It's been a busy work week
and I am trying to catch up with photos, but there is also not really much happening. The backyard is full of goofy and curious bird babies, exploring the backyard and eating me out of house and garden (a big thank you to the generous Leslie for the WBU giftcard that allowed me to get a little extra ❤️). I have seen more butterflies this week, my first tomato hornworm (wow, these guys are massive!) that already seems to have been taken care of by a critter or bird, and a garter snake. Despite not really seeing hummingbird activity, I keep putting feeders out, and yesterday I got lucky. I hope things will pick up a bit now, apparently their babies are starting to fledge.
Nestbox news: Four for three!
Gayle has continued to lay eggs in the last couple of days. Today, she did not, which means that the third clutch of the season will have four eggs. She will now start to incubate. Mr. Business brings her the occasional snack and the babies from the last brood are also still hanging around. I am leaving the Wren guard up for good luck even if I have not heard or seen a Wren since we brought the babies to the rehabber. (The rehabber told me today they are doing great.) Maybe once it is removed, the second clutch will help feeding the last set of babies to get them strong faster. I like how the nest looks this time around, a very elegant paler grass nest.
Nestbox news: What a whirlwind!
The last couple of days have been a whirlwind, mostly for the Wren babies. At some point yesterday I noticed the babies were constantly screaming but I did not see a parent feeding them. I went through the videos and did not see them there. As I was doing yard work I kept an eye on things. Then in late afternoon, a baby fell out of the box. I contacted a rehabber for advice and eventually took them all out of there. I put them in a box with tissue while I tried to figure out where to bring them. There are few rehabbers in the area and I also heard that due to Avian flu, many are not taking birds in at this time. Wild Wings in Detroit agreed to take them, all I needed was a ride. (They accept donations.) Now I did have a camera team from Local 4 over here today, and since they went back to Detroit anyways, they agreed to bring them in. I am so glad they are safe now and super thankful for the wonderful Local 4 team. This was a turbulent couple of hours. Local 4 came for a little segment that will air in September, I will let you know closer to the date.
In other news, Gayle laid her second egg this morning. The Wren guard is on even though I am not sure I still need it with the adult wrens gone. I have no idea what happened to them, they never returned to the box.
They have become a little less
recently, I think some might have already begun to migrate, but I still have quite a lot of Orioles hanging around. At this point, it is mostly juveniles but I also see the occasional adult male and female strewn in. I was hoping to see the Orchard Oriole’s young ones or females too but time might be running out for that. Anyways, here is a good dose of sunshine to brighten your Friday.
It feels like
I haven’t posted Gracks in a bit. There are many of them around, and I have been collecting pics for a bit for a nice big Grackle post. Count Grackula is still hanging around but his family is growing and there are lots of possible successors. He is the one with the speckles around the neck, and you can tell that he is getting old. Old but nonetheless magnificent. Some are starting to molt now too, and I am excited to see the wild looks that are upon us. The bird in the first photo is seen at a later molt stage in another photo. He is kind of Count II with that big white spot.
Rosebreasted Grosbeaks
are seasonal visitors in Michigan. they arrive in May and leave in the middle of the Midwestern summer. I love these birds because they are beautiful but also because of their character. They remind me a bit of an old dog or kitty. They will come, sit down and eat. And nothing will really bother them, not even a thunderstorm. They are another bird where all individuals look alike from afar, but nope. Look at this diversity!
One fun thing about birdwatching
is that you never know what you’re gonna get. Even for a backyard birdwatcher, things will change with the seasons but also from year to year. I did have male Redwinged Blackbirds at my feeders always but this year, there seem to be a lot more females. Or females that are not camera shy. With this expressive one, I would like to wish everyone a FANTASTIC MONDAY!
Mourning Doves are often
described as peaceful birds, but I have seen quite a different behavior. They seem to be hungry. All the time. And they do not want to share. What looks like maybe a couple that is getting cosy here is two birds each trying to maintain dominance over the food bowl. I do love them for their goofiness and their love for the camera. They are like a well-tanned nudist couple with a preference for 70’s eye shadow that shows up for spontaneous visits.
The young Red-bellied Woodpecker
appears to have figured out the camera feeder and is taking lots of mug shots, much to my delight because I think it looks beautiful. It is still looking a bit like a black and white copy of it’s parents but there is some red coming in on the forehead. The eyes are still brown instead of the dark red of the adults. This is a very vocal bird too, very entertaining.
Gayle and Mr. Business
have begun to bring their babies back to the yard to show them the amenities (the mulberry tree next door is apparently still carrying as you can see on Gayle’s chest and very popular with all the birds here). I am not entirely sure how many are with them but I saw at least three so far. This means they are now more present here, and with that, more able to defend their nestbox. They have been frequently going in all weekend, excitedly exclaiming and taking things out. I find it funny that they still do their little rituals even for the third brood. The babies that I saw looked great, and to my surprise one even made it to the camera. It looks so comparatively small that I think it might be the runt. It does have a lot of character 😁
On a personal note,
I was kind of proud to see that this morning, I was approved to be verified on Facebook. This MoDo perfectly sums up how I looked when I got the message 😂 I hope you have a great Friday evening!
As we move farther
into summer, you might also notice birds that look like they are balding. If you are new to this, it might make you think something is wrong with them, but you can calm down. Most of the times, they are in the process of molting. They lose old feathers and grow new ones. What better time to do this than during summer? During that time, they appreciate nutricious food and clean bird baths, because those incoming feathers itch! The most dramatic molds I have seen were with Grackles, Blue Jays and Cardinals. And here is one of the first of 2022 😁 He is just getting started.
Redbellied Woodpeckers
are birds that I see here year-round. I love them for their goofiness and also because they are not feeder-shy. This year, the resident couple has raised one baby, and that baby has now started to come to the cameras too. The male turns into a slobbering mess every summer (he produces a lot of saliva), and molting does not do him any favors either. I think the hole nesting process must be extra hard on him. Did you know that the males actually incubate too with this species? Pretty cool. (male, youngster, female from left to right)
Blue Jays are
one of these birds where seemingly all individuals look pretty much alike. However, that is not true, and since they apparently had a good breeding season, there are lots of babies around right now and it is fun to look at all the different varieties they come in. So many colors, patterns and textures. The youngest ones have slightly curly feathers but the markings in the face can differ regardless of age. The red stuff on some of them is Mulberry juice.
I have been
on a much needed little break from the everyday and my computer and spent the weekend with family in the beautiful north of Michigan. There is an abundance of wildlife there, and lots of birds. I brought my cameras along but the birds there are not used to them and declined to check them out. So I decided to relax and listen. The Merlin app is a great little tool to explore your surroundings in regards to bird song. Here is my list from six minutes yesterday morning, my attempt to take a photo of the Chestnut-sided Warbler, one of the many Cedar Waxwings, and some of the unfeathered creatures. Here’s to a great Monday and week!
And yes, even more baby birds.
I have noticed a lot more Redwinged Blackbirds around this year. I have no idea why but I love that they are not camera shy. Here is a young one, the coloring is much more peach and there is of course the typical baby gape, the rosy beak “corners”.
The furries
are also quite active, now that all the plants are lush and the flowers start to bloom. This weekend, we also saw a young Groundhog (the one here is Forrest, the big guy), as well as a bunny and some toads. There is a mole digging tunnels all over the backyard too.
Baby birds!
In the last couple of days, the air has filled with more squeaks and begging calls. The Blue Jay babies have fledged, as well as Orioles, Redwinged Blackbirds, more Doves and Grackles. Not pictured but also seen were a Redbellied Woodpecker baby and a young Cardinal. All of them also seem to love the pond, so there is lots of fun stuff happening there. It is wonderful to see them explore things and follow the parents around. (Oriole, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Grackle, Blue Jay, Redwinged Blackbird)
It has been a strange season
for Hummingbirds this year. They arrived about in time like normal but they have been extremely shy this year so far. Hummingbird activity in my backyard has been constantly decreasing in the last three to four years, and I am not really sure why. It might be the extreme weather they experience on their journey, it might be more flowers around, or more people having feeders out. What I do know is that I miss seeing them more frequently, they are so magical. Here is one that visited yesterday. Come good into Friday.
