Cyanocitta stelleri or in other words the Steller's Jay. Recently we have had a pair of Steller's out on our porch eating the leftovers and bird seed we leave out for the birds. The pair seems to have taken over the area and will basically chase the other birds away so they can have a private romantic meal together. One of the birds has a couple white feathers around the left eye, who I affectionately call, you ready... White Eye. (I like to be creative, similar to many of the other great scientists who named such creatures as the green snake, and the thirteen-lined ground squirrel) Many people find these birds to be very annoying but that is only because Steller's Jays, being in the Corvide family, are smarter than many of those people. This little video shows how smart a crow, (also in the Corvide family) really is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Z6Mvjd9w0
Along with being super smart these birds are also incredible mimics. Probably not as good as the lyre bird(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjE0Kdfos4Y), but they are still able to mimic several things including other birds, cats, dogs, people and mechanical objects. I am hoping to someday teach White Eye to say "I must find a more suitable host body!" as he flies through the forest or chowing down at somebodies bird feeder.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Monday, December 3, 2012
Northern Pygmy Owl
A few days ago, Victoria and I were driving home from work. I like to think of myself as observant, well... at least with wildlife. I noticed a small bird sitting on a fence post along side the road. I had to slam on the brakes because this was no ordinary small bird on a fence post. (note-normally this is not a good idea, slamming on the brakes in the middle of the road can be very dangerous, more importantly it will usually scare the bird away. However... I have been known to do this on occasion. So for everyone that might end up driving behind me this is your official warning.)
Well, we got lucky and the bird stayed put. It was a Northern Pygmy Owl (NPO) (Glaucidium gnoma). We count ourselves very lucky to have found this bird randomly. Especially when you consider that it really is a Pygmy. This owl is only about 6 inches long. For those of you not overly familiar with birds that is just over half the size of an American Robin (Turdus migratorius). (the body would be about the same size as a normal computer mouse.) It also weighs in at a whopping 2.5 ounces. (Sibley, 2003)
Though this little guy is tiny the NPO is pretty fearless. Normally they eat small birds, rodents and insects that they catch in the trees, but they have been known to catch and eat quail (Oreortyx pictus, Callipepla californica) which can be 3 times their weight. (6-8 ounces) That is no small feat. The one we saw stayed right on the fence post until I got out and walked right up to him to try and get a good picture with my phone. (We didn't have our camera. We will try and get our own pictures for future posts.) (Sibley, 2003)
Well, we got lucky and the bird stayed put. It was a Northern Pygmy Owl (NPO) (Glaucidium gnoma). We count ourselves very lucky to have found this bird randomly. Especially when you consider that it really is a Pygmy. This owl is only about 6 inches long. For those of you not overly familiar with birds that is just over half the size of an American Robin (Turdus migratorius). (the body would be about the same size as a normal computer mouse.) It also weighs in at a whopping 2.5 ounces. (Sibley, 2003)
Though this little guy is tiny the NPO is pretty fearless. Normally they eat small birds, rodents and insects that they catch in the trees, but they have been known to catch and eat quail (Oreortyx pictus, Callipepla californica) which can be 3 times their weight. (6-8 ounces) That is no small feat. The one we saw stayed right on the fence post until I got out and walked right up to him to try and get a good picture with my phone. (We didn't have our camera. We will try and get our own pictures for future posts.) (Sibley, 2003)
It was fairly easy to ID him because of the false eye spots they have on the back of their heads. Most people know owls can turn their heads almost all the way around. So if you see a small owl and it turns its' head around and is still looking at you it is most likely a NPO. My guess would be this is a pretty good predator defense because most predators won't attack prey that is looking right at it. So the NPO has always got "someone" watching its' back. (this technique is not suggested for humans, it just looks weird.)
1. Picture of NPO in tree-http://www.heymister.net/storage/Northern%20Pygmy%20Owl.jpg
2. Picture of NPO in hand- http://www.birdwatching-bliss.com/images/Northern_pygmy_owl_eyes_large.jpg
3. Picture of 2 faced man- http://sas.guidespot.com/bundles/guides_3y/assets/widget_bH77QNN8DfiQmE71p4v-Su.jpg
4. Sibley, David Allen. 2003. The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North American
Monday, November 26, 2012
The Begining
Hey,
This blog has been created to document, inspire and teach. My name is Austin and I love wildlife. My wife, Victoria, does as well. We are making this blog to document all of the wildlife adventures that we have. Most of these adventures will involve the birds that we see. But we have been keeping track of all the wildlife we see; birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Each post will include a little bio on one of the animals we have seen since the last post. Hopefully we will be able to include some fun ideas and trips you can take to find some of these creatures as well.
Austin
This blog has been created to document, inspire and teach. My name is Austin and I love wildlife. My wife, Victoria, does as well. We are making this blog to document all of the wildlife adventures that we have. Most of these adventures will involve the birds that we see. But we have been keeping track of all the wildlife we see; birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Each post will include a little bio on one of the animals we have seen since the last post. Hopefully we will be able to include some fun ideas and trips you can take to find some of these creatures as well.
Austin
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