Birds and Blooms Blog

In my recent posts about our trip to Costa Rica last month, I didn’t share one of my favorite photos. There was a good reason for this: it’s really not a very good photo at all. Take a look:

See? Just looks like a muddy river and some vegetation. If you look a little closer, you’ll see that there’s actually a bird there, in the middle left. Here it is zoomed and cropped:

So, now we have a photo of a muddy river, some hanging vegetation, and a blurry bird. What could possibly make me be so excited about this example of bird photography?

The answer is the bird itself. It’s a Sungrebe (Heliornis fulica), and it was a life bird for us. My husband took this photo while we were on a boat trip on the Rio Frio, in northern Costa Rica on the Nicaraguan border. Everyone else on the trip was taking photos of the White-Faced Capuchin monkeys in the trees on the other side of the river. (Don’t worry – we took plenty of photos of those, too.) When he stepped back to give others their turn at the front of the boat, he looked off to the left and spotted this bird in the distance. Unable to make it out even with binoculars, he zoomed all the way in and took a few photos in the hopes of identifying it later.

That’s one of the great things about digital photography. You can take all the photos you want without worrying about wasting film. It doesn’t matter if they’re terrible, because you can delete them all later if you want. But many of today’s cameras are even better at zooming in than your binoculars, so you’ll be able to get a pretty close look, especially if you crop it with a free program like Picasa later. And when you’re in a situation where you don’t necessarily have to time to whip out a guidebook, bird photographycan help you make an ID later on, even if the photo itself isn’t a worthy of framing and hanging on the wall.

So don’t be afraid to take photos. No matter how good or bad your camera is, a photo can still help you remember your experiences later on. This photo brings me back to that small boat on the Rio Frio, with howler monkeys wailing in the trees and mangrove swallows swooping everywhere. Without this photo, we would probably have forgotten about this little bird in the excitement of monkeys and kingfishers and caiman sightings. But we have it, and we have “Sungrebe” on our life list. Definitely worth a few clicks of the shutter!

Birds & Blooms editors got to preview a new movie about bird-watchers called A Birder’s Guide to Everything with Ben Kingley. We loved this wonderful coming-of-age story, and it will be in movie theaters around the country on March 21. Our birding expert, Kenn Kaufman, was one of the consultants on the film, and we encourage you to go watch it. (If there’s not a theatre carrying it near you, you can also get it on iTunes.) Visit the movie’s website to learn more. And take a look at the Q&A we did with the film’s director, Rob Meyer.

Why did you want to make a film about birds?

Rob: I’ve always loved nature—my first career goal growing up was to be a wildlife filmmaker—so making a film about birds was not a stretch for me. The film is actually based on a short I made about aquarium fish (which was my hobby of choice as a teenager). When I decided to adapt the short into a feature, I wanted to follow a road-trip structure, so having the kids chasing a bird made more practical sense. Also, when I used to work at NOVA, I heard about the story of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker. The idea that so many people would get so excited about a bird coming back from extinction struck me as important. Once I settled on birds it was the gift that kept on giving—thematically, cinematographically, story-wise—it made the script a joy to write.

What did you learn about the birding community during filming?

Rob: It’s a diverse group! It’ll surprise you what modern birders are like. They are a passionate group that, in general, feel that they aren’t portrayed in a fair way in films and television—it’s usually as a punchline or a caricature. It’s also a group that believes getting details right is important! So I wanted to do everything I could to get both the spirit and the details of birding right—I felt a lot of responsibility.

We know you used our birding expert, Kenn Kaufman, as a consultant in the film. What was it like to work with Kenn?

Rob: Kenn is amazing—he is the rare combination of an expert with an encyclopedic knowledge of birds and wildlife and also is someone who is able to communicate with the general public in a way that’s inspiring. It was amazing to have him on set, it made a big difference to the cast. I think even Ben Kingsley was excited to meet him.

Did you become more of a birder during the film?

Rob: 100% yes. I started out with a pretty limited knowledge so I had a lot to learn. Now I bring binoculars everywhere I go and I often find myself trying to articulate to people what all the fuss is about and, when I do, I realize I’m taking it all quite personally.

The birders in the film are more listers, chasing a rare bird. How do you think listers like this and backyard birders are tied together? And what do you think they could learn from one another?

Rob: Well, the listers in the movie are sort of “extreme hobbyists” as well—they are into breaking all sorts of records. So obviously, there’s a danger to reducing what should be an emotional experience to a simple checking of items off a list. That said, seeing something that you’ve never seen before, realizing what a special and unusual event it is, can turn a sighting into an even more heightened event. And that’s certainly true of seeing something extraordinary in your own backyard!

Do you have a place on your bucket list you’d like to go to see birds?

Rob: I’m actually heading to New Zealand tomorrow! I’m secretly hoping to see a yellowhead (there are only 5000 of them!)

Why should Birds & Blooms readers see this film?

Rob: It’s a narrative feature centered around birds and nature! There aren’t many of those. But it’s also a story about coping with loss and moving on, about friendship, about young love and about marching to the beat of your own drum. There really is something for everyone in this film. And it’s funny.

 

 

We hear from a lot of readers who are trying to feed mealworms to bluebirds or readers who want to lure bluebirds to their backyards with mealworms. And often the results are not always instantaneous and it can be frustrating. If that’s you, you’re not alone. Read Gloria’s question from our popular magazine column, Glad You Asked.

I have tried every method I can think of to feed dried mealworms to the bluebirds. What could I possibly be doing wrong?

Gloria Kirby Owasso, Oklahoma

Kenn and Kimberly: It could be the time of year. During seasons when natural food sources are abundant, many birds are less likely to take advantage of our offerings. You might try briefly offering live mealworms to garner their attention, then switch back to the dried worms once they know the drill. Another trick that can make dried worms more appealing is to soak them in lukewarm water before you put them out.  It’s also important to note that mealworms do not provide complete nutrition and should only be used as a supplemental food source, offered on a limited basis. Overfeeding can cause health issues for adults and young!

This question was in the Glad You Asked department of our April/May issue. Our bird experts, Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman, answer reader questions like this one in every issue. Don’t miss out on expert advice! Subscribe today.

Find out more about feeding bluebirds and how to attract them to your backyard with these simple tips. 

It’s that time of year again! The Biggest Week in American Birding is open for registration. Also called “the warbler capital of the world,” we’ve been going to this area of Northwest Ohio for the past several years and Birds & Blooms is considered a major sponsor of the festival.

While anyone can show up and go birding in this area, I would really encourage you to actually register for the festival. By doing this, you’ll be able to participate in special walks and events open only to those who are registered. Birds & Blooms will be hosting one of those events! We are the hosts of the evening social on Thursday, May 8. We will be providing pizza to festival attendees, and we’ll also be soliciting people to be in a brand new video we’re making. Please consider stopping by to be in our video! Also on May 8, I’ll be giving a talk about “Gardening for Birds.” You can sign up for that through the same registration process. The proceeds from this talk will go directly back to support the non-profit, Ohio Young Birders.

If you’ve been on the fence about whether to go to Biggest Week or not, I really encourage you to give it a try. It’s a fairly rural area of Ohio, but the area businesses and community are so welcoming and inviting to birders. I know the Holiday Inn Express in Oregon has a special rate for birders (as does many of the hotels). And a couple of my favorite places to eat include Eagle’s Nest Sweet Retreat and Blackberry Corner Tavern.

 

Have you ever explored a garden that transported you to another place and time?

Last week, I met with several garden-blogger friends in Miami, Florida and we set off to explore Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.  For many of the bloggers, the warm weather was nothing short of heavenly and we were anxious to explore the tropical treasures located within the gardens of Vizcaya.

Vizcaya is the former estate of James Deering who spent a lot of time and money to create a piece of Italy in Florida.  To achieve this, he used plants adapted to Miami’s tropical climate while creating the illusion of a European garden.

The home, completed in 1918, was open to explore and is filled with many wonderful historical pieces that James Deering brought over from Europe. The house opens out onto the Bay of Biscayne and a stone barge was built as a breakwater to protect the home against the rising tide.

The formal gardens consist of 10 acres of formally landscaped areas, mirroring French and Italian gardens from the 17th and 18th century.  The garden was created to create the illusion of different rooms.  On the outer edges of the formal gardens lie 25 acres of natural forest.

As you walk from the house into the gardens, you are greeted by low hedges formally-pruned into mazes, reminiscent of gardens seen in Europe.  The large fountain takes center stage with Southern live oak and palm trees in the background.

Directly across from the house is a magnificent outdoor room that is called ‘the Casino’ (top right).  Between the house and the Casino, lie the majority of the gardens.

Walking through the gardens, we frequently heard the sound of water that was contained with in various water features.  I especial loved the step fountain in the middle.

Spanish moss hung from from the Southern live oak trees and mangrove forests along the outer boundary of the grounds gave the gardens an ‘other-worldly’ feel.

My favorite of the garden was the ‘Secret garden’, which was a grotto that you and to take stairs down into.  Along the wall by the stairs were wall planters that contained a variety of beautiful succulents.

Brightly colored, tropical plants grabbed your attention in the bottom of the garden.  Yellow Peruvian Candle (Sanchezia speciosa) contrast beautifully in front of the fuchsia-colored Ti Plants (Cordyline ‘Red Sister’).

Limestone was present throughout the gardens and was used extensively, giving the garden an old, aged look that made it seem much older then it is mirroring the illusion of a European garden.

The gardens of Vizcaya don’t have a regular flower garden.  However, flowering plants were seen throughout the entire garden.  Orchids (bottom left and right) grew outdoors and were hanging from containers and growing in the trees themselves.  Most cultivated orchids are epiphytes, which means that they receive water and nutrients from the air.

The fuzzy, purple flowers of Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha) really pop visually against the red wall.  This drought-tolerant perennial attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds. (I have seen this perennial grown as an annual at the White House and as a perennial in Florida.  I also grow this as a perennial in Arizona.)

Statues were placed throughout the garden that adds to the formality of the garden, contributing to its European theme.

I urge you to take time to visit Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.  In addition to the small glimpse that I have shown you, the gardens contain a mangrove forest, a tea house, giant staghorn ferns, colorful succulents, bromeliads and air plants just to name a few.