Category: Birds | Accent on Natural Landscaping

Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ Visitors

November 1, 2019

Reference my earlier post about An Experiment with Non-Native Rudgeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ in which I stated that have only once seen birds picking at the seed offered by this non-native. Well, earlier this week I had a second sighting. A small flock of about 10-12 House Sparrows were frantically picking at the seedheads of the Goldsturm following our first big snowstorm of the season. I understand from my Wild Ones friend Janet Wissink, who is President of the Winnebago Audubon Society, that “snow will make the birds look a little higher for seed instead of just feeding on the ground.”

House Sparrows

House Sparrows are originally from the Middle East and and parts of North Africa, but along with the growth of agriculture, they have spread to Eurasia and North America. They are considered pests by many people, because they present some problems from being noisy to being messy. They also compete with our native birds for food, shelter and nesting sites. See What to do about house sparrows.

We can control some of the problems they present by controlling the habitat we provide, which in this case, appears to be non-native Rudbeckia.

So forgive me for misspeaking earlier. I’ll continue to keep watch to see if there any more visitors.

Hummingbird nectaring on Jewelweed

October 18, 2019

To lighten the doldrums from the cool, rainy days we’ve been experiencing, I thought I’d share this short video with you just to cheer your day. September 19, 2019 was (we thought) the last day we saw the hummingbird. He visited with us as we ate lunch. I took this video through the kitchen window as he was busily nectaring on the last of the Spotted Jewelweed. Another good reason to like this prolific plant — late summer blossoms.

But it wasn’t the last day! Every three or four days, we see a hummingbird again at our nectar feeder. The orioles are long gone, but we left the nectar feeder up for the bees and for hummingbirds, apparently, traveling south from Canada.

Nice Surprises from the Storms

September 16, 2019

During the week of September 6, 2019, we had some terrible storms again. Thankfully only 35 mph winds, so we didn’t lose any more trees. Instead we had some nice surprises. See below.

First we saw this delightful sight.

Following the storms which hit the Fox Valley, I was filming Northland Creek overflowing its storm sewer edges when a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) flew east along the creek and stopped behind our house. It seems the rushing water was carrying along fish from adjacent ponds. So the herons and the egrets would fly east along Northland Creek, where they stopped to wander back toward the west and catch unsuspecting fish.

Then next we saw this delightful sight.

Here a Great Egret (Ardea alba) walks along Northland Creek behind our house heading back to the best fishing spot, just east of the culvert under Conkey Street.

And, then finally we saw this extra delightful sight. (I was really testing my zoom lens to get this shot, so please forgive the grainy appearance.)

Here we see a Great Egret (Ardea alba) successfully fishing along Northland Creek, just east of the culvert crossing under Conkey Street.

Labor Day 2019

September 2, 2019

Labor Day is a good day to reflect on life and the work we put into maintaining our natural environment when sometimes people all around us seem to continue be so unconscious of its importance. Take the time to get outside today and just savor nature and the web of life of which we are so blessed to be a part.

There are a few Cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum) in my prairie which didn’t get knocked down by the fallen trees. Two Goldfinches are enjoying a late summer treat of seeds before they start shedding their bright yellow colors. The one to the right is kind of hidden by the Cupplant blossoms, but if you look closely you’ll see its tail pop out. Hope you’ve been enjoying your three-day holiday, just like these guys certainly are!