Birds, Birds, Birds

Splitting our time between Pittsburgh and home, I've been able to observe a lot of birds this spring.

I'll start with one of the most well-known birds - the American Robin. It's a thrush and the only thing it shares with its European namesake is the rusty-red breast.

Another thrush with a rusty-red breast is the Eastern Bluebird. The male (left) has more vivid color than the female (right).

Another small blue bird is the Indigo Bunting.

The House Finch is widespread throughout the US. The male (left) is has a bright fuchsia head and breast. The female (right) is drab and could be mistaken for a sparrow.

This male Song Sparrow spent nearly all day defining his territory from a series of high perches.

Cedar Waxwings travel in substantial flocks, and do a great job of clearing berries from a tree. Here they are sitting in a chestnut oak, and I counted at least 12 in just this part of the tree top.

A closer look at the Waxwings. Their high-pitched squeaks are distinctive.

We've seen Cedar Waxings for as long as we've lived here, but they were much easier to see in the same tree in 2007 when the tree was barely alive. The top has really leafed out in the last two or three years. I count at least 25 birds here.

This year a pair of Brown-Headed Cowbirds has taken up residence around our house. They have even chased the cardinals from their favorite perches. Here the male (left) and female (right) are in a persimmon tree just starting to leaf out. Cowbirds lay eggs in other birds' nests and leave the hard work of raising chicks to others.

Turkey Vultures may not the best-looking bird when they're pecking at a carcass, but in flight they are fun to watch.

They hardly ever flap their wings and know how to take advantage of "thermals" to gain altitude. The shallow "V" they make with their wings while soaring is very distinctive and make identification easy - even from a distance.

Our game cameras have also been photographing birds -Wild Turkeys.

Turkeys are inquisitive birds. This one was clearly interested in the camera.

More Spring Botanicals

We hiked a new-to-us local trail yesterday - the Oliver Mountain Trail that starts near Lake Moomaw. It was a glorious day and the wildflowers were abundant.

At the start of the trail these interesting fungi were growing with their "feet wet" in the creek. They are "Swamp Beacons" (Mitrula elegans).

While we were marveling at the orange fungi, we came across the find of the season - a Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens, formerly Cypripedium calceolus). Lady's Slippers are spectacular orchids and an uncommon find.

A closer look at the not-quite-mature flower.

Across the creek were a few Wake-robins (Red Trillium, Trillium erectum)

In the same general area there were quite a few Mayapples (also called Mandrakes,  Podophyllum peltatum).

Wild Geraniums (Geranium maculata) were common throughout.

At first glance Squawroot (also called Cancer-root, Conopholis americana) looks like a fungus, ...

... but up close you can see the individual flowers. Squawroot is a saprophyte and lives on the roots of hardwoods. Later in the season they dry to a dark brown and can be mistaken for a strange-looking pine cone.

A related plant, One-Flowered Cancer-root (Orobanche uniflora), is also a saprophyte on deciduous tree roots.

After a steep climb at the beginning, the trail gently ascends a dry shaly slope. We continued to see an abundance of wildflowers. This is a Birdsfoot Violet (Viola pedata) in the less common bicolor variant.

Another unusual fungus - Devil's Urn (Urnula craterium).

Yellow Mandarin (Prosartes languinosa, formerly Disporum lanuginosum - love those name changes!)

The delicate Sessile-Leaved Bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia).

The appropriately named low-growing Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata) were very common and ranged in color from white to deep pink.

There were a number of other flowers we saw that are not pictured: Wild Ginger, Star Chickweed, Spring Beauty, and a number of violets.