The Zen Birdfeeder

Chickadee NestWatch Report #1 (2012)

I've been watching the nestbox in the corner of my yard since April, when chickadees started clearing out the wood chips I placed in the box.  They were busy then, and frankly I got my hopes up.

Chickadees working in nestbox April 18th

Chickadees will remove the chips they don't want (almost like excavating a natural cavity in a tree) and then start building their nest from there.  Only in my case, they cleared the chips and did NOTHIN'!  Hopes dashed!

I shouldn't have been too worried though because April is still fairly early here in upstate NY.  And sure enough, in May I started seeing a renewal of activity around the box.  Chickadees were gathering nest material from my doormat and then pulling alpaca fibers from the nesting ball.

Gathering alpaca nesting material May 9th

I checked inside the box a few days later and what had been totally emptied out in April was now filled with an almost complete beautiful chickadee nest!  I recorded my notes for my first NestWatch check-in.

Chickadee nest May 13th

I was hearing a lot of what the Stokes call the "tee-ship" call, given by either male or female during the courtship and breeding period.  My hopes are back up, though it is quite common for chickadees to start or even complete a nest and then not use it.  (Source: A Guide to Bird Behavior Volume 1, Donald & Lillian Stokes)

More nest material gathering May 17th

 

Gathering nest material May 17th

They continued to gather nest material on the day before my next check-in on May 18th.  I saw what looked like a completed nest but no eggs.

NestWatch check May 18th

NestWatch protocol has you check in every 3-4 days, so on May 23rd, I looked in again.  My noise making and box-knocking failed to flush the female, and she flew out as I opened the side.  She'd been busy incubating 7 eggs!

NestWatch check-in May 23rd

I hastily took a quick picture and closed the box so mom could return to her incubation duties.

Birds typically lay one egg a day, usually in the morning.  So when I last looked in on May 18th, I must have missed the egg laid on the 17th and looked in before the egg was laid on the 18th (a good reason to do checks in the afternoon!)  That's the only way we would've gotten to 7 eggs on the 23rd.  Take another look at the May 18th picture (click to enlarge); there just may be an egg just on the front side of the picture!

I'm so excited to be monitoring another active chickadee nest.  My next check-in is in 4-5 days so stay tuned for my next NestWatch report.

If you are observing a nest and would like to report what you see, join Cornell Lab of Ornithology's NestWatch citizen science project.  Talk to us in store if you have questions about NestWatch.

Wings on Wednesday - Blue Jay

Oh No! Ants at my Window Hummingbird Feeder

I really love this window hummingbird feeder and my hummingbirds do too. They empty the tubes about every 2 days early in the season. During August when the young ones have fledged and they're all porking up for migration, they empty the tubes at least daily.

But if the ants are bad (as they have been this spring), ants have free access to enter the tubes and hang around the opening, keeping the hummingbirds away and annoying me big time.

So I took the feeder down (I hope just temporarily!) and replaced it with a Wild Birds Unlimited Decorative Window Feeder. This feeder has all the well thought out features of the hanging WBU feeders (non-drip, high perch for better views, easy to clean, optional bee guards, dishwasher safe, lifetime guarantee).  And like the hanging feeder, it also has a solution for the ants!

 

WBU Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder with ant moat

Your pickin's of window-style hummingbird feeders that provide an ant solution are slim. But this feeder has an ant moat that when filled with water, will keep ants from getting to the sweet nectar in the main compartment. The feeder is flexible as well - if you don't have an issue with ants (which is usually the case for me), you can leave the ant moat off.

 

Feeder without the ant moat

 

As soon as I put the feeder with ant moat up, an ant tried to access it - unsuccessfully - and I haven't seen an ant near it since. And the hummingbirds are showing me their appreciation by giving me a show right on my window!

You can buy this feeder at your local Wild Birds Unlimited or online.

Does Your Yard Have the Blues?

Here's a fun and quick bird exercise to do: make a list of the (primarily) blue-colored birds that are most likely to visit your yard.  If you're like me, the list is pretty short!

Most Likely
1.  Blue Jay

Possible but not for sure
    2.  Eastern Bluebird
    3.  Indigo Bunting
    4.  Tree Swallow
    5.  Black-throated Blue Warbler

Unlikely
    6.  Northern Parula

That's only six birds!  But I'm lucky to have actually had all six visit my yard over the years. 

And just within the last week, my yard has been a little bluer with visits from the jay (of course!) and surprise visits from an Eastern Bluebird (not too common on my wooded road) and a second of the spring visit from an Indigo Bunting.  Half the blues, present and accounted for!

Indigo Bunting

Blue Jay

Eastern Bluebird

What blue-colored birds have been in your yard lately?

A Little Spring in my Yard

I don't do a whole lot to fancy up my yard, it's really a mish-mash of stuff I did years ago plus volunteers that have stepped in during my 9-year absence.  (Everything in my life is categorized pre-store or post-store; my yard, gardens and greenhouse are a pre-store casualty).  But I still enjoy a little walk around the yard now and then, especially on a beautiful spring day.

Candytuft in myrtle with a little wild strawberry and hardy geranium on the side.

 

Blue Flax - one of my favorites. Flowers bloom each day and are gone by the end of the day.

 

Winged visitor on the candytuft

 

Early in a Blue Lupine's bloom

 

My "lawn" is about 60% Creeping Thyme. My goal is eventually 100%. Great to walk on and smell the thyme!

 

I love the look and feel of the new growth on conifers like this Blue Spruce

 

New growth shoots on White Pines are called "candles"

 

This pine's new growth wears a cap until it grows to big to wear it

 

Fritillary on last season's leaf

 

I always see smiley faces in my Johnny Jump-ups!

 

FAQ - Will Chipmunks Eat Safflower?

Q.  Safflower helps deter or at least slow down seed consumption by gray and red squirrels.   But will chipmunks eat the safflower seed?

A.  In a word - YES. 

Unfortunately these little critters will eat safflower seed, as well as sunflower seed, peanuts, tree nuts, and suet, in other words, just about any seed you typically put in a regular feeder.  I have noticed that they're a little slower eating millet - unfortunately, millet is not a favorite of many birds and it also draws in House Sparrows.

Wordless Wednesday - Blue Flax and Bee

The Hummingbird's Fickle Red Throat

The stunning throat feathers of the male Ruby-throated Hummingbird is what earned the bird its name.  When glowing a bright red, it's a sight to behold.  But one turn of the head can click off the color, like switching the lights off in a room. 

Why is his gorget an iridescent red at times, and at other times, just a patch of dark feathers?

You see, the little individual feathers that make up the Ruby-throated Hummingbird's gorget are not red at all.  They have no pigment or coloration within them.

So why do the throat feathers (sometimes) look red?  Well, the color comes from the shape and microscopic structure of the feathers and how light interacts with those microscopic structures. 

I don't want to get in over my head with something I struggle to fully comprehend myself, but the easiest way for me to understand it is when I think of these particular types of feathers like a prism.  A prism is clear but when light hits the prism at the right angle, it refracts color. 

So depending on the lighting and the angle at which you see the hummingbird's throat, the feathers will either appear an iridescent red or a flat black.

Here's a series of pictures of the same bird on the same branch, all taken in a 2-minute time frame.  It's interesting to watch the throat color turn on and off almost with each turn of his head.

Fortunately, not all birds' feathers are so fickle.  For no matter what light we see a male Northern Cardinal in, he remains his beautiful red.

Feeding Rose-breasted Grosbeaks

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are easy to attract to your birdfeeders because they like a wide variety of seed and are comfortable at many types of birdfeeders.

FOODS TO OFFER
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks prefer black-oil sunflower, safflower, and striped sunflower.  A perfect blend for them is Wild Birds Unlimited Supreme Blend.  Grosbeaks in our yard also love seed cylinders and stackables.

Three Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at the WBU Supreme Fare Cylinder

 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak enjoying safflower at a window tray feeder

You seldom see grosbeaks at suet feeders but we have seen them take a nip of Bark Butter now and then.  Lately, I've seen them enjoying peanuts too!

FEEDERS TO USE

Grosbeaks eat from a variety of elevated feeders including hopper feeders, tray feeders, and tube feeders.  They'll visit feeders that hold our seed cylinders and we've had them visit window feeders as well.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak on Catch-a-Seed Tray

The feeder should have a perch since grosbeaks are not clinging birds.  They seldom eat on the ground.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP GROSBEAKS

Put out a source of fresh water for your birds and you might enjoy seeing grosbeaks drinking or bathing in the water you provide.

Rose-breasted Grosbeaks are here only during the breeding season.  The other months of the year, they thrive in the habitat provided by shade-grown coffee farms.  Sun-grown coffee plantations lack the habitat for these gorgeous birds so the type of coffee you drink can made a difference to the grosbeaks.

Drink certified Bird-friendly® shade-grown coffee like Birds & Beans® to help ensure that these beauties return to your yard year after year.

Look for this certification to know you're getting real shade-grown coffee

The certified Bird-friendly coffee we carry at WBU-Saratoga

Fruit for the Catbirds

Gray Catbirds returned to my yard on May 4th from their winter homes in the southern states.

Gray Catbird on our catch-a-seed tray

They aren't typically feeder birds, but you can possibly bring them in by offering fruit.  So besides the orange halves I had out for the orioles, I also put out a softening pear, hoping they'd take me up on my offer.

It wasn't long before not only one, but two catbirds enjoyed my fruit offering.

In case you missed it, check out this video post of my fruit-eating (and meewing) catbird.

Catbirds might also eat softened raisins as well as the fruit in our WBU Fruit Cakes Suet Dough.

Catbird eating Fruit Cakes Suet Dough

Why not try offering more fruit at your birdfeeders and see what birds take you up on your offer!