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Chickadee update

  • May 6, 2011 8:12 am

The babies are about 3 weeks old now.  They’ve developed their characteristic cap and coloring.  They’ve been moving around the nest box a lot, but when I open the door, they quickly huddle up at the back of the box.  Mom and dad are super busy feeding all day.  When one comes out the other usually goes in.

Week 3, growing up

When are they going to fledge?  I wouldn’t be surprised if they started leaving the nest box this weekend, but we’ll have to see.

I hope we get another clutch this year.

In the meantime we are enjoying the hummers coming to our feeders.  We haven’t seen that many yet, but expect more as the weather warms.

We also keep an ear out for other babies.  We found a nest of cardinals in a large bush.  They’ve fledged now and they come around for their daily toilette in our birdbath.

Baby Chickadees

  • April 28, 2011 8:50 am

We have a chickadee family living in our backyard nest box.   It’s supposed to be a bluebird box, but as we don’t have any of those around, the chickadees took up residence.  We get a lot of Titmice (family Paridae) in our yard.  They are attracted to our birdbaths.  We haven’t fed birds in a while (except for hummers), too costly and messy.  But we still get a lot of wildlife if we keep nice fresh water out.  Our townhouse garden is small and the house, which my daughter made with her grandpa sits on a railing at the fence.  Here’s a pic:  Back garden view

My daughter happened to check the box a couple of weeks ago and found the nest with some eggs.  We didn’t know what kind of bird it was until we noticed the chickadees (Parus carolinensis) going in.  I can’t believe we didn’t notice them building that huge nest.  It’s several inches tall with lots of moss.  Last week I took a pic.  I thought that the adults were out–tapped before opening the door–but one was still there.  I could just see a pink hatchling next to it.  Poor mom/dad. 

Here’s a pic I took today.  The five babies have really grown.   They are much noisier now, we can easily hear them when a parent arrives to feed them.  Mom and dad are quite busy, when one goes out, another comes in.  Baby Chickadees 1 week old

I’ll try to post an updated pic next week.

Hawk Surprise

  • April 25, 2011 11:17 pm

Today, when leaving a client’s home in Cary, I noticed a low flying hawk swooping across the road.  The bird flew into a holly near the entrance to the street.  My client’s neighbor was walking toward her mailbox about 20′ from the bird–she didn’t see it land in the tree, but said she did hear a strange noise.

I stopped my car and stepped toward the tree to see what was happening.  I was able to get quite close and the hawk didn’t fly off.  The neighbor and I watched as a Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) landed in the back of the holly.  We talked about how amazing it was that this hawk was still so close.  After a few minutes I finally realized I had my camera in the car and moved slowly to retrieve it.  I then tried to get closer hoping the bird would stay.  It did move into a more visible spot, and I was able to get about 10′ from it to take some pics.

Here’s my first pic, he just moved to a more visible spot, but one that was also a better launching area.  He seemed more comfortable deeper in the plant with fewer pointy leaves and sturdier branches for perching.  I was hoping he wasn’t about to leave. (Click pics to embiggen.)

Red Tail Hawk in Holly

He stuck around for more pics: Red Tailed Hawk in Ilex

How nice of him to pose for me!  But things weren’t perfect for this big guy: A little flash of his red tail

Those thin twigs out near the leaves make it really hard for such a big bird to perch securely.  And he still had that angry mockingbird bugging him.  I couldn’t find any nearby nest for the smaller bird, someone suggested the hawk had already plundered it.  I don’t know how far mockingbirds will chase predators.  I will soon see how far this one will go.  Shortly after the hawk did fly off to a nearby pine tree.  The mockingbird went right along with him, perching in a nearby branch and occasionally dive bombing the hawk.  This pic isn’t very good, and I was still shocked I was so close to him:

Harassment in the pine tree

After a few more minutes the hawk flew off down the street with the mockingbird close on his tail.  I’m always surprised how close smaller birds will get to a predator, but I suppose they know how close they can get and they stay above and to the back of the hawk.  I suppose that’s a safe place to be if you are going to chase a hawk like this.

I expect I could have followed this guy down the road, he didn’t look as if he wanted to go very far, but sadly needed to get out of there myself.

Back at the office, I was able to check the identity of the hawk and concluded he was an adult Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) from that flash of his red tail.  As one of the more common hawks in my area, I thought he was a red tail, but consulted my bird book to be sure.

On a similar note:  After our recent storms (tornadoes nearby, but not at my place), I found the body of one of my neighborhood’s Red Shouldered Hawks (Buteo luneatus) in a nearby stream.  Yesterday I was happy to see its companions flying loudly overhead.

Plant Mystery Solved

  • September 15, 2010 8:05 am

Occasionally I notice stemless, upside down leaves left on a wall next to the growing plant.  It seems odd and I figure something pulls off the leaves and leaves them there.  But no bare stems are ever apparent on the plant and no other damage is done.  So why, how and who is doing it?  The plant is Spotted Leopard Plant or Farfugium japonicum ‘Aureomaculata’.  It’s an evergreen plant (zone 7b) with yellow splotches on the leaves.

Squirrel's leftovers

This is what I usually see. See the green bit on the wall in the upper left.

Finally, I saw the culprit in action.

Sorry I couldn’t get a photo of the dirty deed, but I’ll work on it.  I was afraid to scare the offender off.

A squirrel had removed the leaf, stem and all, from the plant (the stems can be up to 18″).  He was sitting on the wall eating the stem.  He seemed to strip it and eat the center first, but all traces of the stem disappear.  I never got to see how he removed the leaf from the plant.  All that’s left is the leaf blade upside down on the wall.

Now I wonder if it’s always the same squirrel.  I usually only see one at a time in my very small back garden.  He (I always call it a “he”) visits mostly to drink out of the birdbath–it’s just a clay saucer I keep filled.  He’s been around a lot lately since it’s been so dry.  When I used to put out seed for the birds, I got a lot more squirrels.  Now I only feed the hummers out there, so no raided feeders.*

Has this squirrel figured out this plant is tasty, or is this typical?  Because the plant doesn’t seem damaged, I would never have known it occured if the dinner scraps weren’t left behind.  If anyone’s seen this squirrel behaviour before, please let me know.

The squirrel’s so cute, I can’t fault him.  He doesn’t do much damage, only eats leaves every so often.  However, if he brings his friends…

*Once the hummingbird feeder fell down and I left it on the ground until later when I had time to clean and refill it (I thought the ants would like it!).  Went out later to pick it up and it was missing.   It’s a little, cheap, plastic tube feeder.   I finally found it outside my solid fence.  Something had carried it over the fence, chewed it a bit and left it there.  Probably the same squirrel.  I’m probably lucky that the tree branch on which I hang the feeder is way too small to support a squirrel.

Japanese Beetles–They’re Back!

  • July 4, 2010 12:17 pm

Clients have been asking me about Japanese Beetles lately.  These creatures can be a minor nuisance or a major problem.  But don’t panic and grab the pesticide.

First, know that these pests will only be around for about a month.  Second, they don’t tend to damage all plants.   And, third, most plants will survive an attack.

Some of the most susceptible types of plants are:  Maples (especially Japanese Maples),  Rose of Sharon, Roses, Hollyhocks, Grapes, Cherries, Plums and Peaches.  Some Crape Myrtles are also susceptible.  Plants under stress will usually be more attractive to the beetles.  So keep your plants healthy and watered during droughty conditions.

Monitor susceptible plants for the insects or for damage.  Japanese Beetles skeletonize leaves by feeding on leaf tissue between veins.    NC State University has a good information sheet on Japanese Beetles.   The sheet’s description of possible controls include both mechanical and chemical tactics:

Homeowners can take advantage of the beetles’ aggregation behavior by shaking plants to dislodge beetles each morning. Without beetles already on a plant, it is less likely that beetles will aggregate there later in the day. Picking beetles off by hand will also reduce the accumulation of beetles that results in severe damage. They can be easily knocked into a widemouth jar of soapy water.  In some settings, flowers or plants can be protected with cheesecloth or other fine mesh.

If insecticides are desired to protect plants in the landscape, there are a number of products available. For home use, carbaryl (Sevin), malathion, imidacloprid (Merit) are good choices. Many of the newer lawn and garden multi-insect products containing one of the pyrethrins are also effective. Pyrethrin containing chemicals are slightly more persistant. Sevin will protect foliage for about five days, weather permitting, so it would have to be reapplied.  Pyrethroid based products may give up to two weeks of foliar protection per application.  Spinosad and Neem based products are less effective, but are preferred by some gardeners seeking “softer” chemicals.  Homemade concoctions and blended beetle cocktail repellants are slightly effective at best, and may need reapplication every one or two days.

Use beetle traps if you really like them as garden ornaments.  Here’s the thing:  traps attract beetles, so keep them far away from your plants.  Better yet, give a few as gifts to your neighbors to put in their yards.

Try paying children to collect beetles from your plants.  They’ll have fun dropping them into jars and you’ll be out a few bucks.  Of course you may not want to tell the kids you’ll kill the beetles afterwards.

So, don’t panic, take a look at your plants and decide on your best tactic.  You may find you don’t have to do anything at all.

Ruby Throated Hummingbirds are back in NC

  • April 17, 2010 4:20 pm

I was at my mom’s house today in Cary.  They had just seen their first hummer yesterday.  Today I heard it chittering as it flew across the yard.  Then we saw a skinny little male at the feeder.  He was sitting on the perch, not hovering.  Probably still tired from his long journey.   Aw, so cute . . .

The males usually arrive first to set up their territory, then the females follow.  It’s surprising how much noise the males can make when defending their territory.

After seeing the hummer, I got my feeders out, made up some sugar water and got them set up.  We usually get several hummers in both the back and front yards.  We’ll eat dinner outside and get to watch the birds come to eat, watch them chase each other around and try to see in which tree they end up perching.

It is recommended to just use sugar water for feeding, no need to get something with a red color in it either.  Use 1 part sugar to 4 parts water (well or tap water is best).  I do like to heat the water to get the sugar to dissolve, then let it sit to cool.  Once cooled put it in the feeders.  I usually mix up about 2 cups at a time and store the rest in the fridge.

The sugar solution needs to be replaced every few days or so, if it gets cloudy, it’s spoiled.  Don’t put too much solution in a feeder at first, because you’ll just waste it if the hummers don’t come right away.  Keep an eye on the solution, but the hummers will usually let you know when it’s spoiled or empty.  They like to hover outside my kitchen window when there’s no food.

My favorite feeder is a round flat type like the one shown below at the right.  It is super easy to clean, Aspects ASPECTS367 Ultra Hummzinger Hummingbird Feeder, 12 oz Redhas a little moat for water to drown the ants (they still get in anyway).  It’s also pretty wasp-proof because the sugar water is low enough that they can’t reach it.  The hummers appreciate the perches too.  Notice that there is no yellow on this feeder (the feeder shown above does).  Wasps and bees are attracted to yellow and you don’t want them around.  The multiple feeding stations are also good, in case a big ant or other bug is at one, the hummers can still use the others.  You won’t usually see more than one bird feeding at a time, but sometimes it does happen.

I also like to have flowers for the birds.  Hummers will go to any flower with nectar, no matter the color.  However red will attract them to the area initially.  Plant a hummingbird garden to supplement your feeding, or just use the plants if you don’t want the responsibility of maintaining the feeders.

So see if you can get some hummers this year, you’ll love watching them.  They are truly amazing.

Check out this website for more information on hummers: http://www.hummingbirds.net/

UPDATE:  Saw our first hummer today (18 April) at our back feeder.   A male.