Cats vs. Birds Football Style

In the NFL there are four "cat" teams

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Carolina Panthers

and there are five "bird" teams

Baltimore Ravens

Atlanta Falcons

Philadelphia Eagles

Arizona Cardinals

Seattle Seahawks

The "birds" have gone to the Superbowl 5 times and won once (Ravens)

and the "cats" have gone to the Superbowl 2 and never won.

GO BIRDS!!

Cat Toys

Gulls (1)

The cats being locked in doors now have taken up watching sea gulls.

There are three gulls commonly found in Alaska

glaucous-winged gull, raven size, pink legs, yellow bills with red dot  gray wing tips

glaucous gull,  The Glaucous Gulls are very pale in all plumage, with a white head and underparts. The bill is yellow with a red spot near the tip of the lower mandible. The back and wings are light gray with no black in the wings or tail. A juvenile Glaucous gull will have light gray and brown coloration. The Glaucous Gull is a “four-year gull,” in that it takes four years to reach adult plumage.

The Glaucous is one of the most predatory gulls, capturing and eating ptarmigans, small ducks

 and birds as well as fish.

and

herring gull, raven size, pink legs and yellow bill with red dot, jet black wing tips.  These gulls are closely related and hybrids between the three are not uncommon

Herring Gulls feed mostly on natural prey such as marine fish, especially the herring although the diet varies considerably with season and location. In addition to marine life, Herring Gulls also eat other birds, eggs and garbage

Adults are commonly white and juveniles are grey

The birds are safe...for now

Alva and Ivor have moved into their new home and have learned what walls and windows are. Alva was especially interested in what a toilet was though might have it confused with her water dish. Since we have moved from our canvas palace (aka the yurt) our kitties are locked up and hunting is over till further notice. Though the kitties have taken up bird watching, becoming increasing more obsessed with seagulls. We might have to work on our identification in the down time between hunts.

Fox Sparrow

Like clock work, Jess comes home... bird next day

We have had this one before... remember messy spot on the chest. Check out the thick beak which sparrows have compared to other species.

Did you know... A group of Fox Sparrows are collectively known as a "den", "flock", and "slyness" of sparrows.  Adults are known to perform a broken-wing display to lure potential threats away from the nest. The Fox Sparrow is larger than other sparrows. They scratch in leaves for insects and seeds and often make so much noise that they sound like a much larger animal.

Lets talk bird feet today

This is a perching bird and you can see the four toes with one "backwards than the others"

"stellar-squirrel-three-winged-sparrow"

So this was a tricky one. What bird has claws, three wings and a head? looks like the kitties have killed the one and only know species  " stellar-squirrel-three-winged-sparrow"

The claw...

The stellar jays tail feather and sparrow head. He kind looks alive if you don't look below the head

Its a twofer

Fox Sparrow and  Hermit Thrush

Note the difference in beaks....

The Hermit Thrush

The Hermit Thrush is rich brown on the head and back, with a distinctly warm, reddish tail. The underparts are pale with distinct spots on the throat and smudged spots on the breast. With a close look you may see a thin pale eye ring.  The female builds the nest from grass, leaves, pine needles, and bits of wood, with mud and lichen around the outside. She lines the nest with finer plant materials and willow catkins. The finished nest is 4–6 inches across, and the cup is 2–3 inches wide and 1–2 inches deep. The female takes 7–10 days to build the nest.

Hermit Thrushes hop and scrape in leaf litter while foraging. They perch low to the ground on fallen logs and shrubs, often wandering into open areas such as forest clearings or trails. Sometimes a Hermit Thrush will cock its tail and bob it slowly, while flicking its wings

Fox Sparrow, we have had this one before. Remember the "messy" spot in the chest area.  There it is!

The Fox Sparrow can appear in four different colorings depending the time of year and area observed.  The sooty form as seen here is dark brown all over and breeds along the Pacific coast to the Aleutian Islands. It forages for insects and is a ground forager. It also nests on the ground.