Many years ago I created this BATIK of a white pelican. I had never seen one however and created my design from a friend's photograph. I had assumed I would have to travel some in order to see one. HOWEVER I have learned that they come to the Monterey Bay Area, near Moss Landing, during the summer months. So my quest is to see my very first White Pelican which I will document on this blog.

This original design of a White Pelican is available through my Etsy Site as a large PRINT ON CANVAS 24 inches by 32 inches mounted on a gallery wrap frame. It is quite stunning. I can send multiple pictures. Just let me know.

Pelicans are such interesting birds. Being more familiar with the Brown Pelican, I plan to learn more about the WHITE PELICAN which I will share with you. I do know that they do not DIVE FOR FOOD as the Brown Pelican does. It is my understanding that in shallow water, white pelicans form a circle around a group of fish and use their wings to CORRAL the fish and then they gobble them up.

INTERESTING FACT:  White Pelicans have a wingspan of about 95–120 in (240–300 cm) which is also the second largest average wingspan of any North American bird, after the California Condor. This large wingspan allows the bird to easily use soaring flight for migration.

I have created a new series of Chestnut-backed Chickadee Watercolors. I call them THE PRIMITIVES.  I offer these designs in the form of greeting cards and silk prints which can be viewed on my Etsy Site. I am committed to sharing my love of the little birds, whom I call the BIMBY: Birds...In...My...BACK...YARD.

The chestnut-backed chickadee is the smallest chickadee in North America. It is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. We see them here in Santa Cruz County year round, a common addition to gardens that have trees and WATER; fountains particularly are a huge attraction. We often have a small flock of 8 or 10 bathing with other members of the tit family: bushtits and Oak Titmice. They also are very fond of black sunflower seed as well as suet. Providing feeders with seed and suet will encourage them to come to your yard. 

INTERESTING FACT: As I was looking up more information about these sweet little birds, I find it notable that a passerine is any bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. A notable feature of passerines is the arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back) which facilitates perching. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders, with over 5,000 identified species.[1] It has roughly twice as many species as the largest of the mammal orders, the Rodentia.

I checked on them daily from start to finish! A couple of days before they fledged, a small branch had fallen on them. I oh so carefully removed it only to have the babies jump out. Their coloring made them completely invisible; they totally matched the ground with its leaves and rocks. I was really overwhelmed as to what to do. I knew I could not move my feet! But I gathered my wits about me and without moving a foot, found the first one and  put it back in the nest only to jump out again. This time I put it into an empty clay pot I happened to have handy, one that the little bird could NOT jump out of. Then I proceeded to look for number TWO. He/she had gone into a storage area and had attached itself to the spokes of my son's bicycle. I carefully removed it and put it into the clay pot with the other little bird. I needed to compose myself and figure out what to do next. The nest was at the end of a very scrawny branch about 5 and a half feet off the ground. So I decided to put a 4 foot ladder beneath it and then on top of the ladder I put a very large, probably 24 inch, plastic tray for a large potted plant. (See the picture below.) Then I put the babies back in the nest together. They were hugging each other and this seemed the best way. They were fine for a bit and then one did jump out again but ended up in the tray, so I was able to put it back right away. MOM never skipped a beat. I know there are tales of birds leaving their young if a human touches it, but apparently hummingbirds do not have a sense of smell. So even if that were true, it would not have affected this situation. The babies remained in the nest from then on until they fledged 3 days later. MOM continued to feed them after they left, up in the trees for a couple of days. I do not know if they have ever returned.

Here is the tray. If you look directly above, you can see the babies.

My husband and I bought our Victorian in 1981. It looked just like you see here. We planted 23 trees on our corner, city lot here is Santa Cruz, CA. When we moved here, there were no trees whatsoever, no homes next to us, nada. The property that our home stands on was subdivided by the family that we bought the house from. Two empty lots were created: one next to us and one behind. They were quickly purchased and two new home went up. So much has changed since that time........

Thirty three years later, we have created a habitat for birds. I plan to do more and will add to this blog.  I am working on a hanging feeder that will be visible from my kitchen windows which are on the second floor. Our main floor is our second floor for a real bird's eye view.

   Some 8 million migratory birds visiting California's Central Valley may have their habitats temporarily restored thanks to an innovative partnership with farmers affected by drought and the environmental charity group The Nature Conservancy which has launched a project called “Pop-up Habitats.” Eight million birds migrate along the Pacific Flyway each year, including the iconic and magnificent sandhill crane. With 95 percent of wetlands already gone, these birds are relying more and more on farms for their winter homes.  The Nature Conservancy and its partners are working with many farmers in California’s central valley to make their farms more hospitable for migratory birds—through mulching crops, flooding and more—while keeping their crops in production.

The project plans to determine where and when birds will need to land and whether water might be available to them, and then will pay farmers competitive prices to flood their fields precisely at the time of the birds' descent. If it works, it will be a win-win. Farmers whose livelihoods have been affected by drought will benefit from improved soil fertility and the financial incentive. Birds that have a scarce amount of habitat to choose from, as more than 90 percent of their wetlands have been turned into farms, would have a place to land in their seasonal journeys.

The project uses data collected through Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s database to figure out where the biggest populations of birds will be and when, and pinpoints water availability by collaborating with California-based conservancy group Point Blue Conservation. 

The organization is predicting that up to a quarter of shorebirds will use the habitats that result from the initial phase, coming as far away as the high Arctic to spend winter in California.

At the Conservancy’s Staten Island property located between San Francisco and Sacramento, conservation-friendly agricultural practices have led to one of the largest concentrations of sandhill cranes—15 percent of the cranes that winter in California.

At our Cosumnes River Preserve east of the Bay Area, organic rice fields are flooded in winter to provide habitat for birds. In December, 2013, nearly 124,000 birds were already roosting, feeding and settling in—an all-time record.

Information provided by The Nature Conservancy

California brown pelicans were delisted from the Endangered Species list in 2009. Roughly 90 percent of them typically breed and rear their young off the coasts of western Mexico, with the remainder breeding in the Channel Islands in Southern California. A 2014 population survey has uncovered a drastic decline in the number of California brown pelicans breeding in the Gulf of California.

University of California, Davis, professor emeritus and wildlife biologist Dan Anderson completed the survey of California brown pelican breeding colonies in late May with colleagues from the Mexican conservation agency National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP). The scientists found that this year, areas that typically host hundreds or thousands of nesting pairs held only a few hundred at most, and in some cases zero nesting pairs. "Populations do decline somewhat during El Niño years, but not nearly as drastically as what we saw widespread this year," says Dan Anderson.

This spring, when the birds arrived at breeding colonies, numbers were down and many arrived late. Of those who nested, many abandoned their nests when they could not find enough food to sustain their stay. Observers are also seeing large numbers migrating across the Baja Peninsula roughly six weeks early.

The survey’s findings include:

• At Angel de la Guarda, there were 120 nesting pairs and zero young in 2014, which is less than 2 percent of the past four years’ average since the pelicans were delisted. For comparison, in 2006—considered a “good” year for the pelicans—there were 3,550 nesting pairs and 3,905 young on the island.

• At Isla San Luis, there were 465 nesting pairs producing 16 young (9 percent of normal) in 2014, compared with 5,400 nesting pairs and 5,940 young in 2006.

• At Isla Piojo, there were 70 nesting pairs and zero young in 2014 (19 percent of normal), compared with 600 nesting pairs and 660 young in 2006.

• Low breeding numbers are often associated with El Niño conditions, which bring warmer waters to the Eastern Pacific Ocean. However, this year, the pelicans began showing signs of trouble well ahead of this summer, when El Niño was predicted to begin.

 This could be a serious blow to the remarkable comeback of the California Brown Pelican, which nearly went extinct primarily due to DDT. Brown Pelicans incubate their eggs while standing on them, and DDT made the shells so thin the eggs could not withstand the birds' weight.

The facts in this article have been documented and are courtesy of the University of California, Davis. LadyWhoLovesBirds is an avid conservationist and wildlife artist. Her love of birds is the focus of her art work which can be viewed at her website, www.LadyWhoLovesBirds.com  and her Etsy Shoppe: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LadyWhoLovesBirds.

On May 1st,  Santa Cruz County went into drought mode. Landscape watering is to be kept to a minimum. This is a big adjustment for all. One thing I don't think most of us realize, is that the birds rely on basic landscape watering for their daily water needs. I know for myself, I have been watering my plants by hand, with a watering can. There is no water left over, nothing for the birds to bathe in, let alone get even a tiny drink. I fully realized this for the first time today and felt that I had to write about it. 

Water is an essential to a bird's health both for drinking and bathing. Birds need water to keep their feathers in good condition, ensuring they are in good condition helps them with body insulation during those cold winter nights. Water is particularly important in dry, hot weather during the summer when water can be hard to find.

Birds have no sweat glands, so they need less water than mammals. However, they do lose water through respiration, and in their droppings. Most small birds need to drink at least twice a day to replace the lost water.

Birds get the liquid they need from their food, and by drinking. Many insectivorous birds get most of their water from food. Seed-eating birds have a dry diet and they do need to drink more. 

Water is freely available to small birds at the shallow edges of ponds and streams. They may also drink water droplets that form on leaves, especially if they live in woodland. Aerial species such as swallows and swifts swoop down onto a water body and scoop up a beakful of water while still in flight. Very impressive!

Most birds drink by dipping their bill in water and throwing their head back to swallow. Pigeons and doves are able to immerse their beaks and can drink continuously.

Water to bathe in is just as important for birds, especially in winter. It is essential that they keep their feathers in good condition, and bathing is an important part of feather maintenance. Dampening the feathers loosens the dirt and makes their feathers easier to preen.

When preening, birds carefully rearrange their feathers and spread oil from the preen gland so they remain waterproof and trap an insulating layer of air underneath to keep them warm.

There are many ways of providing water in the garden. The simplest way is a bird bath. This is essentially a dish of water that needs to be functional - the aesthetic aspects are there to please us, not the birds. A good bird bath has a simple, sturdy construction, but is light enough to make it easy to clean and refill.

It needs to have shallow sloping sides with a shallow approach to water. To allow different species to bathe, provide a sloping bath, so the water is between 2.5 cm and 10 cm (1-4 inches) deep. Make sure the surface of the bath is rough so birds can grip it with their claws, and not slip. The vigorous bathing of a flock of starlings can use up a lot of water, so make sure your bird bath is big enough!

The simplest bird bath is a plant saucer with textured finish and a stone in the middle.  You could set several of these around your garden. In the picture I have provided, I put a plant saucer in a hanging redwood planter.  The Bushtits were TOO CUTE when they took turns jumping in.

You could use a dustbin lid sunk into the ground,or supported on stones or posts. If the lid is shiny or slippery, a thin layer of gravel on the bottom (this makes it more difficult to clean though) and a shallow stone in the middle will help birds get to the water in comfort. 

Concrete baths can be made by digging a hole of the desired size and shape, and lining this with concrete. Once the concrete has set, the bath can be removed, trimmed, and placed in the final location.

Where to put your bird bath:

The location of your garden and the type of vegetation immediately around it will determine what birds will visit your bird bath, and in what numbers. Siting of the bath is very important - birds will only use it if they feel safe. Birds get excited and pre-occupied about bathing, and tend to be more vulnerable than at other times.

Make sure birds have clear visibility as they bathe, with bushes or trees nearby to provide cover if alarmed, and perches to use when preening. Ensure cats cannot use the cover to attack bathing birds. You can do this by placing a thick layer of clippings from thorny vegetation, such as rose or pyracantha, beneath the bushes. Try placing the bath at different points around the garden to find the most popular site.

During droughts birds will try to use water barrels or drinking troughs. Sadly, many drown. If these containers cannot be covered, they can be made safer if a plank of wood or a branch is placed in the water so that birds can land, drink and even partially bathe in safety.

Keeping a bird bath clean helps to prevent birds catching diseases. You should clean your birdbath regularly and change the water. A layer of algae, dead leaves or bird droppings will soon build up, so give the bath a thorough clean every week or so. Scrub the sides and bottom to remove algae and other dirt. Vinegar is a safe cleaner as is boiling water.

I have many bird related cards and gifts that include TOTES and Magnets, ORNAMENTS and Mobiles are in the works. Please check out my items for sale in my Etsy Shoppe: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LadyWhoLovesBirds 

Having just dealt with a pregnant stray cat (see previous blog), I discovered that there is a new wave of thinking on FERAL CAT CONTROL. This is a blurb from Wikipedia. Trap-neuter-return (TNR), also known as trap-test-vaccinate-alter-release (TTVAR), is a method of humanely trapping unaltered feral cats, spaying or neutering them, and returning them to the location where they were collected. TNR is promoted by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) as a humane and more effective alternative to euthanasia for managing and reducing feral cat populations.TNR is opposed by wildlife advocacy organizations, PETA, and conservation scientists. Advocates claim that the procedure works by stopping the birth of new cats in the colony and letting the colony members live out their lifespan, approximately six years for outdoor cats, with their own group. Opponents claim that TNR subsidizes a non-native predator responsible for the deaths of more than fourteen billion birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians annually in the United States alone.

When I first read about the idea, I thought this was going to be the solution for our stray female. I offered to go in with my neighbors and have her spayed and just return her to living on the streets. A few weeks went by and then we discovered she was pregnant. So the Neuter and Release was now no longer an option. Plus I had time to think about the damage to wildlife that outdoor kitties do. Going to various sites, I found that the option to Trap, Neuter and Release is being offered more and more. There are even barn cats available to adopt. These are in general feral cats that have been vaccinated, neutered and are ready to be someone's mouse/rat/gopher catcher. Sounds like a good idea. But what about the rest of the wildlife that domestic cats are responsible for killing? I do agree with neutering. I guess the hard part is returning to the wild.

This idea of neutering wildlife is also being tested with wild deer as a non-lethal white tail deer population control for urban environments. Many communities are coming around to the idea as culling deer populations through hunting encourages remaining deer to have more offspring as there is a greater abundance of food. Sterilization on the other hand returns deer to the community who will never get pregnant again. And, unlike deer who are killed, sterilized animals will continue to occupy their half-mile ranges, discouraging other deer from moving in. So in the case of the deer, there does not appear to be any reason not to do this. With feral cats, the question is more complex and I think requires a great deal more consideration.

A new kitty started coming around a couple of months ago. My  friend (and neighbor) kept tabs on her, watched as TOM cats came and went, put a collar on her with notes to her possible owners and finally realized that this sweet black kitty was on her own and pregnant. My help was enlisted as both local and county SPCAs could not offer any help, no fosters, no thoughts really other than "the pound MAY keep her a week but will probably euthanize her before the kittens are born". So this was totally unacceptable and I called my vet office, VCA of Santa Cruz, and was given the name of an organization that could possibly help us: http://www.headinghomerescue.org/ Melissa responded immediately to my e-mail and said, "Do you want us to find a home for this kitty and her kittens?" and my response was an unequivocal YES! So she met with us today and took this sweet kitty who will be fostered and allowed to have her kittens and homes will be found for all post neutering.

This was such a win-win situation. I feel most grateful to have an organization such as this and would recommend anyone reading this blog to consider donating. Such a great resource and I am so surprised that the local and county SPCAs do not give out this information. I plan to contact them about it as I am a monthly donor. I feel frustrated that this information was not forthcoming.


Please check out my other blogs at my website, http://www.ladywholovesbirds.com/blog.html.