Bluebirds

My Little World

~ lmachayes ~ 4 Comments

Between our six acre plot of land and our neighbors’ field, which is probably about three or four acres, I feel like we live in a special place. Oh, I know I’m not alone and so many others have their own special places. What I’m most grateful for, however, is the ability to enjoy it by wandering and wondering on an almost daily basis and getting to know it intimately. That said, there are always surprises and perhaps that’s what makes it extra special in my eyes.

One day recently, after spotting no activity for about two months at the Bluebird Box My Guy had nailed to a tree along one of the stonewalls, I noticed activity. In the form of a House Wren.

For hours, sticks were picked up and brought to the box, the better to build a platform for the nest cup to rest upon. Sometimes they were too big. At least to my untrained mind.

But a little finagling this way and that; I admired such perseverance. And knowledge.

Tada, in that stick did go to join the others. With many more to come.

For two days, the Wren worked in the same manner. And then. Nothing. Being a Male Wren, it was just being a Male Wren . . . filling a possible site here and probably in other boxes near the field, as well as in tree cavities and she chose a different piece of real estate to set up housekeeping.

To say I’m disappointed is an understatement, but it’s the Wren Way. And I’m only a guest here.

I love being a guest here because I see all sorts of Natives make themselves known, including this youngster who followed in the footsteps of its parents, crossing the yard at an angle. Fortunately, the backdoor often serves as a screen so I can photograph many of the species with whom we share this land and not disturb them.

That same “screen” helped me capture a shot of an immature Red-bellied Woodpecker, who has the slightest hint of his parents’ crimson red upon his head. He stops by at least once a day, but is always in motion. And never stays long.

The Cardinals also bring their young to visit on a regular occasion, and sometimes the young’uns even come on their own. Watching them reminds me that many wild parents are amazing caregivers. Beavers and White-tailed Deer and Moose and Coyotes are among those who stay together as a family unit for a year or more. But not all are the same, like the frogs and salamanders who lay eggs and then leave the vernal pool.

What I have to wonder is how does this all work–why do some stay with their young and others abandon them?

Speaking of young’uns a wee bit more, as I headed up to the field, I met a recently fledged Robin, its breast all speckled. Though the Robins are constant backyard visitors, it wasn’t till I wandered about the yard that I found their nest.

And now I regret that I didn’t realize its position earlier, for I would have enjoyed keeping an eye on it.

As I said, the field belongs to our neighbors and I’m eternally grateful that they mow a path meant for them and their dogs, but I’m allowed to trespass by climbing over one of our stonewalls . . . and I do. Daily. Sometimes several times a day.

It’s a place that serves as one of my classrooms and I’m always amazed at who I meet there, including this Frosted Whiteface Skimmer Dragonfly. The yellow and black thorax and base of the abdomen, indicate this is a female. And though you can’t see her white face, she has yellow spots on the thorax segments 4 to 7, with 7 being very small.

The most abundant butterfly of the season so far is the Tiger Swallowtail, and this one took advantage of the flowering Dogwoods at the top of the field.

Everywhere, there were Calico Pennants, one of my favorites (one out of a million), this being the female with her yellow markings.

While My Guy practices Yoga several times a week, the dragonflies do so even more frequently, especially if its super hot, like today’s temp of 91˚ that felt like 96˚, or so the weather app told me.

The Calico’s handstand is actually an obelisk posture, with the abdomen pointing toward the sun in a manner meant to minimize the surface area exposed to solar radiation. Again, I am in awe.

Calico’s male, bedecked in red, chose the same stance.

Back over the wall and into our yard, Oriental Beetles are making their presence known. What captures my attention is the texture of wings and thorax, and the hairy and spiky legs, and the funky antennae that look like handmade forks.

Apparently some mistake them for this, the Japanese Beetle, but though there are similarities in the wings and antennae, in my brain that’s it. These are not insects high on anyone’s list of favorites, but look at that iridescent green thorax and the hairy, dotted design on its abdomen.

I also spent time circling my newest pollinator garden and among the frequent visitors are the Fritillary Butterflies.

I do, however, worry about some other visitors who keep dining on the flowers rather than pollinating them.

In the wee hours of the morning and all night long, Deer stop by to nibble. There are at least two does and two fawns, and so far the garden has enough to offer them, and the pollinators, and me. But I do worry.

Especially since via the Game Camera I discovered that a neighbor I thought had moved on is still around, and the end of the garden may be in the mouth of the Woodchuck. I hope not, but we’ll see what happens.

That said, there’s another new neighbor in the ‘hood. Remember the male Wren who worked so hard to fill the birdhouse with sticks? And then I didn’t see him at this spot again. A few days later I spotted a male Bluebird checking it out. And tada . . . a female is sitting on eggs, I do believe.

My little world. It may be small, but really, it’s huge. This is only a smattering of what happens here daily and nightly and I feel so honored to be granted the opportunity to keep an eye on it all. It so enhances my life to spend time wandering and wondering upon these acres.

I hope you have a little world to explore and get to know intimately.

The Wild Out My Window

~ lmachayes ~ 6 Comments

I know I should take in the bird feeders. After all, it is April 8. And a friend found bear tracks in her yard about seven or eight miles away on April 1st–and it was for real, though I did question if she was trying to fool me.

But I haven’t done so yet and the past two days have offered insights and outsights as I’ve stood at the back door periodically, ever ready to snap a photo.

Picture taking began early on the 7th–at about 6:15am, when the lighting was a bit dark and my camera encouraged me to use the flash, but I chose not to because I knew it would offer a reflection of light on glass and I’d never get a photograph of the critter of my intent.

Much to my surprise, a Sharp-shinned Hawk helped me greet the day. The bird perched about twenty feet from the back door, right in the midst of my feeding station–well, the feeding station I’d set up for birds, though my plan has always been for me to provide the food in the form of seeds and suet, not in the form of other birds.

We spent a few minutes together, Sharpie and me, and not a single bird flew in–thankfully.

The feeders were actually quite low on seed, but knowing the Hawk was around, I decided to wait to refill them and instead took off for a hike with My Guy, where we spotted Beaked Hazelnut in flower.

Back at home, I immediately filled the feeders and spread seed on the ground, and it seemed like within seconds, we had visitors.

The female Mourning Dove was a bit of a hog–filling her crop non-stop.

Her male counterpart didn’t seem to care about eating and he marched about going this way and that.

And then I noticed him begin to fluff out his feathers and all I could think of is a Tom Turkey and I suspected I knew what he had on his bird brain.

He’d fluff, then calm down and strut past her, but she didn’t seem to care as she stayed low and kept on gathering more seeds for later consumption.

Then he’d fluff up again.

And preen to make sure he was looking his best. I was impressed.

She didn’t care.

Like her, I turned my attention in a different direction as at least three Song Sparrows splashed in a large puddle and also sought seeds. I’ve yet to hear their songs, but they’ve been back in Maine for at least a couple of weeks.

And then a female Bluebird joined the scene and made me give thanks for our neighbor’s field and the houses she has installed for these beauties.

Her mister also kept flying in, actually more often than his Mrs., but he only occasionally sought sustenance. The rest of his time, he watched and waited, and waited and watched.

When I did turn my attention back to Mr. Mourning Dove, he was fluffing up again.

And then he approached his true love.

And tried to jump on her back, but she quickly hopped away. It took him a while, but finally, he headed north, walking across the yard to I know not where. And she stayed and gathered more seeds.

At one point all three species, the Tree Sparrow, female Mourning Dove, and male Bluebird all occupied the same space, but then he flew–as birds are known to do, especially when I want to photograph them.

More interested in suet was the male Downy Woodpecker. I kept expecting his lady to arrive, but she never did appear.

There was, however, a lot of Chickadee action, and I cannot say whether male or female, for to my uninformed eye, they all look the same.

White-breasted Nuthatches also came, seeking both suet and seeds in no particular order.

And for the first time this year, an Eastern Phoebe entered the scene. She’s tried to build a nest over our front door one year and on our back shed the next. I’m curious to see where she decides to locate her adobe this year.

The final bird for yesterday was the Squirrel Spoonshovel, so deserving of its common name for all it seems to do is shovel seeds into its mouth. Nonstop. All day long. This one and six of its nearest kin.

But eating bird food apparently works, and I couldn’t believe it when I saw it take flight.

This morning dawned with the Bluebirds and all their neighbors back in residence. And I could not help but think of the patience this male has as he perches for minutes on end.

That is . . . until it began to snow and he looked at the first flakes with disdain.

And then back at me as if it was all my fault. Really, I tried to explain, I can’t control everything, despite my fervent attempts.

The star of the show today, however, was another unexpected visitor, this in the form of an American Mink!

My photos are not crisp for so quickly did he bound, but I couldn’t believe my good fortune to have spotted him.

I’ve seen fewer squirrels today and wonder if he might know why. Although, as I typed that, I looked out the window and tada, there was one, and then a second.

They fought for a chance to sit in the bird feeder . . . of course! Because after all, they are Squirrel Spoonshovels, that rarest of bird species.

The wild out my window . . . is truly wild here in western Maine. And each of these is just a snapshot of time, for honestly, I don’t spend every moment standing by the backdoor.

But just imagine if I did . . .

Ah March!

~ lmachayes ~ 12 Comments

The hype for a predicted snowstorm today kept providing various amounts, rising one hour, falling the next, over the last couple of days. And so I made my own prediction: 1 inch – 12 inches possible.

What I didn’t predict was the number or variety of species that would choose our yard to dine. The snow started to fall during the wee hours of the morning and the birds began visiting before 7am, including this Goldfinch and many of its kin.

I was probably most thrilled to have a male and female Bluebird return. It’s been a couple of months since my neighbor and I have spotted them. Here’s hoping they soon use the nest boxes she has made available.

A male Downy Woodpecker found the suet, frozen as it was.

His female counterpart did a curious thing–she walked across the bottom of the feeder before righting herself to dine where he had been a few minutes prior. I’ve yet to figure out why she chose that approach.

There were territorial wars on the ground, at the feeders, and in the air.

Nothing major came of it, yet . . . but oh what drama.

And an exchange of roles as a Song Sparrow pretended to be a squirrel and dine on the corn . . .

while a Gray Squirrel pretended to be a bird and dine at the feeder.

Both the female and male Cardinals were frequent visitors, and she looked especially dashing today.

As did a Tufted Titmouse and the yard was filled with songs of “Peter, Peter, Peter,” as has been the case lately.

Toward the end of the day Purple Finches showed up and spent lots of time hanging out between one of the feeders and a Quaking Aspen tree.

And a couple of times the Mourning Doves paused on a branch. She winked. At least I think it’s a she and a he because the other day one chased the other and they are always together.

Then they both looked at me as if I’d caught them in a secret moment. Did I?

I love that snow and rain bring in more birds than usual and today was no different.

What was different was that we finally got a real snowstorm on this 23rd day of March. An hour ago the total was over a foot, exceeding my prediction, and it’s still snowing.

Ah March in Maine.

Update: March 24, 7:30am. Twenty-one inches of fluffy snow! Ah March!

Birds Of A Feather?

~ lmachayes ~ 4 Comments

The other day a friend asked if my bird feeders were busy, but I’d been so focused on looking at mosses through the microscope lens, that I had my back turned to the yard and no idea what was going on out there.

Then today dawned.

And as is typical, a large flock of Juncos flew in. I love to watch them sit up in the Quaking Aspen and then almost dive bomb before gracefully landing on the ground, where I always make sure to spread plenty of seed for the ground feeders. My seeds of choice–a wild bird mix and lots and lots of black oil sunflower seed. Plus suet.

Of course, the Blue Jays also had a presence and, in fact, always make their presence known with their loud squawks. But I do love their colors, especially against the snow, and so I welcome them.

One of my favorite visitors is also the most timid–the female Cardinal. The second any little movement or sound startled her, she flew to a line of shrubs, a favorite hangout for most of the species that visit our yard. And when she flew, usually the others did as well. And then two minutes later, they’d begin to filter in again.

Her guy friend showed up as well, but she spent more time here than usual, despite his bossy attempts to get her to fly. Soon, though, he won’t be pushing her away, but rather sharing seeds beak to beak.

Tufted Titmice happened by and I had to wonder if this one saw its reflection in the feeder. That does happen and sometimes the results are comical.

Meanwhile, at another feeder, a large Gray Squirrel that grows larger every day thanks to my offerings, made sure everyone knew that the feeder attached to the tree was his. We knew when we put it there, that this would be the case, but it was our only choice of position.

And so he dines. A. Lot.

The good news is that eventually he leaves and others, such as this Goldfinch, fly in and look for just the right seed of choice.

Bingo. Mission accomplished.

And then . . . and then . . . two surprise visitors arrived. Bluebirds . . . of happiness, of course, for they made me happy.

And then, another surprise visitor–a female Purple Finch who looked quite pleased with her tasty seed.

She was so pleased, that she apparently invited two males to join her. Their postures and bad hair day made me laugh–they seemed to have been put here to provide comical relief. That’s not true at all, but so it seemed.

With all of this action, I had to stand as still as possible to take these shots through the back door window. And because I was so still, I had yet another surprise.

Bird seed is not just for birds, as the squirrels prove daily. And the White-tailed Deer often make that statment at night, but today . . . today was different. They came in the morning and were like vacuums as they consumed the seed.

Observing the birds, I often note that the Juncos can be quite defensive, the Male Cardinal sometimes suggests the female should leave (until that is when he decides to feed her), Chickadees fly in, grab a seed and fly off to a branch to break it open, and Goldfinches hang out together. As do the deer. These were the two young skippers, and they weren’t at all disturbed to be in each others space.

One of the skippers approach this feeder was instantly startled by its movement, but momma doe was much more curious, though in the end she chose to opt for seeds on the ground.

And all were delicious.

After about a half hour, my body tense from holding still for so long because after all, they were only steps from where I stood, the deer had consumed most of the ground seed and headed off to the woods. I waited a few minutes to give them time to depart without pressure and then went out to spread more seed around.

It took a few more minutes and then the action picked up again and in flew a male Downy Woodpecker to sample the suet.

His mate also arrived and waited in the Aspen to take her turn, though there are two suet feeders out there so I’m not sure why she felt the need to wait her turn.

And the rest of the mixed flock returned as well, including the Tufted Titmouse.

At the end of the day, my favorite visitors were the Bluebirds for it was such a treat to see them.

I can only hope they make a habit of returning to our yard.

And the deer, who found everything tongue-licking good.

And along with the squirrels, proved that not every bird has feathers. I mean, seriously, have you ever watched Gray Squirrels fly from tree to tree? And Deer fly across a field? Certainly reindeer fly.