We spend a lot of time outdoors waiting around for one of natures’ miracles to happen. It could be anything from a bug we’ve never seen before, a ferocious bolt of lightening (we love storms!), or a rare Golden Fox sighting. There is a rather large creek just down the drive so we regularly see animals/birds that are attracted to the water and the available food sources.
A few weeks ago we found ourselves suspended in awe as we suddenly heard the unmistakable swoop/swoosh of very large wings. From just the sound of the wings we assumed it would be a Turkey Vulture because they are so common in this area…and they are HUGE.
Wrong! A very large bird (3½ to 4 ft. tall - wingspan of 4-5 ft.) landed on a fence post a scant 20 ft. from us. We stopped breathing! Stilt-like legs, a long sinuous neck, clothed in velvety medium gray feathers…a Crane…a Heron…what? We couldn’t take our eyes off of it thinking it would take flight again any minute. Rats…no camera! (isn’t this always the way it works out?)
Five minutes, ten minutes: We are dumbfounded the bird is hanging around so long! I moved around a few times to see what it would do, thinking I might try creeping inside for the camera, and it continued to sit serenely sunning itself. Our minds were in a whirl taking in every detail so we could research it on the internet.
WHOOSH…it flew off through the trees toward the creek…We ran to the office and began a web search for a bird we’d never seen before. It wasn’t until we found a photo of a juvenile Great Blue Heron that we knew who our visitor was!
Bird Web has a rather extensive listing on this, the largest of the waterfowl native to North America.
We can’t wait to watch this graceful creature flying and hunting around our creek next year!
Happy September!
JP Studio Crew
No, it’s not the latest hottest Xbox game…and it’s not the name of the newest outrageous garage band discovered on YouTube. Bumble foot is a serious, sometimes fatal, condition that affects millions of animals each year.
After helping Carolina Waterfowl Rescue with a goose rescue on a golf course, Stuart’s Mom Samantha asked Jennifer (the director of the rescue group) and her daughter to look at some blisters on Stuart’s feet that had their vet stumped. The little girl immediately said, “it’s bumble foot!”
Jennifer explained that bumble foot is a condition where sores appear on the feet and if not treated properly can result in a serious infection that can cause a bird to go lame, or worse, the infection can enter the bloodstream and be fatal.
The local resident who contacted Carolina Waterfowl Rescue for help rescuing the geese suggested they take Stuart to her home to treat his feet. She provided some first aid supplies and Jennifer went to work on Stuart’s feet. After draining the blisters, applying medication and bandaging Stuart’s feet, Jennifer suggested that Sam find an avian vet as soon as possible.
An online search led Samantha to Dr. Greg Burkett.
Dr. Burkett is board certified and has an avian specialty practice in Durham, North Carolina. He is also a member of the Association of Avian Veterinarians (AAV). During their first visit with Dr. Burkett he told Stuart’s Mom that Jennifer’s timely treatment of Stuart’s feet probably saved his life.
Oh yeah……so there IS a band called Bumblefoot…go figure!
The JP Crew!
Have you ever peeked into a bird nest during the feeding cycle? All you can see is a tangle of impossibly wide open mouths fringed with baby bird fuzz!
Surprise! ……this year a pair of Bluebirds built their nest about 10-12 ft. from our back door. They built their second nest of the season in a bird house that is usually taken by House Wrens or Black-Capped Chickadees.
Here you can find a ton of detailed information on Bluebirds including a fantastic “nest cam.”
If you live within the Eastern Bluebird’s nesting range you know just how captivating these birds are with the bright blue and orange plumage of the males and the soft blue/brown coloring of the females. They usually begin building their first nest in late February then produce a second brood in mid to late June.
It’s always such a thrill for us to watch the doting parents waiting for the first sound of eggs cracking. Then they begin the seemingly never-ending task of feeding the latest batch of “Big Mouth Fuzzy Faces!”
What delightful visitors these beautiful birds are. Never venturing far from their nest, they serenade us from dawn to dusk with their babbling/burbling gentle voices. They also provide entertainment for our dog and kitty…thankfully Bluebirds aren’t considered a snack around here!
How to attract birds to your yard… it’s easy!
Occasionally we get lucky and are visited by some of the fledglings very soon after they leave the nest. Pictured here is a little fellow that landed in one of our deck chairs a couple of years ago. As I was taking this photo he looked up as if to say, “Who are you and what did you do with my real Mom?”
Happy Bird Watching,
The JP Gang