During migration time
it is always fun to see the “winter world” clash with the “summer world”. Yesterday and today we have snow, but migration has started, and so they mingle. A flock of Cowbirds passed through the other day (the first photo shows a female), and the Juncos are still here, enjoying the snow and filling their bellies for the big trip up north. On Thursday, we are expecting truly springlike temperatures, and i have to say I am more than ready to say goodbye to winter for now. Gayle and Mr. Business will also have a much easier time to raise their babies (they are due to hatch on / around the 24th.)
Finches are so peaceful,
and Goldfinches even more so… Not. Hormones are raging in the backyard right now, and there are lots of colorful wing displays during the daily fight for territory, dominance and food. It’s gotta be stressful. As you can see, the Goldfinches are transitioning to their summer feathers, and they look adventurously patchy right now too. These tinies lead a stressful life!
With the weather basically
changing daily at the moment, there can be cool light moments against dramatic stormy skies. This was one moment, and the Redwinged Blackbird looked so lovely. He has a nice little spotty pattern going on in his wings too. With the RWBB, not all individuals look alike, the vibrance and size of the epaulets differs according to age and genetics. If you live within their range and see one with just a thin yellow line on the wing, chances are, it is still a RWBB, just with slightly less color.
Woodpeckers are regulars here
but in the winter, some of them have made themselves rare. Now, the males are coming out and visit more frequently (apparently they love the sunshine as much as I do). Here are a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker. Downy Woodpeckers look very similar to Hairy Woodpeckers, but they are noticeably smaller and have a shorter beak (there are other ID features but these are the most obvious). The Redbellied is named so for his red patch on the belly. There is also a Redheaded Woodpecker, but I only had one one time here. I love Woodpeckers and am happy to have them around.
It's been a busy couple of days
but I finally managed to sit down and go through photos. Early spring is also Grack season, and I am sure you all have missed more photos of them, so here we go. These are several individual birds, some of them are more purple, others more blue/ green. One of them is a big male that is missing part of the lower beak. I think the first one is a female, and I would love to hear some expert thoughts on my theory that the females don’t have the bright eyes that the males have - if you zoom in you can see her eye is different from the rest of them (it might be bs but I am curious). Happy Tuesday, I hope it’s gracking!
Video: I guess I was
a bit too optimistic about spring… Or actually not. It’s been close to freezing these last couple of days, and today we got this. Gayle is probably happy in her nestbox, and the Juncos are having a blast. On Thursday, we are expecting much milder temperatures. I have added this camera to the livestream page, too.
Spring is in the air,
and there is no denying it, despite the frost, and the birds are starting to show up as couples. I saw Blue Jays gathering stuff, the Robins are becoming more defensive, the MoDos are snogging things up and the House Finches are getting romantic. So much to see, such nasty weather!
Nestbox news: The clutch is complete
Yesterday at her usual time, Gayle laid egg number five. she spent the night in the box, and today it was clear that she is done with laying and incubating now. During incubation, she will spend a lot of time in the box, warming the eggs evenly with her brood patch, and also turning them so they all develop evenly. Mr. Business will come occasionally to bring her a snack, and sometimes she leaves to get a bath, drink some water or eat. This will continue for the next two weeks. I started a little timelapse when she went into overdrive building, you can see the video below. I have started another timelapse for the next steps.
Trying out new feeders
is a lot of fun to me, and one of the perks of having a bit more exposure is that sometimes I get sent some to try. When Kingsyard contacted me, I checked out their spread and decided to give it a try. And I have to say, these are so much fun. They sent me three. All of them are well-made and sturdy, and two of them I really loved with the Birdsy cam. One is the most adorable little house, perfect maybe as a gift, the second one is a super nice feeder that keeps the seeds dry in wet weather and will go into permanent rotation here, and the wooden platform is also great, and it even comes with a pole mount. They sell on Amazon and are also present on social media, and they are easy on the wallet. Thanks, Kingsyard!
Nestbox news: And then there were three
Today at around 11, her usual time, Gayle laid her third egg of the clutch. The weather is mild and sunny, and right now, things could not be better. She comes in to sit on them every now and then but does not appear to be incubating yet. The next two days will show how big the first clutch of 2022 is going to be. Now when she starts incubating, her metabolism changes and she is producing more body heat. On her belly, there is a so-called brood patch without feathers and blood vessels closer to the skin that she uses to keep the eggs warm.
There have been some
visits of birds I have not seen a lot recently, and some of them are the woodpecker guys. Suddenly, a male Redbellied and a Downy have been coming to the camera bowls. They are beautiful and have interesting patterns and textures that make their visits even more special.
I find bird backs
really cool to see because they always seem like such a well-organized piece of nature. It is pretty amazing how neatly the wings fold and everything creates a beautiful, water-resistant surface with the most intricate patterns. Can you guess them all?
Nestbox news: A labor of love
Gayle has been working on the nest a lot even up until this morning but today around 11 she was finally done. She settled in and laid the first egg of the season. It is always fascinating to me how these small living beings are able to create something so delicate as a 1 inch egg and raise a fully fledged bird out of it within about a month. As you can see, laying the first one is quite the task, it looks like she is experiencing labor. The sparrow spooker is up and I am very happy. She will now lay one egg per day until her clutch is complete, and will then start to incubate. Here is to a great nesting season!
Purple? Red? House?
Male House Finches can come in many different shades of red or even yellow and orange, depending on their diet. Some even take on a vibrant color that might remind of raspberries. And if they do that, they often get confused with another bird that is high on the wishlist of many backyard birdwatchers - the Purple Finch. It is not a mythical creature, it is not the name for House finches with a raspberry hue, and it is around a lot less than House Finches. Once you know their differences, you will be able to more easily know what you got. I had the pleasure of having a Purple Finch visiting yesterday, so I made a little chart that might help learning some of their most obvious markers. The two single photos are both also the Purple. He stayed so long that a little snow accumulated on his head.
Nestbox news: Almost done!
After the framework mostly made of pine needles, Gayle is now shaping the nest cup and lining it with soft materials like grass and feathers. This looks pretty much done now. I love how thick the "walls" of the nest are, this should be very helpful if we are experiencing another sudden frost, which can always happen during spring in Michigan. The old box did not allow for a cozy nest like that.
Last but not least,
more Grackles! How about a round of Grackle bingo? The other two photos I just found so pretty. The first one has mud on the beak. He has probably been digging for grubs.
Nestbox news: It's getting interesting
Gayle has continued to haul material into the box all morning, and now a nestcup is beginning to form. I would not be surprised if she laid her first egg tomorrow, but we will see. Here is the nest as it looks today, and photos of Gayle and Mr. Business. He is the one with more blue.
I keep saying
that this is a boring part of the season but it is not like nothing is happening, I guess I am just too excited for the migrants to arrive. However things are changing around here too. A Chickadee has checked out my other nestbox, there are several Robins patrolling the yard now, the Blue Jays have started to come in pairs, the Goldfinches are sporting a very adventurous look, the Juncos are still having fun here and the MoDos are beginning to flirt. The crocuses and narcisus are coming out and trees are starting to bud. I’d say spring has sprung.
The air is filled
with spring calls and songs, and the Redwinged Blackbirds add a splash of color to that whole symphony as well. I have not seen a female yet so I think they are still kind of passing through. They are just so wonderfully elegant.
