Not In My Backyard - Wood Duck & Canada Goslings

A few weeks ago, I had noticed these Canada geese swimming in a private pond. The youngsters were at the sable-brown powder puff stage. I did take photos, but nothing I was really satisfied with as I couldn't get close enough.  Each time I drove by the pond, I gazed longingly toward the geese wishing I could get closer. I coveted that pond and the birds it hosted. The rushes on the pond edge are almost six feet tall now, a foot taller than I am; shooting through the rushes was a definite challenge. Between the pond and I was also a broad expanse of lawn. There was no way of sneaking up on anyone. Remembering what they taught me at Quanitco, I did think I could lie down on my belly and slither like a snake, camera aloft. However, whenever I went by, I was never in my bathrobe, so I never had on the right outfit for that maneuver. Plus, the home owner would probably have had a problem with that. I often saw fresh laundry on the line there, cars moved around and the grass unfailingly mowed, sure signs of occupancy. Then one day, the home owner himself was out by the pond edge throwing cracked corn to the geese! I leaped from my car and scampered across his lawn to introduce myself and tell him how much I enjoyed his pond and all the wildlife it supported. I admired his brilliantly green lawn. "You must really work at that lawn. It's so lush and green! My husband really loves good grass," I said, ingratiating myself. Men always like to hear that they've got a great lawn; he was  in fact, very pleased. He sheepishly admitted that he shouldn't feed the geese and ducks, but couldn't help himself. He told me he had dug the pond when he built his house in 1970. Clearly, he was a man who appreciated do-it-yourself initiative. He invited me to come sit by the pond any time I wanted to and for as long as I wished. He even invited me to use some of his lawn furniture. "Sure! Take a load off! Sit right there under that pine in the shade if you want to. Me and the misses don't mind one bit. Nice someone likes it."
      Walking back to my car, I noticed that the emerald green lawn was actually the work of the geese as much as the home owner. It was a mine field of fertilizing bird bombs the size of Cuban cigars! In spite of trying to avoid them, I stepped into a few which stuck like two part epoxy to my shoe. Knowing that my new found pond pal would have been watching me return to my car, I had to ignore the poo goo so it didn't look like I disapproved. Having used my good 'man material' by blowing smoke about his lovely lawn would have been completely waisted had I let out a squealing "Eeeeeeeeeeuuuuuuuuu!" while doing a grand Pas Du Chat. I decided that having Canada geese in my yard wouldn't be so great. Like deer and grandchildren, they are better appreciated in someone else's yard. 

There are five of these young geese. Their adult feathers are developed enough that you can definitely tell they are Canada geese. These geese are quite habituated to humans and were not shy about being near me. The parents did hiss at me a few times which was a little nerve wracking. A Canada goose standing on the ground is about at eye level to me.

Amongst the Mallards in the pond was this divine Wood Duck in all of his colorful glory. He was definitely wild and would have spooked to flight very quickly if I hadn't been stealthy.

 

I could not get enough of photographing them, either. Maybe I will have to take up my new friend's offer of the lawn chair.

Do You Hear Me Now? Pishing, Does It Work? Is It Cool?

Recently, a friend who enjoys feeder birds enthusiastically, but is not a birder in the capital 'B' sense, asked,  "What is pishing?"

Pishing is the name given to the sounds that birders make to get birds to turn to them, or sometimes to take flight, so that the birder can get a better look. Scientists use the technique to increase the effectiveness of bird diversity surveys; more birds identified means better survey results. I use pishing to get birds to turn to me for photographs. All of the birds in the above collages were responding to my pishing for photographs.  Sometimes, the birds will emerge from the interior of brush toward the birder to investigate the noise. To pish, all you do is say "pish-pish-pish" softly and repeatedly making a kind of squealing sound on the front end and shooshing on the back end. Clench your front teeth, open your lips and whisper the word 'pish' or kiss the back of your hand.  You can also follow that with chatter, "Chit-chit-chit" uttered sharply. But truthfully, anything goes. You could read The Gettysburg Address, recite poetry or sing country western tunes and it might work. I make a high pitched reedy sound by forcing air over my tongue which is parked at the back of my top front teeth. In my experience, raptors, like the Bald eagle and Broad-winged hawk above, find that specific noise of interest over conventional pish-pishing. Maybe it sounds more like a rodent squealing to them. Who knows. Some think that the reason birds respond to pishing is because the sounds resemble the scolding noises and alarm calls made by small birds mobbing or fleeing a predator. Birders and scientists frown upon the use of pishing beyond getting the bird's attention for identification purposes. It's not okay to disturb, scare the birds or otherwise alter their behavior for your own amusement. I also whistle in imitation as closely as I can the whistling of the bird I'm trying to attract. Northern Cardinals and Tufted titmice are especially responsive to this and will return my whistles nearly endlessly. Chickadees are a good subject for learning to pish as they are sociable by nature and will reward your efforts. No matter how silly you may feel doing it or bad you are at it, Chickadees will turn to you. The birds have told me though that they don't like head banging heavy metal acid rock. Only the Grackles,  Starlings and Cowbirds go in for that kind of noise. If that's who you want at your feeders, crank up the volume and let the tunes rock!
 (Clockwise from the top of the first collage, the birds are: Eastern Phoebe, Rose-breasted grosbeak, Northern hawk owl, Black-capped chickadee, Baltimore oriole. Clockwise from the top of the second collage, the birds are: Cedar waxwing, Canada goose and goslings, Catbird, Canada goose and goslings, Barred owlet, Broad-winged hawk, Bald eagle, Scarlet tanager, Tufted titmouse, White-crowned sparrow, White-breasted nuthatch)
Amazon has a bunch of books on pishing. Click here for more on that: Amazon.com/Art-Pishing-Attract-Birds-Mimicking/dp/0811732959
 There's a very informative and interesting PDF file on pishing here: http://www.bsc-eoc.org/download/BWCfa05.pdf
Thanks to Wikipedia  for some of the information.

Goose, Gander And In Between

These goslings aren't downy, bitty babies anymore, so I guess that makes them teenagers. They can't fly nor are they yet trying to do so. Vigilant and protective Mom and Dad ushered them into the water quickly when they realized I was there. I wanted to get closer for better shots (always!), but when I started off the road toward the marsh I was suddenly up to my neck in Poison Ivy! That will teach me to venture from the confines of my car! I picked a tick off myself, too. Fortunately, I was fully clothed for once.