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Upside Down

White-breasted Nuthatch (male)

By: Pat Coate

My husband and I are fond of walking along the Allegany River Trail. He’s a birder by marriage only, though he has become quite adept at identifying “green-headed ducks” (aka mallards) on the river. On one of our walks we had (at least I had) the pleasure of watching a pair of white-breasted nuthatches working the woods along the trail. These are one of a few birds that will move down a tree headfirst. And unlike woodpeckers or brown creepers, their tail is short and not used for support while climbing or foraging.
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Posted by patacoate | 15 April 2010 | Categories: Nature | 2 Comments

Broad-winged Hawk

Had my first of the year Broad-winged Hawk today flying above my house! (CHECK)

Uploaded Via my iPhone!

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Posted by mon@rch | 14 April 2010 | Categories: Nature | 1 Comment

Bloodroot Flower

This is the last of the Bloodroot flowers on the small patch that I
always follow!! I captured this picture with the iPhone before all the
flowers are gone! Snow the other day probably didn’t help any!!

Uploaded Via my iPhone!

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Posted by mon@rch | 12 April 2010 | Categories: Nature | 1 Comment

Snow-Swallows

Flying on Red House Lake (2007)

I observed a few hundred Tree Swallows flying over Red House Lake today with big snowflakes in the air!! Seeing this behavior reminded of the day in 2007 when I found a dozen birds cuddling together to keep warm. These birds just don’t do well in cold temperatures and my heart was broken after finding a few dozen of them dead in the bird boxes. Lucky this weather isn’t proposed to last for as many days as in the 2007’s storm.
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Posted by mon@rch | 9 April 2010 | Categories: Allegany State Park, Birds, Flickr, migration, Nature, photography, Weather | Tags: Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow | 3 Comments

For My Brother

Male Brown-headed Cowbird

By; Pat Coate

My post last week on Canada geese behavior prompted the following comment from my brother: “…here in the sophisticated South, we view Canada geese as poop-spewing menaces.” There are actually quite a few birds that people consider menaces for a variety of reasons. So, sticking with that theme, today’s post covers a few ‘menace’ birds.

The brown-headed cowbird is not so much a menace to people as to other birds. The female brown-headed cowbird does not build its own nest but lays its eggs in the nest of other birds. Its eggs often hatch before the host bird’s eggs and its young develop faster increasing their chance for survival.
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Posted by patacoate | 8 April 2010 | Categories: Birds | 5 Comments

West Virginia White

West Virginia White on finger

Saw my first of the year West Virginia Whites (CHECK) flying around today. I just love these guys!
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Posted by mon@rch | 7 April 2010 | Categories: bugs, Butterflies, Flickr, Nature, photography | 2 Comments

Yellow Violet and Spring Beauty

Yellow Violet

Spring has been moving faster than I can keep up with. Today had my first of the year Spring Beauty and Yellow Violets.
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Posted by mon@rch | 6 April 2010 | Categories: Allegany State Park, Flickr, Nature, Wildflowers | Tags: Spring Beauty, Yellow Violet | 2 Comments

Birdwatcher [Author Question and Answer]

A friend of mine and author Elizabeth J. Rosenthal (Liz) recently released a paperback version of her book Birdwatcher: the Life of Roger Tory Peterson. The hardcover was published in 2008 in celebration of the Peterson Centenary. I recently had the chance to ask Elizabeth (the author of Birdwatcher) a few questions about her marvelous book.
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Posted by mon@rch | 5 April 2010 | Categories: Birds, Nature | Tags: Author, Birdwatcher, book, Elizabeth J Rosenthal, Question and Answer, The life of Roger Tory Peterson | 1 Comment