Birds of West Cobb

Help identifying the hawk species of Marietta, Georgia including: Red-shouldered, Red-tail, Cooper’s and Broad-winged hawks I’ve recently had neighbors, co-workers and family members tell me they saw either eagles or falcons in their yard and then they showed me a photo of a cooper’s hawk, red shouldered hawk, broad winged hawk, or a red tailed hawk. Now to be completely honest with you, I’m not a formally educated ornithologist. I’m just a passionate birder that spent a lot of time in the woods growing up with a camera, pencil and paper, watching and sketching the local wildlife. While I never saw an eagle locally, I have seen a few at Lake Allatoona nearby and even Lake Acworth. I’ve seen them at Lake Oconee and at 2 different lakes in Rome Ga. We have also had Ospreys (Also known as fish hawks) spotted in our neighborhood lake by several neighbors. I’ve only had the pleasure of seeing a small falcon (American Kestrel) once in John’s Creek Ga. With that being said I’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands of hawks in Georgia in my lifetime. They are typically either; Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk or the Broad-winged Hawk. I may not have a photo of an adult and a juvenile for each of the species to help you but I’ll certainly dig through my archives to help you identify them as well as I possibly can. You can even send us photos and we’ll try to help identify them with you. Red-shouldered Hawk We captured one short video in Winter of the Red-shouldered hawk looking around and then calling to it’s mate from high up in a tree in our yard. See the video here on YouTube . Similar to the details on the red-tailed hawk below, I’ve included a couple of links to Audubon Society’s website as well as Cornell’s “ All about birds ” so you can learn more about these beautiful birds! Red-tailed Hawk The next in our list in this blog "Identifying the Hawk Species of Marietta, Georgia" We have captured a couple of short videos on YouTube, as well as the images below for your viewing pleasure. Video 1 and Video 2 . Red-tailed hawks are the largest hawks in North America. They can be found perched high up in tree tops (top-left image below) or soaring with their lighter underside visible with reddish tail feathers backlit by sunlight. They primarily hunt rodents including chipmunks, squirrels or rabbits, but also can be found eating snakes, lizards or even roadkill in the winter months if hunting is slow for them. They have a high pitched scream of a whistle that often will cause nearby creatures to freeze. The hawk below (and in the videos we posted to YouTube) just finished eating a Gray Squirrel, so he was a bit lethargic and allowed me to take pictures from nearly every angle (for over an hour!). If you’d like to view more photos, videos or learn more about the Red-tailed hawk, there is a great educational page on The Cornell Lab’s “About Birds” website . Additionally, the Audubon Society has a similar page with fantastic images and educational content. Cooper’s Hawk Cooper’s Hawks are pretty intense-looking birds. As adults their eyes turn Bright red and they appear to have a “hairline” of darker feathers which are met with lighter grey and orange mottled feathers on the neck and breast. They are very agile in flight and primarily hunt smaller birds. Young mourning doves, sparrows, starlings and even Blue-Jays can be meals (as well as plenty of other birds). Any backyard birder in the Southeast will likely have knowledge of these hunters. Older generations here in the South will sometimes even refer to these birds as “Blue Darters”, because the darker grey colorations on their backs, wings and head can appear bluish-gray in certain lighting. If you’d like to read more about these awesome birds, here are some links for you: Cornell Lab’s “ All About Birds ” and additional information can be found here on the Audubon Society’s Field Guide . Broad-winged Hawk (Photos coming soon – as soon as we see one again). Osprey (also known as "Fish Hawks")

In this blog we wanted to share with you some great news about many of the Spring Eastern Bluebird babies in Marietta, Georgia. A couple of years ago, Lisa and I were lucky enough to find a local park which was seeking volunteers that would "lease" an Eastern Bluebird nest box for 2 years for a small fee. This fee included 2 years of mealworms for the area feeders on the property. This property is known as " Kemp Park " which is a 94-acre property with gorgeous rolling hills, meadows and forest and even includes a couple of streams and a small pond. Kemp Park is located off Burnt Hickory Road. If you'd like to read more about Kemp Park specifically, and get involved or make a donation to this beautiful property for a few improvements, here is the " Friends of Kemp Park " link. Initially, we paid the fee and then went to walk at the park sometimes and look at the nest boxes. After the 2 years passed, the volunteer group "Friends of Kemp" reached out and asked if we'd like to renew. OF COURSE we w did... then we were also invited to participate in the Spring and Summer bird house nest-checking process that they have implemented. It's a pretty cool gig! This is how it works: A number of volunteers get together in Early Spring, and are given a fairly simple schedule to follow. The people that are enlisted will need to come to the park when it's their scheduled turn. During their visit, they (in a few cases "we") will check each nest box for eggs, fresh-hatched young and also record their findings for the group on a clipboard. One of the tools used will include a small mirror, which can be used to look downward into the nest after opening the front or side of each bluebird box. During our preliminary tour of Kemp Park with the group lead and several of the other volunteers, I also brought along a pretty cool tool which is usually found in many auto-mechanic toolboxes. This tool is called a " boroscope ", which is a tiny flexible camera with a 25' coiled cable which can be fed into small, tight spaces so they can be inspected. I've even used ours to find a small pinhole leak in a copper pipe which was deep in our laundry room wall. The idea for this tool being used for bird house checking was simple: most bird nests are built neatly into the birdhouses, several inches thick, and the nest materials often conform to the shape of the box which is fine if you only open a door temporarily. However, I prefer NOT disturbing the nest material or the eggs, hatchlings, and even the nesting parents, if at all possible. So, the boroscope is perfect. It has two different cameras; one that is on the end and looks straight ahead, and has a dimmable LED light around it. The second camera lens is located on the side, and depending on which way you point it, can see easily up, down etc. During our first volunteer Nest Box check at Kemp Park, we found Eastern Bluebird eggs or hatchlings in 7 of the 9 nest boxes. Using the provided "volunteer tool kit" we checked for wasp nests in any early stages of being built, checked for ants that may be infiltrating the nests, we counted the eggs and young hatchlings and made notes of anything that needed attention on the property. It was exciting, and we loved to see the young (and the eggs!). I was also extremely pleased that we didn't encounter any eggs from Brown-headed Cowbirds, European Starlings or House Sparrows. In addition to the nest boxes at Kemp Park, we returned home and used the Depstech Boroscope on our own birdhouses. We found that our 4 Eastern Bluebird eggs had hatched as well! Here are some photos of the eggs when we first checked the box a couple of weeks earlier, and an image of the hatchlings nestled into each other's wings and shoulders. They were ADORABLE ! 3 short weeks later, the fledglings left the nest box and would not return (they don't go back to the nest once they are able to fly, instead they will fly around with their parents and beg for food for 2-3 more weeks until they will follow them to the deck railings (and our dried mealworm stash) or the "house feeder" which we also stock with mealworms. Once they have fledged, we clean out the birdhouse nest material using a mild vinegar solution or some simple green, and scrape off any chunks of infant-rearing that may be adhering to the sides of the birdbox. It was funny, when I removed this nest material, it seemed like there was a slight layer of new pine straw on top of the original nest. Maybe it was my imagination. The very next morning while we were filling the bird feeders and bird baths for the day, I saw a female Eastern Bluebird land on the box and go inside. Are you kidding? Not in the slightest. The bluebirds wasted NO time whatsoever rebuilding a completely new nest. In 48 hours we poked our little boroscope camera back in the hole, and found Bella was sitting in the nest already! She didn't even get up/fly out of the box so we left her alone. The following evening, we checked it again and there was already an egg! Did you know that Eastern Bluebirds will only lay one egg each day. Usually a clutch (a clutch is the total number of eggs that a female will lay at one time) , is 4-5 eggs, but sometimes there are 6 or even 8 at a time! Another interesting thing we learned, was that sometimes the juveniles from the last brood will sometimes help feed the young hatchlings in a nest! We had no idea this occurred. They take care of their families! Here is some more interesting information for you Eastern Bluebird fans (if you are on Facebook, we found a couple of fantastic pages which talk a lot about Eastern Bluebirds and have very active groups that provide feedback, tips, tricks, and more details to help you with your feathered friends! Eastern Bluebird Landlords Backyard Bird Lovers Managing House Sparrows and Starlings ( Not for the faint of heart ) Here are the product links from this blog also, in case this helps you avoid scrolling back through the whole blog post to find the links we mentioned: Depstech Flexible Boroscope Camera Hanging "house style" composite feeder Dried Mealworms (5lb bag) Natures Way Eastern Bluebird Nestbox (Bird house) 1.5" nest box hole reducer As always, thanks for reading and checking out this blog featuring our Spring Baby Bluebirds from Marietta, Georgia! -Lisa and Dan from https://birdsofwestcobb.com

In this blog, the wild turkeys return to West Cobb! The young turkeys are getting larger but all of them are still very timid! After only a few weeks, we captured the image above... the poults are growing very quickly and look bigger each day! Turkey update for July 2, 2022: Okay, okay, they never left! They have been covering more ground though as the poults (we jokingly called them “turklettes”) have and we have heard from friends in the neighboring subdivision West Hampton that they have seen them in their yards too. Sadly the family has lost a few of the poults now, (likely due to predators like Coyotes or Hawks/Owls), but 7 still visit with Mom and Dad a few days each week. At the time of writing this, 6 of the 7 poults were getting much bigger and one that we refer to endearingly as “the runt” was slowly getting larger too, but it is substantially smaller than the other brothers and sisters. We have seen some of the funniest behaviors in these young Eastern Wild Turkeys that you would probably not believe. Travis and Tilly sharing a breakfast plate of mealworms. these guys are getting big! @birdsofwestcobb We witnessed the whole family flying up and over our 4′ fence gate, and then starting to work their way across our yard to our neighbor’s yard. 6 of the poults and Mom and Dad made it 15-20′ into the yard and one of them lingered behind. Our first thought was “oh no, he is sick or something” but that wasn’t it at all. He tucked in quietly behind a pine tree trunk and stuck his head around the base to watch his family walk further and further away. One of the other poults noticed he was gone and started looking around. They started softly chirping and we watched the one behind the tree start running left and right, sticking his head around the tree on one side and then the other. We realized they were playing hide-and-seek! The other poult saw him sticking out from behind the tree eventually and ran/flew straight to him and chased him out from behind the tree, back to the group. It was hysterical! The video above shows the Adult male (front, closest to camera) and the Adult Female (White - referred to as "smoke plumage"), shepherding their 7 young poults that all made it to adulthood. Sadly they started with 10, however we think a coyote, fox or a hawk contributed to the equation. If you watch the video above until the end, you will see Mama turkey fly down by the young poults. The adults loved to get up high and have a better look out for predators. They didn't mind us much at all or threaten us in any way. We've seen videos where other turkeys will chase people especially when there is a nest or young nearby! So keep that in mind and always approach with caution. They are wild animals after all! We added a couple of short videos to YouTube with our Eastern Wild Turkeys also! Check them out on our page: Birds of West Cobb “ The wild turkey family returns. “ We kept seeing them for a few more days after writing this and the young poults were now the same size as the adults and it was getting harder to tell them apart! However, the 4th of July fireworks seemed to terrify them enough to flee the area and we didn’t see them again until Spring 2023, when a single male turkey came back for several weeks to our feeders. Similarly, we didn’t see him again after the 4th of July… however we are hopeful that they return in Spring 2024! Thanks for reading and we hope to see you again when the Wild Turkeys return to West Cobb in the future!

Identifying House Finches, Purple Finches, Gold Finches and Pine Siskins - the Finches of west Cobb! Greetings fellow birders! We’d like to introduce you to some of our most frequent guests here in Georgia (the state, not the country). Meet the Finch family! Finches are mostly seed eaters and will commonly visit your feeders if you have sunflower, safflower and especially thistle. They seem to love the hulled sunflower meats or whole safflower the most, with the one exception mentioned below. Let's get right into it: What are the various types of Finches of West Cobb? Let’s start with the most common, and most likely to nest in the grocery store or local home improvement warehouse signage: The House Finch. The male has a reddish purple head for the entire year but it becomes quite a bit more pronounced during the Spring and early Summer months as they grow their “breeding plumage” or the feathers that help them attract a mate. The female is identical in size and shape but completely lacks this red/purple coloration. She is entirely brown and off-white, with small streaks. Next, let’s introduce everyone’s favorite Finch: The American Goldfinch. The male is typically bright yellow with a very sharp, contrasting bit of black on the head, wings and tail. When perched or in flight, you’ll even see some bright white accents. The female American Goldfinch looks identical in size and shape, however her colors look quite a bit more dull or subdued. You may even notice a bit of brown mixed into the yellow. She also will lack the dark black on the head, wings and tail. If you see one that has some black, but not nearly as much as the adult male pictured here, it’s likely a juvenile male. Our next feathered friend is one that many people confuse with the House Finch. This is the Purple Finch. The male Purple Finch has more of a purple hue than the male house Finch, and there is also some brownish streaking/patterning on the head. Purple Finches are typically seen here in Georgia during the winter months when many have migrated South for the holidays. Now our least favorite here at Birds of West Cobb (kidding! Although they sure do leave a lot of tiny poop spots behind when they have visited in the past). Of course we are talking about Pine Siskins. These smaller finches travel in massive flocks in the Fall/Winter and we may not see them for several years, but then they will really show up in full force. During the Winter of 2020 we counted around 80 and then lost track. They are constantly moving and changing positions so we took a photo and tried counting them while they were still. These birds are mostly brown and off-white with small streaks much like a female purple or house Finch, however they will have small yellow accents on their wings and tails. The Male will have a bit more coloration.

That's right! It's Spring in the South, now it’s time to clean out your birdhouses! (If you waited until mid-March, play it safe!) Well folks, it’s finally Spring here in the southern United States. How do we know? Here in Marietta there are a few reliable signs of Spring: Woodpeckers have started drumming their beaks against trees (and chimneys) to attract their mates. The Cherry trees have bloomed already and immediately afterward we had another hard freeze. We’ve also seen 2 instances already of white-breasted Nuthatches building nests in old Bluebird boxes. These birds are usually the first of our backyard birds we see nesting. When the Cherry Trees bloom, we hope that this will be a reminder for you to clean out your birdhouses. That's what we mean when we say "It's Spring in the South!" It's just our reminder for you to clean them out before the nuthatches start building new nests! Certain birds like the Eastern Bluebird could have 3-4 broods per year and raise a lot of baby blues. However, other birds like the white-breasted nuthatch only breed one time each season. In either case, you should watch the nest box carefully. Once all the young fledglings have left the nest, it should be cleaned out carefully. Why is this important? I’m certain that you have seen the birdhouse placed on top of a fence in the neighbor’s yard, or maybe in the community garden nearby. But more often than not, people buy these and hang them and never clean them again. These old nest boxes will have a nest in them and they probably won’t be re-used. The old nests could also contain a bad egg, or even an entire clutch of eggs if something scared off the parents or worse. In addition, old nest material could contain bacteria mites or parasites that could harm your future tenants. Late Winter or Early Spring is definitely the best time to clean out the birdhouses in case you didn’t get to them at the end of Summer last year. But it is important to clean them out after each brood also. This way you could potentially have even more species of birds raise their young in your little birdie condo! It is very exciting!

Each April, we look forward to seeing Ruby-throated hummingbirds have arrived back at our feeders The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is an incredible creature, and we are very lucky to see them so frequently in the Spring and Summer months. These are tiny birds that can fly forward, in reverse, and in basically any other direction they choose. They have a top speed of around 22mph, and with that in mind, it is truly incredible that they migrate to South America each year for the Winter months. We generally see the first few “hummers” arrive in April. My theory is that these are usually just passing through on their way to their northern summer homes. Generally, by April/May, our resident Hummingbirds have arrived and start to frequent the feeders around our house. Lisa makes her own Hummingbird Nectar from scratch using 1 part sugar and 4 parts water. No food coloring or other chemicals are necessary and in fact, can cause harm to the hummers. Please don’t use the “pre-mix” red fluid they sell at most major stores like Home Depot or Lowes or Walmart (to name a few). Take a few minutes and mix your own! How can you get these amazing tiny birds to your yard? Flowering shrubs and trees are a good start, but we found that purple salvia is an amazing plant that returns year after year here in Georgia, even though it’s labeled as an Annual. In Marietta, we are considered “North of Atlanta” in case you are looking at planting zones on a label while shopping for Hummingbird-friendly plants. These start to pop up in our flower beds in early late March or early April, and by mid-May, our first blooms are starting to open. These plants can grow over 4′ tall and make a great colorful privacy plant but also attract loads of hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, bees and more! We like to support ours with tomato cages (when the plants are small and growing still) and these double as perches for the little hummers. When the hummers first arrive, they are pretty thin, very quick, and difficult to capture up close. They are also extremely territorial birds and generally, a single male ruby-throated hummingbird will claim a feeder or a perch as his own, and chase other hummingbirds away constantly. However, over the course of the Summer, these birds increase their body weight significantly as they store up fuel for their Autumn journey back to Central America. As a result, they fly a bit more slowly, perch more often, and sometimes you’ll even see 3-4 of them on a feeder at the same time! Considering that only 2 months earlier they wouldn’t be happy in the same zip code, this is pretty amusing! If you follow this blog we’ll try and make a point to capture this later in the season for you and our other readers! If you are interested in reading more about Hummingbird feeders, and selecting the right one to get the most birds, check out our other Blog Post here on this topic: https://www.birdsofwestcobb.com/post/which-feeder-attracts-the-most-hummingbirds

A quick introduction to the Carolina Chickadee with photos for reference to help you identify the Carolina Chickadee on your feeder and in your yard. The Carolina Chickadee is probably one of the smallest “feeder” birds (close to the size of a ruby-crowned kinglet) and one of the most frequent to visit our feeders as well. We published this blog to provide you with an introduction to the Carolina Chickadee so you can identify them when they visit your feeder and your yard. While primarily interested in sunflower or safflower seeds, occasionally they need a higher protein fix and go for some dried mealworms instead. We just call our Chickadees “Dee” or “Dee Dee” for short, partly due to their name but also because you can hear them calling out from the trees whenever the feeders get low: “Dee Dee Dee Dee Dee”! Carolina chickadees are quite a bit smaller than Eastern bluebirds, however, they have nested in our bluebird boxes several times over the past 6-7 years. This is always a pleasant thing to discover and you will see these little birds way more often than when they aren’t nesting nearby. They are pretty timid typically and hard to capture up close! Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you think about these adorable little birds! Carolina Chickadees have a great personality. They never bully smaller birds. They wait their turn for food and water so it’s important to have a good water source nearby. We use a terra-cotta plate, 12″ diameter or larger, and change the water out daily. After a few weeks of the plate of water existing in the same location, birds of all types will come and drink and even take baths. The Chickadees however are small enough that they can basically duck their whole heads under the surface for a moment, and then splash and shake the water out of their feathers. When it gets hot outside (80+ degrees Fahrenheit) you will see more and more birds taking baths. I’ll dig up some more photos, but here is a picture with a male in the early-morning glow of the sun. Thanks for reading! Carolina Chickadees will also drink from water in overflow trays below potted plants, and often we see them drinking from our Hummingbird Feeder Ant Traps as well! In the image below however, we captured a Carolina Chickadee eating from a freshly cleaned tube feeder.

A photo reference guide by Birds of West Cobb, to assist you with identifying baby birds at your feeders in the Spring and Summer months. Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by our Blog "Birds of West Cobb". This blog post is all about "identifying baby birds at your feeders". This a fun topic and we look forward to it every Spring. I’m hopeful that the images included below will help you identify the species of fledgling / juvenile birds at your feeders and in your yard. Some of them are generally easy to spot, and others you may need to watch their behavior to determine which species they are because they look so different as juveniles. The photo below showing a young poult (juvenile Eastern Wild Turkey) is a great example. We are located in Marietta, Georgia. It’s a suburb of Atlanta which is famous for several things – ironically one of them is “the big Chicken”. We have no affiliation with the KFC mascot and to our knowledge the “Big Chicken” has no offspring. I just wanted to clear this up in case you were reading in a different country and wondered about the birds you were seeing here on our blog. What types of baby birds or fledglings will come to your bird feeders? Near Atlanta, GA you might see the following birds: Northern Cardinals, Rufous-sided towhees, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, House Finches, Gold Finches, Brown-headed Nuthatches, White-breasted Nuthatches, Grey Catbirds, Eastern Bluebirds, American Robins, Blue Jays, Red-bellied woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, European Starlings (invasive), Common Crows, Mourning Doves, Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Brown Thrashers and more! Its a wonderful time of the year! I’ve included a photo of the adult and a few photos of the juvenile to help you with the photo gallery below!

In this blog, we answer the common question "What is Georgia's State Bird?" You may have guessed that it was the mosquito, but it’s actually the Brown Thrasher. Traveling through Georgia, or even living here as a resident and you may wonder "What is Georgia's State Bird?" The Georgia State Bird is the Brown Thrasher. It was selected to be the state bird by the Governor of Georgia in 1935 ( Eugene Talmadge ), however, it wasn’t officially recognized as such until 1970 after being pushed by the Garden Clubs of Georgia! You can read more about it here in this article by AJC . We named our resident Brown Thrasher “Thor” because he absolutely dominates the feeding area when he is present. He will glide in effortlessly and perch near the ground. After a quick safety check (hawks, cats, people) he will move to the ground in search of insects or mealworms we tossed out for he and other birds. He will sometimes grab the leaves with two feet and flip then out of his way, other times he will use his bill to toss them. Either way, it’s pretty entertaining to watch Thor the Brown Thrasher looking for food. Towhees, Bluebirds, and even Carolina Wrens better look out because Thor isn't afraid to chase them away from his food source! We had Thrashers in the yard long before we started to feed the birds, although feeding them brought them closer than we had been to them before. If you are ever outside and near some thick, dense shrubbery and you hear something flipping leaves, and you catch a glimpse of a brownish bird about the size of a Blue Jay or a Common Grackle, it’s probably a Brown Thrasher. Here is an interesting note about the eyes of a Brown Thrasher. I read in several blogs that it is believed that when Brown Thrashers are very young (juvenile), their eyes appear grey or blue/grey. As they mature their eyes begin to turn brighter and brighter yellow. It was interesting that for most of the articles I read this was all based on theories. Well, here at Birds of West Cobb @birdsofwestcobb we have seen it to be true. Brown Thrashers have an INCREDIBLE vocabulary. Years ago, I experienced a Northern Mockingbird that seemed to have an endless list of calls and sounds. While impressive, I have now seen several Thrashers do the same and with at least 4-5x as many calls and sounds as the mockingbird. Brown Thrashers can mimic or call with over 1,000 sounds, and research shows that this could actually be a lot higher still, (as much as 3,000 different calls!) That is insane to think of, and it may be more vocabulary than some people I know… ha! There is an article on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website that talks more about it, and gives a lot more information about the Brown Thrashers in general. Check out this recent video clip below of a Brown Thrasher taking a bath on a warm day! We cannot stress enough the importance of keeping a clean fresh bird bath for ALL of your birds. We actually have 3 different sized plates or terracotta plant dishes that work incredibly well as bird baths.

That's Right! A Barred Owl visited Birds of West Cobb 3 days in a row! As Cobb County (Marietta, Georgia) continues to be developed and new subdivisions, shopping plazas and convenience stores are built, there are less and less mature forests in the area. We are lucky to live in an "older" subdivision that was built in the 1970's, and many of the trees were not removed during construction. I believe this is a great reason for our very diverse bird environment. In fact we have counted over 50 species of birds and at least a dozen mammals in our yard alone! On occasion, (during late Spring and early Summer) we hear owls at night, but we rarely get to see them. A few days ago I went outside to try and capture some photos of American Goldfinches, at least 45 minutes before dusk. Periodically I look around and zoom in on different areas of the yard when something catches my eye. In this case I saw something with my naked eye that looked like a brown ball of fur or feathers, sitting directly on the fence pickets. I thought "that seems like a really big squirrel" for a second and had to zoom in with my camera to see what it was. I was surprised to find out that it was a Barred Owl! That's right, a Barred Owl visited us. But it gets better! The Owl, (we named it Owlexander ) has now been back multiple times over the past few days! (This is the photo I captured the first time I saw Owlexander on the fence, below!) Luckily we have not seen Owlexander chase any birds so far, perhaps because Barred Owls have a pretty diverse diet and while birds may be a piece of this, they certainly enjoy other cuisines also! We have a decent number of squirrels, chipmunks, spotted a mouse on one occasion, and have also seen flying squirrels in the past. Owls prefer to eat small rodents but will also eat reptiles, amphibians, small birds, and even large insects! Here is a quick video of Owlexander on our fence (nearly 110 feet from the back door where I was standing with the camera!) Are Barred Owls Active at Night or During the day? So you may wonder if Barred Owls are active at night or during the daytime? Read more below! At several local parks (Kemp Park, Allatoona Creek Park and Green Meadows Preserve) I have spotted Barred Owls in the past. Usually perched somewhat low in large trees, and they tend to land fairly close to the trunk of the tree. They blend in really well and their feathers help with this camoflage. In fact, as I was watching Owlexander yesterday, he flew from one tree to another and after perching, he took several side-steps directly toward the trunk, before freezing and essentially vanishing from sight. The coloration of the feathers nearly matched the tree bark perfectly and within moments bird activity resumed around him as if he wasn't even there. Barred Owls can be quite active during the daylight hours, depending on their food sources, if it's breeding season or not, and there is always the chance that they were simply disturbed from their roosting place by someone making a lot of noise (cars, motorcycles, leaf blowers, etc). Where do Barred Owls Nest? Barred Owls typically nest in natural tree cavities, where limbs may have fallen off or there is an opening in the trunk due to a variety of natural causes (storms, insects, fungus, even lightning!). However, it is possible that they will also nest in a species-specific Birdhouse with very precise measurements for a bird of this size. As an example, A bluebird nest box may only measure 11" tall and 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" floor and a 1 1/2" entry hole. A Barred Owl house however, would need to be approximately 30" tall, with a 24" x 24" floor, and an entry hole measuring 6" across! Look, that's a pretty large bird! Are Barred Owls Territorial? Barred Owls, like many other birds, can be quite territorial. They may quarrel over a certain feeding area but most of the time they will mind their own business. However, if they are nesting nearby they may be a bit more intimidating and lash out, especially if they have fledglings nearby and they are in a "protective parent" mode. I was once mountain biking in the woods with friends in Woodstock, Georgia and a Barred Owl starting chasing my friend, right in front of me! We can only assume that we got a little too close on our bikes to a nest or some young owlets. Thanks for reading our blog about the Barred Owl that visited us this week. It is very impressive that so many birds visit us here in Marietta, and we see far less cross-species fighting than you might expect! Just this week we also had visits from a Red-tailed Hawk and a Cooper's Hawk. It's almost like the birds have Yelp! and use it to find a good meal in a safe place. Thanks for reading our blog, bird friends!

The Rufous-sided Towhee is an adorable (and friendly) backyard bird that is frequently spotted by bird watchers in the Southeastern United States. With its bold Black and Rufous (rust colored) and White appearance, it's easy to spot and often times is even easier to hear. The Towhee's distinctive calls, which sounds like "Drink your tea" or "Tow Heeeee", the Rufou-sided Towhee is a wonderful bird to have in your yard. What does a Rufus-sided Towhee look like? Male Rufous-sided Towhees are easy to identify with their bold black head, back, and tail, contrasted by bright white underparts and rust-colored sides. Females, while less vivid, display a beautiful warm brown instead of the crisp black feathers of the males, but still maintain the same rufous-colored border between the wings and the bright white belly. Fledgling Towhees lack the obvious and crisp/bold colorations of their parents, but instead have mottled brownish feathers with streaks that easily mimic natural colors from their environment. Males do have more dark contrasting feathers though and you will be able to tell them apart with a close encounter or good quality binoculars (or digital camera) What do Rufus-sided Towhees eat? (What does the diet of Rufous-sided Towhee consist of?) Rufous-sided Towhees primarily forage on the ground, searching for insects, seeds, and berries. They have a particular fondness for sunflower seeds and cracked corn. Offering these foods in your bird feeder can attract these charming birds to your yard. Where do Rufous-sided Towhees migrate to in the Winter? In the Winter months, Rufous-sided Towhees favor dense brushy areas, woodland edges, and overgrown fields. These environments provide ample cover and food sources, making backyards with shrubs and low trees ideal for their winter habitat. Here in Marietta Georgia we have them year round. Where do Rufous-sided Towhees spend their Spring and Summer months? Summer HabitatDuring the summer, these birds frequent similar habitats but may also be found in more open woodlands and forest edges where they breed. They build their nests low to the ground, hidden among the underbrush, which offers protection for their fledglings. Are you still wondering about details not listed here? Let us know in the comments! We are always excited to delve deeper into the world of backyard birds for you and for us as well! In the short term though, maybe check out the following pages: visit Audubon 's Eastern Towhee page here : All About Birds has a great read about Towhees also! If you want to get up-close and personal with Rufous-sided Towhees and other amazing backyard birds, we have a few recommended products that can certainly help enhance your experiences: Platform Bird Feeder Premium Sunflower meats (no shell) Wild Bird Identification Guide for Georgia, United States

In this Blog post, we will take a look at one of the common backyard (and sometimes front yard) birds of the Southern United States: The Northern Mockingbird. The Northern Mockingbird, while fairly common, is actually quite an interesting species found throughout the Southeastern United States , Midwest, and even throughout the Southwest. Mockingbirds are well-known for its impressive vocal range. These birds can mimic the calls of other birds, animals, and have even been recorded mimicking mechanical noises, car alarms and more ! Let's dive into some of the more fascinating aspects of the Northern Mockingbird's life including their habitat, behavior, and some other very unique traits. Northern Mockingbird Habitat Preferences Northern Mockingbirds have the ability to adapt and thrive in a variety of environments, from suburban areas near shopping centers and malls, to open fields and brush along the outer edges of forested areas. They prefer habitats with dense shrubs and trees, which provide ample nesting sites and protection as well as a variety of food sources. You might spot them perched high on top of a telephone pole, or on a fairly open, obvious branch, singing their little hearts out. Does The Northern Mockingbird Have An Incredible Vocabulary? One of the most remarkable (and well-known) features of the Northern Mockingbird is its extensive vocal range and seemingly endless supply of songs. A single bird can learn and mimic over 200 different sounds in its lifetime! These birds are not just talented mimics; they also use their songs to establish territories and attract their mates. What Is The Lifespan Of A Northern Mockingbird? In the wild, Northern Mockingbirds typically live around 8-10 years, although some have been known to live longer. Their longevity is aided by their ability to adapt to various habitats and their aggressive behavior in deterring predators. Do Northern Mockingbird's Eyes Change Colors As They Mature? An intriguing aspect of Northern Mockingbirds is their eye coloration, which changes as they age. Juveniles have blue-gray eyes that gradually turn to yellow as they mature. This change in eye color can be a helpful way to distinguish between young and adult birds. How Do Northern Mockingbirds Defend Their Nests? Northern Mockingbirds are fearless when it comes to protecting their nests. They are known to chase off predators many times their own size, including cats, hawks, and even humans. This bold behavior ensures the safety and survival of their young and also maintains their territory. Sometimes you can look up into the sky and see a pair of mockingbirds chasing a Red-shouldered or Red-tailed Hawk, or even a Common Crow! It's quite impressive! What Is A Little-Known Fact About Northern Mockingbirds? A little-known detail about Northern Mockingbirds is their unique "wing flash" behavior. When foraging on the ground, they often spread their wings to display the white patches. This behavior is thought to startle insects into revealing themselves, making them easier to catch. Enhance Your Bird-Watching Experience With These Products: To attract Northern Mockingbirds to your backyard, consider adding these products: Bird Feeders : Hanging Suet Feeder (just like the one shown above in this blog!) Bird Baths : Check out this amazing bird bath Bird Feed : Dried Mealworms Additional Resources for Attracting Northern Mockingbirds: Perhaps you came to this blog searching for the famous book with multiple references to Mockingbirds, consider downloading the classic novel " To Kill a Mockingbird " on Amazon . By understanding and appreciating the Northern Mockingbird, we can ensure that these extraordinary birds continue to thrive in our backyards (as well as our front yards). References Audubon Society - Northern Mockingbird All About Birds - Northern Mockingbird