Birdy on my window... » Redmond

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

magpie — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:54:36 +0000

We added an arm to the bird feeder on the back porch and then added a suet case. This has attracted a few new birds. We will try to get photographs of them sometime soon. However, one regular visitor now is the downy woodpecker. He hangs out for long periods of time, pecking away at the suet. How adorable! =) They are similar to the pileated woodpecker (think woody wood pecker) but they don’t have the red tuft and are much smaller.

The downy woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America. It likes to eat insects, larvae, eggs, sunflower seeds and suet from backyard feeders. They are found throughout Washington State year-round. Lucky us! =)

We have since added another post about the Downy Woodpecker here.

WE got some pictures now for this post as well…

Pileated Woodpecker (a bird a day)

magpie — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:32:18 +0000

Ha-ha-ha-ha-hahahahaha… woody woodpecker was fashioned after today’s bird, the Pileated Woodpecker. He’s sooooo cute. It is about the size of the crow which is actually large for a woodpecker. I wouldn’t have thought they’d be so small really. I don’t know why. Maybe I watched too many cartoons growing up and not enough birds in the trees. These woodpeckers peck at the wood to get sap and ants. Interestingly enough, they peck square holes in the trees. They peck so hard, they can break smaller trees. And the holes they peck into trees often become homes for smaller birds.

The Pileated Woodpecker likes my neck of the woods, the Pacific Northwest, lucky me! =)

Listen to the pileated woodpecker here (Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology).

For more information on the Pileated Woodpecker click here to see a more thorough post on the Pileated Woodpecker.

Mallard (A bird a day)

magpie — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 08:44:42 +0000

The Mallard is the most common duck seen in the United States. The males are more colorful than the females and this is so the female can choose from the males when it comes to mating. She should have a variety afterall. =) The Mallard (and the Muscovy Duck)¹ are believed to be the ancestors of all domestic ducks. They are hardy birds able to adapt to almost anything and they eat a little bit of everything, so it seems. This adaptability to both environment and diet helps them survive and thrive, even when people are involved.

I found their courting/mating ritual quite entertaining, it is not unlike that of the humans…

“During courtship, three or more males may display simultaneously, shaking heads and tails, performing intricate bill dipping and bobbing movements, and whistling. Mating is preceded by the pair facing each other and repeatedly jerking their heads downward, a display called pumping. The drake also has an elaborate display to announce a successful mating. Immediately after copulation, he flings his head up and back and whistles. Then he swims around the female in a gesture called nod-swimming while she bathes. After mating, drakes lose their flight feathers, becoming flightless for several weeks.” Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

Did you know a group of Mallards goes by many names?

A badelyng of Mallards
A badelynge of Mallards
A badling of Mallards
A battling of Mallards
A bed of Mallards
A brace of Mallards
A brood of Mallards
A bunch of Mallards
A coil of Mallards
A company of Mallards
A daggle of Mallards
A doppling of Mallards
A flock of Mallards
A fleet of Mallards
A flight of Mallards
A flush of Mallards
A knob of Mallards
A leash of Mallards
A little knob of Mallards
A lute of Mallards
A paddle of Mallards
A paddling of Mallards
A plump of Mallards
A pryde of Mallards
A puddling of Mallards
A raft of Mallards
A safe of Mallards
A skein of Mallards
A smeath of Mallards
A sord of Mallards
A sorde of Mallards
A sore of Mallards
A sort of Mallards
A suce of Mallards
A suite of Mallards
A sword of Mallards
A team of Mallards
A trip of Mallards
A waddling of Mallards

Or for ducks…

A clutch of Ducks Ducklings
A badelynge of Ducks
A badling of Ducks
A battling of Ducks
A bed of Ducks
A brace of Ducks
A brood of Ducks
A bunch of Ducks
A coil of Ducks
A company of Ducks
A daggle of Ducks
A diving of Ducks
A dopping of Ducks
A flock of Ducks
A flight of Ducks
A flush of Ducks
A game of Ducks
A gathering of Ducks
A knob of Ducks
A leash (three) of Ducks
A little knob of Ducks
A lute of Ducks
A paddle of Ducks
A paddling of Ducks
A pair of Ducks
A plump of Ducks
A pryde of Ducks
A puddle of Ducks
A puddling of Ducks
A raft of Ducks
A safe of Ducks
A skein of Ducks
A smeath of Ducks
A sord of Ducks
A sorde of Ducks
A sore of Ducks
A sort of Ducks
A string of Ducks
A suce of Ducks
A sute of Ducks
A team of Ducks
A trip of Ducks
A “V” formation of Ducks
A wabbling of Ducks
A waddling of Ducks
A wedge of Ducks

A bunch of wild ducks
A fleet of wild ducks
A gang of wild ducks
A pack of wild ducks
A party of wild ducks
A raft of wild ducks
A discomfiture of wild ducks

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/360302/mallard

The Barred Owl (a bird a day)

magpie — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:40:27 +0000

Today’s bird is going to be the Barred Owl. Ask me why? Come on…ask me! Ask me why? BECAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I have pictures of it. Not pictures that are creative commons. Not pictures I bought. Not pictures from postcard but actual live in-person pictures of the Barred Owl in the “Wetland Mitigation” in Redmond, WA. It is a small reserve of land between the Microsoft campus and an apartment complex. I am sooooo lucky to know someone who lives in this complex and works at Microsoft who is soooooo lucky to be able to walk through this beautiful area and see the coolest birds like this Barred Owl. And for the low, low price of NOTHING I am going to share this walk with you, the way he shared it with me. YAY FOR US!!!

Ok, off we go…for our virtual walk to “spot” this beautiful, rare bird…

Let’s follow the little pathway, shall we?

On the way out…and that concludes the walk through the Wetlands Mitigation in Redmond, WA.

If you have a cool story like this and want to share your experience, write us.

(The photographs included in this post are all exclusive shots by a personal friend of mine at Allkoalas.com — if you wish to use them for ANY purpose whatsoever, you must get permission, otherwise it is a COPYRIGHT VIOLATION to use them!)