Wild Side Ornithology Club

[Marion Morrison]

Ospreys can hover like hummingbirds in spite of exponential size differences, and here's proof:



Is the Osprey endangered? Do the math...



Osprey couple watching beautiful sunrise, Montana


​

He almost sounds like the Honey Badger guy.

 

[Marion Morrison]

What is its name? It sure has distinctive separation of black and white. Newspaper bird with swallow tail? /kidding

Swallow-Tailed Kite. Idk if migratory or what, but there's plenty of hawks around here.

 

[Care4all]

some sort of Finch,I think?

I like those things! They raid wasp nests.

Catbird

Cedar Waxwings.... they look like masked bandits! Eating ripe Elderberries

It appears those birds like Polk berries.

I thought that was a wild Elderberry bush? What's a Polk berry?? I'll google it....

 

[Marion Morrison]

some sort of Finch,I think?

I like those things! They raid wasp nests.

Catbird

Cedar Waxwings.... they look like masked bandits! Eating ripe Elderberries

It appears those birds like Polk berries.

I thought that was a wild Elderberry bush? What's a Polk berry?? I'll google it....

Looks like I spelled Pokeberry wrong.

 

[Care4all]

OK, polk berry look like Elderberry, but elderberries are clustered and Pokeberry are more cone shaped!

polkberry also

 

[Care4all]

some sort of Finch,I think?

I like those things! They raid wasp nests.

Catbird

Cedar Waxwings.... they look like masked bandits! Eating ripe Elderberries

It appears those birds like Polk berries.

I thought that was a wild Elderberry bush? What's a Polk berry?? I'll google it....

Looks like I spelled Pokeberry wrong.

actually, I thought I spelled it wrong, but in google images, they have BOTH POLK AND POKE.... they look the same

 

[Marion Morrison]

some sort of Finch,I think?

I like those things! They raid wasp nests.

Catbird

Cedar Waxwings.... they look like masked bandits! Eating ripe Elderberries

It appears those birds like Polk berries.

I thought that was a wild Elderberry bush? What's a Polk berry?? I'll google it....

Looks like I spelled Pokeberry wrong.

actually, I thought I spelled it wrong, but in google images, they have BOTH POLK AND POKE.... they look the same

They are the same. I've never really seen it written until today.

 

[Care4all]

the American Bald Eagle

there were two, here's the other one in another tree in my yard

Wow, nice grabs. Was that by water? When I was a kid I lived in Jacksonville Texas. I would always see Bald Eagles when I went striped fishing at lake Paistine. We would see lots of Osprey to. Some times when a bald eagle would snatch a fish out of the lake and osprey would swoop down on it and try and steal its fish. Nice pics. Wish I was better with a camera.

YES! We have a creek right across from the meadow in front of the house... within 100 yards, and the Ocean is just a couple of miles and a huge, huge, huge River mouth in to the ocean that is a mile from our house! Also there are 4 lakes/ponds within 3 or 4 miles distance.... all in my town! (it's not really a town, it's a rural district)

I haven't seen an Osprey up here, haven't seen one since we left living in Florida!

No Ospreys? Oh, and they're so totally wonderful, too. Sad for the area if there aren't any around. Maybe another specie occupies their territory, but not their sheer majesty.

And fishermen might wish they were this good--no poles, no lines, no trips to the store for outfitting...



Nurturing their kids in Dubois, WY



Taking his sweet time...

​

Well I'll be a Monkey's uncle!

There are Ospreys in Maine during the summer they migrate up here!

I have not seen one, or if I had, it was up high in the sky and I thought it was a Hawk....

Here's one about 50 miles from where I live....

 

[Care4all]

Maine on the coast is very stunning! It all looks like that picture above showing the water.... usually with small islands in the middle of the inlets, bays and coves

We do not have the coastline filled with homes, like in Florida.... and we have a HUGE coastline....

I dunno, it might be something like 500 miles of coast, as a crow flies....

but it is so crooked and filled with tons and tons of coves, and bays.... I read recently we have 5000 miles of coastline.... including the islands....

Lobster and harvests the majority of the lobster in the United States. Maine has 3,478 miles of coastline - more than California (3,427), and over 5,000 miles of coast if you include all of the islands as well. Only Florida and Louisiana (mostly bayou) have more miles of coastline.

 

[Marion Morrison]

Maine on the coast is very stunning! It all looks like that picture above showing the water.... usually with small islands in the middle of the inlets, bays and coves

We do not have the coastline filled with homes, like in Florida.... and we have a HUGE coastline....

I dunno, it might be something like 500 miles of coast, as a crow flies....

but it is so crooked and filled with tons and tons of coves, and bays.... I read recently we have 5000 miles of coastline.... including the islands....

Lobster and harvests the majority of the lobster in the United States. Maine has 3,478 miles of coastline - more than California (3,427), and over 5,000 miles of coast if you include all of the islands as well. Only Florida and Louisiana (mostly bayou) have more miles of coastline.

And it's 18 there now, right?

 

[Care4all]

We have these really really cartoon looking funny birds called Puffins.... when my sister came up from Florida to visit we went on a boat tour to see them.... they are so cool looking....

 

[Care4all]

Maine on the coast is very stunning! It all looks like that picture above showing the water.... usually with small islands in the middle of the inlets, bays and coves

We do not have the coastline filled with homes, like in Florida.... and we have a HUGE coastline....

I dunno, it might be something like 500 miles of coast, as a crow flies....

but it is so crooked and filled with tons and tons of coves, and bays.... I read recently we have 5000 miles of coastline.... including the islands....

Lobster and harvests the majority of the lobster in the United States. Maine has 3,478 miles of coastline - more than California (3,427), and over 5,000 miles of coast if you include all of the islands as well. Only Florida and Louisiana (mostly bayou) have more miles of coastline.

And it's 18 there now, right?

Maine on the coast is very stunning! It all looks like that picture above showing the water.... usually with small islands in the middle of the inlets, bays and coves

We do not have the coastline filled with homes, like in Florida.... and we have a HUGE coastline....

I dunno, it might be something like 500 miles of coast, as a crow flies....

but it is so crooked and filled with tons and tons of coves, and bays.... I read recently we have 5000 miles of coastline.... including the islands....

Lobster and harvests the majority of the lobster in the United States. Maine has 3,478 miles of coastline - more than California (3,427), and over 5,000 miles of coast if you include all of the islands as well. Only Florida and Louisiana (mostly bayou) have more miles of coastline.

And it's 18 there now, right?

yeah, it's cold and got 10 inches of snow yesterday.... the day I was suppose to fly to Florida to visit my parent's and sister.... and I canceled and am going to try again to go down there in January....

You have to like winter sports along with summer sports to live here... Skiing and snowmobiling and ice skating, ice hockey..... the kids have sledding too....

and the Hunting is incredible.... the deer herds are huge/numerous, along with Moose, Muskrats, Wild Turkey galore, and Black Bear.... they hunt Black bear too!

We have ALL of the above, visit our yard frequently..... except the Black bear only comes in the Spring when she first wakes up from winter Hibernation..... then I have to wait a year, before I see her again..... what a beautiful animal..... they are HUGE up here, not like the smaller Black bear in Florida.... and I mean HUGE HUGE HUGE!!! Even the deer are bigger than the deer in Florida.... everything is big! Also we have Duck and Geese that are hunted, and all kids of Pheasants and wild fowl.

It's a whole nuther country up here, compared to the South, of which I have lived, most of my life....

 

[beautress]

OK, polk berry look like Elderberry, but elderberries are clustered and Pokeberry are more cone shaped!

View attachment 230106

polkberry also

One of my acquaintances out here in Walker County TX has an elderberry tree in his yard. It's huge. I've seen pokeberries once in awhile by the fences, which are about 52" high, and they're slightly showier, but the elderberries can produce a crop of edible berries, whereas you'd have to change water so many times to make anything about pokeberries nontoxic, because their medical benefits start in the thousandths of a gram and end there, too. The American Indians had their way, though, and a lot of their cultural medicines are all but lost until we run "scientific" studies on them that prove or disprove efficacy. Sometimes that takes 200 years of dogged research, only after the right person's fire is lit to find out why it worked for the Indian, and how many milligrams can work against arthritic pain or kill certain cancers. I looked it up earlier, and can't remember where I read all this stuff, and will see if I can locate something akin to what I was reading.

Keep in mind, that pokeweed, uncooked is likely a poison. Even so, the homeopathic claims rock, if the plant weren't so dangerous in the hands of a novice:

Pokeberry is used as a medicine for arthritis, mumps and other various skin conditions. The roots are used as an anti- inflammatory, expectorant, narcotic, hypnotic, cathartic and purgative. The root helps to treat chronic catarrh, swollen glands, immune diseases and bronchitis. Pokeberry Facts, Health Benefits and Nutritional Value​

WebMD starts off saying that pokeweed is unsafe to use, then it goes into all the things it is used for, which are numerous, plus how the coloring is used in winemaking, ink and dye. Then it ends with the claim not enough information is available to know how pokeweed works. Pokeweed: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, and Warning​

At a website, Natural Medicinal Herbs, both good and bad characteristics of this herb:

Herb: Pokeweed
Latin name: Phytolacca americana

Synonyms: Phytolacca decandra

Family: Phytolaccaceae (Pokeweed Family)


Medicinal use of Pokeweed:
Pokeweed has a long history of medicinal use, being employed traditionally in the treatment of diseases related to a compromised immune system. The plant has an interesting chemistry and it is currently (1995) being investigated as a potential anti-AIDS drug. It contains potent anti-inflammatory agents, antiviral proteins and substances that affect cell division. These compounds are toxic to many disease-causing organisms, including the water snails that cause schistosomiasis. All parts of the plant are toxic, an excess causing diarrhoea and vomiting. This remedy should be used with caution and preferably under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women. The root is alterative, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, cathartic, expectorant, hypnotic, narcotic and purgative. The dried root is used as an anodyne and anti-inflammatory. The root is taken internally in the treatment of auto-immune diseases (especially rheumatoid arthritis), tonsillitis, mumps, glandular fever and other complaints involving swollen glands, chronic catarrh, bronchitis etc. The fresh root is used as a poultice on bruises, rheumatic pains etc, whilst a wash made from the roots is applied to swellings and sprains. The root is best harvested in the autumn and can be dried for later use. The fruit has a similar but milder action to the roots.The juice is used in the treatment of cancer, haemorrhoids and tremors. A poultice made from the fruit is applied to sore breasts. A tea made from the fruit is used in the treatment of rheumatism, dysentery etc. The plant has an unusually high potassium content and the ashes, which contain over 45% caustic potash, have been used as a salve for ulcers and cancerous growths. The leaves are cathartic, emetic and expectorant. A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh root. Its main action is on the throat, breast, muscular tissues and the joints.

Description of the plant:

Plant:
Perennial

Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Flowering:
August to
September
Habitat of the herb:
Damp rich soils in clearings, woodland margins and roadsides.

Edible parts of Pokeweed:
Leaves - they must be cooked and even then it is best to change the water once. They are used like spinach. Only the young leaves should be used since they become toxic with age. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Young shoots - cooked. An asparagus substitute, they are delicious. The shoots are sometimes blanched before using, or forced in cellars to provide an early crop. The tender clear inner portion of the stem can be rolled in cornmeal and fried. Although cultivated on a small scale in N. America for its shoots, caution is advised, see notes above. A nutritional analysis is available. Fruit - cooked and used in pies. Poisonous raw, causing vomiting and diarrhoea. Even the cooked fruits should be viewed with caution. The fruit is a berry about 12mm in diameter. A red dye is obtained from the fruit and used as a food colouring.

Other uses of the herb:
A red ink and a dye are obtained from the fruit. A beautiful colour, though it is not very permanent. It makes a good body paint, washing off easily when no longer required, though the slightly toxic nature of the berries should be remembered. The rootstock is rich in saponins and can be used as a soap substitute. Cut the root into small pieces and simmer it in boiling water to obtain the soap. The plant is currently (1980) being evaluated for its snail-killing properties.

Propagation of Pokeweed:
Seed - sow autumn or spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. If you have sufficient seed, it might be worthwhile trying an outdoor sowing in a seed bed in early spring. Grow the plants on in the seedbed for their first year and plant them out the following spring. Division in March or October. Use a sharp spade or knife to divide the rootstock, making sure that each section has at least one growth bud. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Cultivation of the herb:
Damp rich soils in clearings, woodland margins and roadsides.

Known hazards of Phytolacca americana:
The leaves are poisonous. They are said to be safe to eat when young, the toxins developing as the plants grow older. Another report says that the seeds and root are poisonous. The plant sap can cause dermatitis in sensitive people. The plant contains substances that cause cell division and can damage chromosomes. These substances can be absorbed through any abrasions in the skin, potentially causing serious blood aberratins, and so it is strongly recommended that the people wear gloves when handling the plant.​

medicinal herbs: POKEWEED - Phytolacca americana​

 

[beautress]

Birds that feast on pokeweed and elder berries

:

 

[Marion Morrison]

Oh! I may have something for this.

 

[Marion Morrison]

Not hens, but they've been fairly quiet so far.

If they get noisy, they die..I will eat them. One flared the other day, freaked crazy cat the fuck out.

They look like yardbirds to me, baby. They get left alone unless I need to eat them.

Probably get some goodies, too.

In the yard=yardbirds.

 

[Marion Morrison]

I could eat for a night just off 1 neck and some rice.

That leaves 8 pieces per.

 

[beautress]

Your type of peacocks have a breathtaking royal blue color. You must live in a wonderful climate, Marion.

I am emphatically the world's worst photographer, but I really love the great egrets that grace the lake on my few acres out here in the land of the tall pines. They are with no doubt in my mind the tip top of elegance in the bird world--the way they move, the art form into which they convert fishing, and preening that looks like a ballet dancer's waltz of the flowers and keeps their feathered coats gleaming white, no flaws. About six years ago, I saw one great egret discouraging 5 flamingos from their mini "vacation" at Freedom Lake (my pet name for my little man-made lake). It's only 2.5 acres in size, but the great egrets are reluctant to share the lake with any other specie, except one truly odd year a group of black guillemots (which I had never heard of, but found them after posting each and every characteristic I saw into a search engine) flew in and owned the lake. They are black (usually northern European) birds with red legs and mouths, and white patches on their wings, which en masse make them look like so much glitter when flying together. I've never seen them since, except once a couple of years later, a pair of them flying over that I just happened to catch a glimpse of. I don't know what accident of nature brought them here, but it's possible they may have gotten sent off course by storms out in the Atlantic, or maybe nobody noticed what kind of bird they were, since it took me 3 days of examining books 4-inches thick to find the exact bird that I saw. I saw their diving behaviors, the frenetic appearance of them flying back and forth over my lake, just everything about them was completely fascinating. They were here for 2 or 3 weeks, then gradually, they all went away. A month later, the great egret was back, raising their family in nearby tall trees, mostly deciduous, but just as tall as the tall pines indigenous to the area. They say they get to be 120' tall, and I believe it.

I felt so totally blessed to have the most graceful bird in the world visit daily for a summer that is too short, considering how awesome watching them is. They were once considered endangered. I haven't paid enough attention to their current status, but I truly do not care to use bug sprays or chemical fertilizers here unless the birds fail to get at the cockroaches before they get to my patio.

 

[beautress]

I noticed that one of the birds in the elderberry tree was a magpie. Wild Side Ornithology Club Now that was just strange to me, because years ago, our family visited the Sinks in Lander, Wyoming, and where the water reappears, there is a large pool where the magpies frolic and play all summer, and there are hundreds of them. So I loaded "Sinks, Wyoming, Magpies" into Bing and found the following pictures of them In real life, they are at least 20" long, and longer, at least the ones I saw in that part of the Rocky Mountains. The Sinks gets its name from a small river or creek that disappears into a cave. Another creek begins at a source half a mile away, and in pioneer times, people wondered if either body of water was related to each other. Around the turn of the century or a few years later, someone emptied a large sack of food color dye into the Sinks area (at the cave), ran over to the other body of water, but was disappointed four hours later, when no evidence of that dye was to be seen. Eight hours later, the red dye appeared in the other body, that was thought to be some other spring. Not so! The red dye proved that somehow, the water (which flows quickly) must have followed miles and miles of underground pathways before reappearing on the other end.

Anyway, hundreds of these huge, amazingly beautiful birds that are black with a white wing patch but lower body and tail are shades of dark emerald green to a deep jade shade. They squawk and irritate some people, but I am so dominated by visual images, it just doesn't matter. They are fabulously beautiful birds, and when they congregate in the numbers we saw both times we visited the Sinks, they are sociable and fun to watch their loving quibbles to each other and camaraderie, competitiveness in the presence of a small fish or whatever it is they are eating. So I was surprised to see a picture of a magpie in an elderberry tree, although in every way, these feathered friends go for the gusto and with no compunctions whatever, magpies take hearts away from their owners (mine).

 

[beautress]

Reviewing the Audubon Calendar for December 2018, the first picture was a huge picture of a very pink-to-red-colored finch, the Pine Grosbeak.​

Pine Grosbeaks
After the bluejays left, the Pine Grosbeaks came in (dimorphic) pairs:
Thanks to the Cornell Feeder Watch.
​