Urban Birding & Wildlife – Las Vegas Style

Posted on January 9, 2013 by artsifrtsy

On my recent trip to my hometown of Las Vegas I was astounded by the variety of wildlife that I encountered. Since I have been focusing on shooting birds and other wildlife for the last year, I thought I would take the opportunity to shoot some of the strange and wonderful species found in the western desert.

I stopped in at Floyd Lamb State Park.

Tangent – you might wonder who Floyd Lamb was. He was the brother of Ralph Lamb, who has become a household name in the US since the premier of the show Vegas last fall. If you watch the show you probably know that Ralph’s TV brother’s name is Jack – me thinks Ralph didn’t want to share the spotlight – that’s OK because Floyd has an awesome park named after him – kinda trumps a TV crime drama if you ask me. End of Tangent.

Back to Floyd’s park – so many birds…

This guy is a white crowned sparrow – I saw these all around Las Vegas…

So much flashier that my Ozark sparrows…

But then again it is Vegas.

In a nearby bush I spotted a thrush. Not common in the desert…

I bet he was probably just visiting.

Over at Floyd’s pond I was overrun by mud hens, or coots as some call them.

Their feet aren’t exactly webbed…

Still they work pretty well for swimming…

And they do the job on land pretty well too.

I noticed some larger birds diving into the pond and coming up with fish…

I spotted a few of them bracing themselves from the wind up in a tree. These are crested cormorants – juveniles so they don’t have crests yet…

Their green eyes were pretty striking…

And they can scoop up a pretty sizable fish with those bills…

These guys have huge webbed feet with wicked looking talons.

From Floyd Lamb Park I moved a bit closer to home. I get shots of birds at my house all the time, I should be able to get some good shots at my brothers house…

First I was attacked by this wild creature…

I stepped back as it assumed a defensive posture between me and the Christmas tree…

He puffed himself up to make it clear that it was NOT OK for me to pass…

The scariest thing about this wild beast was not it’s impressive beak, it was its eardrum shattering voice. After a while the Christmas spirit took over and he permitted me to enter the living room.

Not all the wildlife at the homestead was so aggressive….

Some of the beasts were almost serene…

Playful…

Zen like…

Some beasts were a symphony in color…

I found it hard to imagine a beast more colorful…

He brings to mind an explosion at a crayon factory…

All the best colors mixing together.

This creature made me think of a dingy mop…

Aglow in the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree.

The last creature I encountered was very unusual…

Her eyes appeared to be a bit in front of her nose…

And she had a fierce anger, she tore into the closet…

And made off with her prey. To the victor go the spoils, no wire hangers for this fearsome beast!

I am glad to be back home in the safety of the woods where I am not accosted by scary beasts that screech in the night or steal my hangers, by my, what an adventure it was.

A Visit to the Fruity Chicken

Posted on January 5, 2013 by artsifrtsy

I spent the holidays with my family in Las Vegas. My brother Max is the author of the often mentioned Fruity Chicken. It’s his blog about raising chickens and fruit trees in Las Vegas. The virtual Fruity Chicken is located on WordPress, but the real one is located at the base of Sunrise Mountain on the outskirts of town. I thought I would use a post to show you around the nearly famous grounds.

The photo above is the view from the house on the lot adjacent to the chicken pen. The truth is that the Fruity Chicken rests on an acre packed with potential and a house in the midst of a massive remodel. My first day in town Max offered to show me around the new digs. Of course I brought my camera.

I have spent the last year shooting wild birds to improve my ability to make quick decisions with my camera – to get better at catching the shot. A walk around the back of the lot put my practice to the test – I’m accustomed to shooting from my porch, here I was out in the open when I spotted some movement in the oleanders. The bars on the wings reminded me of a jay, but the coloring was all wrong, it was a vireo – only in town on its way to Mexico on its annual migration.

He decided to some out of the oleanders and look me over.

Back in the oleanders I spotted some movement and caught a couple of white crowned sparrows.

We made our way over towards the chicken run when we came across some sentries – the roof pack – Oddy and Michone. They permitted us to pass.

The Fruity Chicken is filled with lots of types of chickens. I’m fascinated with their eyes. I have no clue what kind these are, but I liked the looks they gave me.

The Fruity Chicken has a few non-chicken residents as well – there are a small group of ducks as well – some with mohawks like this girl.

I probably should have taken shots if the orchards or the houses, but I only have eyes for the birds.

The Double Date

Posted on December 20, 2012 by artsifrtsy

The woodpecker feeder is the hot spot at the Sunday Buffet these days, a great place for friends to meet up for brunch and a good time.

Sometimes old friends meet up and decide to catch up over a meal…

Hey bud – long time no see? How’s the little lady?

She’s great, she’s on her way here now. You should call your girl – let’s have a double date.

Too late, I’m already here! The pine post is my favorite spot.

Mine too – I love the appetizers!

The Majestic Titmouse

Posted on December 16, 2012 by artsifrtsy

Today I sat out on the porch in the glorious December sunshine – I had my camera ready to capture some cardinals, or woodpeckers, or maybe even the eagle that’s been circling over the mountain for the last week. It occurred to me that even as I try to find the right feeder to attract those snobbish cardinals, as I build feeders to bring the woodpeckers closer, as I buy food I think will get me flashier birds – I have been neglecting one of the most majestic and loyal species at the buffet.

The first birds to come to the buffet were titmice. Those first couple of weeks I was thrilled to see any birds, but before long I was caught up in the search for the flashiest and began to ignore my new friends. The titmice continued to come and entertain me, even as I quit lifting my camera, after all, it’s just another titmouse.

Today it occurred to me that I have these amazing little birds right here in front of me. They like any feeder, any food, and I think they actually like me. They get incredibly close and talk back at me. As I walk across the lawn to my car each morning they call to me and they greet me when I come home each evening. How could I be so distracted by some red feathers or flashy patterns?

Cardinals may come and go, but titmice are in this for the long haul.

Noble

Content

Cute

Curious

Cheery

Silly

Industrious

Bold

Wistful

Balanced

Content

Chatty

Friendly

Proud

Clever

Who needs a lot of red feathers and fancy patterns? I need to learn to be as content, as friendly, as happy as my faithful friends, the titmice.

Calling All Cardinals!

Posted on December 15, 2012 by artsifrtsy

Since I opened the backyard buffet I have been trying to attract Cardinals. Sure, there are tons of cute titmice and chickadees, but that red bird caught my eye the very first time I visited the property. I knew they were in the woods and had even used my iPhone birding app to call them forth in vain attempts to capture them with my camera. I learned early on that they didn’t care for a typical pegged feeder, they need to either feed on the ground or on a larger flat surface.

This summer I discovered the pottery of Julie Windler at the Norberta Philbrook Gallery – I wrote a post about it here. I loved the glazes and they were perfect for chickadees. I keep one filled with suet and one filled with seed on the buffet.

Julie mentioned hoping to see a shot of a cardinal at one of my feeders and I gave her a few parameters of what I thought they would need to feed. I have been seeing them on the patio or feeding in a pie plate I put out on a table. Julie said she could make me something that would work. It’s very simple, it’s a small plate with three holes to suspend it from with drain holes so that the seed stays dry after a rain. It was a little small so I was skeptical. Right off the bat the titmice loved it.

Today I filled it with songbird food – a mix of seed, fruit and nuts – it actually looks pretty tasty. I settled in with my camera hoping to get a shot or two of something feeding at the new addition. I heard the distinctive sound of larger wings flapping while I was focused on a titmouse feeding nearby. Without moving I looked up and found my first customer at the new station. I actually saw 4 cards at once, but focused on just this pair.

Mmmmmmm tasty!

This new feeder really classes up the joint.

Let me take a look around.

I think the coast is clear.

Let me double check.

No one over that way.

I’m going in!

Get your feet off our food, you moron! I can’t take you anywhere!

Busted.

The Misters and the Missuses

Posted on December 3, 2012 by artsifrtsy

It was a glorious sunny 70+ degree day – perfect for Sunday Brunch at the Bird Feeder Buffet. this weeks special – suet served up to shy woodpeckers.

Woodpeckers are cautious and flighty. But, like most of my guests at the buffet, their appetite urges them onward in spite of their concerns. Interestingly, it seems that the females of the species are the trail blazers in this regard. If you want to know more about these feeders check out my post on feeding woodpeckers here.

The red-bellied woodpecker is a pretty good size bird, a little less than twice the size of a cardinal. It has the saddest call, but the sweetest expression. As new ones stop by the buffet, they always send a scout in first…

She decides that I’m no threat and digs in.

These feeders are perfect for woodpeckers. Very few birds have the ability to scale tree trunks, so with the exception of the nuthatches they have these feeders all to themselves.

She’s followed a few minutes later by her mister. He’s been here before, but is skittish and shy, so shy that he tries to sneak around the log instead of just scaling it like his mate. A lot more work for him, but it allows him a better field of vision.

On the other end of the buffer the downies are feeding. This female is a regular visitor and has almost no fear of me. I shot this from a rocker 6 feet from her.

Her mate was spotted at the buffet for the very first time yesterday at Sunday Brunch.

He very carefully checked things out…

And decided to go for the suet feeder instead.

We do our best to make our guests comfortable at the buffet, but sometimes a fella has to be prepared to eat and run.

Sunday Brunch

Posted on November 28, 2012 by artsifrtsy

Good morning, my little Chickadees, the Bird Buffet at the Stone House will be open daily throughout the winter, but make sure to stop by for our award winning Sunday Brunch!

Dead tree trunks packed with suet for all our nuthatch…

and woodpecker friends…

On sunny days be sure to swing by and check out our all new winter menu…

Wintering goldfinches, we are stocked up with fresh top quality Niger seed…

Titmice, come prepared to feast on the finest black oil sunflower seeds…

And dine at our special platter feeder designed to help you forget about those fickle buntings who left you to spend the winter in Mexico…

No need to worry about squirrels at this buffet, Velcro is standing by to dispatch any rodents. Nothing will spoil your dining experience at the buffet…

As always, we welcome cardinals, even if they are thankless snobs who lurk until we close for the night.

Counting Finches

Posted on November 25, 2012 by artsifrtsy

4P5JS7W8AGS6

A question – how many goldfinches can you fit on a feeder?

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

I bet a few more would fit if only the feeder were fuller.

A Downy Girl Drops by the Buffet

Posted on October 17, 2012 by artsifrtsy

I’ve posted before about my exploits creating a woodpecker feeder for my wild bird buffet. I have one very consistent customer – a red-bellied woodpecker who shows up almost daily. But recently a lovely little girl has been dropping by. She’s a little shy and not too sure about that big feeder, but she’s clearly attracted to the suet section of the buffet.

She’s a Downy Woodpecker – just a bit bigger than a nuthatch with a similar acrobatic flying style. She’s easily spooked so I stayed very still to get some shots of her…

The light was perfect the evening I shot these. No editing, no cropping, just straight out of camera goodness. These are 4 of the six shots I got off before she departed. Sometimes things just work out that way.

I’m hoping she returns often and gives that fancy feeder a try. She seems to prefer peanut suet to the berry that the others like – I’ll be adding it to the menu.

Topsy-turvy Nuthatch

Posted on October 16, 2012 by artsifrtsy

When I set up the buffet last spring, the nuthatches were my first regular customers. They were the first to decide I was unimportant to their dining experience, the first to try out each style of feeder, and the first to just hang out with me. They seem to prefer to do all of this upside down.

Upside down on the landing…