Black Throated Green Warbler

by Pat Pepper

April 20 was my first Backyard Birding class at SGG for 2013. I was delighted to meet Judith, one of SGG’s volunteers.  My husband was also present. He is not the avid birder I am, but he is a good spotter.

Judith had birded before but told me she was a little rusty, so we started from the beginning. During the first hour of the class, we watched a Power Point presentation of the birds we were most likely to see in the gardens. The second hour we scouted out the feeders and the gardens. It was a fantastic hour in the gardens! (more…)

Red Shouldered Hawk

by Pat Pepper

On Saturday, March 16, I was birding the gardens looking for any early spring migrants. The pine warblers were singing in many spots in the gardens, but they have been here all winter. I had decided I would write about the pine warbler as I was going back to my car, which was parked in the back lot. I was on the gravel path between the Bonsai Garden and the Vegetable Garden when I heard the cry of a Red-shouldered hawk.

I looked up and found him in an oak tree between the Bonsai Garden and the Hiram-Butler House. He was calling and pecking at some moss or lichen on a branch. An American Crow made a few perfunctory dives at him but then flew away. I then heard another Red-shouldered hawk calling just north of the one in the oak. (more…)

Ruby Crowned Kinglet

by Pat Pepper

Monday, Feb. 18, 2013, was a lovely day in the gardens. A bit cool for some, I suppose, but sunny and, thankfully, little wind. Birds do not like to expend their hard-won calories just fighting the wind to get from one spot to another, so spotting them is much more difficult on windy days.

I started walking in the conifer garden and heard several pine warblers. They make a lovely little trill, which you are probably hearing all around you outdoors right now, but may not recognize. If you’d like to hear this sweet warbler, click on this link: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Warbler/id (more…)

The American Robin

By Pat Pepper

Looking for the bird of the month, I braved an overcast, very cool Jan. 8^th day in the gardens. Most of the birds were huddled deep in the trees and bushes, showing more prudence than I.

I thought I might have to return another day to get the bird of the month, when, as I rounded the trail curve behind the carriage house, I saw a large number of birds fly out of the holly bushes. Many had red berries in their mouths and were headed to the top of the large pecan tree in front of the carriage house. (more…)

by Pat Pepper

Northern Male Cardinal

The Northern Cardinal can be seen almost everywhere in the gardens. If you want easy viewing, just watch the feeders by the koi pond. Cardinals will park themselves at feeders with trays and happily crunch seeds. They are very partial to sunflower seeds.

Northern Female Cardinal

Cardinals are so common in the East that we really tend to take their beauty, especially the male, for granted. I always get jolted out of my blasé attitude toward them when I have family or friends who live out west come to stay with me. They ooh and aah over that exotic red and black bird at my feeders because a cardinal would be a rare sight in the West. A few of our southwestern states have a cardinal-like bird called a Pyrrhuloxia. I saw this bird in Texas, and it doesn’t hold a candle in beauty to our Northern Cardinal. (more…)

Northern Flicker

by Pat Pepper

About two weeks ago I was standing on the front entrance of the Hiram-Butler House. I saw several birds flying in and out of the large magnolia behind the visitor parking area. I raised my binoculars to get a closer look and saw four Northern Flickers (yellow-shafted) eating the red seeds of the magnolia pods.

I had never seen that many flickers in one spot. It was a real treat to watch these beautiful birds. The male and female yellow-shafted flicker look similar. Both are grayish brown with horizontal barring on the back and wings and black spots on the chest. A strong distinguishing mark is a black crescent-shaped bib on the upper breast. The males have a black malar stripe, or mustache, that runs from the base of the bill toward the upper neck. They have red on the back of the head and yellow under the wings and tail. (more…)

Male Summer Tanager

Because it is Fall Migration, I chose the Summer Tanager, a migratory bird for our area. This bird is only here in summertime and is well on its way to Central and South America. The only place you might find one in North America in wintertime is the southern tip of Florida.

I often hear people refer to Northern Cardinals as “redbirds.” The word cardinal means red; but as you can see, the Cardinal is not the only red bird we have. There is also a Scarlet Tanager, so that’s three red birds. Perhaps most people only notice the Cardinal because it eats seeds and is generally within people’s line of vision. It is also here all year. The tanagers like berries, fruits, and insects, and are usually found higher up in trees. (more…)

American Goldfinch

by Pat Pepper

All you had to do during the second week in August in the gardens was to stand near the roses and look up and listen in order to see these precious pieces of gold called American Goldfinches. You would think something so beautiful would be rare, but, lucky for us, it is not. It can be found in every state in the U.S. except Hawaii and Alaska.

At my Backyard Birding classes on Aug. 7 and Aug. 11, I was able to show a flock of these finches to the new birders. They were easy to spot even without binoculars. Little pieces of gold flitted from tree to tree and flew over our heads vocalizing as they flew—per-chick-o-ree, per-chick-o-ree! (more…)

By Pat Pepper

To the right of the entrance to Smith-Gilbert Gardens is a small sign announcing the gardens as an Atlanta Audubon Bird Sanctuary. A bird sanctuary, as its name implies, provides a safe refuge for birds, but exactly what type of refuge is required by the Audubon Society?

In order to be sanctioned as an official bird sanctuary, a detailed application must be filed. Audubon wants to know what food sources are available for the birds: large trees, understory trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials, hummingbird plants, groundcovers, bird feeders, and types of feeder food. They will also want to know the different species of birds that visit the gardens. (more…)