tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16789312846803396652024-02-02T01:33:08.514-06:00Gardening with BinocularsAdventures in a wildlife garden, and the native plants, birds, butterflies, and bugs we love!<br>
Nature stories from the border of the Missouri Ozarks.Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-48590081782804575012014-03-02T12:06:00.000-06:002014-03-02T12:06:53.924-06:00Weldon Spring MO Christmas Bird Count 2014
Eastern Phoebe, photo by John Benson, from Wikipedia
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{color:Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com1Boone, MO, USA38.707383633569208 -90.74380874633789138.694993133569206 -90.763978746337884 38.71977413356921 -90.7236387463379tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-78329682928816666592013-07-02T13:41:00.001-05:002013-07-02T13:41:05.593-05:00Birding Legend, Bill Rudden
Bill Rudden at Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary Photo by Al Smith, used with permission
"Bird watcher"--even today, for many people, the image of Miss Jane Hathaway leaps to mind. When Bill's hobby shifted from hunting to bird watching, stereotypes tumbled. Bill was a firefighter for the city of St. Louis, Missouri (retired as a captain), and an athlete. As recently asAnne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com4West Alton, MO, USA38.8650487 -90.222610938.6672317 -90.5453344 39.0628657 -89.899887400000011tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-59615324525604603092012-12-20T20:03:00.001-06:002012-12-20T20:03:39.071-06:00There's an app for that! The FieldSurvey App
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I love birding, but I
hate checklists. It just takes too long to find the bird in the list. Does
anyone else feel that studying field marks is way more interesting than memorizing taxonomic
order?
Ahh, but now there’s an app for that-- the FieldSurvey
app. Imagine doing your Breeding Bird Survey, Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com32360 Highway D, St. Charles, MO 63304, USA38.705166 -90.716828938.7051175 -90.7169079 38.7052145 -90.7167499tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-43667719848793268562012-07-18T18:16:00.001-05:002012-07-18T18:16:35.944-05:00How to report a butterfly
male Funereal Duskywing, photo by Bill Bouton
It's hard to imagine a more dramatic name than the Funereal Duskywing's (Erynnis funeralis). The name conjures up an image of a dreary black butterfly, possibly one whose preferred habitat is a graveyard.
But let's be fair. This little guy is certainly not as dark as, say, a black swallowtail or pipevine swallowtail.&Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com9Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-20973735622525868332012-03-13T17:04:00.001-05:002012-07-12T11:41:30.366-05:00Word Clouds with Tagxedo
I've been playing with word clouds with Tagxedo. In a word cloud, you paste paragraphs (or a web page) into a website such as Tagxedo or Wordle. The site creates a graphic, showing the words used most often as the largest. Tagxedo also lets you pour those words into a shape, as I've done above. I used the words from last August's posts on Gardening with Binoculars. I uploaded a some clipart Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-17778012174812819692012-02-26T20:47:00.002-06:002012-02-26T21:08:50.795-06:00Those Terrible Pterosaurs
Notice the fearful claws & and the murderous look in his eye? Black-capped Chickadee photo by Eric Bégin.
Yesterday, as I pulled out of the garage, something in the
driver’s side view mirror caught my eye. A fuzzy ball of black and white—a bit
larger than a prickly gumballs—came crashing down from the sweet gum tree. Then the ball broke apart into at least three Carolina Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com41010 Meramec Station Rd, Ballwin, MO 63021, USA38.570850720878205 -90.49726009368896538.5677472208782 -90.502195593688967 38.573954220878207 -90.492324593688963tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-7128071484867185742012-02-11T09:01:00.001-06:002012-02-11T09:13:37.255-06:00The Not-So-Common Common Ground Dove of Weldon Spring CBC
Truman was President, Muddy Waters sang "Rollin' Stone," Lefty Frizzell sang "If You've Got the Money," "Sunset Boulevard" took the Golden Globe, and the Webster Groves Nature Study Society counted birds in the cold December winds at Busch Wildlife Conservation Area near Weldon Spring, Missouri, Dec. 29, 1950.
Every year since then, Webster Groves Nature Study Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com5August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area, Defiance, MO 63341, USA38.7184966 -90.755772138.7061076 -90.7755131 38.7308856 -90.7360311tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-75812461928733220152011-12-25T08:56:00.001-06:002011-12-25T09:21:32.254-06:00Breakfast with Mrs. Claus
Everybody loves breakfast at a diner, so no one is surprised when Mrs. Claus drops in with a basket of candy canes to give away. It's Christmas Eve morning and the place is packed so my friend Debbie and I gladly share a booth with Mrs. Claus and her friend. She has an appointment to greet the passengers when the train arrives at the Kirkwood Station in an hour.
After eggs sunny-side-upAnne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com6336 S Taylor Ave, St Louis, MO 63122, USA38.577577749753431 -90.4040050506591838.576026249753433 -90.406472550659174 38.579129249753429 -90.401537550659185tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-27418243627101195202011-12-21T18:34:00.002-06:002011-12-21T19:22:03.233-06:00Christmas Bird Counts on TVI had a chance to talk about Christmas Bird Counts on local TV today. Dan Zarlenga, of Missouri Department of Conservation, set up the interview with John Fuller of KPLR-TV Channel 11 in Saint Louis MO. I had a blast! The broadcasters and staff could not have been nicer. I hope it will motivate a few more people to volunteer their time with Christmas Bird Counts.
More posts about ChristmasAnne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-27283256123990260012011-11-20T12:18:00.001-06:002011-11-20T15:08:27.296-06:00The Very Very Late Ruby-throat
I
I strolled around the turrets of Hogwarts Castle, enjoying the sweeping views of tropical foliage. From the ravine below, a hummingbird came into view. It was large--something along the lines of a Violet Sabrewing. I reached out and held the bird. It seemed to be in some kind of transitional plumage: purple, mixed with buff and green. Then I was startled by sounds of an uproar coming from Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com5Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-28626378475118236272011-10-16T20:33:00.001-05:002011-10-16T20:33:19.769-05:00We Love Squirrels
I knew that all St. Louisans were bird watchers--specifically, Redbird watchers, but who knew they were squirrel watchers too? The yard art pictured above was created by one of my neighbors. It features "The Rally Squirrel" warming up before the big game. For those of you who are not from 'round here, or for those Americans who live under a rock, I have embedded video of the Rally Squirrel's Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com6Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-53291553500202031302011-10-02T14:48:00.000-05:002011-10-02T17:32:55.052-05:00Nighthawks
We could call it a "kettle," if they were hawks--a pretty good description of a flock where the individuals seems to boil from the top to the bottom over and over again. In that sense, I watched a kettle of Common Nighthawks over the dog park on September 20. I estimated at least 60 in the flock, but it could easily have been twice that. The kettle gradually moved west, the birds whirling andAnne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com4Tree Ct Dr, St Louis, MO 63122, USA38.555951716815237 -90.460309982299838.549743216815237 -90.47018048229981 38.562160216815236 -90.4504394822998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-49575765583281517792011-09-30T21:03:00.003-05:002011-09-30T21:06:13.837-05:00Back to the Blogosphere
It's been almost 4 weeks since my last post, so a few words of explanation might be in order. It's been perfect storm of obstacles to getting online: minor accidents that befell a family member (everyone's OK now), a snafu that left me without phone or internet service for a week, deadlines at work, a reunion, and living with amazingly energetic puppy. Blogging is sort of like taking an onlineAnne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com6Kirkwood, MO 63122, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-7877599026146370752011-09-04T18:20:00.001-05:002011-09-04T18:20:54.650-05:00Last Kite of the Season
Mississippi Kite's keystone-shaped tail shows in this silhouette composite photo by George Thomas
I may have seen my last Mississippi Kite of the year yesterday. My puppy Chunk and I visited Emmenegger Nature Park, climbing the trail along the bluffs above the Meramec River and paused at one of the glades. Chunk investigated the scents along and under the limestone rocks. I Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com7Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-80757718422487030842011-08-28T11:39:00.001-05:002011-08-28T11:39:31.034-05:00High Praise from a Prairie Vole
When Chunk and I take our walk through the neighborhoods and down to the park, I sometimes keep count of the number of species we see: 12-22 birds (depending on how long the walk; highest number in spring), and usually only 2 mammals— Eastern Gray Squirrel (always), and either Eastern Cottontail or Eastern Chipmunk. Chunk is more of a mammal-watcher than a bird-watcher and recently Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com3Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-62114176716282013692011-08-21T09:58:00.002-05:002011-08-21T11:27:49.370-05:00A Bird Bath for Hummingbirds
Anna's Hummingbird photo by randomtruth
On a particularly anxious day some years ago, I glanced out the kitchen window, looking at the viburnum leaves, covered with with rain drops. Movement caught my eye—a hummingbird, diving chest first into the droplets, flailing her wings and splashing around in the microliters of water on the leaf. Because I'm a human and humans always look for Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com11Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-27028600187480799412011-08-13T14:39:00.004-05:002011-08-15T19:49:23.953-05:00Juice from a Thousand Flowers
So many hummers! This is my goal! Thanks to Teddy Llovet for the photo.
If you want to attract hummingbirds to your yard, keep in mind that hummers may need up to 1,000 blooms a day. As I mentioned in my previous post, those of use who live in the city or suburbs are going to need nectar feeders! How do I go about filling my hummingbird feeders? Well, I'm glad you asked:
Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com6Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-3706320139503188182011-08-09T10:59:00.003-05:002011-08-09T10:59:53.077-05:00A Rabble of Ruby-throats?
I love my hummingbird plants, but when I read that hummers may need up to 1,000 blooms a day, I knew I was going to need feeders! A little more investigation into hummingbird calorie requirements at Hummingbirds.net is really instructive—and a bit overwhelming for a gardener.
I recently came across the blog of Susan and Richard Day, Daybreak Blog. Susan is one of the authors of a favoriteAnne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com6Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-37335322387975826002011-08-06T15:56:00.002-05:002011-08-07T10:19:21.127-05:00Emma Peel as a Butterfly
Tiger Swallowtails are more beautiful, but when I spot a small, dark butterfly, I run for the camera! Small, dark butterflies include some of the most challenging identifications in our area, including the duskywings.
Jeffrey Glassberg, in Butterflies Through Binoculars; The East, has the best quotation for this family in the spread-wing skipper butterfly group. He references a Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com9Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-62998309634652961252011-08-04T14:41:00.001-05:002011-08-04T14:41:34.697-05:00How to Keep Cool; Another Guest Post by Chunk
That's what I'm talkin' about!
You might also enjoy:
New Helper in the Garden
Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-62420884277322737232011-08-03T14:49:00.001-05:002011-08-07T10:18:16.455-05:00What is she doing?
As my garden renovation proceeds, I removed a Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis terniflora) from one of my witch hazel trees. Nasty work in this heat, but I'm finally getting serious about removing the invasive alien plants in my yard. Sweet Autumn Clematis has just about engulfed the Sugar Creek area of Kirkwood, Missouri, but I think I'll make that the subject of a later post. Just as I Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com5Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-14707803893754500382011-07-31T06:11:00.001-05:002011-07-31T06:11:00.711-05:00Color Variation in a Butterfly
I snapped this pic while talking with my neighbor because the butterfly was close and appeared to be different. When I uploaded it to my computer, I found that this female Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) was laying eggs, and was indeed different. Seen from below, as in the photo, she has a tan area of her hindwing which would normally be black. The forewing appears to have a tan area Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-47118776449170313772011-07-28T07:18:00.000-05:002011-07-28T07:18:24.651-05:00When Animals Attack— PlasticEver wonder if those plastic owls that are supposed to scare birds away from buildings actually work?
Chunk and I saw a test of this Batesian mimicry strategy on an evening walk this week.
The Cooper's Hawk on the fence (just left of the small tree in the photo) screams at the plastic owl, attached to the fence near the gate (right of the tree). The apathetic owl does not respond. The Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com6Kirkwood, MO, USA38.5833862 -90.40678538.5337372 -90.485749 38.6330352 -90.327821tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-37244760893490103982011-07-24T14:40:00.024-05:002011-07-24T14:50:09.165-05:00New Helper in the Garden; A Guest Post by Chunk
It's a good thing I came along, because Anne really needs help in this garden. Case in point…
She put some wonderful, smelly fruit in the compost pile. I had to get it out. Then I ate it.
Ahh! It's nice to cool down after working in the sun.
She doesn't know much about her pond. These things are delicious!
So are the stems. But my BFF Lily and I ate most of them.
Anne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678931284680339665.post-9997340513703241452011-07-18T16:58:00.003-05:002011-07-18T16:58:24.242-05:00Royal Catchfly catches a Butterfly
It's not always easy to get advice on growing a native plant species. Since I'm crazy about hummingbirds, I searched for Missouri natives that specialize in hummingbirds for pollination. Royal Catchfly (Silene regia) is one of the most spectacular. I wrote about its spring-blooming cousin, Fire Pink (Silene virginica) in May this year, but Royal Catchfly is taller and blooms for a longer timeAnne McCormackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04411395323766178814noreply@blogger.com8Unknown location.38.582794537923647 -90.39688110351562538.557968537923649 -90.436363103515632 38.607620537923644 -90.357399103515618