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 August has been an interesting month.
In the first week an amazing thing happened. Finn was out checking the sunflower levels on the north-side, when he walked into the hurried attack of a Sharp-Shin hawk to one of our songbirds. The hawk nearly flew into his head. When it realized that Finn was not his “prey” he pulled his pounces back & changed direction. Not so quick that Finn didn’t see the surprise & wonder on the hawk’s face (the hawk MUST have seen the same on Finn’s). When the Sharp-Shin settled into a near by tree, he was asked to leave the feeders alone. VERY shortly thereafter (w/in 5 minutes) I looked upon a magnificent female Peregrine Falcon posing on the ground, not far from the back feeders, near the blueberry bushes. She was looking around, possibly feeling she was being watched. I couldn’t call for Finn to see her. If I moved she would have fled. Instead I tapped upon the window & asked that she leave our feeders alone (yes – the feeding stations, as well as the ones eating from the feeding stations). She looked at me, hugged the ground & flew off to the back woods. From her pounces I saw the limp body of a male Rose-breast Grosbeak. Her chicks ate well that day.
So, with all of the predator action, the 1st week or so, was slow on bird sightings. All the songbirds left us be for a few days. They slowly started to come back. We haven’t seen many Grosbeaks of any variety. Lots of Goldfinches & Sparrows. By the 3rd week of the month the Grackles arrived “en force”. They have had a very good year with the hatchings. When they fly in, the trees are black with them. The feeders are black with them. The ground is black with them. I go out a couple times a day to see what needs refilling. It is almost as if they are preparing for the migration south. When the wave is over, there is silence. Only crickets, grasshoppers & cicadas can be heard. Decidedly, when the coast is clear the woodpeckers return. The only ones who dint let the grackles push them out, are the chipmunks.
For a couple of weeks the heat was in the upper 80’s F. But, it is back to normal again, 70’s F. We have hit the high 30’s F at night, which has prompted me to begin the plant shuffle. I have many zone 5’s outside .. my area is zone 4a. The leaves are starting to change on the maples & birches. I believe that the “OLD” calendar is coming back. The one our great-great grandparents used. Spring started in Feb. with the birthing of the sheep. We think that is still winter .. but, life is coming back to the world. Summer begins in May, when we take the seeds we started indoors, back in March & put them out to grow. Fall starts with the harvest in August. If you are in the North East, check your maple trees … what color are your leaves? … in New Hampshire, they are starting to yellow. Winter is seen at the end of October. All the leaves are falling, the air is chill & some have seen their first snow. Watching the Grackles feed like a fervor is on them reminds me that nature knows more than man.
So, at the end of August, what we are seeing is Goldfinches, Chickadees, Downey and Hairy Woodpeckers, some Sparrows, the Grackles and of course Crows and Ravens. I did hear the distinctive call of a Pileated Woodpecker out back. Things have quieted down some, since the kids went back to school and Leaf-peeper season has yet to begin. Pileated don’t like too much activity. As far as the 4-Legers … well, the Red and Gray Squirrels are quite abundant, along with the Mice and Chipmunks. One of our Cats has caught a couple mice in the house. We have a catch & release program for all critters caught in the house. This includes spiders, flies, fireflies and beetles.
Food Consumption: Suet is the big winner this month – the resurgence of the grackles has seen to that, sunflower seeds are about the same, hummingbird food hasn’t changed, mixed seed is also unchanged & thistle is “STILL” too expensive to purchase (poor finches)
In Order of Quantity (unless noted otherwise) …
Aug:
Birds: Common Grackles, Black-Capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches, Hairy & Downy Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, Crows, Purple Finches, Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, Catbirds, Mockingbirds, Sharp-Shinned Hawks (our population supervisors), Indigo Buntings, House Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Ravens, Dark-Eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, Black & Turkey Vultures and a beautiful Perigrin Falcon
Animals: Red & Gray Squirrels, Chipmunks, Mice
 Politics and Family … can they be combined amicably?
I wonder about this a lot now-a-days.
Every generation seems to have their issues. There was the latest Trade Center Incident & everything that ensued. The Red War & Communism (The McCarthy Era). The Vietnam Military Action. The War on Rock-n-Roll. World War I & II. The list goes on.
So, how did people who may not believe the same things stay together as a family unit? Did they not speak about things? Did they rip-apart & later try to reconcile? Was there the ability to discuss & agree to disagree?
Most people have 3 major social groups they identify with. There is the Blood-Family unit, regardless of how extended. The Friends-like-Family unit & the Work unit.
The Work unit is the easiest one. You are there to do a job & work as a team. Most times you avoid the subject of Politics & focus on that of work related issues. If you cannot get along with the team, you find a new team to work with. Pretty straight forward.
The Blood-Family unit is a bit more complicated. These are people that no matter how different the opinions are, you are bound by blood ties. They don’t go away. You don’t have to like your family, but they are your family … they will always be your family, even if they don’t recognize you as a part of the family.
In a way, the most difficult place to find balance is in the Friends-like-Family unit. Mostly because there is “Choice”. You choose to associate with these people .. or not. There is nothing concrete to bind you together. If you say “I don’t believe that I can interact with you guys” and you leave them … what might be the repercussions? 20 years later someone questions your past associates with people who may not be of a socially acceptable mind-set?
So, what if you have known these people for 20+ years? They are like brothers, sisters, mentors, mothers and fathers. Depending upon the group, it is possible that these roles have been developed, pretty strongly. What if it is a large & diverse group, say more than 50 people, or a 100 people. One now has a “Community” in all of it’s intricacies. There are small groups within the larger groups. There are crafts people & multi-spiritual directors. There are guilds, charters and a single leader with a council. There is an open forum for all issues within the community so as everyone’s opinions are noted. In many ways, a true democracy.
What happens when these people begin to really disagree with each other due to a “Political Environment” which is outside the group … such as our current Presidential Administration, Economical Situation & Global Circumstance.
How does one find balance when some people want certain subjects banned from the forum because it is disruptive & others want to be able to discuss things which are effecting them, even if it is in an aggressive manner.
There have been suggestions of creating a secondary forum for heated discussion. But, this is becoming more & more drowned-out by “1 forum should be enough”. It appears that people are digging their heals in, on their opinions. Compromise may just be the looser here. And if this “Community” doesn’t come to some kind of conclusion, it may suffer the most.
I don’t like walls being created. I feel that once a subject is taboo a rift is generated. The longer that rift exists, the larger it gets. Silence is the greatest dis-ease, because it begins to eat away at the self. The more one holds something distasteful down, the more dreadful the digestion process. It is better to just regurgitate. Bad feelings are not much different than bad food, in that respect.
Ahh well. I shall continue to ponder this & wish the best for my friends.
~ Ravens’Song ~
July went by pretty quickly. It was so much like June. The rain was the same. The nights a bit chillier, the days slightly warmer. Except for the last week of the month. The days have hit the 80’s (F).
The mornings start of with a chorus of mockingbirds and woodpeckers, singing praises to the sun. Shortly there-after they are joined by the chickadees & nuthatches, whilst the crows caw in the distance (they nest somewhere up the mountain). Finn hears the calls & gets out of bed to put out the feeders. He even mentioned that he heard someone trying to mimic his “Mess Call” whistles.
The chickadees are the first to greet him. Followed by the hummingbirds. Often times each species will sit upon the feeder before he even gets it on the hook. It isn’t that we want them used to humans .. they just appear to know who he is & what he is doing for them. They appreciate the help. We even have a “Super-Soaker” for the local cats who think bird feeders are also cat feeders.
The grosbeak clan are the ones I see gathering on the North side from the Living room picture window, as I drink my coffee. The Rosebreasts precede the Evenings. We have 3 distinct, feeding areas – Back, North & Front, which stay up year-round. The only things that change are the food groups available, this completely depends upon the needs of the guests.
The crows begin to gather. Sometimes only one or 2, other times the whole family is perched in a nearby tree. They LOVE mixed seed, and Finn puts out plenty for them. We have a family of 10 that have called our home “Theirs”. Our neighbor feeds them as well … so they know they are quite welcome. Our neighbor’s cats are not to pleased about it though … the crows will chase them from one side of the house to the next … bellowing & swooping. Nothing comes of it. Everyone has found their space here.
The grackles which were so prevalent in June moved on for the middle part of July. They came back on the 29th. What used to be up to 50 or 60, are now great mobs of up to 200 … blackening all 3 sides of the house. Did you know that up to 5 grackles can feed off 1 suet block at a time? I didn’t , until the other day.
The last week on July has seen a couple wonderful things though … There are breeding colored female evening grosbeaks, and the hummingbirds are showing off with their acrobatics. Perhaps August will be the time we put out the other hummingbird stations.
A NOTE ON HUMMINGBIRDS: Please DO NOT buy food which has the red dye in it for them. It really is not very healthy.
RECIPE: Just use a mixture of 1 cup of granulated sugar to 4 cups boiled tap or bottled water (depending on if you have city water or not – city water has too many additives, such as fluoride & chlorine). Boiling the water will get rid of anything “Live”, which would feed of the sugar. “And” change the water every week … more, if it is quite hot. Bacteria love sugar water, I bet you don’t want to get them sick.
Food Consumption: Suet has slowed some, with the absence of the grackles, sunflower seeds are about the same, hummingbird food hasn’t changed, mixed seed is also unchanged & thistle is “STILL” too expensive to purchase (poor finches)
In Order of Quantity (unless noted otherwise) …
July:
Birds: Common Grackles (from the last week of the month), Grosbeaks – Evening, Red-Breasted & Pine, Black-Capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches, Hairy & Downy Woodpeckers, Crows, Purple Finches, Blue Jays, Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, Catbirds, Mockingbirds, Sharp-Shinned Hawks (our population supervisors), Indigo Buntings, House Sparrows, Field Sparrows, Grasshopper Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Ravens, Dark-Eyed Juncos, Northern Cardinals, Brown Headed Cowbirds, Baltimore Oriels, Robins, Starlings, Sharp-Shinned Hawks (our population supervisors), Northern Goshawks, Black & Turkey Vultures
Animals: Red & Gray Squirrels, Chipmunks, Mice, Raccoons, Moose with babies
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