Bluebirds, Blue Skies Blue skies Smiling at me Nothing but blue skies Do I see Bluebirds Singing a song Nothing but bluebirds All day long – Irving Berlin, Blue Skies, 1927 It’s nesting time at Little Piney with lots of activity on the nest box trail! In a courting ritual, Mr. Bluebird tries to persuadeContinue reading
Tag: bastrop birds
-
Bluebirds and Bluebonnets
-
Leucistic Northern Cardinal and More Winter Birds
Leucistic Northern Cardinal I saw a light-colored bird drop down into the woodpile in brush behind the Hummingbird garden–one I couldn’t immediately identify. I thought it might be a female Cardinal but it was unmistakably gray and white, not a hint of creamy buff. Maybe a pale Pyrrhuloxia? When the the shy bird ventured outContinue reading
-
Wild New Year at Little Piney
Christmas Bird Count New Year’s at Little Piney was all about the wildlife. On January 1, I participated in my first Christmas Bird Count in Bastrop. Every year, all over the world, on a given day between December 14 and January 5, tens of thousands of local birders count the birds in their area and report theContinue reading
-
Mixed Flocks at Little Piney
Mixed Flocks Return Cool weather brings a return of “mixed flocks” to Little Piney. Fast moving, noisy, and often in the treetops, a mixed flock is a real challenge to identify and count. When a cloud of dark silhouettes descends on bare branches, chipping and flitting from branch to branch I’d better have myContinue reading
-
Winter Birds are Back at Little Piney
Winter Birds are Back at Little Piney Winter birds are back at Little Piney! I had a wonderful morning birding with friends, one a frequent birding partner, and the other a new friend–an expert birder who seems to hear and see everything at once! She spotted a new bird for my Little Piney listContinue reading
-
Knock-Knock–Who’s There?
Pileated Woodpecker We always know when the Pileated Woodpecker is hungry. His distinct and resonant hammering sound is the loudest of the wood-pecking birds at Little Piney. No matter how many times I see a Pileated Woodpecker, it’s always a thrill. At 15-19 inches tall, with a brilliant red crest, shiny black back, pure whiteContinue reading
-
Rainy Weekend at Little Piney
Rainy Weekend Thirty-six hours of rain, and I’m not complaining. First of all, the rain put an end to the Hidden Pines Fire allowing efforts to shift toward clean up and assistance for the families affected. Second, the long, steady rain puts an end (at least temporarily) to the threat of more wildfires. Third, rainContinue reading
-
Nature Writes Her Own Story
Red Shouldered Hawks Last Sunday, I planned to spend the morning discovering fall migrants–the warblers, orioles, hummingbirds, etc. that birders all over Texas reported daily for the past week. I didn’t have much luck with that plan, though. Instead, Sunday’s story was about larger birds. Red Shouldered Hawks patroled at Little Piney all day. I saw themContinue reading
-
Hints of Fall
Fall visitors Temperatures range in the nineties yet there are hints of fall in the air at Little Piney. Early mornings feel pleasant, and migrating birds stop by for seed and berries. I’ve spied two early ducks, a Black and White Warbler, and a Baltimore Oriole. I hear lots of new calls and songs and seeContinue reading
-
Bluebird Nest Boxes for Total Beginners
How to Install Bluebird Nest Boxes Little Piney hosts a healthy population of Eastern Bluebirds. They are encouraged to settle here by good habitat and available real estate. We have 7 bluebird nest boxes put in place several years ago by previous owners. Recently, I removed all nest boxes for cleaning and fresh paint,Continue reading