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Borrego Springs, CA

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Ho Hum Thursday

I spent the day training in Katy, the new volunteer, on the operation of the Visitor’s Center.  We only had eight visitors today, so I guess you could say it was pretty boring.  With only two weeks to go here, I can do most anything to pass the time.

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Last night I tried taking some pictures of a few birds in the campsite even though the setting sun was in my face.  This morning dove was strutting it’s stuff!

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Being spring, many birds were bursting out in song as the sun set.  There is a red-winged blackbird that has one of it’s singing perches in the live oak just outside my door.  I know you can’t see his red wing patch, but you’ll have to take my word for it.

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After all that work singing, he dropped down for a little snack at the Hard Rock Bird Café.  Smile  His tail may look brown in this light.  So much color in birds is due to the reflection of light as opposed to light going through their feathers.  Did you know that there are really no blue colored birds?  It is just a matter of reflection that causes the blue appearance.  Hard to believe, but true.  The next time you have a blue colored bird in your hand (better than two in the bushSmile), pluck one of its blue feathers and hold it up to the sun.  You will notice that it is not blue at all.  How amazing is that?

 

Being a bird nerd, I feel compelled to respond to two comments I had the other day when I posted pictures of the summer tanager.  Both DONNA and AL commented that they didn’t have tanagers in Illinois and Ontario, respectively.  I beg to differ with both of you.  Winking smile You certainly don’t have summer tanagers up north, but you do have scarlet tanagers in both areas.  Scarlet tanager males are just as bright red, but they have black wings.  I’m not surprised Donna hasn’t seen them as she lives in town.  Al, on the other hand appears to live surrounded by woods.  That’s where you’ll find the scarlet tanager… high up in the tall trees in the woods.  Being that tanagers like the top of the tree canopy is one of the reasons I was so thrilled to get the pictures I did the other day. 

 

I noticed that I have a couple of new followers, but as I’ve mentioned before, sometimes I can’t figure out who they are.  I welcome those folks along on our journey.

_MG_0754                                                 THE END!!  (ruby-throated hummingbird style)

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy

16 comments:

  1. We have Western Tanagers here and there are beautiful and bright but those Summer's look gorgeous!!
    I get called a bird nerd quite often, I'm also refered to as the crazy bird lady! ;-)

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  2. When we lived in Wisconsin I knew all my birds and bugs. Loved to study both as a kid, and when i was a leader at day camp I was the "nature lady."

    I'm far less knowledgeable about our wildlife now. But I know a lot about many species of big game around the world from researching them for my art work.

    Yesterday I saw deer in four different places and a coyote trotting down the centerline of the road I was driving on not far from home.

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  3. Okay...now I'm going to have to find a blue feather!!!

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  4. When I lived in NC I had bird feeders outside my kitchen window. I used to go and scatter the seeds on the ground that the mourning doves preferred, because they never flew up to the feeder. When the seed was gone one of the doves (probably the female) would be there by the window looking up at me, trying to tell me that they needed more seed. Sort of like being buzzed by the hummers when their feeder is empty. Love those birds!

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  5. I remember seeing scarlet tanagers here in Ontario when I was a kid but haven't seen any as an adult. They are beautiful birds!

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  6. Beautiful pictures! I didn't know that about blue colored birds. Wonder if one will offer me a feather sometime so I can check?

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  7. I am shocked to hear blue birds really aren't blue -- how can that be? It hasn't been too long since I saw what I thot was a blue bird...now I'm definitely going to look closer and maybe I'll just find a feather. Thanks for all the great info and the beautiful pics!

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  8. Wow...bird lady of Alcatraz...you really are a jack of all trades!!! I'll be watching to see if those feathers sprout!!
    ;-)

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  9. I have heard of Scarlet Tanagers but I do not recall ever seeing one in all my 66 years in Ontario. Guess I am must living a much too sheltered life....

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  10. I learned something new about blue-colored birds today. I'll take your word for it rather than trying to pull out a feather.

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  11. Your blog is definitely for the birds!

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  12. Great post...I don't know much about birds but I do like to look at them and hear them sing!

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  13. Ditto to what Al said...(except change the 66 to63:-)) I have never seen the Scarlet Tanager, but then, we have a plethora of Cardinals, so I could be mistaking them from a distance...Thanks for the mention...

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  14. Learned something new. I knew that the blue in the glaciers has to do with the color of light reflected back; had no idea the same applied to bird feathers.

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  15. that is amazing about the blue birds. Who'd a thought??

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  16. I now know more about Tanagers than I ever thought possible.

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