A few bluebirds are still in town

It has been a busy October at Carpenter Nature Center.  So busy that the Apple Shack sold out of apples early this year. Usually ‘The Shack’ is open until Thanksgiving, but this year the doors closed for the season on Monday. 

Bird migration has also slowed down and now we are just waiting for some of those interesting winter specialties to show up. I’m personally hoping for Crossbills again this year-but I think that may be a little overly optimistic as the are no predictions of a Crossbill Irruption this year. The Winter Finches, which includes species such as Redpolls, Pine Siskins and Crossbills, aren’t predictable annual migrants and tend to move more based on the seasonal variations in seed and cone crops. In one winter we may see hundreds of Common Redpolls at Carpenter Nature Center, then we won’t see another redpoll at the center for 5 years. If you are curious about which finches might venture south to our area, please visit the Winter Finch Forecast: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/ron-pittaways-winter-finch-forecast-2010-2011 

One of the heralded signs of warmer weather are our beautiful, bold Eastern Bluebirds. While most of the bluebirds have flocked up and headed south, there are a number of tough little bluebirds who spend the whole winter in our area. When I worked at Cardinal Corner Bird Store in Newport, we had reports of bluebirds throughout the winter. 

Please enjoy the following poem about bluebirds by CNC volunteer Linda Whyte.

Browns and Beautiful Blues

 

Everywhere in the river-bottoms,

A study in brown

 

the forest floor, a carpet of leaves

Strewn around,

Russets, tan and beige

On sandy ground

 

The tree-trunks, an earthen

Ash brown,

Reflected in flood-swollen

Muddy waters

 

Only the warm late-autumn sun

And occasional patches of golden green

Alter the scenery’s mood

From somber to subdued

 

Until…a tiny blaze of sapphire blue

Flashes into view,

Like a piece of clear sky fallen

Among the trunks

 

Then blown back up

And caught in the tree limbs.

Suddenly, bursts of blue

Are popping everywhere

 

Splashing the woods with glorious color.

The sapphire gems, offset with

Blood-red and bright white

Have come to life

 

And the water-reed calls

Of bluebirds ring in sweet profusion.