Backyard Update #8: Our Backyard's Backyard

Our Backyard's Backyard

By Emily

The ponds/lagoon behind our backyard was open to the public for this weekend only. We decided to go visit there because we always hear a lot of birds back there. "The lagoon was expanded to increase storm water capacity and enhance the natural habitat of the area. The Public Works Agency of the County has created three ponds (constructed wetlands) which is referred to as the ponds."

-Brochure

This is the view of the Lagoon. A lot of geese like to hang out here.

When we signed up at the visitor's center, the kids got to go on a scavenger hunt for different types of seeds. This seed was one of our favorites.

This is a willow plant . If you pop it...

...this is what is inside. The little black dots are the seeds. The wind will carry away the fluff and the seed to reproduce. The fluffy stuff is so soft. Like silk.

We saw an American Robin eating some berries.

Boy, there are a lot of them. I wish I had that in my backyard.

In a small stream, we saw many many frogs hopping about.

Above the water...

...under the water.

In the lagoon, there were a lot of Canada Geese. I always hear these loud honkers flying over me when standing outside my house. I wondered where they were going.

American Coot

Female Ruddy Duck

Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets

Great Egret

Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets

Snowy Egret (left) Great Egret (right)

Western Scrub-Jay

Our house from the other side of our fence. (You can see part of my bird feeder.)

 

As you all know, the Squirrel is always taking things. He took birdseed, peanuts and even a scooper. One time, he took a whole feeder. We went to the the other side of the fence and there it was, hanging right there on a tree.

I think that the Squirrel took the feeder, dropped it on the other side, and 

somebody picked it up and hung it on the tree.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Can you believe that all of what Emily wrote about is literally behind our backyard? It's not normally open to the public and you have to schedule an appointment to be able to walk through it. I see lots of classes on field trips go through it during the day and Boy Scout troops working on projects behind our fence on the weekends. We always hear tons of chirping and croaking noises unbeknownst to us on what it was coming from. So now we know! So amazing! It is also literally on the Fault. Yes, our backyard is THE Fault. Kind of unsettling but we know God is in control of all things!

Backyard Update #7: Hawaiian Birds

Hawaiian Birds

by Emily

In Hawaii I saw many different birds there.  I bought a few bird books/guides to help with the birds. There were definitely many city pigeons there, or Rock Doves. All the wild birds I saw there were Alien species, (species brought to Hawaii by man) but one bird. I guess they aren't really Hawaiian.

One of the many birds we saw in Hawaii is the Zebra Dove. They were all around like pigeons.

Spotted Doves were everywhere too.

Common Myna. They remind me of a robin, of how it's always looking around in the grass. Also a crow because they seemed to act like them too.

While we were in Waimea Falls, we headed back to the parking lot and there was a female Common Peafowl. (Also known as Blue or Indian Peafowl).

It was just hanging out in that certain parking space.

Then it just plopped itself right down to relax.

We also had the chance to see our first cardinals. They were Red-Crested Cardinals.

Common Waxbill

 We actually did see chickens wandering about. Red Junglefowl.

Java Sparrow

 Red-Vented Bulbul

Black-Necked Swan (found in South America)

Cattle Egret

The Hawaiian Moorhen is an endangered animal in Hawaii and lives only in Hawaii. If you look closely, you can see some leg bands on this moorhen, which is good news. (subspecies of Common Moorhen)


We also saw many House Sparrows and House Finches in Hawaii. So in all, I saw 17 species of wild birds. Now I am going to tell you about all the captive birds that were on the Hilton Hawaiian Village Property. All the birds are used to people so we can see them up close.

 There was a large cage with a Laughing Thrush inside.

 There was an African Blackfooted Penguin Exhibit.

Many Sacred Ibis were in an exhibit nearby. They are on the edge of the exhibit, but sometimes they wonder off to where the pathway is so people can see them up close.

African Lesser Flamingo

Scarlet Macaw

Blue and Gold Macaw

 I saw two Black-Crowned Night Herons at the exhibit. I'm not sure if they were captive or not. It was a good food source because of all the fish there.

It's way of hunting is really cool to see.  It is very patient. It stays in one spot...

...extends its head forward a little more after a while...

...extends its head even more...

...then attack! It jumps right in the water to grab a fish. 

Job Well done.

Then it finds another spot to hunt.

Wood Ducks
There were also many other ducks and flamingos in the same area.

 Feeding the Wood Ducks

 Also many doves like to hang out there too.

At the International Marketplace, a man had his pet Cockatiels. It climbed on to my mom's arm and we fed it some of the seed it came with. 

So in all I saw 13 captive bird species. Of all the birds I saw in Hawaii, I saw 20 species.

Almost all are lifers.