Livestream: at the bird bath
The livestream today comes from the bird bath, and I hope you enjoy. It is rather windy, so maybe turn the sound down. In the meantime, I heard that Orioles were seen in Michigan today, but I have seen nothing here yet. The masks in the Zazzle store are still stuck in “under review” but since it’s been more than four days now, I assume they don’t work during the weekend and they will be available tomorrow. I hope you are all doing good out there. Enjoy the water ballet! (You can also find the livestream by clicking here.)
.303 lifetime batting average and over 1600 R.B.I.
Meet Chipper Jones.
When I saw him on the Birdsy cam, I put a camera on the ground close by because I often see the Chipping Sparrows foraging on the ground. And I am delighted that he came in for a portrait because I didn’t have a Chipping Sparrow check out the cameras in quite a bit.
Ragnar, the Bluebird
has been kind of absent throughout the day but came back in the evening for a fierce portrait. Sometimes I feel like my camera loves the Bluebirds because they almost always get fantastic shots. Lagertha is spending the night on the nest, and while it is pretty cold outside right now, I think she has actively started incubating. Hopefully Ragnar brings her some goodies to the nest tomorrow.
This MoDo
decided to go for a preening session while it was waiting for a refill of the food bowl. The spot in the middle where it looks like it’s making a trench is where the brood patch is located. I just read the other day that MoDos are one of the earlier nesters in Michigan, and I am wondering where their nest is.
The Robins
have found their ways around the backyard now and seem to like it here. The lawn is full of earthworms (when it’s not frozen), there are opportunities to take a bath (even when it’s freezing cold), and there are plenty of leaf piles and bushes to dig through for nesting material and insects. And if nothing is found, there are still the feeders. The Robins enjoy mealworms, grape jelly and raisins.
Video: There's a new friend in town
I have seen a couple of Chipping Sparrows in the last few days but never on the feeder. This one was brave and checked it out this morning. Chipping Sparrows are native to the US. They are smaller than House Sparrows and overall adorable. I am glad to see them back.
Eggciting times!
Lagertha laid a fourth egg yesterday and then a fifth this morning. She also spent last night on the nest and is in there right now. I think she might be done laying and will begin incubation now. After all, this was pretty good timing because it seems like the weather might be warming up now. For those who are curious about the timeline, here is a link to a great overview with photos. But I will keep you in the loop too :)
A double puff
is better than a single puff. Grackles have a very impressive way of showing their beauty and dominance during mating season.
They are currently dominating the yard,
so it’s only fair to show the variety of the molting Goldfinches. In constrast to the Mourning Doves, they are not lovey with one another.
This Grack
appeared in full blue-purple glory and my favorite pose. Now that the ladies have arrived, there is lots of puffing up and rusty tin toy noises all around. One Grack loved the camera feeder that was on the livestream today, and it looked like he was just casually blowing himself up between every other bite.
BB nestbox update
I forgot to post yesterday, but Lagertha is a steady layer, which makes me happy. She laid a new egg yesterday, and the third one this morning. We still have light night frost, and I hope the eggs will be ok. Oh, and happy Earth Day :)
Now that nesting season is underway,
we will all see birds that we cannot identify for one or the other reason. As I said the other day, it feels like the female Brownheaded Cowbird is one of those “I don’t know what bird I just saw” ones. They are a bit bigger than a Cardinal, they don’t have the brown head like the males, they look intriguing because they are beautiful birds, and us birders are confused. Maybe this photo helps a bit with identification.
Face Masks will be back soon.
Update - I am adding background colors and more options, so the masks are temporarily not available. I will make another post once they are ready to go.
Zazzle finally greenlit part of the face masks, the rest will follow soon. Yet to be available is a flock of tiny Chickadees and a Grumpy BB. There are also two new car magnets. I am sorry that there are so many shop posts right now, but that is how it is. I will donate all profits from the face masks to a cause that supports COVID-19 relief. I still have not decided on what exactly and am open to suggestions.
There's still the occasional night frost,
which had me searching for solutions to get my veggie seeds going in the house, but spring is definitely here now. The fruit trees and bushes are starting to bud, the lawn is beginning to look greener again, and there are little displays of courtship and birb love all over the place. This House finch couple came last night for an intimate dinner. The female begs, and the male feeds her. Later on, the babies will beg from their parents to be fed just in the same way, it is very adorable to watch.
Head and facial feathers
are very fascinating to me. Everything is so neatly and effectively organized on bird heads. Nuthatch heads are amongst the more interesting to me because they have such a unique head shape. All the patterns around the eye are beautiful to look at and explore. I am a bit sad that I did not see any of their cousins, the Redbreasted Nuthatches, this winter, but I hope that they will not be gone forever.
Speaking of brood patches,
Red-bellied woodpeckers have them too, and since with this species, the male and the female both sit on the eggs, the male also has a brood patch. In these photos, you can see the “crevice” along his belly very well. In between that line, a patch of bare skin is hiding which, when it touches and covers the eggs, can keep them warm.
