Winter Fever

Hidey Ho and sorry it's been a while since I've posted anything! The recent cold snap has brought the feeding to a fever pitch! The birds are keeping me busy refilling the feeders. I have had great success with my new mixes and switched to hulled Sunflowers since I have so many Bluebirds.

For those of you who are unaware of this, Eastern Bluebirds will indeed eat seed when it is available in a hulled form. Their beaks are not made for cracking open seeds like their feeder buddies, Goldfinches, Chickadees and the others. If food availability is short, or in cold months after insects have died, Bluebirds will turn to berries and other vegetation, but they will come to your feeders. It had been so warm that there was still a good supply of insects. We could still see and hear grasshoppers, moths and crickets buzzing around, but since our week of cold weather, they are surely gone. I ordered mealworms by the thousands, but when they've eaten all of those and I am tardy to the feederm they resort to eating seeds.

It is hilarious, though to watch them attempt to perch on the tube feeders and eat, so I have scattered seed about and they have been hopping around eating from the deck. I also have Carolina Wrens eating my mealworms and they are pretty messy eaters, throwing meal dust and worms about, so I am probably doubling my efforts a bit. Somebody is eating holly berries or something along those lines because there are little red poopies all over the place. I even put a dish of seed by the window to entertain my new kitten and so far the Chickadees and Titmice have been having a field day with that.

The birds have also been actively using the bird bath and attempting to even when it is frozen. I was pouring warm water on it to thaw it and have now set up my heated bird bath, so they should be good to go. I still have lots of Goldfinches, Juncos, and House Finches. My little White-Breasted Nuthatch has been coming in his formal attire and the other day I even had a woodpecker in the Myrtle by the deck. I didn't get a good look at him, but I believe he was a Downy. Today I made a peanut butter/seed/fruit mix and hung it in a mesh bag, so hopefully he'll be back.

I'll be back with some exciting news and an owl story! In the meantime, Happy Holidays and FEED YOUR BIRDS!!!

Upcoming Programs!

Shout out to all of my Bird Nerds and Bird Nerd Wannabes!! I am holding several new and exciting programs through Parks and Recreation's Naturalist program. I am really looking forward to these and I think they will be fun for all!

****If you are a wannabe and want to learn how to spot and identify birds than my Bird Nerds 101 program is for you! September 15 from 7-8 at the Nature Zone.
This program is informal and we will discuss the basics: shape, categories and local birds. We may touch on bird calls.

****For those who consider themselves Bird Nerds already, we will be putting our knowledge and skills into action on a bird walk/hike Saturday, September 16 from 8am to 10am. This should be fun because we will be looking and listening!

Check the Parks and Recreation website for details and to register, or call 455-5828!

Hope to see some folks there!!!

Long Hiatus

If you read this blog regularly, you have noticed I have been away for several weeks. The summer has been lazy and busy all at once, but more than anything, it's been a hot one! The birds have been plentiful and there has only been one new exciting sighting: a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher. He buzzed me one morning while I was trying to determine the source of an unfamiliar song. At first I thought it was a Tufted Titmouse, but then he flew directly by my face and landed on one of the feeders. The white orbital ring and body shape made for easy identification. He was a light-bodied, perky little guy, or gal, as they look similar.

The hummingbirds have become increasingly active and numerous as they have certainly bred by now and are staking out territories and preparing for their long haul to Central America. It's been a dry summer, so it's been difficult combined with the heat, to keep my flowers full and healthy. The butterflies have been plentiful also this year and I had the opportunity to participate in some Monarch tagging during the Parks and Recreation Nature Camp. I have also seen many Hummingbird Moths which are also referred to as Sphinx Moths. ***Incidentally, they are the product of my garden nemesis, the very destructive, highly-camouflaged, Tomato Hornworm. I learned that this summer and also that the white egg-like structures on their back are actually the larva of a parasitic wasp. Grow a garden and you will learn something everyday!

So, there has been some competition for the flowers when you add bees to the mix! And I have seen more honey bees this year than any other, which was good for the garden. It has been a bumper year for tomatoes and cucumbers and my squash was doing well until it was secretly attacked by borer worms and squash beetles, which look like stink bugs. It's very hard to keep it organic. And the Hornworms were especially bad, most likely because they laid eggs last year in the soil. I even found a cocoon of one. The parasitic wasp eggs don't take effect before they decimate a tomato plant. I saw one who looked like he was on his last legs, but removed him anyway.

Who knows how much damage would have occurred if I had let nature take its course??!!

Not Quite Contrary

Well it's officially summer and the lovely not-so-hot weather is behind us, but it's making things go gangbusters in the garden. Having a garden is such a treat. Everyday there is a surprise waiting for me. Since I don't garden with a great amount of structure or organization, there are many surprises. I have no idea what many of the plants are that are doing so well. I am expecting some butternut squash to be quite productive, if that is indeed what I think it is. Hopefully this year will bring some lovely melons like last year. The tomatoes are pretty happy and I have three pepper plants that love their location away from all the other peppers. My African Blue Basil is huge, a regular bush the size of a hydrangea.
One of my disappointments is my tomatillo plant. It is doing so well and is bushy and full of blooms, but I believe it needs a buddy to help it produce.
I am happy that my giant (volunteer) sunflowers are blooming and beautiful and while they are shading two tomato plants with tons of dying fruit on them, the up side is that they are a cheery focus and are attracting lots of honey bees and birds. The birds like to munch a little but mostly on my flowers and the bees are helping to pollenate everything, so that is a plus. Hoeny bees are a rich commodity and not very abundant. I have heard there is some sort of disease plaguing them and I am checking to see what that is.
My nemesis, the Japanese Beetle is still a destructive force, but I think as soon as they finish reproducing, they will be on the way out, hopefully over to my neighbor's! They truly are the bane of any gardner's existence. I would rather have deer mow everything down than have holy leaves or buds that fall off before they can bloom because a beetle has destroyed it. At least with deer, you can't see what you're missing! You just have a root ball left, or headless stems, like my hollyhocks.

Whistle for Dinner Guests

I wasn't sure what to think when someone recently told me that she had gotten Bluebirds to come when she whistled, (you know who you are), but there seems to be something to it. On a lark, I decided to try it on my visits out to the mealworm feeder. Mimicing the Bluebird call I hear when they are visiting the feeder or calling to one another, I poured out the worms and stepped away each time. The first time Lloyd came when I whistled, I assumed it was a fluke. I figured he was simply nearby watching. Lately, I have stood for a few minutes listening and scanning the yard to make sure they are not around. Sure eneough, I whistle and here comes Lloyd with gusto, headed to the feeder, although he usually does a screching aerial halt and stops short to land on one of the other feeder hooks. As soon as I step away, he flies down to the feedere to honk down. He doesn't even wait for me to go completely away.

I guess even wild birds can be trained to some extent. If they can find the food source, they can remember to come back. Perhaps they can also learn other songs, even those performed by humans. Perhaps I am just nutso and he is waiting somewhere I can't see him and spies the worms from a distance with his awesome eyesight and comes to the feeder because he is desperately hungry. Perhaps I am over-analyzing and should just be glad they are coming at all. And I should be happy that my local service station/world's best fried chicken (I've been told, but I have never tried it, but it smells AMAZING) place stocks mealworms and keeps me supplied. (BTW, the place is called Mitchell's and if you live nearby, you should try it. Free advertising for my friends!)

So, don't forget to whistle while you work, or at least whistle while you fill your feeders!!! "SOUP'S ON!!"

Dude, Where are my Bros? (Panic Time)

A very unconventional group of babies fledged today. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I named them after musicians, including two of the most notorious punk rockers in the music biz.

Rufous, Syd and Nancy fledged today at some time after 6:30 p.m. Most babies fledge in the morning, but these guys defied conventional wisdom and decided to leave in the pre-dark hours. This fledge was so sad because little Nancy was the last one left in the nest, which surprised me because I thought she would be the first to go. Watching her squawking in the nest all by her lonesome was pitiful. She seemed utterly distraught and unsure about what to do next. Mama and Papa seemed to have left her and were probably busy tending to her siblings. If you ever watched Looney Tunes, then you know the Foghorn Leghorn episode with the Ostrich: "The left me all alone, squawk!"

Unfortunately I don't have any idea what was going on outside the box. I would love to have known, for instance if they flew toward and landed on the back of my house like the first clutch. Maybe I can figure a way to mount a camera outside the nest for the future. I do know that Lloyd and Sylvia did not abandon Nancy. Lloyd burst back on the scene to bring a mealworm and take something away, although I am not sure what. He came, he dropped and he left and Nancy must not have been Jonesing too much for food because she left the mealworm behind. The babies could be heard outside the box and apparently, one of the parents periodically came to the hole with food because little Nancy got a little nutsy a couple of times. Sadly, I was away at dinner when the disc ran out and did not see her departure, but returned home to an empty nest. Well, empty, save for one of the unhatched eggs and a lone mealworm. I assume all is well and hope that my neighbors kept their monster half-ton (bird-killing machine) cat inside during the event.

I guess tomorrow morning I will find out the details and know whether or not they all made it out and stayed out safely. At least they have a safe haven for food and learning the ropes!

Like the Postal Workers

Busy little Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds gotta eat, right? Even in the rain they were out feeding at the feeder. The rain finally stopped today, although we had a brief shower this afternoon. Actually, animals tend to get a bit more active in rainy weather.

Since it has been raining a lot lately, I thought I would dispel a popular myth regarding Wild Turkeys and the rain. There are lots of people who think that: A) Turkeys are stupid, B) Turkeys become mesmerized by rain, and C) Animals always seek shelter in poor weather the way we do. A popular belief is that Turkey look up when it rains to "watch the rain" and end up drowning as a result. Some say the water trickles into their nose holes and drowns them and some say they stand with their beaks agape until they drown.

NOT TRUE!! Just to set the record straight, Turkeys have keen hearing and keen eyesight. They are not stupid, but they are as smart as animals on that end of the evolutionary scale can be. They are much more "street smart" than their Butterball cousins, and they do tend to run together in the same direction to escape danger. (Hence the expression, "flock together") Okay, so a friend of mine told me once that Turkeys come out in the open when it rains so they can better hear predators since sounds are lost in the rain in the woods. I am not sure of the validity of this and am feverishly looking for the answer. I do know that rain and flooding are not good for hatchlings, and that they will often perish in torrential downpours when they are still in the nest.

Finally, where as birds get a bad rap for their intelligence ("bird brain", "turkey"), they do have the ability to learn certain behaviors. For instance, Crows and Ravens have shown problem-solving ability in the wild and have even expressed higher learning behaviors such as using "tools". Green Herons have been observed dropping bread crumbs in water to attract fish to the surface. I think that's pretty impressive. It leads me to believe that my Bluebirds have learned that when I come out to the deck and whistle my weak Bluebird imitation, that they really do know I'm bringing mealworms. Sometimes I don't even see them in their usual spots, whistle and before I turn all the way around, they are on the feeder going to town! So maybe they come when I call them.
At least, I like to think so.........a birdnerd can dream, right?

(Sources: Elphick C.; Dunning Jr., J.B.; Sibley, D.A. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, National Audubon Society. Knopf, NY

Eaton, Stephen W. 1992. Wild Turkey. In The Birds of North America, No. 22 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, DC: The American Ornithologists’ Union.

Early Bird??? Fuhgettaboudit!

Whoever said that the "Early Bird Catches the Worm" obviously never had a camera in their birdhouse! Little Rufus is so loud, that he often gets the attention of his parents and they literally change their minds about who they are going to give the next mealworm to! They look back and forth and Rufus is so persistent and overbearing, that I think they give him the mealworm just to quiet him! It's very amusing.

So, I am officially changing the adage to: "The loudest bird gets the worm, so sleep in!"

Conquering the Scary Tech World!

Okay, I finally figured out how to list links on my blog in the sidebar section! So, I am pleased to direct you to the right-hand column for some of the links I suggested earlier. Click and you will be redirected away from this blog to the link. Simple as that! I also changed the template, but it's still the same blog. Enjoy!

I'm so Sweet

This morning I awoke to a cacophony of bird songs. When I lived alone out in the country, I kept my windows open as much as possible. Part of it was for practical purposes and part of it was the lullaby of forest and country sounds that lulled me to sleep and then woke me in the morning. There was a little Carolina Wren that would sing with all of his might every morning. In the spring, the Towhees scratched around beneath my window and picked up seeds dropped by other birds. In the fall and winter, the White-Throated Sparrows woke me in the pre-dawn hours and then the Bluebirds found my yard and I had their soft, lilting song to entertain me. In the heart of the summer, the Whippoorwills ushered me into sleep, with their back-up singers, the Spring Peepers and Copes and Gray Tree Frogs. It was wonderful.

Thanks to allergies and two monster whole-house HVAC filters, we tend to keep our windows closed as much as possible. Last night, I decided to open the window by my bed, just a crack, to listen to the rain, the frogs and my little fountains below. Several persistent crows, the local Towhee and the Goldfinches woke me this morning along with a new visitor.

"Sweet, sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet, sweet", was the pretty little song that I heard this morning. While my green tea was brewing, I stood at the window, and saw the owner of that little song, an Indigo Bunting. While the male is hard to miss with his brilliant, electric blue plumage that sets him apart from other blue birds because he is entirely blue, the female is easy to miss. She looks a lot like a female House Finch and is even similar to a juvenile Cowbird, but a couple of inches smaller. She has the curved finch beak similar to Cardinals and other finches, but she’s a pretty tawny brown with very fine streaks on her breast that stop about halfway down, topped by a whitish throat. She looks fair and like her song: sweet. The house finch is a little grayer and its body is tilted more forward while the Indigo has a more upright posture.

That’s one of the perks pf leaving your window open; you never know what you might discover in your back yard. We don’t always see the new visitors to our yard, but sometimes we get lucky enough to hear them.

Like an Elephant....

If you listen to NPR at all, and especially What Do You Know?, with Michael Feldman, than you may have heard an interesting tidbit this past Saturday on the show. One of the questions was about Hummingbirds. Apparently, Hummingbirds remember which flowers they have visited when feeding. So, while elephants get all of the credit for terrific memories, I think it's pretty special that a creature with a brain the size of a grain of rice can remember where he's been!

Helpful Links

Here is a list of helpful links for any birder!

For anything and everything you need to know about birds, Cornell Ornithology's Lab website is the place to go. Here you will find information on their backyard bird counts, web cam program and scientific information on birds. For detailed information, sign up for the North American Birds online and join the Birdhouse Network.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/

A great place to buy anything you need for the backyard or to create a backyard habitat. Best Nest carries the recycled plastic houses and feeders that I use in my yard.

http://www.bestnest.com/

I also recommend visiting the Wild Birds Unlimited stores. There is one in Charlottesville that is great! Locally owned and run by real birders. Makes a great excuse to visit Whole Foods (like you needed one!)

http://www.wbu.com/index.htm

For any information specific to Bluebirds, visit the National Bluebird Society's page. There is good information on parasites and troubleshooting problems specific to Bluebirds.

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/

Audubon gives great information on backyard habitats. There is information on conservation, watch lists, information on Avian Flu, West Nile and pesticide use. Sign up to participate in the Backyard or Christmas Bird Count, make a donation and check out John James Audubon's North American Birds. Beautiful!

http://www.audubon.org/bird/index.html


Books and tools I suggest:

Sibley's Guides: He has a guide to birds (it's a biggie to keep near the back door or kitchen window for reference), a guide to bird behavior that is fantastic and now a field guide! He paints each species and gives multiple views, morphs, and descriptions.

Get yourself an Identa-Flier! You don't always see the birds around you and sometimes you may think you are seeing a bird that you're not seeing. Using calls and songs to cross-reference is really helpful! A good site for calls and songs, is: "What Bird" http://www.whatbird.com/ There's also a fun bird identification game!

Stokes has a book called, The Birdhouse Book, the complete guide to Attracting Nesting Birds. This gives you the low-down on various houses for cavity nesters.

Planning a birding trip? Check out National Geographic's Guide to Birdwatching Sites. There are both Western and Eastern U.S. versions. Mel White is the author of the Western edition.


And last but not least, use: ME! I have been to some bird-rich areas around the country and would love to help anyone looking to knock a few species off their Life Lists. From Canada to the Florida Keys, I can give you some helpful tips on where to go, where to stay, where to eat (most important in my book) and other logistics! I have well over 25, 000 miles of cross-country, Caribbean and Central American travel under my belt!

Happy Birding!

Come and Knock On My Door.....

Mr. Roeper might not mind these roommates since they're so cute......

It seems that although Sylvia and Lloyd have plenty of food and had a successful first brood, this one is not going to break any records. Only three of the six eggs have hatched as of today. One of the little guys hatched two days after the first two, so he is a little smaller, but catching up. They have been lolling around, trying to keep comfortable in the heat and with three eggs in their way, but today is significantly cooler than it has been with a nice breeze, so they should be pretty comfy right now.

I already knew I would name one of the babies Syd and Nancy just naturally came next. My husband named number three Rufus, so it seems we have a musical theme going. Anyone who knows me, knows I love music, so it's only fitting. If you are at least 30 years old, then you know who Syd and Nancy were, (although I think it's Sid, not Syd, but I like spelling it with a "y"). As for Rufus, you'll know who Rufus is if you are older than 3o. You might want to check iTunes, if you don't know who they are.

So, I'd love to tell you something good about the other three eggs, but I have a feeling they are not going to hatch. There are multiple factors that can affect an egg, but I don't know how to determine the cause.

Well, back to final preparations for my program on the bird cam for Parks and Recreation tomorrow. I hope many people will show up!

Baby Alert!

I am happy to report that the hatching of the second brood has begun! Mama is fastidiously attending to them and we are patiently awaiting the other four to arrive.

Meanwhile, the fledglings from the first brood are visiting the Mealworm feeder and irritating Lloyd. They are able to feed themselves, of course, but still adopt the fledgling posture when either parent comes near, flapping and crying, mouths gaping. Lloyd amuses them sometimes, but has also started chasing them away, in an attempt to encourage them to find their own territory. Just like human parents! These guys will be the "rejects" of the summer, hanging around for the next few months, but less tolerated than subsequent broods.

Contrary to information I had previously, the babies from the first do not really help raise the next broods. So much for that sentimental idea! On the bright side, they may flock together in the fall and winter months before separating to pair off and develop their own territories.

MAMA-MIA

Sylvia never fails to deliver, or impress! She is a lean, mean, egg-laying machine: determined and focused. She began laying her second clutch on May 29th. I figured she would be done when egg number 4 rolled around (sorry, pun intended). Needless to say she laid another one and then I thought that 5 must be her magic number and since that is in the average range, I was sure she was done. Alas, imagine my surprise when I discovered egg number 6 when I returned home from the volunteer appreciation picnic!

That’s right, folks, six eggs! I am very excited, although worried about how crowded it will be in there after witnessing five little buggars all clamoring for mealworms and attention.

On that note, I have received a lot of questions about “sibling rivalry” and survival of the fittest, etc. In my reading I have learned that Bluebirds very rarely exhibit any behavior of that sort. They are fairly communal and tolerant of one another, especially considering there is a lot of head-standing. By that, I mean standing on one another’s heads! “I can’t see! I can’t see!” This happened a lot toward the fledge date and was quite comical.

There will be plenty of this footage and more comical outtakes at my program. I forgot to add the link last time to Parks and Rec. so here it is: http://www.ci.lynchburg.va.us/home/index.asp?page=86

Supahstah!

I apologize for the long absence, but things have been a little crazy....

There is a lot going on right now bird-wise. Activity abounds it seems and the yard is a-twitter! In preparing for my program on the 20th, I have uncovered many interesting facts about Bluebirds and have been brushing up on my avian anatomy and science. There have also been some exciting personal updates that I am happy to report. First of all, the new Nikon came in along with some power-punching software for digital photo editing. I attended the Nikon School of Photography which I highly recommend, even if you only ever send pictures to friends and family. I have already noticed some improvements in my pictures.

Another exciting update is my television debut on our ABC affiliate's program, "Living in the Heart of Virginia" with Tab O'Neil. I was asked to come on the show to discuss the bird-cam and the show airs June 16th at 12:30. This is great timing because school is out and hopefully some of my students will have a chance to see it.

For those of you who are local, I want to remind you about my program June 20th from 7-9-ish p.m. at the new Nature Zone at Kemper St. Station in Lynchburg. I will post a link to their site for you to register.

So, now you understand the title for this entry: Supahstah!

Thanks to all who have been supporting me and to Laura, Wanda and Tab at WSET and Cable Chris at the Local Access for putting together my disc! Thanks to the angry guy from Lot #149 for calling in and giving us comic relief on that long day in the studio! I appreciate the exposure and so do your local Bluebirds!

More pictures coming soon!!!!

Fledge Fest 2006

Well, the babies finally left the nest today! This morning, around 9am, they started coming out. Mom and Dad seemed to be coaxing them last night, but I think they blocked their escape since it was cool and drizzly. They seemed pretty anxious to get out, though. I am sitting outside right now at around 6pm and don't see any of them, but I am sure they are learning a lot as Sylvia and Lloyd show them the world.

My guess at the first fledge was correct: Hamish came out first, followed by Abe, I think. I am pretty confident that Schmiegal was the second to last to leave. All of the babies flew toward the back of our house. One went for the roof, I think, but got as high as the second story window where he clung to the screen, trying to figure out what the heck he was going to do next. Mom and Dad were flying all around trying to convince him to let go and head a little higher and even tried to bribe him with food. Another one actually landed on the wall and hung there on the brick and a third hit the wondow and tumbled down the side of the house into a mulch bed, thankfully. I was pretty worried, but he was stunend and then took off. One made it to the roof finally and was joinedd by a House Finch with nesting material in his mouth.

I just got buzzed by a couple Hummingbirds and I wonder if they were mating. They were the first I have seen so far. They were making an unusual noise that I have never heard coming from Hummingbirds. I thought there was a beetle in my Crepe Myrtle, but nope!

Okay, back to the Blues. So I was watching the little guy on the ground and trying to snag some pictures of him and the others, when one of the parents dive-bombed me! I was just outside the door and they flew right at me and then as I was ducking, they banked off to the right away from the house. I got the message and decided to hang up my camera for the day.

It's funny how they all followed right along after one another out of the house. I think even if a couple of them weren't completely ready, they didn't want to be left alone. Mom and Dad rewarded them with mealworms after they came out, which only seems fair. I hear them now calling to each other, mostly the parents talking to them. Lloyd and Sylvia are still feeding them, too and I am wondering if they are purposely leading them away from the mealworm buffet. Maybe they will teach them the hard way to hunt first and then show them the buffet once it's time to raise the next brood. We'll have to wait and see.....

I included a picture, but you will have to zoom to see it.

My Voice is Louder than Your Voice

It seems that the babies have discovered that they can use their voices more than just when mom and dad come with food. A couple of them have begin chirping and making noise in between visits. They are starting to communicate with their parents when they are outside and possibly even with each other. It's hard to tell what the chirps mean, but they are definiely finding their voices. When one of the parents come, of course they all scream, mouths open, but they are doing it in a more refined manner. There are a couple who souond differnt than the others. Still, one or two are the more dominant ones, sticking to the top of the birdie pile, but the little ones on bottom manage to squirm to the top (Hey, excuse me! Coming through!), pushing and shoving until they are also able to scream for food.

Mama and Papa seem to know who needs food and who doesn't. In one feeding session, Mama came and went back and forth to the mealworm tray, and fed each one in order, not missing a beat.

I think Hamish is a girl in actuality, but I'll still use the name. Hamish is starting to peek out to see what's going on outside. They also take turns standing on the edge of the nest, practicing their flying, or at least their flapping. It's so funny when they do it because they flap so fast and I think they hit the camera. It sounds like interference or static on the video, but it's just their feverish flapping.

As for growing, I am still amazed at the speed at which they mature. In one day they developed little speckles in a well-defined pattern on their feathers. If you've ever seen baby Robins, it's very similar to the spotty pattern they get as babies. I really think these guys are going to leave the nest pretty soon, earlier than estimated.

Well, tonight is a little chilly. It was 49F at 8:00pm, and it has been drizzly and cool all day, the high only up to 55F. Luckily, they get their down feathers first and they are all puffed up and nose to nose, piled together. They also turn their heads around and tuck their faces into their wings. Some of them used mom to nestle under, but I guess she is too big to fit now because she is not in there with them. It's supposed to get down to 43F, which is pretty darn cold comapred to how it's been, but I am sure they will be fine. I will check in first thing and give an update......

Here's a picture of them getting fed today and one of Lloyd at the Mealworm buffet.

Ready for Take-Off!!!

Anyone who has had any experience with Bluebirds knows that they don't usually fall out of the nest and hop around trying to take off and fly. They pretty much just shoot out of the box and do their thing. No practice, no rehearsal, just flying. Bluebird boxes don't have perches on the outside or any way for them to hedge out and consider flying or think about it or change their mind. The parents withhold food and call to them and basically tease them out of the box.

So how do they just fly, having never flown before???? I have the answer. They take turns climbing up on top of everyone else and begin a crazy spasm of fluttering and flapping their wings. Of course since they are so high up now, their wings hit the camera and make a crazy noise. It sounds just like the sound that you got when you were a kid and put a playing card in the spokes of your bicycle. It's pretty funny how they suddenly get an urge and start flapping away. It's almost like it overcomes them. They love to stretch, stretch, stretch their wings and are preening like mad. My guess is they are actually grooming their wings for the maximum performance.

Hamish is still a bully and so big and developed that I think Schmiegal thought he was a parent at one point.

I am unable to upload video here, but these are recent pictures. The first one is from May 1 and the second one is from this morning at 10a.m., so you can see how fast they are developing plumage!

Dude! I'm Trying to Sleep!

Sorry for the absence, but I've been a little busy and honestly, the bird babies are growing so fast, that I can barely keep up anyway. I am amazed. The babies are now the cutest things I have ever seen. It's almost like they have individual personalities.

Hamish is definitely the most confident of the group and the most advanced. I vote him "most likely to succeed". He was the first to start preening and stretching his wings. He was happy to discover the wonderful stretchy thing he could do with his wings. They all have full feathers and their eyes have been open for four days or so.

Schmiegal is the smallest, the last one hatched and is the "little runt that could". He is getting there, slowly but surely. He seems to stay at the bottom of the "pile" and gets stepped on a lot. Mom and Dad have a hard time fitting in the house and try to straddle the nest as much as possible. Mom sits off to the side at night and the babies all nestle around her. Schmiegal likes to perch his chin on her tail. They tend to stay at certain spots for most of their time. I identify them using a "hands-of-the-clock" method. Schmiegal is almost always at 6:00 and Hamish stays at 2 or 3:00 or right on top in the center. Two are markedly smaller than the other three, but they all seem to be doing well.

Interestingly, Mom seems to know when one has just been fed by Dad. I watched her start to shove a cricket down Abe's throat only to (PSYCHE!) pull it back out and give it to Don!

Well, their tails need to grow a bit more before they can successfully fledge, but I think it's soon. I am putting the possible fledge date at May 11. At the rate that they are scarfing down mealworms (provided by yours truly) and growing it could be sooner.

I also have learned that they should not be fed earthworms. If the babies eat earthworms, they can get extreme diarrhea and dehydrate and starve. Mealworms only, please! They love them, too!

Well, I hope to post a picture tomorrow! Moving right along.......

JACKPOT!

Sylvia and Lloyd have hit the Jackpot and are very lucky to be nesting and raising the future leaders of the bird world in my backyard! They have finally discovered the giant mealworms I put out for them. They seem to be able to RELAX! a bit in between feedings. The babies seem pretty happy and I haven't heard any complaints yet....
I don't know, call me crazy, but I would think a mealworm would be a little easier to swallow and digest than a squirming, multi-limbed, winged, big-eyed, sharp little feet-having, big ole' crunchy beetle! Wouldn't you think? I have never personally eaten either, but it might be like the difference between a Godiva chocolate truffle and a sprig of broccoli. Hmmm.....You be the judge!

Ok, Major Love Here.....

Whoa, these parents have a lot of love for these kids! Not only do the parents take the poopy out, but sometimes they eat it!!!! Eeeewwww! I am learning so much! They wait and watch for it and sometimes are too busy to fly out with it, so they just eat it. Nice. It seems pretty instantaneous after they shove a big moth or cricket down their throats. Got to make room! I always thought of bird doo as being runny, but it comes out in a big bubble, like a smei-dry glob of Elmer's glue. I guess it keeps the parents satisfied until they can eat themselves. Kind of like a Snickers bar. But different. Yeah, not so much, I guess. Maybe in a bird world.

Well, I guess it could be worse.....

They Really Love Their Kids.....

Greetings and an update from observing the nest activities....
I realized, my guess was correct about the bathroom procedure. I was wondering how they keep the nest clean and sure enough, these little guys poop out a poopy that is as big as their head and mom seems to know it's coming and grabs it in her beak and flies out with it. I don't know where she puts it, but I guess it is good fertilizer, right? I think they have found the food supply I put out for them. Here is another picture of Lloyd on his favorite place to perch and another baby picture.....

And a reminder that comments are welcome and encouraged! Thanks!!

Little Aliens

I think I am starting to understand what folks mean when they say: "They are growing so fast!" These little buggars are growing fast. As of this afternoon, one of them has opened his eyes. The little late bloomer runty one seems to have caught up to his siblings. There are already pronounced quills on some of their wings and they are chirping and moving around quite a bit. I still have to review all of the recorded discs from the days when they hatched, but here are some things I have learned so far:

• Mama and Papa eat the empty egg shells.
• Mama and Papa like to shove big, honkin', non-regurgitated bugs down their throats, such as crickets, moths and unidentified flying things.
• The babies have a built-in people sensor that triggers them to close their mouths when they hear human voices.
• Somehow they know when a bird other than their parents is on the house.

It's pretty amazing that when something lands on the house and they hear the sound, they all stick their heads straight up with their mouths open. When they hear that bird call or sing, they close their mouths. Mama still sits on them at night to keep them warm. Last night was cooler than it has been and she stayed on them most of the night. I also saw her eat some egg shell this afternoon, so I guess she is still finding some as the babies move around.

I had a request for a name for one of them, but I think I have the rest covered. Of course it's too early to tell if they are make or femal, but since they were bald and their dark, feathered eyeballs look like bushy eyebrows, I am going to name one Abe, one Hamish, one Shmeigal (after the dude from LOTR) one Don (after Don King) because now they all have little fuzzy afros, and one Himey (the request). Abe is in honor of the guy from "Barney Miller", Shmeigal is because they kind of look like Gollum from LOTR and Hamish just came to mind for no apparent reason.

For the first time I am seeing their entire nodies today. One of them who is quite assertive is climbing on top and he is fairly bald except for a line of fuzz down his back. I put out some big fatty mealworms and a couple of night crawlers in my feeder. I had to buy them at a gun/tackle shop. Lovely. But they are the biggest darn mealworms I have ever seen. I just hope mom and pops find them and enjoy. It doesn't seem that there is a shortage for crispy critters, but I thhought I would help them out and try to make their lives easier.

Mom just came back with something and it looked like she was trying to spread the wealth among them. She does appear to be regurgitating now. She also scooched down on them, as if she was trying to get them warm and set for a nap. I guess she's a little beat. She just took out some extra eggshell . I think she was trying to get underneath them to clean up the rest of the mess, unless it was doody. Hard to say. She carried it out, though, so my thinking is it was a big turd. Nice. At least she's tidy. Imagine having to carry your baby's turds away in your mouth? Time for some research!!

I decided to take a picture of the TV with the camera so I could post. Hope you all can make it out!

Missed the Hatching!

Hi fellow bird lovers. I have been gone for a week, so sorry for the absence of updates. Unfortunately, I missed the hatching avtivities! But, happy to report that all five hatched! I will check in later and provide an update!

How to not Sound Silly in the Company of Ornithologists

Alright folks, I have certainly made my share of birding fauk beaks, but I want to get this straight once and for all. I am listening to Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion that he did out of Charlottesville and he made a major bird mistake. He referred to the black, white and gray geese that are the nemesis of every golf course groundskeeper as "Canadian Geese". Sorry Gar, but you sound like a doofus saying this because they are CANADA Geese. They are not from Canada, thus they are not Canadian, like Jim Carrey or Diana Krall or Shania Twain or any number of professional figure skaters. Some might even be born in....well, somewhere other than Canada, like Michigan, or Nebraska.
And on a similar note, let's try to call those five point, bumpy Echinoderms that live in salt water that people like to collect and let dry out until they break and crumble into little pieces.....Seastars. They are not fish and scientists shudder when they hear this. I get a little squirm, not quite a shudder because there are more important things to shudder about, and I am not a scientist, but I have a blog and can rant or get on a soap box about nature stuff because.....well, because I can. Seriously, folks, I am just trying to help you. I have logged countless hours educating the public in various capacities for nature museums and nature, conservation and ecology programs, so I get this stuff first line from my nature nerd friends and cohorts. They know what they're talking about people. So, if you you are the type of person that is concerned with spelling things correctly, manners, or just useless trivia that is above all else, accurate, then now you know. Here is a link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's page on the Canada Goose: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Canada_Goose_dtl.html
I was also recently asked about our friends the Mute Swan, who, incidentally are not endemic to this country but are imported. They are also fairly destructive when it comes to endemic grasses and plants and food sources for other birds. So keep them in Europe where they look better anyway, floating in a misty pond in front of an old English castle in front of an old, english garden in an old, English village straight out of a fairy tale. But, that's another blog entry. This person asked me what a group of swans is called. You don't often see these guys together with others, but you do see Trumpeters and Tundra together in groups. These groups can be referred to as a flock, bevy, bank, eyrar, drift, game, herd, swonder, team or wedge and share these terms with some other bird types.
Just a little FYI. I am going to cross reference my source on this to make sure it's accurate, but they sound right to me. Here is a link to a page on the Mute Swan. They also, according to Cornell, do not mate for life. It's a romantic notion, but not really realistic for species support. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Mute_Swan_dtl.html
Happy Birding and Happy Bunny Trail on this Easter Holiday!
The common sea star, Asterias forbesi: (c/o the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, http://www.chesapeakebay.net/seastar.htm)

Just Sittin' and Waitin' and Hopin' and Dreamin'

Man, would I love to know what is going through Sylvia's mind! Sometimes when I catch her sitting on the nest, I imagine her inner dialogue:
(Cut to the dream sequence and dreamy music sound)

"Wonder where that good-for-nuthin' lazy Lloyd is? Off chasin' a little tail, I'm sure, while I'm stuck on this freakin' nest.......Ooh, is that a bug? Oh, no, just some dirt. How did dirt get in here? Maybe I should head out and get my own cricket...guess I could rotate the eggs again for the fortieth time today.....Ooh, that egg is poking me and driving me crazy....I should definitely try for six next time, more balanced that way, three on one side and three on the other.....what is Lloyd doing??...ooh sounds like a fly-by up there....those darn cowbirds are back....what was that? A hawk? oh I hope not...nope just a Mockingbird trying to fake us all out....why doesn't he get his own song instead of copying everyone else's? Man I could really go for a grub right now.. or a mealworm, yeah, mmmm, nice and crunchy, yet soft in the middle....they go down so easy.....time for a little cat nap, uh, bad choice of words, a bird nap.....yeah, nap....."

Every now and then she looks up and stares into the camera for a while. I can see a little reflective dot in her eye and I am not sure if it's light from the moon or if the camera gives off some ambient light. Anyway, countdown is on and I am still looking for any grub/mealworm sources......

Five is the Magic Number!

It appears the Sylvia is egged out and stopping at five eggs for this first clutch. They seem to be doing well, although Lloyd is spending a lot of his time chasing off Brown-Headed Cowbirds. I am taking grub or mealworm contributions. If anyone knows where I could order some live ones, let me know. I only came across a few very small grubs in my garden. My neighbor donated some huge ones and they scarfed those right up.

On a side note, it appears that some Tree Swallows might be moving into my recycled plastic house that I relocated across the street! Finally those houses will be used! They have a snazzy little latch that flips back to allow the side of the box to flip up and then there is a lexan wall behind it for nest monitoring. the box came from bestnest.com and it is great and will last forever!

The Fab Four!

Just like clockwork, Sylvia produced egg #4. Hopefully, we will have a succesful brood. Tonight is supposed to get down to 35F, so hopefully she will be able to keep them nice and warm. In a few minutes I am headed out to the garden to find some grubs that I came across yesterday. The ones I put out on the buffet have been scarfed up, so I am hoping that Lloyd has been taking advantage of the free food. Anything I can do to make it easier for them......

Today will be warm followed by two chilly nights and days in the low 60's. Keep your fingers crossed that the cooler temperatures won't have a detrimental impact on our little nursery!

And Then There Were Three......

Three eggs and counting.....I'm almost certain there will be one-two more. Today Lloyd was fending off some Brown-headed Cowbirds who were at my neighbor's feeder and too close to the nestbox for comfort. He was kicking birdie tail and taking names! Oh and last night, Sylvia was in the nestbox sitting on her eggs. I was watching her until about 10:30 when I went to bed, so it looks like my initial assumption that she didn't nest-sit at night was wrong. It was very sweet to see her in there trying to chill. She would doze off and her little head would kind of fall forward. Then every now and then she would jerk awake and stare at the camera or at the hole. I'll be looking for egg #4 tomorrow.....

Two, Two, Two Eggs in One (Nest)!

That's right, folks, the egg you know and love has doubled! I missed the event, but I think I pretty much know how it goes....As of 10am, when I first turned on the cam, there was another egg. I didn't think there would be much going on this morning because once again we are having strong winds, but, I guess the egg must go on and come out when it's knocking on the bluebird backdoor!
I discovered that Eastern Bluebirds do not incubate at night, at least maybe not until all of the eggs are laid. I suspect she may get to some serious incubating once they have all arrived. Lloyd seems to be slacking a bit in the "feeding-your-hungry, tired, overworked, nest-building, egg-laying wife duties", but I am thinking he might get a bit more serious once the eggs are all there. Then it will be down to some serious child-rearing business.
We're working on some software issues to edit the discs into just a few and get some stills on the site. In the meantime, stay tuned. If history repeats itself, Sylvia should be laying 2-3 more eggs and then it's 10-17 days until they hatch, putting us on schedule for an April 17th or 18th delivery date. Tres exciting, non? Maybe for us bird nerds out here it's eggciting!
Happy Spring and Happy Birding!

Oh, and here is a preview of what the babies will look like. These were taken two years ago, I believe. They are some of Sylvia and Lloyd's previous offspring. Notice the Goldfinch hanging out with them!

Houston, We Have Egg!

Well, finally! Sylvia laid her first egg this morning. It did not look like she was having fun, to say the least. I was literally watching her squeeze it out. It would be cool to have a camera below the nest so I could see the actual egg shoot out. She turned on her head a couple of times like she was looking between her legs to see if she had success. It was pretty funny to see her turn upside down with her tail straight up in the air. Hopefully I will be able to post some footage or at least pictures soon. So she was huffing and puffing and breathing pretty hard. Just like a human. I even think I heard her yell at Lloyd: "You did this to me!!"
So a few minutes ago, Lloyd brought her a post-delivery snack. I put out some grubs but I think they expired in the cold weather last night. It doesn't appear that any have been eaten. Speaking of the cold, a pretty dramatic front came through last night bringing with it very high winds and cooler temperatures, but thankfully they are not worse for wear. Attached is a picture of Sylvia sitting on one of the bird feeders. I placed the pan of grubs on the railing, but I don't know if they have figured that out yet.

Mating Colors

I noticed last week that the male American Goldfinches already have their full mating color. Here is a picture of a female and a male perched on a feeder hook.

Under the Weather

I have been a bit under the weather but promise to post soon. Sylvia and Lloyd are perfectionists and have not quite finished their nest. so far, no eggs, but I am thinking any day now......
I will be back to post next week and hopefully more often.....

"Approved" Nesting Material: Forget that Dryer Lint!

Hey folks,

Many of us would like to help the progress of our nest-building buddies by putting out material for them to use for their nests. There is a little confusion regarding what is good material and what might not be good for our friends. Some people think that they are doing a good thing by putting out their dryer lint for them to line their nests with. Unfortunately, this is not a good idea for a couple of reasons. First of all, if any of you have ever taken the lint out of your washing machine and revisited it later (you know like it didn't quite make it into the trash right away), it is a hard compacted nugget-mess. Yuck-o! Not good nesting material. Because it absorbs so much water, it becomes matted and heavy and thus doesn't allow water to pass through. A nest will eventually get wet, so they need material that allows water to pass through or that will allow space to be between it and the next type of material like grass, etc. Plus, there is concern that additives in laundry detergents (i.e., chemicals) will harm birds, including phosphates and dyes and fragrance. Sooooooo.....on that note, here is a list of approved material as specified by the bird experts, The Cornell Ornithology Lab.

** Dead Twigs or leaves
** Dry grass
** String or thread or yarn in 4-8 inches
** Human or Horse hair
** Animal fur (cat or dog) Good excuse for a brushing!
** Sheep's wool
** Feathers (The mama will use her own downy, too)
** Plant fluff or down
** Moss
** Cotton batting
** Bark Strips
** Pine Needles
** Thin Strips of cloth 1"wx6"l
** Shredded paper

Take an old onion, shallot or other mesh bag like the type lemons and limes come in and fill it and hang it somewhere accessible like a pole, tree or post.

Anjoy nesting season!

The Nest that Sylvia Built

Okay, so I called her Betty before, but I have changed Mama Bluebird's name to Sylvia. Lloyd and Sylvia Bluebird. And they are building away. I should say Sylvia is building away because it seems that she is doing all the work and all Lloyd is doing is running his beak and flying in and out every now and then to seemingly criticize her work. The progression is amazing and the footage is probably the coolest thing I have ever seen.

So the routine basically goes like this. Sylvia lands on top of the house and makes some noise and hops around with a bunch of dead grass in her beak. Then she hops in and drops it as she enters the box. She chirps while she hops around and then does the spin, pat down dance. She spreads her wings, sticks her tail in the air and spins in a circle, patting down the grass on the sides with her chest. It seems she is also scratching with her feet. The center is still bare, but she is building up the sides.
Then she flies out and comes back about 10 minutes or more later with more grass and continues her funny pat down dance. Lloyd is outside on the top of the box or in a nearby tree just chirping like crazy and my guess is he's asking for updates, bossing her around or asking if she needs anymore supplies. He flies in a few minutes later empty-beaked and inspects. Sometimes he goes in and actually messes up what she's done! And sometimes he takes stuff out as if it is not suitable. The other day he was inside and she was outside and it was almost as if she was yelling at him as he scattered stuff about and she flew in on top of him and he immediately flew out! It was the first time we had seen them both inside.

Anyway, a couple extremely windy days, a brief cold snap and some freakish wintry weather have upset their progress slightly,, but they have kicked it up a notch. I understand that she will lay her eggs a couple days after the completion of the nest. There is still some wood showing through on the bottom, so I think they are still working.

I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watching Me.......

Okay, a cheesy one-hit wonder from the eighties, but also how the Bluebirds must be feeling now that Big Brother, or rather, a big bird nerd is watching. That's right, the bird-cam is up and running and I am ready to start recording all of the live bird on bird action! Seriously folks, this has got to be one of the best gifts ever and it even had sound! I have it connected to my big-screen TV and can watch all of the activity in two ways: from the comfort of my couch in front of the fireplace and also out the window that is just to the left of the TV and has a perfect view of the birdhouse. I am trying to come up with a name for the birdie love shack and welcome any suggestions. I think I have the names for the birds: Betty and Lloyd. I have no clue where those came from, but Lloyd popped in when I was animating Betty, watching her hopping around inside, looking up at the camera suspiciously. I imagined her yelling out to Lloyd (who was on top chirping at her): "Lloyd? Did you install a ceiling fan in here? Did the landlords do some renovations I don't know about?" Hopefully the camera won't deter them. They have built in the same spot the past two years, and have bred successfully all season long both years. I just checked and there is still no new building material, but hopefully we'll see some action in the next week or so. It's definitely time for box hunting, and nest building should begin in a few weeks. I am planning on setting up two of my recycled milk jug boxes in neighbor's yards since they seem to be too close to my original box for comfort. Hopefully they will choose the boxes over people's black metal mailboxes that are not conducive for eggs.

Well, happy spring and remember to be alert to birds shooting across roads as they become more active. The Robins are arriving in the mid-Atlantic and the White-throated Sparrows and Juncos should be shoving off soon. The song Sparrows are all a-twitter and the woodpeckers and Nuthatches are very active. Spring is springing!

New Year, New Bird House

Here we are in the doldrums of winter and I have been wondering how the critters are dealing with the wacky weather trends happening all over the country. As my bulbs have sprouted thanks to some of our Spring-like days, I can only imagine that the birds are equally confused and may start their Spring activities early. I am pretty sure they have an inner clock that keeps them straight no matter what the temperatures are doing. What about the hibernating critters? Do they stir from their deep slumbers on uncharacteristic warm days? It moves us outside, stirs us from our cozy houses and lifts our moods, how can it not have the same effect on animals?

Well, the feeders are full of activity and the weather has not been much of a deterrent. The howling winds we had for two days straight certainly kept the birds away, but as soon as the air was still again, they were back. It is getting close to house hunting time for the bluebirds and soon they will separate from their flocks and leave their siblings and cousins behind to start families on their own. I am ready and waiting with my new video camera-equipped bluebird house! As soon as we have a dry day, I am going to get it up and running. I only hope that they are not deterred by the new house, but excited about it. I am replacing an old, wooden, plain-jane, $8.00 one that I bought at the local hardware store as a temporary fix, but they seem to prefer it to my $50, indestructible, recycled milk-jug houses. Oh well, one can never guess what nature will do! My fingers are crossed, though and I am looking forward to live bluebird video. I'm sure the cats will enjoy it, too!