimmed it back to make cuttings to start new plants.  Spring IS coming!

See the geranium flowers in the window?

Ruby's mom and I enjoyed a day trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show.  Funny how one of the things we enjoyed most was the GREEN GRASS!

There was a lot of other color, too... like in the orchid aisle:

Although I typically prefer plants with non-variegated leaves, Laura took my photo with this variegated geranium because she was surprised I said I liked it!

Thanks to Laura for the flower show photos!

And you can see I picked up a feeder-bird poster from the Subaru-Cornell display.  Plants and birds... made a great day!

The bird feeders at home have been VERY active.  We have a huge flock of goldfinches, and along with them-- a bunch of Pine Siskins (it's an irruption year for them) and a few Common Redpolls have been coming since mid-January.

Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches

Pine Siskins, Common Redpolls, and Goldfinches

Even though the Goldfinches, Siskins, and Redpolls spend a lot of time squabbling, they still empty the feeders fast!  

Lately, some of the other birds actually seem to be getting along better... maybe springtime romance is in the air?

Male and female Downy Woodpeckers eating suet at the same time.

Male Red-bellied Woodpecker

Female Red-bellied says, "We don't share the feeder, but I'm keeping my eye on him!"

We only added 4 new birds to our property list during the month of February.  They were: Common Raven, Starling, Wild Turkey, and House Sparrow (# 30).  

I would probably have thought the Starling was a beautiful bird if I had seen it in Colombia, but here it's an alien and mostly an unwanted bird.  Look at those colors though!

I'm ready for some new faces.  Hopefully some of our migrant birds will brave the weather soon and rejoin us.  I guess for now, I'll have to be content with these faces.... they look like they love each other don't they?

Norad and Mac