The hummingbird is an extraordinary sight to behold. This miniature, magical, majestic bird comes in many colours and sizes.
It can be seen flapping its wings so fast that it appears to be floating on the spot.
This little creature is a marvel of physics and biology.
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It is the only bird in the garden that can fly backwards, which only adds to making it a true joy and delight to watch. A pretty remarkable trait and, in a sense, an animal superpower.
There is a tiny green hummingbird that frequents the feeder around Walden Pond. It is so small that it can sit on the edge of the feeder and drink the sugary nectar without the humming sound of energy buzzing in the background.
Most of the hummingbirds around Walden have beaks the same length as their body,
Attracted by a simple mix of 1 part sugar and 4 parts water, ‘real’
plants or flowers are unnecessary to draw this beautiful bird.
Although this type of bird comes in many sizes and colours, it is always unmistakable with its long beak used to get inside the feeder to inhale a long drink. Even with their eyes closed, they make a particular noise.
The hummingbird feeder is pleasant to watch in the late spring and early summer. It offers a superb spectacle for children and adults alike, bridging biology and nature in lessons that can not be taught in a school setting.
The design of such feeders, along with the hummingbird's beak, makes it so that other birds can not get the nectar because their mouths are not long enough to drink the sugar water.
However, one other bird fondly frequents the feeder, The Outstanding Orange Oriole.
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Oriole
Orioles are a type of blackbird. Waiting until spring is in full bloom to make their entrance, they are exquisite in their sharp orange colour, which, similarly to the red cardinal, stands out beautifully, highlighting any green backdrop of trees, bushes and shrubs.
The Oriole is a unique bird with beautiful popping colours so bright that there is a radiant glow in the landscape when they inject their presence.
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Found nesting in the canopy of a tree, these birds prefer the higher elevation for protecting their young. Sometimes they build their nest low, only a few feet off the ground, in shrubs, long grass or bulrushes.
Orioles are a beautiful mix of orange and black. The most common in the northeast is the Baltimore oriole. However, there are other types, including –the orchard oriole and the Spot-breasted oriole.
Orioles can bend their tale inward and hang off the side of the feeder. This is a brilliant display of how birds can manipulate their bodies to experience dimensions humans could only dream of.
After spending significant time watching the hummingbird feeder, an interesting observation is that Orioles seem to be the only other bird around Walden Pond that fly in for the sweet, nectary taste of sugar water.
Sitting above the plastic flower petals of the red feeder, Orioles can be seen careening their neck down and around into the fake yellow pollen pedals to take a good long drink.
Where one is found, there are usually more around. In the early morning they can be heard with one of their signature song patterns; a whistle unmistakably high, low, high.
Some birds run into glass windows or doors, thinking it is an opening; the oriole seems to do this more than most birds, except for the red-winged blackbird.
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Canada Geese
As I sat staring at the water in deep thought, I heard a noise from far away getting closer. It was the unmistakable honking of a pair of Canada geese flying directly towards the pond in anticipation of a late afternoon swim.
Canada Geese are graceful for their size, and when they arrive, they come in like flying ninjas. Originally appearing as if they will land on the ground, feet first, they opt for the water instead.
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They immediately look like they have been swimming in the pond for hours.
They can be seen careening their necks back and forth to move in the water. After some time, the geese eventually step out of the water to dry off in the sun as they walk over to the lily pads searching for frogs.
Awestruck by this natural treasure, I noticed the bird staring back at me and not moving for thirty minutes before waddling back into the water again.
After the staring contest, the geese swam around for a bit longer, and then it was time for some more squawking.
More audible noises signalled that they were calling radio control in the form of the red-winged blackbird to announce take-off.
After being cleared by the control tower to the west, the 2 geese squawked louder and faster. They positioned themselves at the far eastern edge of the pond.
They started flapping their wings faster and got even louder before eventually becoming airborne and barely clearing the tree line as they flew toward the setting sun. And, like that, they were gone until the next time.
Geese are the closest thing to a jet plane in the Animal kingdom.
The 747 jumbo jet was most surely modelled after someone watched this marvel of engineering in amazement.
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Goldfinch
The Goldfinch is one of the brightest, most colourful birds that frequent the gardens and bird feeders around Walden. Finches are seen throughout the summer in the northeast.
These miniature birds are yellow with black markings (almost like a small yellow oriole). Sometimes they are green and look as if they are wet even though they are not.
They travel in packs and will most often be seen flocking a feeder together in numbers of four or five at a time.
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If there is safety in numbers, there is also beauty in numbers, as a group of goldfinches together will radiate remarkable sharpness and vivid detail. These little birds tend to stick together because, in their world, there truly is safety in numbers.
If you are really fortunate, you may witness blue finches. The same small bird but blue in color. The blue finch is another wondrous sight to behold.
As far as flying, they are not the best. The birds go forth in 10- or 20-foot spurts and then drop before pushing on again in an elevated struggle to travel further. The flight path is covered in sections instead of a smooth sail like the red-winged black bird or the soft glide of a grackle .
Personally, and selfishly, these are one of the most delightful birds to watch. Their bright yellow colour is only made sharper by the black cardinal-like mask over their face, protecting their eyes from the sun that shines as bright as the Goldfinch.
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Cardinal
Like the Robin, The Cardinal is another bird that is a powerful symbol.
The robust radiant red bird portrays perfect symmetry. Most commonly seen with a stylish spikey haircut on the top of its head, a head that is a brighter red than the rest of the body.
Sporting an orange beak, the rest of its face is covered by a black mask to protect it from the sun, identical to most Goldfinches.
The Cardinal's head is a more solid red than the rest of the body, which has a touch of grey, looking like a painter’s purposeful brushstroke beautifully blended.
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Somehow, through the striking redness, these birds seem to disappear into the green canopy of the bushes.
I often spot a twosome of Cardinals in the forest frolicking for fun. The pair are similar and different at the same time. One is the standard red Cardinal that was described already. The other, The Northern Cardinal is grey with a tinge of red, identifiable as a Cardinal because of the signature black mask, orange beak, and spikey hair-do.
There is also a short, stout red Cardinal around Walden Pond, and this particular bird does not have spikey hair. However, the day I spotted this one, there was significant rainfall, so it is possible that it was wet.
The Cardinal makes a unique noise consisting of four fast short tweets followed by three longer, slower ones.
Like the Oriole and the Blue jay, the red Cardinal brings a colour not native to the green tree lines and bushes and provides a rush of colour to Walden’s wildlife.
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Blue heron
This beautiful bird can be found at the pond's edge, often sneaking through the long grass in search of frogs.
The Heron stands tall and straight in its posture, helped by its long legs. Slow to move unless it has to.
Colours of a purple-ish grey-blue separate the majestic-looking creature from similar typed birds such as osprey and flamingos.
This giant bird has a massive wingspan and simultaneously looks elegant and cumbersome, while trying to take off.
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It furiously flaps its broad wings, barely clearing the treeline as it flies away in an upwards path that does not allow much leeway for mistakes.
At times it will fly through the tree branches because it can not clear the treetops, yet it still manages to not crash into the leaves.
Always making seemingly hard work look easy, the Heron eventually reaches full stride, at which point it looks effortless.
Over time, one particular Heron has learned to exit the pond on the opposite side, thus giving it more ‘runway’ to chart a better flight pattern to the Canada geese.
The Heron bird is a rare treat and, if left undisturbed, can be watched for hours.
In the early morning hours, not far from Walden, the Great Blue Heron can be seen flying just of few feet above the water. Sailing across the lake on its way to the next adventure.
It will play in one pond and then another as it travels around the neighbourhood, always returning for a swim at Walden Pond.
Recently I spotted a heron at the edge of a pond and a deer beside it. They were not in competition or hunting each other; instead, they looked like a pair of little boys fishing as the sun 142
started to rise behind them in the early hours of another humid summer morning!
Grackle
The Grackle has an iridescent blue silk head on a smooth black body. Although this bird is freaky looking, it is also excellent.
Grackles appear to reverse their colour schemes from the time they are babies, with blue on the body and black (or brown) around the head.
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Although they look mean and scary, they are considerate to the other birds around the feeder and can often be seen patiently waiting for their turn.
Unlike some species that will scare off the little birds, the grackle has surprising, big-brother-like qualities. Not shy, the grackle will let us know when we have breached its safety and comfort zone.
This observation was made apparent when from inside a kayak, I entered his space and got a little too close to the nest.
The bird, protective as any parent, tried thwarting my attention as it flew away from the nest to get me to follow.
Armed with the realization that this was happening, the next move was to gently paddle away from the nest in question.
Studying the grackle is a good lesson: "Don't judge a book by its cover."
Personally, and metaphorically speaking, these birds have transformed from the ugly caterpillar into the beautiful butterfly in the attachment of my mind.
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Duck
Ducks are another phenomenal species of bird.
They are great parents and stay with their young all day and night.
They will travel up and down rivers, streams and lakes with their entire 'school' of children.
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They can often be seen in the early morning hours travelling single file, on land or water, in lines and rows stretching longer as the numbers grow.
I have noticed that in the lakes and streams around Walden, it is not one adult duck with a baby or two; instead, there seems to be a large family containing five or six adults and up to thirty chicks at a time.
Projecting caution at all times to protect their young, these Male and Female Ducks share the workload.
I have been fortunate enough to witness the chicks following orders to jump in the water individually while the adult leads from the front. Then, another adult will stand at the water entrance, counting to ensure all the ducks are there.
This reminds me of being a young lad and going for walks with the class at school, where the teacher would continuously do a headcount.
There is a saying, "Like water off a duck's back." This means that if you stay well-oiled with love and light, then anything that life throws at you, you can let hit you and then roll right off of you without the impact of crushing you or defining you.
Ducks are known to be great swimmers. Ducks look serene and appear to be floating calmly on the water when you see them.
You can't see the Duck's feet paddling hard under the water.
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This is an excellent metaphor for action. Take action and work hard toward your goals but do not talk about the problematic parts of the journey. Just smile and flow along with the water of life.
American Eagle
Decades after witnessing the tragic events of September 11th, we honour the lives lost with this article about the American Eagle.
The American Eagle is one of Earth's most unique and powerful animals. Its hunting skills and ferocity make this predator number one among birds.
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Gliding far above any food it wants to catch, it can drop down undetected. In flight, entertainment consists of swooping in at thirty to fifty miles an hour (on a side note, a peregrine falcon can travel at speeds of 200 mph)
It can spot its prey from over a mile away. With an average wingspan of 5-8 ft, Eagles can sail effortlessly above anything.
The Bald Eagle is stealthy enough to swoop undetected to pluck fish directly out of the water.
With talons that cut through and grip its prey, this bird represents true power, yet it is so elegant and smooth in flight.
The American Eagle is a symbol so powerful that it is seen on the American quarter, silver and half a dollar. It is also found on every bill (except Thomas Jefferson on the rare two-dollar bill).
It can be found by looking at the one-dollar bill on the opposite side of George Washington. It is almost touching the faces of Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S.
Grant and George Washington, respectively, as we move up to the one-hundred-dollar bill.
Steeped in the history of America, it has been woven into the social fabric and was placed on a copper penny as early as 1776. It is imprinted on all Americans and immigrants alike. Seen in every airport and most government seals.
It is the main focal point of the United States Presidential Seal, the most recognizable symbol that branches worldwide to symbolize 148
strength, ferocity and elegance. These are just a couple of core values delivered to the world by America.
Lest we forget - 9/11 and all its heroes!
Blue jay
Blue jays can be seen in the Northeast of the U.S. and Canada for winter, even though they are also in places like Florida.
They are bright blue beautiful birds and are strikingly different from each other. There are skinny ones, fat ones, tall ones, short ones, young ones and old ones.
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They are a tight-knit group and often flock together, descending upon birdhouses en masse.
Although they look pretty and cute, these birds squawk loud like crows and seem aggressive towards other bird species.
At times, these birds are even aggressive to other blue jays.
Blue jays are too big for most feeders, and when they sit on the smaller feeders' perches, their wings start flapping frantically as they try to get the food out. Realizing their dilemma, if offered, they will defer to the open-concept birdhouse that invites them instead.
I have been fortunate enough to see a pair of blue jays appear, and within a minute of their arrival, another dozen, swoop in for a snack. Blue jays numbering up to fourteen, frolic and forage for food.
The birds’ colours look extraordinary, especially against the backdrop of a white winter snowy morning.
The brightness of this bird is paralleled around Walden only by the
Cardinal, Goldfinch and Oriole.
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Double-crested Cormorant
The Double-Crested Cormorant is a unique bird. It is so rare that I had never seen one before a couple of days ago.
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The bird landed on the pond, and although it swam around like a
Duck, I knew it wasn't.
I saw a long beak that reminded me of a Blue heron, only smaller.
The difference is that herons have long legs and tend to walk around the water's edge for food.
This bird, however, would 'duck' under the water and come up with some food to eat. It may have been a frog, fish or plant; I could not tell.
I observed the bird getting tangled in the weeds and almost drowning.
It was sailing around for quite some time, elegantly and entirely in control, until it got tied up.
Immediately it started squirming and panicking.
It seemed like it would drown, and I quickly took off my shoes and socks to save it.
The bird was gone when I was ready to jump in. With a heavy heart, I thought the bird had drowned in front of my very eyes.
Seconds later, the bird reappeared fifty feet from where I last spotted it.
The bird kept going under the water and coming back up, swimming back and forth, trying to shed itself off the weeds wrapped around its wings.
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Although the bird stopped squirming and looked like it had regained control, I could see the grassy weed trailing behind it like an untied shoelace following along awkwardly.
I knew the bird could not fly like this, and it seemed uninterested in making it to a piece of land to do the edge walk characteristic of the heron.
What to do? How to help?
A few different things might happen if I got inside the kayak and paddled towards it. One, it would panic, and I could grab and untangle it or two, it would forget that it was trapped and fly away furiously.
It was the former and not the latter that ended up happening.
As I paddled toward the bird in a game of cat and mouse that lasted almost an hour, the bird would duck under the water and reappear elsewhere.
One of the times the bird went under, it came up without the weed.
With my part in the rescue complete, I took the kayak out of the water and retreated to the edge of the woods to watch this beautiful bird wade in the water.
The bird tried to fly away but only got twenty feet before landing on the water again.
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I was unsure if the bird was still impaired, or perhaps it was a baby (a considerable baby) just learning to fly and did not yet know how to travel at height or distance.
The bird decided to get out of the water and sunbathe on the dock. The way the beautiful bird basked in the sun was remarkable and angelic.
In an attractive display of beauty rarely seen, it would open its wings to dry off and, in doing so, puff out its chest, suggesting strength and grace simultaneously.
It reminded me of the power pose from the American Eagle on the U.S. dollar bill.
It was gone as quickly as it appeared. Moving on to the next pond or pasture. It didn't make a noise like the Canada geese when it flew, but like the ones we loved the most that have moved on, its beauty remains long after its departure.
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Woodpecker
Even without being seen, woodpeckers are one of the most identifiable birds from the sounds they make.
The woodpecker loves the forested areas for hollowing out trees.
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The Woodpecker is another beautiful, rare and unique bird.
These birds do not get headaches. Nature has designed the biology of a woodpecker so that the back of its tongue wraps around its brain, thus preventing concussions.
Seen throughout the year at Walden Pond, the woodpecker loves to peck wood.
This bird comes in many different colours and patterns. Some have red heads and a red stripe that goes down the back of their necks, while others have red on the head.
Some have a cascading black and white wavy pattern, while others have black spots over a white coat.
They all have a long hard beak which allows for constant penetration of dead wood.
Many types of woodpeckers can be seen and heard daily around Walden.
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Alphabet soup for the soul vol. 2
“It is the marriage of the soul with nature that makes the
intellect fruitful, and gives birth to imagination”