![]() What I do know is that it was strange that there weren’t any birds feeding on the seeds from the cones of these Douglas Firs during a time period when the branches should be full of them flitting around eating and gathering seeds to cache and store for winter consumption. Mountain Chickadee eating a Douglas Fir seed – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/2000, ISO 800, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, In hindsight I believe I should have picked a cone to bring home so I could examine the seeds. I checked out several of the Douglas Fir trees and I could see that the scales of the cones had loosened enough for the nuthatches and chickadees to pull the seeds out but now I am wondering if the birds know that the seed production of this years crop of the Douglas Fir trees at this specific location have failed or somehow aren’t nutritious enough because of the exceptional drought conditions we have experienced this year in northern Utah. I should have heard plenty of bird calls and songs.ĭouglas Fir cones on Octo– Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, I hear Red-breasted Nuthatches year round in that location and honestly to not even hear one put me on edge. It was strangely quiet for this time of the year. There weren’t even any White-crowned Sparrows to be seen. The only bird calls I heard in the area of the fir trees were a few Dark-eyed Juncos and a Townsend’s Solitaire. I also didn’t hear the calls of Pine Siskins which also eat the Douglas Fir seeds. Red-breasted Nuthatch checking out a Douglas Fir cone in autumn – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 800, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light,īut I didn’t hear the call of a single Red-breasted Nuthatch or Mountain Chickadee last week. When I was up in the mountains last Thursday I could see that the cone scales had opened more. At that time I thought I might not be hearing the birds that feast on the seeds because the fir cone scales still hadn’t opened up enough for the birds to grasp the seeds. On a previous trip out there earlier in the month I was concerned because I didn’t hear the calls of Red-breasted Nuthatches or Mountain Chickadees that should have been in the area feeding on and caching the seeds of the Douglas Firs. My trip out into the sky island mountains of the West Desert last week caused my concerns about this years crop of Douglas Fir seeds to grow. Douglas Fir cones in a spot of sunlight – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 640, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |