Nestbox: Meet Gayle and Mr. Business
These two are coming several times a day now, go in, go out, take or bring material. There is not active nestbuilding yet as far as I can tell, this is more like a courtship ritual. [And while I am writing this, she looks like she is actually bringing stuff in right now, cheered on by him. Time will tell, she took a whole month to make the first nest last spring too.] Everytime they come, he is first and then excitedly waves with his wings to greet her. I turned the camera a bit to include the entrance in the view, and I like that it will show a bit more of their interaction. I have also finally decided what the names of this year’s couple are going to be - please meet Gayle and Mr. Business. The weather is still on the frosty side, so I am happy they are having fun and are not busy with babies yet.
Happy Women’s Day!
Video: The sandwich feeder
Starlings like suet, and since they can be very voracious, people are trying to find ways to keep them at bay. I like an innovative feeder, so I got this one a while ago. It's two plates that you fill with bark butter or suet spread, just like a sandwich, but you leave the edges free. Woodpeckers can reach in, anything with shorter tongues and beaks cannot. This is one of the setups I currently have out. The Finches won’t go there, and the MoDos cannot reach it either. I I overfilled it a bit on the first day, so the edges offered a welcome snack for the Red-breasted Nuthatches and Chickadees.
Pew pew pew - an announcement
This is from February 25, and it shows nicely how vocal the Juncos are. They have already become less in the last few days, a sure sign that migration is underway. This is one of the more boring times of the year, and I have decided to pause feeding for a bit for several reasons. For once, I have seen some Finches that might have the dreaded Finch Eye disease, for two, it is a good opportunity to clean the palate, so to speak, and maybe make the larger groups of MoDos and also the Starlings to disperse. I am cleaning all feeders thoroughly with a 1:10 bleach solution and have changed camera setups to still capture whatever exciting might happen without feeders. This is tough on me but it is a good time for this in the season, and it might also help the BBs with their nesting efforts. I have lots of material so I can still continue to post.
If you see puffed up birds that seem to “nap” on the feeder and look cute and tame, they might actually be sick. This does not mean you have made them sick but you can take measures to keep your birds healthy. Finches are prone to certain illnesses because of their genetic makeup, so they are a good bird to keep an eye on for possible issues. I will keep feeders down for 10 to 14 days to let the birds disperse and let nature take its course.
It is very hard
to maintain focus right now. The Bluebirds are helping to lift my thoughts out of the dark terrain they tend to gravitate towards these days. There seem to be several couples, and they have started incredible air fights, trying to figure out who has dominance over the yard, feeder and nestbox. It is a lot like the world right now, but actually delightful to watch and listen to. Here is one of the females. Please be safe out there and hug your loved ones during these dark times. Also, if you want to help - get a sticker from my shop. We are going to make a donation to a cause that benefits the people in Ukraine.
Donation effort for Ukraine
I do feel helpless watching what is going on in Ukraine, so I have decided to try and help with what is in my powers. I created a Ukraine donation sticker, and all proceeds from the sales of that sticker I will donate to the Red Cross efforts to help Ukraine. There are two stickers available, one is just my logo, the other one is in the Ukraine flag colors. You can find my shop on Redbubble here: ostdrossel.redbubble.com, I made the stickers the featured collection. Please note, Redbubble pays by month and only if you have reached a certain threshold. For more info about how they work, check out my PSA about Redbubble in my FAQ. You can also donate directly, of course: redcross.org
I have two more Ukrainian-based organizations to possibly donate to on my radar but it is unclear if they will actually receive the money and use it because of the war, so the Red Cross it is for the time being.
As I said yesterday,
the first signs of spring are noticeable. The flock of Red-winged Blackbirds was back this morning, along with a lone Grack. It was wonderful to hear their choir sing high in the tree tops. These guys are passing through but seeing them means that spring migration has begun. Spring is my favorite season and leading into the best bird time of the year, so this is very uplifting. Have a great Saturday!
Video: It's been a wild week
with some really bad stuff happening. During times like these I am happy to have the birds because they keep me busy, hinder me from being glued to the news, and also make me happy. The American Robin’s German name is Wanderdrossel, “wandering thrush”, and this morning after a night of snow fall, this merry group wandered into my backyard. The Grackle is also still around, and while things still look and feel winterish, there is a sense of spring in the air.
Updating this post because just now, a flock of Redwinged Blackbirds showed up too. Things will develop slowly, but spring migration has begun.
They are back!
The Titmice have made themselves rare this winter, but they have started to make themselves known again, in loud and beautiful PeterPeterPeters around the yard, as well as the camera. They are one of my favorites because they are just so stinking adorable and they make me happy.
What more can anyone want during these wild times?
Lookie here!
I feel like I have heard Grackles for a bit now but I was never sure. But this beauty visited today. I am still not calling an early spring, just happy to have some that pass through on their journey… Have a great Tuesday!
I can only try
to get the birds I want photos of by luring them with certain foods or putting the camera in certain areas but in the end, the birds decide what I end up with. After a long absence from the camera rolls, a male Cardi finally came again, and the sunlight kissed him and revealed all his glory. He is a big boy now but there are still some “teenage specks” visible in his feathers. He returned several times and made it known that he was not happy when the bowl was empty. The little Goldfinch lady was tolerated and seemed to be impressed. But who would not be? He is a worthy carrier of the title King of the Yard.
During very cold times,
the Dark-eyed Juncos always seem to have a field day. They are not shy about getting to feeders and are hopping around all over the backyard in the search for food. Apart from being very hardy when it comes to temperatures, they also seem to be very focused on feeding and go about it steadily. They don’t seem to fight much with others or one another. And I think sometimes that stuns some of the other birds who cannot seem to spend a minute without making a ruckus (looking at you here, Goldfinches 😜).
The BBs
continue to stick around as well. In between visiting the nestboxes, they go to the caged mealworm feeder, filling their bellies and sharing the bounty with the Juncos who have also figured out how to get in there. The Bluebirds and I also have a little habit - in the evening when the daily traffic has basically ended, about five of them line up on the power lines and wait for me to fill the camera bowls. Then it is raining Bluebirds and I am finishing the birding day with a big smile on my face.
Snow days
are fun days for me when it comes to birding, especially when the sun is shining. The birds are hungry and plenty, and the photos just look better with the pretty background. The morning light is especially nice, and I have been bringing out the cameras a bit earlier to catch some of it. This House Finch clearly seemed to enjoy the warming rays. As a comparison, there is also a House Finch in normal daylight.
A longtime lurker
finally got lucky last night and had Starling for dinner. It took him a good two hours to get it done and finished. This is the Cooper’s hawk that has been hanging around. I let him finish it, and by the end, also birds and squirrels had come back. I always find it fascinating to see a bird of prey come down here. They are such majestic creatures, and while it might be cruel to watch, I am in the camp of “they gotta eat too”. There are enough Starlings around, and we got about half a foot of snow over night, so at least the hawk had a good meal before that. Photos are not superb, it was getting dark and I used my Canon, looking out my office window.
Almost forgot!
A Cardinal finally visited the feeders too! I have several around but they have been rather elusive lately. This is not Queen Red Eyebrow but her beakstick and matching outfit are impeccable as always.
Come good into Thursday!
The week
has started out busy and with interesting weather. Monday was cold, and in order to avoid slipping and falling on the ice sheet that the backyard was, I actually put big old socks over my shoes. (I have proper cleats now, phew). Now today, all that ice melted, and the yard is a big lake, and tomorrow we are supposed to get up to a foot of snow. There wasn’t a lot of activity today, but here are some shots from yesterday when the birds seemed very agitated. I am excited for more snow tomorrow, let’s see who comes to visit.
Stay warm and don’t fall!
Video: Another surprise visitor
The American Robin is the state bird of Michigan, and I have seen people complain about this because many Robins go farther south for the winter. However, some also stay. I heard a flock in the area for several days (there is a Mountain Ash, a Cedar and a Crabapple tree nearby - all bird magnets), and yesterday, this one came to the bath. I don't count this as a sign of an early spring, we are quite a bit away from that, but it was a fun sight. It's very cold this morning, stay warm and have a great Monday!
Fun surprise visitor
today, where I actually put on my spikes to refill baths and feeders because the frozen ground made puddles treachery… I had a Common Redpoll visit! These guys usually seem to appear in flocks but in my yard, they seemingly only come in singles. I had one single one last year and one today. They are tiny and cute. I hope he brings his whole family back tomorrow. The bird bath is clean and feeders are full.
And here is the stuff of
I don’t know - nightmares or bursts of laughter. Can you figure out who this curious bird is? Have a great Thursday!
