Nature Note: A Naturalist's Travels Through Nature

My "naturadar" was going off again today. Anyone is who in awe of the natural world possesses some form of this mechanism. Some people are only just discovering theirs, while others always seem distracted by the petals on a flower or the smell of the ocean in the wind. Mine is constantly on, scanning for signs of life in and around the house. While sitting in my parent's kitchen, I glanced out of the glass door leading out to the deck. Flecks of snow drifted quietly from the skies above while caramel oak leaves littered the ground, occasionally dancing to the wind before settling back down. The cloudy skies above almost disguised the flakes as they left their skyward home and descended haphazardly to the earth below. Further along the decks railing stood our well worn bird feeder swaying gently on its hook. Our bird feeder is a large tube feeder with a metal top and bottom, plastic tubing, and stiff metal perches. The top bore the scars of squirrels trying to chew throu...

As I mentioned in my weekend post about the American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ), Alison and I headed up to Beaver Lake Nature Center to watch the action at the feeders and to spot some year birds for our lists as well. As I write this, I thought about deviating from my usual "describe how the day/event went" style and instead create an unofficial guide to the species we saw at Beaver Lake. So without further adieu, here we go. Beaver Lake Nature Center is a 600+ acre park located in Baldwinsville, New York and features 9 miles of hiking trails, abundant wildlife, a wide range of habitats, and a 200 acre lake popular amongst local canoeing and kayaking fans. It has quickly become our favorite park to visit and so we decided that on Saturday afternoon, we would visit the main building to watch the feeder birds flit about and snarf away many, many sunflower seeds. The first birds we noticed were the American Goldfinches ( Spinus tristis ) in their dull straw...

Another quiet Monday and with it raining and cold, I decided to take some pictures of the birds congregating outside on our tube feeder. I counted 10+ Dark-eyed Juncos ( Junco hyemalis ), a couple of Black-capped Chickadees ( Poecile atricapillus ), 4-5 Mourning Doves ( Zenaida macruora ), 2 American Goldfinch ( Spinus tristis ), a Song Sparrow ( Melospiza melodia ) and a Tufted Titmouse ( Baeolophus bicolor ). See if you can spot some in these pictures. Extra points if you can find the Gray Squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis ) as well. A happy group of restauranteers Everyone's having a flap! Some Juncos fluttering in to investigate the offerings Just the center of attention. Again. Now the doves get in on the act There certainly were a lot of doves today. If you look carefully, you can see the goldfinch on the feeder above Mourning Doves are some of my favorites Juncos at attention Om nom nom... Snowbird Finishing up

One of the more awe-inspiring moments one can experience while young is being in the presence of a bird of prey. While many have certainly been fortunate to see a soaring Red-tailed Hawk ( Buteo jamaicensis ) or Turkey Vulture ( Cathartes aura ) o'er a sunny field or along a highway; an up-close and personal encounter with a raptor tends leave a more distinct impression. After coming to the United States, my interest in birds was a burning ember wishing and wanting to gain the fuel of knowledge and oxygen of experience that would drive me to seek out the birds I so desired to see. While I was only seven or eight years of age, I could recognize the commonest birds like no ones business. Jays, cardinals, titmice, robins, and nuthatches flitted through my world and I sought them where ever my parents brought me. I would seek out sparrows in the parking lots of supermarkets, listen for chickadees and nuthatches at nearby Drumlin Farm, as well as seeking out the birds of prey that lived...