The Zen Birdfeeder

Do You Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful?

I'm a beautiful glossy black, just like the sleek black coat you so admire in your Black Lab or black cat. 

 

I have a striking iridescent blue hood.  When you see this blue on an Indigo Bunting, you say it's gorgeous.

 

I have hints of a deep purple on my wings.  Try finding that on the birds you work so hard to attract to your yard.

 

I have attentive round yellow eyes.  You love the big yellow eyes of an owl, why don't you love mine?

I have so many beautiful features.  Do you hate me because I'm just TOO beautiful?

 

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Blue Jay Photo Bomb

A Squirrel Walked into a Cemetery

I'm really struggling to come up with a great caption for this picture BUT I KNOW THERE'S ONE THERE!!!!

I have a May/June issue of BirdWatcher's Digest for the best caption posted.  I'll choose a winner on June 17th.

Seven Little Chickadees...About Ready to Go!

I took my last NestWatch peek into the box in back of my house, and these seven little Black-capped Chickadees are just 2-3 days from leaving the nest.

In my last couple checks, I had only seen 6 heads, but now that they all have their namesake black caps, it's clear that all 7 eggs have hatched and thrived.

Here they were, just 14 days earlier.  How fast they change!

I have two birdfeeders offering live mealworms to help mom & dad have an easy source of protein for their babies.  It'll be fun watching the parents work to keep these little guys fed over the remaining days in the nest.  They're doing a great job!

Fledgling Hairy Woodpecker Takes Her First Bath

I don't think she really knew where she was landing, but this little girl Hairy Woodpecker got her first bath at our solar fountain this morning.

She is just learning the ropes out in the world.  We were alerted to her presence by the scratching of her claws against the metal of our APS baffle as she tried (unsuccessfully) to cling to it like a tree.  After failing that, she headed to a nearby tree where she waited until dad arrived with some good regurgitated food.  Yummy!

When he left, she got brave and curious and landed in the nearby birdbath.  If you can read surprise in a bird's face, it certainly looked like it!!  She sat a little bit, then swam her way over to the side, sat a little more, then flew back to the safety of the tree.  I'm not sure she knew how to handle the wetness; she didn't preen at all, just sat there looking wet, waiting for a parent to return.

I doubt she'll share the birdbath story with them, but like all parents, they'll just know.

Close Bird Encounters Week: I Just Want Some Privacy, Please!

"I love my bathtime!"

"No, you can't share my bath!"

"Ok, just don't look."

"I told you not to look!!"

Close Bird Encounters Week: Blue Jay vs. Rose-breasted Grosbeak

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak was there first, but in flew a Blue Jay.  Here's what happened.





At least in this encounter, it's Blue Jay 1, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 0.

Less than Ideal Weather for Nests Full of Chickadees

The Black-capped Chickadee eggs that fill three of the nest boxes in my yard were laid during a warm dry period in May.  It seemed spring had really sprung - flower boxes were planted, and a tender basil plant was put in the ground.  Inside, the Pendleton Wool blanket was taken off my bed and the ceiling fan switched to summer mode.

I've gardened enough in our Zone 4 location to know that frosts are still a possibility through the end of May, but that didn't stop my optimism and excitement about 20 little speckled eggs.

But then the rains arrived.  And the cold.  The furnace kicked on and I had to dig out the fleece tops I had already packed away for the season.  And even though it hasn't been cold enough for a frost, there's been a bitter dampness that just chills you to the bone.  I'd almost rather have an overnight frost, at least the chill could be gone by midday.  But all-day rains and daytime temps in the 40s are downright miserable.  And that's being said from the warmth of my log home. 

Those 20 chickadee eggs aren't relying on a pellet stove (as I am right now), but on the insulating qualities of the 1" walls of a white pine box, a wood chip, moss, and animal fiber nest, and the warmth provided through the brood patch of a dedicated mother chickadee.

Throughout the wet and cold spell, I hoped that none of the eggs had hatched.  I'd think Mom would have a better chance of keeping eggs warm than keeping a clutch of hairless tiny nestlings warm.

My monitoring day for NestWatch was right in the middle of this awful weather, but I passed on checking the nests for fear of negatively impacting nesting success.   Cold wet weather can be deadly for baby birds. If my opening the box causes the nest to get wet, the eggs might cool too much and it would be even worse if the eggs have hatched.  If I keep mom off the eggs or chicks too long, again, they might get too cold.  Heck, I don't even take the lid off the Crockpot*, why would I open a nest box to the cold damp air?

Besides staying out of the nest boxes, I also offer live mealworms to the chickadee parents.  They take me up on my offer, using these easy pickins to help keep mom on the nest as much as possible, right where she belongs until temperatures rise and the rains let up.

The outside of the boxes are dark from the rains, and I hope the wood is dry on the inside.  I hear chickadees calling softly to one another, and see another at the feeder.  I remain optimistic.  But I can't say it's easy to NOT to check in on their progress.  The forecast is calling for one more day of rain and cool temps before warming up considerably in the days after that.  So the NestWatch checks will wait and I hope that the next few times I open each nest box, I'm greeted by a nest full of tiny pink chickadees, little warriors who survived the first curveball that nature threw their way.

 

* they say it takes 30 minutes to recover the heat lost by removing the lid of the Crockpot while cooking.

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An Attentive Chickadee Dad

I guess I was a little worried about this nestbox full of Black-capped Chickadee eggs.  I placed the box out on May 6th and within 3 days, portions of a nest had been built.  Within 12 days of putting it out, it had 6 eggs in it.

The nest concerned me though.  It was a very shallow nest with a good base of wood chips still there, but a very small layer of moss with a bit of soft nesting material on top.  It was much shallower than the nests in the other nestboxes.

Was this a set of new parents, anxious to start a family but a little short on nest-building skills?  Was the nest deep enough to stay insulated if cool, wet weather hit?  (which it did)  The cup was beautiful, but were the eggs protected underneath?

I have to say, they're an attentive pair.  Mom has been flushed or in the area every time I've done a NestWatch check.  And dad is busy on the job too.  As I approached the nest once, he was right there, clinging on the front of the box, keeping mom company (ok, I anthropomorphize!)

He left when I approached, but as I knocked on the box to get mom to flush and prepared to open the box, he bravely flew back down to land on the top of the box and give me the stink-eye.  "What are you doing to my babies?!?!?!  Go AWAY!!"

So maybe the nest isn't the most plush one out there, but I've got to give it to the parents - they seem to be giving great care to their 6 little chickadees!

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FAQ - Can I Put Dryer Lint Out for the Birds?

Q. Can I put out dryer lint as nesting material for the birds?

A. We don't recommend it.  Dryer lint often contains cotton and synthetic fibers that compact when wet, and then form into a hardened mess when it dries.  This causes the material to lose any insulating properties.  One of the functions of nesting material is to help insulate the nest, so dryer lint is a poor choice.

Meet the Moms

For the first time ever, our property is hosting three nestboxes filled with Black-capped Chickadee eggs!  We've had two boxes fledge young before, so I pushed my luck and erected two more boxes this year, all within the front third of our 3 acre lot.

The egg-laying extravaganza started the second week of May, and by the time the three moms were done, there were a total of 20 eggs.  TWENTY little chickadees that will enter the outside world around the second week in June!

I'd like to introduce the hard-working moms.  They will do all 12 days of incubation.  Dad IS helping out by bringing food to mom, and later to the nestlings.  I'll try to capture images of the dads when feeding activity picks up.

Front West Nestbox

Here's mom #1.  She laid 7 eggs in the nestbox tucked in the west corner of the front yard.  This box has fledged 11 chickadees in the last two years.  I'm estimating a hatch date of May 30 - June 1.

West Woods Nestbox

Here's mom #2.  She laid 6 eggs in the nestbox I erected this year in an opening in the woods to the west of our house.  The box was placed on May 6, and within a week, it had eggs in it.  I'm estimating a hatch date of May 27 - 29.

Back Yard Nestbox

Here's mom #3.  She too has 7 eggs.  This location has fledged chickadees in the past, but the box is new and allows me to monitor it.  I'm estimating a hatch date of May 24-26.

Stayed tuned right here for more reports on the progress of these 20 chickadees-to-be!

 

 

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