My Least Favorite Bird

I can't stand starlings. They descend on my feeders in swarms and clear me out of suet or suet dough the instant I put it out. They keep trying to nest in my purple martin housing. They are taking over everywhere I go, with their filthy habits.

But, even I have to admit: There is something beautiful about a starling in winter plumage.

A Study in Blue [Jay]

For Mary, who wanted more bird photos, and for Holly and Susan, who can't believe I actually am a birder.

Roger Tory Peterson's favorite bird
Cyanocitta cristata

I don't know about real bird photographers, but I find it really hard to get a good picture of a Blue Jay. For as big and bold and bright as they are, they are remarkably flighty. During my marathon picture-taking sessions last winter, I had tons of snaps of the place a Blue Jay used to be, and another gazillion out-of-focus, out-of-frame, out-of-touch shots of Blue Jays flying away, and only one or two keepers. I thought this one turned out all right.

Two New Pots

I got three new pieces of pottery back from glaze firing tonight. In one, the glaze was too thick, glumped up, and looks like poo-poo. I am too ashamed to show it. But these two came out OK.


I could have sworn I put a white edge around the rim of this pot, but I guess I didn't. The cobalt blue is pretty, though. It is a cell-phone holder, or maybe you put dip in it, I'm not sure.


This little "basket" has gone through many transformations. First, it was going to be a mug, but I goofed it up and tried to turn it into something else. The next thing I knew, the sides sagged over, so I made a rim. When I was trimming it before bisque firing, I broke off a piece of the rim, and had to use "slip" (very thin, water-clay solution) to glue it back on. I tried making a braided handle, but it cracked into nothing, so I just did a little twist. It ended up looking cute, if I do say so. I am taking it to work, to hold paper clips, since my official "paper clip holder" is the one with the gunked-up glaze.

I'm So Excited!

"And I just can't hide it..."

Last winter, I spent HOURS bundled up on my (unheated) screened-in back porch, digiscoping birds at my bird feeders. I got dozens of images, including a few I was pretty proud of. But, at that time, my ancient computer wouldn't talk to my new digital camera, so I couldn't upload any of the photos. I saved them on a CD. (Which my old 'puter also couldn't read.)

When I got this new computer, I couldn't find the CD's with all my stored photos. I was so bummed.

Then, this weekend - I found them!!! (Isn't it amazing what you can find when you clean off your messy desk?)

Finally, I have gobs of bird photos to share with you. Maybe I can finally live up to my goal of being (at least in part) a birding blog.

To start you off, here's a small taste - American Goldfinches in winter.

Toxicology Tuesday, December 18

Holiday decorating involves many seasonal plants. This week, see how many of these Christmas plants you can identify, and more importantly, if you know whether they are

Toxic or Not?

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

[Bonus points if you can rate them in order, most toxic to least.]

A. Christmas Cactus - Nontoxic
B. *Mistletoe - Toxic
C. Poinsettia - Nontoxic
D. Norfolk Island Pine - Nontoxic
E. Holly - Toxic
F. I didn't know for sure, so I asked you! I thought this was some kind of juniper species, and most of you agreed. If we are right, then as far as I can tell, it is nontoxic to our pets.

And now, for the bonus round:
Mistletoe is the most toxic plant in today's post. All plant parts are considered poisonous, but especially the berries. It can cause severe gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea), a decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, difficulty breathing, erratic behavior (hallucinations in people), seizures, coma, or even death. Holly is the second most toxic plant, primarily causing a severe, self-limiting gastroenteritis if a pet eats the berries. (I saw this once in a puppy, but it is not very common.)

As for the poinsettia, it has gotten a bum rap over the years. Urban legend has the poor poinsettia plant rated someplace between bubonic plague and nuclear war in its severity. In truth, it is basically nontoxic. A pet who ate an entire plant may experience significant vomiting and diarrhea, and it is possible that an ultra-sensitive individual might develop a mild skin rash from contact with its milky-white sap, but that is all. So, feel free to bring this lovely plant into your home and don't panic if Fido or Fluffy try a little taste.

*[Thanks to the US Forestry web site for the photo of mistletoe.]

Since the next two Tuesdays are Christmas Day and New Year's Day, Toxicology Tuesday is going on hiatus for the holiday season. It will be back in 2008.

Happy Holidays!

Christmas Baking

I don't really need all this sugar, but it doesn't feel like Christmas to me until I have spent a day like I did today, doing my holiday baking. The cold, raw wind roared around my yard all day, and I was happy enough to spend time indoors, once I fed the horses and filled the bird feeders.


With Christmas music playing, I first cleaned and organized my kitchen, then began my marathon baking session. I started with a double batch of Zick's Famous Suet Dough, because birds deserve homemade treats, too.


Then, I attempted some English toffee, something my mom makes every year. This made me slightly nervous. While I can bake like crazy, I don't have much luck or experience with making candy. Despite a couple of minor operational errors, it came out well.


When I do a Big Day of baking, I often have two batches of cookies going at the same time. It might look chaotic, but I have a system to keep things organized. I start the butter softening in one bowl, beat the eggs in another, and mix the dry ingredients together in a third container. Here, I have two bowls of cookie dough in progress, peanut butter on the left and something called cocoa cookies on the right.


I like my peanut butter cookies topped with Hershey's Kisses. We call them "Peanut Butter Blossoms" in my family. By the way, I baked for years without a cooling rack, but since I have started using this one, I won't go back.


The recipe for these cocoa cookies is from my best friend, Joyce, who I have known for more than 30 years, since we were freshmen in college. She called them "Esther Rich's Cocoa Cookies," but since I don't know who Esther was, I have renamed them "Joyce's Cocoa Cookies." They melt in your mouth.


Scottish Shortbread. I have two basic recipes for shortbread. The one I used today is quite simple - butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and flour. It came with this stoneware baking pan, which imparts a lovely thistle design onto the shortbread.


The cookies and candy are all packed up now. I am fairly sick of sugar, since I consider it my duty to taste every batch that comes out of the oven, and to eat defective cookies. I will take some to work, mail some to a friend, and take some to Mom's for Christmas Day.

Low-carb diet resumes Jan. 1.

Guess What We Saw Today!

I keep a bird feeder at work, a tube feeder with a mix of safflower and black-oil sunflower seeds. We are in a fairly busy area, just off a 4 lane highway, near a lot of shopping and fast food places, etc., so I don't expect much. My usual customers are House Sparrows, House Finches, chickadees and titmice, Mourning Doves, and Northern Cardinals. I have been trying for woodpeckers for the last two winters, first with a suet block feeder (starlings mobbed it) and then with a peanut feeder (no takers.) I do have a resident Northern Mockingbird, and have seen a Cooper's Hawk taking a Mourning Dove, plus we have a breeding pair of Red-shouldered Hawks just beyond the housing development behind us, so I have hopes for more variety.

Today, I looked out the window to see two House Finches on the tube feeder, and caught a glimpse of something on the trunk of the Bradford pear tree. Can you see it?

How 'bout now?

OK, here's the enlargement. Can you see me now?

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker! You could have knocked me over with a feather. After trying unsuccessfully for 2 years for a Downy or Red-bellied, my first woodpecker is the shy, quiet, woodland Sapsucker? Who woulda thunk it?


I called all the staff over to the window and made them watch the sapsucker. "This is a really good bird, guys. You don't usually see sapsuckers in such a busy neighborhood." They were more amused with my uncontrolled glee than they were impressed by the bird.


While creeping around the building, trying for better photos, I spooked Ms. YBSA off her post. (I was wearing a white lab coat. Duh. I know that "Good Birders Don't Wear White.") After she left, I checked the tree trunk and found 3 neat, orderly rows of sapwells, 6 to 8 in each row. They all looked fairly fresh. I hope I didn't scare her away for good - I would love it if she would stay around for the winter.

No red on the throat =
Female Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

I had another good bird today, but no photos of it. On my way into work this morning, a large raptor crossed the road in front of me, flying low over the fields. At first I thought, "I've never seen a Red-tailed Hawk flying that low, and in such dim light, too." Then, it struck me. Great Horned Owl! Whoot! That brings me to 7 raptor species in the last two days.

I also had a great photo op today, but no camera with me. A Cooper's Hawk was lurking about Fast Food Alley, hoping for a morsel of HOSP or EUST. Her perch? The bucket-shaped sign at KFC. I didn't know whether she was inspecting the bucket for left-over chicken, or whether she was about to be deep-fried in the Colonel's "secret recipe of herbs and spices."