Video: young Red-winged Blackbird at the bath
The pool is still open and getting used. And livestreamed! Check here or use the main menu.
Feeder activity is down
as you might have noticed too, and that is because everybody is busy building nests or taking care of offspring. The birds do make quick trips to grab beaks full of goodies for the babies. Grackles are especially talented when it comes to taking large quantities :D While it is always odd to have less activity after the spring migration rush, it frees up time, at least for me. I have used it to get my veggie garden in shape, and things are looking very good this year.
Teen beau
While the adults are busy taking care of new eggs or babies, some of the teens that hatched last year are hanging around and look a little lonely. But also super adorable, like this Rose-breasted Grosbeak teen. I love this stage where the adult feathers are mixing in with the baby plumage. He appears to have some crud on his nose but otherwise seems to be fine. I bet he is looking forward to meeting his new siblings.
Today was fledge day!
All five Bluebird babies left their cradle on this hot and humid May day. And I only saw one of them do it, and missed to take a photo because I was excitedly talking to my husband haha. What happens is quite interesting. The babies start calling the parents, and the parents reply. It goes back and forth, back and forth for a while, and with each response, the babies become more excited and get out of the hole more. In between it can happen that the parents make a warning call and everything goes back to zero. The babies take naps in between, too. The first one went quickly, the other four took their good time. The parents went back to check on them but did not feed or take diapers anymoire. I cleaned the box and hung it back up so that Lagertha can build another nest. Here is one photo of a baby peeking out, and another one of the nest. It was quite moist and dirty, and I am glad I took it out so Lagertha can have a fresh start with no blowfly larvae or dirt.
Fledge day is always special, and today it felt like watching a long birth. The courage these babies must muster to take the literal leap must be quite enormous. I am so happy they all made it and cannot wait to see them again.
The Bluebird babies
are at what I call the “strawberry stage” right now. they are basically done, and wear their gray kiddo PJs with the white dots, which on the nestbox cam makes them look like strawberries. They have been very agile for the last two days, exercising their wings and also peeking out of the nestbox with their little froggie faces. They hatched on May 7, which means they are very close to fledging. It has been rather hot and humid today, and I feel like tomorrow might be fledge day, even though Wednesday would be day 20 and more normal. They just look so incredibly lively already. The parents will then lead them away a bit to teach them the basics of BB life, and bring them back to the yard to show them the feeders after a couple of weeks. In the meantime, Lagertha might start another nest. I cannot wait to see them outside!
Video: House Wren checking out nestbox
This morning, a House Wren inspected the Flicker box. It is a huge box that is filled with wood shavings, but the Wren has nested in something similar before, so I would not be surprised if it happened again. Let’s hope it doesn’t just build a mock nest in there.
Video: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
This morning at 6.30 AM, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird man checked in. I have so little hummingbird action this May that I had started to think they are avoiding my yard this year. And every time I see one, I hope it sticks around and comes back. We will see how this goes. I am glad I set Birdsy up with the Hummer feeder, otherwise I would have missed him.
The Blue Jays
are cracking me up. They are very vocal at the moment, and create a frenzy and hilarity wherever they go. (The second bird in the second photo was a Robin.)
Peanut and Hazel,
the resident Red-bellied Woodpeckers, are coming to the feeders more often at the moment. I wonder if they have babies yet. The female is easily identifiable by her gray patch on the head.
Video: Eastern Bluebirds and Gray Catbird at the bath
Both male and female Bluebird took a break from baby duties and came for a refreshing bath. Right after, a Gray Catbird had some sips too. And Birdsy recorded :)
Today is my birthday,
and I turned 42. It feels weird and I don’t feel like it, and after all, it is just a number. But birthdays are a thing in my family. We celebrate them in a big fashion. So today was a special day for me. I was lucky I did not have to work, and I worked in the garden today. And it was wonderful. I am achy. My one wish was that a Hummingbird would show up. And I got my wish granted. Here he is. And I hope he comes back. This is me, tipsy-posting. 42! What a weird number. Let’s spin some Binaural…
After seeing Orioles with nesting material in the yard,
I decided to try and capture them taking it with Birdsy. I filled a suet cage with sheep wool that is sold as nesting material, and added pieces of natural string that I disintegrated into pieces that are less than 9 inches long and separate at an instant. You can see that too when the bird takes off. The blue and white plastic ribbon was something an Oriole brought to the yard, and I thought I would just add it too.
Please do not put out dryer lint or pet hair from a pet that has been treated with medication or flea/tick stuff. Bird babies will not be able to tolerate the chemicals. there are informative articles by Audubon and Cornell Labs out there about what nesting material to offer. Try to be as natural as possible.
I loved this Downy Woodpecker.
Apparently, he has a cavity home somewhere because he has some wood chips under his “mustache” :D
The Gray Catbird
is still around, and I think yesterday, I saw two of them. This is very exciting and makes it more possible that they might stay for the summer. He was not very enthusiastic about the constant rain yesterday, but today we have wonderful sunshine! (No flooding in my area, and I hope everybody out there is ok, given the circumstances.)
What a strange spring this is.
After having seen a male and female Hummingbird the other day, I haven’t seen any more. Things really seem to be off to a slow start this spring because of the weather but hopefully we will catch up with everything soon. Here’s to a great start of a new week. Be safe all of you who go back to work! And if you need a mask with a bird on it, check out my Redbubble shop.
All profits will be donated to Feeding America. The way Redbubble works is that I am getting paid each month. I am waiting to make my donation until June because that is when the bulk of the mask profits will get paid. I will post about it here once the donation is made. This is all very exciting!
A gallery of orange goodness.
The Orioles have been plentiful, and one of them had a particularly cool head.
"I was told there would be seed."
A disappointed Tufted Titmouse, checking out the jelly feeder. Interestingly enough, I have seen Chickadees going for the jelly yesterday.