Pine Warbler

This Pine Warbler joins the American Goldfinches and Chipping Sparrows coming to my Finch Flocker these days.  Pine Warblers don't always occupy pine forests but will appear in mixed woodlands as well.  They frequently join other flocks as this one did.  It is one of my favorite species.

Thar Be Gold

 “Thar be gold in them thar hills!”,  So sayeth pirate legend.  Pirates plundered for gold.  The Spanish search for El Dorado, the City of Gold.  Stories abound of buried treasure.  Yet, I stand at my back window, sipping my morning coffee at daybreak, starring at my feeders.  Goldfinches swarm it. 

 

Lincoln and Chipping Sparrows and red Northern Cardinal feed below.  Tufted Titmice and Carolina Chickadee cling to the sunflower feeder.  Red Bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren and Orange Crowned Warbler visit the peanut feeder.  Ah, and a Pine warbler joins the ground feeding.  Thar be my gold!

A Favorite



A year and five months has transpired since the Bastrop Complex Fire.  With the fire came so much destruction of the environment and personal property.  In case you think this a lament, it’s not.  It’s a celebration.  One of the signature birds of the Lost Pines region of Texas is the Pine Warbler.  One might think that the loss of so many pines in the fire would also have cause the Pine Warbler to disappear.  Wonders of wonders, it’s here.    It’s found in the surviving pines and in the burned area.  It’s even coming to feeders, and the photograph above of this male Pine Warbler on the peanut feeder is proof enough.

Celebrate!

Fun for Peanuts

If you are looking for a way to extend the fun in your own backyard and you want to do it for peanuts, then I recommend getting a peanut feeder. 

When starting to feed the birds I always recommend using black oil sunflower seed or BOSS as it is known.  This is a highly nutritious food that attracts a variety of birds.  Feeding just one type of food in a particular feeder eliminates the considerable spillage and waste associated with mixes.

Downy Photographed by Roy Smallwood

Yet, if you would like to see a few more unusual species then you need to expand your feeders and feed.  Thus, get yourself a peanut feeder and fill it with cracked, shelled peanuts.  You’ll have the enjoyment of Downy Woodpeckers and Red Bellied Woodpeckers, but also Orange Crowned Warblers, Pine Siskins, perhaps Pine warblers, and more.

Pine Warblers

The Pine Warblers seem to be increasing in numbers and frequency in Central Texas. Many are saying it was about three years ago that this species began to show around Lake Waco. Today many local birders are reporting them. A small group of birders went to the Pecan Grove and Soccer Fields last month and were delighted by the sighting of several of these as they hopped along the ground and flew to low lying branches in the grove. Their yellow neck and breasts made sharp contrasts to the blue backs and orange fronts of the Eastern Bluebirds which inhabit this area. Still, others are reporting Pine Warblers at their feeders and bird baths. In fact, this writer has notice far fewer Yellow-rumped Warblers this year and wonders if the Pines are not the cause.

Photographs by Bill Ravenscroft

Encouraging a New Generation

Photo by bill Ravenscroft

Birding is such a wonderful avenue to developing one’s sense of nature. It is an activity the leads many into a greater appreciation for the environment. It may even lead one to advocacy of good stewardship of the earth and influence the decisions made as one conducts their life. Thus birding serves as a gateway into an understanding of humans interplay with nature and the environment. It behooves us to encourage our youth in nature observation.

If your community has a green space or green corridor, take your children on a hike. The fresh air the beauty of the woods surrounding the trail will fill you and your children with a sense of adventure. It may lead to an appreciation of our ancestors as they trekked across the wilderness to establish roots where the family now lives.

One way to accomplish this goal would be to purposely plan vacations in which the family camps out. State and National Parks provide a way in which a family can drive up to a campsite with their gear and have an enjoyable time “in the woods”. If you are not sure that the family can endure a week or two living in such a way, then try a weekend campout at a nearby state or regional park.

And then there is birding. Birding is an activity that can begin in the backyard. Its beginning is as simple as putting up a feeder, filling it with black oil sunflowers, and then watching through the window. Of course, providing youth with a good pair of binoculars facilitates their identification of the birds they watch, but also allows for the observation of the fine detail of their feathers and the unique behaviors of particular birds. For children up to third grade a small yet good binocular would be the Audubon 7 x 18 Mini. For youth up to middle school one might consider the Vortex 8 x 42 Crossfire. High School youth would be well equipped with a Stokes 8 x 42 Talon or Vortex 8 x 42 Diamondback.

Our children are filled with wonder and blessed with curiosity. With a bit of effort on our part we can encourage our children to grow into adults caring for the very earth we ourselves hold dear. Now is the time to begin, if we have not previously done so. It is not too late nor too early. For what is good, it is always the right time.