Notice the orange decor on his wings – handsome birds ! :
Posts Tagged ‘near’
Male Cedar Waxwings on the Crab Apple Tree in the morning fog
Posted in Shrubs and Trees, Wild Birds, tagged Arkansas, bosom mountains, carb apple, cedar waxwing, fog, near, parthenon, tree on October 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Scissor-tail Flycatcher in the morning fog
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged Arkansas, near, parthenon, scissor-tail flycatcher, scissortail on May 26, 2014| 1 Comment »
A Male Summer Tanager pilfers a poor American Redstart’s nest
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged Arkansas, from Redstart, near, nesting material, parthenon, stealing, summer tanager on May 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »
This is sort of funny ! This young male (probably un-mated) Summer Tanager spent an hour stealing freshly woven nesting material from a hardworking female American Redstart. Each time she would leave the nest to gather more nesting material, the pilfering Tanager, watching from high from the next tree over, would fly down and steal the materials she just brought to the nest. She made no headway in 20 trips during that hour. She never caught him stealing but you have to wonder what she was thinking after all that work ?
and ON and ON it goes !!!
Ox-eye daisies seem early this year
Posted in Wildflowers, tagged Arkansas, boston, daisies, Jasper, Mountains, near, ox eye daisy, parthenon on May 2, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Weird ! In a year where everything seemed late and then stayed in bloom along time; The highest and coldest areas go the Boston Mountain range some Red-buds are still at peak. Ox-eye daisies usually bloom May 15 – June 1. So this is unusual.
Ox eye Daisy
American Goldfinches lining up for seed
Posted in Weather, Wild Birds, tagged american goldfinch, american goldfinches, Arkansas, hundreds, near, Newton County, nijer seed, parthenon arkansas, Purple finches on February 25, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I have been feeding the American Goldfinches all winter long (since November 15) and I probably have about 150-200 finches at this time. Very few House and Purple finches have visited the feeders so far. I have 4 tube feeders with Nijer Seed and they are always full of hungry finches. This has cost me $120+ per month this year. There are 2 River Birches that they line up on; in a feeding queue, and wait their turn at the feeders. It becomes really chaotic at times.
Lately there has been more fights and and quarrels than in past weeks; they are also beginning to show some yellow from an ongoing molt. These birds do not nest until late summer; when the seeds are plentiful, but will take Nijer seed all year around. American Goldfinch males will turn bright yellow within 30-45 days and the females will stay an olive-yellow color. The males also have a completely black forehead after the molt is complete.
Redheaded Woodpeckers mating early this morning
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged 2013, Arkansas, in the early spring, nature, near, outdoors, parthenon, redheaded woodpeckers on April 8, 2013| 1 Comment »
More …… in this mornings thunderstorm, in a continuing series of the nesting of a redheaded woodpeckers near the Little Buffalo River just west of Parthenon:
A persistent young Red Headed Woodpecker
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged Arkansas, buffalo, Little, murray, near, outdoors, red headed, river, valley, waterfalls, woodpecker on February 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Try as I may, I cannot keep this guy from tearing up a rail, even after I tried to repair it ! I’m happy though because the population here is doing real well. Got about an inch of rain last night and early this morning around 4:30 – 5:30 AM with some bright lightening; the creeks and waterfalls will be running today.
Another Redheaded woodpecker on CR 20 north of Parthenon
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged Arkansas, boston, CR 20, Mountains, nature, near, parthenon, pine savannahs, red headed, red headed woodpecker, red headed woodpeckers, redheaded, woodpecker on February 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I just saw this bird on the Diamond Cave Rd on CR 20. I got pretty close to him because he was on the opposite side of the tree and did not see or hear me. As he/she came around the side I surprised the woodpecker and got 12 shots off before he/she moved to another tree. This is a pretty good photo and shows the feathering and coloration, Males and females are exactly alike. There is a little spring-time molting on the head at this time.
The gorgeous Red-headed Woodpecker is so boldly patterned it’s been called a “flying checkerboard,” with an entirely crimson head, a snow-white body, and half white, half inky black wings. These birds don’t act quite like most other woodpeckers: they’re adept at catching insects in the air, and they eat lots of acorns and beech nuts, often hiding away extra food in tree crevices for later. This magnificent species has declined severely in the past half-century because of habitat loss and changes to its food supply.
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Size & Shape
Red-headed Woodpeckers are medium-sized woodpeckers with fairly large, rounded heads, short, stiff tails, and powerful, spike-like bills.
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Color Pattern
Adults have bright-red heads, white underparts, and black backs with large white patches in the wings, making the lower back appear all white when perched. Immatures have gray-brown heads, and the white wing patches show rows of black spots near the trailing edge.
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Behavior
In addition to catching insects by the normal woodpecker method of hammering at wood, Red-headed Woodpeckers also catch insects in flight and hunt for them on the ground. They also eat considerable amounts of fruit and seeds. Their raspy calls are shriller and scratchier than the Red-bellied Woodpecker’s.
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Habitat
Red-headed Woodpeckers live in pine savannahs and other open forests with clear understories. Open pine plantations, tree-rows in agricultural areas, and standing timber in beaver swamps and other wetlands all attract Red-headed Woodpeckers.
Juvenile Bald Eagle in dive on 01/31/13
Posted in Wild Birds, tagged Arkansas, bald, eagle, juvenile, near, parthenon on February 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Taken with a Canon 1DS and EF600 f/4.0 L and 1.4X extender at about 150 yards – a guess ??, near the Parthenon crossing of the Little Buffalo River:
