Project FeederWatch - It's Bird Watching Time!

Welcome Back.  Here we are in November, actually almost half way through the month.  The garden is for the most part finished for the season, however, a few cold hardy vegetables remain.  I will post a few photos in my next post of those items and some fall gardening tips.

But for the immediate future, I am turning my attention to one of my favorite winter hobbies, bird watching. and of course, Project FeederWatch, which is a joint venture between the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada.  This project starts this Saturday, November 12th.

Although I will focus mainly on Project FeederWatch in this post, another of my favorite birding projects is The Great Backyard Bird Count, which will take place February 17-20, 2017.  This project involves the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, Bird Studies Canada, and eBird.

For those birders who want to submit bird counts any day of the year, there is eBird, which  is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and The Audubon Society.

For information on this citizen science and how to get started, click here.

Some key information from the website is listed below:

Important Dates:

The 2016-2017 FeederWatch season runs from Saturday, November 12 to Friday, April 7. Online data entry will open for new participants on November 1. The last day to start a two-day count is Thursday, April 6.

The project always starts on the second Saturday of November and runs for 21 weeks.

Instruction Summary:

1. Sign up – If you have not yet signed up, join today! During the season, it takes a few weeks from when you sign up for your kit to arrive with your ID number and for your ID number to be activated in Your Data.
2. Select your count site – Choose a portion of your yard that is easy to monitor, typically an area with feeders that is visible from one vantage point.
3. Choose your count days – Select two consecutive days as often as once a week (less often is fine). Leave at least five days when you do not count between each of your two-day counts.
4. How to count – Watch your feeders as much or a little as you want over your selected count days. Record the maximum number of each species visible at any one time during your two-day count. Keep one tally across both days. Do not add your counts together!
5. What to count – Please count
   • all of the individuals of each species in view at any one time
   • birds attracted to food or water you provided
   • birds attracted to fruits or ornamental plantings
   • hawks and other predatory birds that are attracted by the birds at your feeders
   But do not count
   • birds that simply fly over the count site, such as Canada Geese or Sandhill Cranes.
   • birds seen on non-count days
6. Report your counts – Submit counts through the Your Data section of our website.

For further information, use the link above. If you need ideas regarding how to feed birds including the many different types of bird feeders, refer to my "Featured Post" above in the right hand margin of the blog.

I am excited to get started again this year.   Even though this may seem like a huge commitment since it runs for 21 weeks, it's fine if you don't or can't participate each and every week.   Any data you collect will be very useful for research.

Finally, as I have stated many times, bird watching is a great family activity.   It can be done both indoors and out, is not expensive, and can help pass the time during the long winter months.

So dust off the binoculars, sharpen your pencils, and sign up today for Project FeederWatch. 

In closing, another nice sunrise at my home taken in late October.

Thanks for visiting, until next time.

Simply Photos - Fall Colors and Final Harvest

Welcome back.  Believe it or not it's been six weeks since my last post as I have once again found myself very busy with late summer/early fall yard and garden work. And of course working full time.   As the gardening season winds down and the leaves turn brilliant colors, I will share some photos for you to enjoy.


Fall Foliage:

Garden Harvest and Cleanup:

The Last of the Heirloom Tomatoes and Peppers

Sweet Bell Peppers

Swiss Chard/Kale

Leeks

Upper Garden

Lower Garden

Thanks as always for reading.  In my next post, I will write about Project FeederWatch, a citizen research project that is very near and dear to me.  In the meantime, visit  the website for more information.  The project officially starts on November 12th.

I have posted a video below for more information.  Bird watching a great family activity!

Harvesting Heirloom Tomatoes and More

Welcome back.  My readers must think that I vanished from the Earth, as it's been almost two months since my last post.  Well the good new is that I'm still around, although the busy summer has definitely affected my blog posting!  Now, several vacations later, my blog has returned!

After a fairly dry Spring and a very dry June, Mother Nature has definitely responded in July and August. Here in central NY State, we received just shy of 9 inches of rain in July, and over 6 inches in August.   So the rain over the last 6 weeks has definitely made up for the lack of snow last winter and the dry Spring and early Summer.  This rainfall. however. has been limited to a 5 or 6 county area in Central NY, while much of the State remains in drought conditions of varying degree.

Now for some garden updates:

Tomatoes:

Even though the tomato plants again suffered from the early blight, as you can see, I am getting a great harvest thus far.  For more information on the varieties I planted, refer to my featured post on the right hand margin of this post.

Heirloom Tomatoes and Sweet Bell Peppers

Heirlooms on the Vine

Colorful Heirlooms

Sweet Peppers:

This has been a great year for sweet peppers, perhaps the best I have ever had.  I've had very good luck in the past with hot peppers (and again this year), bur for some reason the bell peppers don't usually produce all that well.  This summer's hot temperatures and ample rainfall provided optimum conditions it seems.

Abundant Peppers

Bell Peppers on the Vine

Potatoes:

Overall it was a good year for potatoes, especially in regard to a new variety of fingerlings that I tried this year, the La Ratte fingerling.

As I have stated in previous posts, I try each year to mix in a few new varieties of veggies along with my tired and true ones.  Sometimes the results are good, sometime not.  But it is a part of the gardening process,

For more information on the La Ratte fingerling and the other potato varieties I planted, refer to my post on June 10, 2016.

La Ratte Fingerling

Fantastic Fingerling Yield

Potato Digging Helpers

Yukon Gold and Burbank Russett

Finally, some photos of the great blue heron that frequents our pond.  I took these this morning as the fog was still settled in the valley.  I don't remember ever seeing this huge bird sitting in a tree, but we noticed it has been lately.  They look so prehistoric.

Until next time.

Garden Photos/Hibiscus Blooms/Mystery Bird

Welcome back.  It's been a month since my last post and a lot is happening in the garden.  Although June did bring some rain, overall conditions remain on the dry side.  However, we have received enough rain to sustain the garden fairly well with some occasional spot watering in between.

Remember to refer to previous posts for more information including the varieties of vegetables I am growing.

Enjoy the photos.

The Upper Garden: Greens, Leeks, and Potatoes

Red Russian Kale Started Using Winter Sowing (March 21, 2016 Post)

The Lower Garden:  Peas, Onions, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cukes, Squash, Pumpkins

Straw Mulch (With Helpers)

Oregon II Snap Peas

Early Harvest:  Sweet Onions, Greens, Peas, Swiss Chard

American Flag Leeks

Hibiscus Blooms

This bird has been in our yard this summer and it took me awhile to identify.  I managed to lure it to the feeder for these photos.  I now now the identity, let's put your bird identification skills to the test. The yellow eyes definitely stand out and are a key feature of this bird.

Until next time.

Enjoying Microgreens/Planting Potatoes and Heirloom Tomatoes/Mystery Moth

Once again, thanks to all of my readers.  It's been some time since my last post as I find myself very busy trying to get the yard and garden in shape, not to mention working full time.

Microgreens:

In my post on May 19, 2016,  I wrote about microgreens and how they have become very popular recently.  With the extremely warm weather over the memorial Day weekend, I harvested the first of the greens a few days ago.  They are now about 2 to 4 inches tall which is the optimum height.  In less then 3 weeks from sowing, I was able to harvest them.

Microgreens Ready For Harvest

Enjoying Microgreens as a Salad  Topping

We used them as a salad topping and they are delicious.  The blend I planted is similar to a spicy mesculin, as it contains some lettuce plus a wide variety of other greens including beets, cabbage, kale, etc.  The advantage of growing these greens is you can experiment and customize your own mixture to your liking.


Planting Potatoes:


During the third week of May, I took advantage of the dry conditions and planted potatoes.  This year I am experimenting  with a different variety, the French fingerling La Ratte.  It is similar to the banana fingerling, with a tan sin and a deep yellow flesh.  This variety is very popular among chefs.  I look forward to tasting this variety.

La Ratte Fingerling Seed Potatoes

Planting La Ratte Fingerlings

Potatoes are fairly easy to grow.  As you can see,  the seed potatoes are first cut into pieces that each contain 2 to 3 eyes.  Eyes are simply sprouts, or actually the early beginning of sprouts.  The potatoes are then placed into trenches about 6 inches deep, about 12 inches apart.  I normally space the rows about 2 to 3 feet apart.

The potatoes are then covered with 2 to 3 inches of soil, which will allow them to sprout more quickly then if the trench was completely filled in.  In later posts, I will talk about "hilling", a process of mounding up dirt around the plants that allows adequate space for the new potatoes to grow.

In addition to the La Ratte fingerlings, I also planted Yukon Gold and Burbank Russett potatoes.


Yukon Gold potatoes have finely flaked yellowish-white skin with light yellow flesh. They're bright and slightly sweet, with a smooth, slightly waxy texture and moist flesh. They're best for boiling, baking and making French fries. They'll also stand up well to grilling, pan frying and roasting.

Yukon Gold

The russet Burbank potato is a large potato cultivar with dark brown skin and few eyes. Its flesh is white, dry, and mealy, and it is good for baking, mashing, and french fries. It is a common and popular potato.

Burbank Russett

Planting Heirloom Tomatoes:

Last week I transplanted the heirloom tomatoes I started from seed into the garden.  The plants ended up being very nice as the warm weather over the memorial Day weekend gave them a final boost.  In my post of April 11, 2016, I explained in detail how the plants were started from seed.

Tomatoes Ready to Transplant

Heirloom Tomato

Tomatoes Protected With Cages and Shingles

The tomatoes I am growing this year are the Heirloom Rainbow Blend from Park Seeds, San Marzano (heirloom paste), and a couple of Juliet tomatoes (saladette mini Roma) I purchased while in Vermont for the Memorial Day weekend.

I always use tomato cages on the plants for support and a few wood shingles to protect them from wind.  I will remove the shingles in a few weeks once the plants have adjusted to the transplant process.

Mystery Moth:

About a week ago, I spotted an ornate moth on our deck.  I believe it's a moth as opposed to a butterfly, but I may be wrong.  Below are two photos.  Who can identify this for me?

In my next post, planting peppers, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, and more.  Also, another mystery bird.

Until next time.

Planting Microgreens/Garden Update/Mystery Bird

Welcome back.

After some nice weather in late April which allowed for a good start to the gardening season (April 30, 2016 Post),  May has not brought good weather for the most part.  In fact on the 15th, it was very cold and windy with snow showers.  Yes, snow showers.

Although the weather has been challenging, I have managed to get the garden off to a pretty decent start.

Microgreens

Microgreens, or "vegetable confetti", are becoming increasing popular.  A few seed companies are offering mixtures of these to purchase, including Johnny's Selected Seeds.  First let's explore microgreens.

Microgreens are simply edible greens of a variety of vegetables that are harvested when they are about 2 inches high.  They are not to be confused with sprouts, where the entire plant is consumed.  They add color, texture, and flavor to many foods.  They also have been found to be up to 40 times more nutritious than the mature plants.

There are a large variety of vegetables that can be grown for this purpose, even some herbs and edible flowers.  They are becoming increasing popular in fine restaurants and specialty grocery stores. However, they can be very expensive to buy.

The good news is that they can be grown quite easily, either indoors or outdoors.

So which seeds should you plant?  There are a large number to choose from including lettuces, beets, radishes, cabbage, broccoli, kale, and many more.  So be creative and come up with your own blend. This year is my first attempt, so it should prove to be interesting.

Microgreen mix

I chose endive, broccoli, lettuce, radish, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, Swiss chard, and kale.  I will provide updates in future posts.  I planted a patch that is roughly 2 feet by 2 feet.

Garden Update

Sprouting Snap Peas

Sweet Onions

American Flag Leeks (Started from Seed March 21, 2016 Post)

Romaine Lettuce Plants (Started Using Winter Sowing)

Sprouting Microgreens

Thus far, the garden is doing well overall.  The progress is always slow and unimpressive at first, but before you know it the garden will be thriving and the photos will look better also.  It won't be long before I can start enjoying the results of my work.

Mystery Bird

This bird has been visiting my feeder lately.  Any guesses?  I welcome your input.  I will be researching myself in the meantime.

Thanks as always for visiting.