Slow game cam week, but a busy week for me. (More about that later.)
As of last weekend, most of the new Cuddeback pictures were fuzzy rear-view shots of raccoons and rabbits. This deer photo is not the model of sharpness either, but it's the best one of the lot. She's coming up out of the creek at 9:30 in the bright daylight... if I'd been looking out of the window I'd have seen her.
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The first Hooded Mergansers of the season arrived this week. We've already had several of the other winter birds for a while... Cedar Waxwings, White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Kinglets (Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned), Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Song Sparrows, Yellow-rumped Warblers, etc.
Not many of them sing in the winter -- Song Sparrows are a nice exception. If we're lucky we might hear a Winter Wren now and then. It's one of my favorite birdsongs, but I don't hear it often. The Winter Wren also has one of my favorite latin names: Troglodytes troglodytes! My old birdwatching teacher called them feathered meatballs because of their small size. I'd say, feathered meatballs on speed. (Listen to their song to see what I mean.)
I found one dead in the yard last week and almost cried. He was so small. Ten paperclips would have balanced him on a scale.
8 comments:
Oh yes! The winter wren is so dear - and I've only ever heard snippets of their song during spring migration. How pleasant it must be to live in the South and not experience the twinge of regret as we do up North as winter settles in and the birds have headed south.
I love the Carolina wren, which when we moved to Toldeo in 1976 had not yet arrived. Apparently milder winters have allowed this dear little bird to expand its territory.
Doesn't the word troglodyte mean cave dweller?
That deer looks like she is plotting something. Beware..
Ah my favourite species name also.. Troglodytes troglodytes. Just kind of rolls off the tongue.
I just headed over to the cornell univ bird website to listen to a recording of the winter wren. What a wonderful song.
How this small bird can be troglodytes troglodytes and the common chimp is a pan troglodytes boggles the mind. Makes me wonder what they have in common.
I like that head on deer look...must be what my Katie sees just before she ruins another car.
Carretta caretta is one of my favorites ... of course they don't show up at my birdfeeder.
Libby has been talking about putting a game cam out in our woods. Methinks it might make an interesting Xmas gift for her.
Cathy & Robin Andrea, yes, it means cave dweller. Which is what the wren and the other troglodytes have in common I suppose.
H&B, they're always in the midst of plotting. Usually it's to eat someone's expensive plants.
FC, I had to look up Caretta caretta... nice one. We don't get them at our feeders either. ;)
Pablo, go for it! It's a lot of fun.
The winter wren song is one of my absolute favorites.
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