Recently in birds Category

After the squirrels dragged off my last peanut-butter pine cone, I had to come up with alternative peanut-butter feeders for the birds, as there was not a plain pine cone to be found in our area, not even for purchase. Oh, I used our old peanut-butter perch, and my husband made me a new log feeder (seen in images below), but I bemoaned the loss of our pine cones, such fun little feeders, and I scolded those naughty nabbers, the ever-getting-fatter bushy-tailed pigs squirrels.

To my great delight, Marilyn K., who blogs at Adventures of a Vagabond Volunteer, offered to send me some pine cones, as she was surrounded by them at her current location in California. Marilyn is volunteering at different national wildlife refuges around the country while seeing some of most beautiful flora, fauna, and landscapes nature has to offer. Well, send me those pine cones she did, and within a few days about a gazillion pine cones arrived on my doorstep. I'm just giddy! They are the most gorgeous pine cones I have ever seen!  

Seriously, this is the mother lode of pine cones. And there are enough pine cones to last me a very long while, especially as I intend to go back to wiring them so those sneaky squirrels can't sneak them off to their sneaky hiding spots. But the biggest and bestest of them all was this Godzilla pine cone, dropped by a gray or ghost pine. Check out the size difference:

I know there are too many pine cones in this wonderful bounty for one wildlife-loving family to use. I'll likely share some with the kids I work with and with other wildlife gardeners, so they can make their own feeders. I've decided, though, that the giant pine cone shall remain peanut-butter free. It will be too much fun to show it to kids at a nature talk.

I am indebted to Marilyn, who took time from the holiday season and all her adventures to mail me pine cones from across the country. Marilyn, let me speak on behalf of all the wildlife back in Texas who will benefit from your act of kindness -- thank you so very much! The birds are already delighted, and they work their way through our peanut butter/corn meal blend incredibly fast. The squirrels aren't shy about trying again, either -- but if they can't steal away the pine cones, they're content to at least eat what they can.

This Bewick's Wren feasted with determination.

And possibly this was the reason --  another Bewick's Wren was squawking from the nearby perch, impatiently waiting his turn. Hey, it's not my fault all the peanut butter on the perch was gone!

My husband has been enjoying all the wildlife visitors and captured some wonderful images of his own. The Red-Bellied Woodpecker below is one of the birds we'd actually made the log feeder for, and I'm glad it approves.

This little warbler kept playing peek-a-boo.

And if there was any doubt about whether a squirrel would have a problem going up a shepherd's hook, let us show you:

Such clever little tricksies, them squirrelsies....

Okay, it's not really a pear tree, but it doesn't matter because this newly modified last line to "12 Days of Christmas" is now stuck in my head, so the tower might as well BE a real pear tree. Maybe I'll just modify the whole song and go with it forevermore.

I've got so much to share and had a hard time deciding what to show first -- our two new snakes, gigantic pine cone gifts, wintering birds, clay birds, or 300 vultures  -- plus, I've got 4 days left to post our third-year update if I want to show it in 2011. Well, you can see what won out, mainly because I can't get the lyric out of my head. Maybe it will get stuck in yours, too. Then we all win. Merry Christmas.

The Far-Away Shot

We were driving out to Nacogdoches for Christmas Eve when we came upon the tower/pear tree, decorated for the holidays with lots of living bird ornaments (and probably lots of smelly poop). The kids didn't even bat an eye when I made an almost-immediate u-turn and drove back to document this awesome Christmas sight. They are so used to this from me -- how many times have I driven back for a must-have picture, sometimes turning around after miles of driving along wondering whether I should turn around? They only raise a fit when we are traveling and I see a little local garden nursery that I want to stop at. Oooh, a nursery -- can we stop? NO, they say. I have yet to stop at a nursery while traveling with my boys, but SOMEDAY I WILL. Mark my words.

Getting closer. I'm so sneaky, as if 300 vultures wouldn't notice a 4-passenger car with headlights on as it approaches on a misty evening at dusk.

No, they are not great pictures, as they were taken through a car window lest the 300 vultures get startled by my presence and get all panicky and either start pooping on me or throwing up on me, as vultures are known to do. Well, they're not known to that to ME, as clearly I take precautions (like staying in the car), but it actually is their defensive response to those things that might threaten them, not that I was doing anything more than taking pictures and wishing them happy holidays. Just never, ever walk up and say "Boo" to a vulture. That's all I'm saying.

When one leans out a window over her teenage son, this is the kind of shot she gets.

Anyway, the tower/pear tree was filled with more vultures than I could count, though I did my best estimate. Know what the collective term for vultures is? Committee, or wake (also, colony). Well, this was the biggest dang committee of vultures I'd ever seen, and the biggest dang wake of vultures, too. Anyone else thinking about our political system right now?

Here's Great Stems' 12 Days of Christmas song, inspired by our Winter 2011 wildlife:

On the 12th day of Christmas, nature gave to me,
12 hungry white wings,
11 juncos landing,
10 titmice squawking,
9 chickadees answering, 
8 sleeping lizards,
7 planted dill plants,
6 wintering species that won't fit in the song,
5 FAT BLUE JAYS,
4 pine cone thieves (squirrels),
3 dogs after them,
two sneaky snakes,
and 300 vultures in a pear treeeeeeeee!

I must have done something right if wildlife loves my pine cone treats so much that they steal them away in broad daylight. I'd covered the pine cones in a mixture of natural peanut butter, corn meal, cranberries, and quality seed (black oil sunflower, safflower, thistle, peanuts) -- yummy energizing goodness that's rich in fat, protein, and carbs for birds trying to stay warm in the cold.

Normally, I'd have these pine cones hanging from a branch or hook, but the wire broke on both of them, and I got lazy and put them in a saucer outside my entryway window, it being a great spot to see our avian visitors. Maybe that's not being lazy -- maybe it's just clever! Well, except that they're getting stolen by creatures that CLIMB, so I'll go so far as to say it's a good idea that needs a little tweaking.

Well, within a day, one peanut-butter delight was whisked away to some cozy little cubby hole. Some naughty squirrel has been having quite a feast, I dare say.

Bewick's Wren

I've been hovering around, keeping my eye on the remaining pine cone. Even so, on day two there was an attempt to steal said pine cone, but I found it below the gate. On day three, I thought the pine cone was lost for good, but I happened to spot it in the middle of the yard. At least now I have a clue as to which greedy squirrels it might be -- they appear to be trying to take it toward the trees in the next yard, where they have a nest.

 Yellow-Rumped Warbler

But I keep rescuing the pine cone and putting it back. In the meantime, I'm trying to find a source of more plain pine cones, but looking for them in the Christmas season is not the easiest of endeavors, I must say. I'm going to have to gather quite a collection of them next time I find myself in a pine forest.

Carolina Wren

By the way, we have a new homemade feeder at the house, and I love it!

My husband made me this wonderful log peanut-butter feeder, using a 1 1/4" spade bit and an electric drill. We filled the holes with Wild Birds Unlimited BugBerry Bark Butter that has tasty mealworms in it. I know there are birds visiting it, but so far I've only seen evidence of some food missing from the holes, and one glimpse of a bird taking flight as I approached the window. One day I'll have a picture of a bird enjoying the feeder! I suspect it will be most popular with woodpeckers and creepers.

I guess I best get out there and smear peanut butter on the birds' favorite perch from last year. I might not have pine cones left much longer!

My oldest son had a swim meet in Corpus Christi this weekend, and I was happy to get to head down there to watch (he did great!). Of course, he had to be at the team bus by 4:30am, which meant I was on the road in my own car in the wee hours of the morning. That part was less wonderful than wonderful, admittedly, but at least I had company -- I got to migrate south with several flocks of birds.

American White Pelicans in V formation

And when I arrived, my father-in-law treated me to a morning of coastal birding before the swim meet began. What a wonderful way to start the day, at least if you exclude having to get up before 4am to get out there, mind you.

A boardwalk at the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge let us walk fairly close to birds gathered in a small inlet. The Great Blue Herons commanded attention, of course, and ducks and White Pelicans were plentiful in number.

While we watched, a Great Egret speared and flew off with a fish. It had to get away from the other nearby Egrets lest they ask for  demand a share.

The Egret walked for a short while keeping the fish speared through its beak, and then it released it, grabbed hold again, and swallowed it headfirst to make sure the fish bones were in the proper direction.

Ducks in flight -- always breathtaking to watch

Black-Necked Stilt

I think my favorite birds of the morning were the Black Skimmers, which flew low to the water's surface while letting their lower mandibles dip into the water. Somehow they manage to catch fish this way, apparently.

A Least Tern periodically hovered in the sky near us. It was quite vocal, too.

Ducks don't seem that small until you compare them to an American White Pelican, which can have a wingspan of up to about 9 feet across.

Walking back, we saw a Yellow-Rumped Warbler, which completely ignored us from the boardwalk until we got a little too close.

Guess how I knew it was a Yellow-Rumped Warbler?

The butterflies were numerous, especially the Queens, Monarchs, and Sulphurs. Above, a White Peacock rests on Trailing Lantana.

Just to prove that we did manage to stop birding and get to the pool in time to watch my son swim, here's a photo of our family fish.

I told him he better swim extra fast if he didn't want a Giant Egret to catch him.

A big thanks to my dad-in-law for a very pleasant visit in Corpus Christi!

First of all, cheers and congratulations to Austin's newest Habitat Steward Volunteers -- the 2011 training just finished up last week! Second, everyone please be sure to go out and support your favorite local nurseries this month as an extra helpful boost for them this October. Oh and one more thing -- next week is Texas Native Plant Week. You know what I'll be doing, starting with the plant sale at the Wildflower Center this weekend. I should probably let my family know that, uh, instead of Family Game Night we'll likely be having Family Gardening Weekend.  

Thank goodness fall has arrived, and with it we're seeing butterflies and caterpillars again. I'll let you in on a little secret -- if you watch Central Texas Gardener this week, you might just learn about some of my personal favorites.

I was thrilled last week to finally get to release three Two-tailed Swallowtails from the Caterpillar Hotel. The caterpillars formed their chrysalises last spring and then underwent diapause, or a period of dormancy, over the summer. Finally, when the weather cooled a bit, the beautiful butterflies emerged.

Here's a picture of one of the caterpillars last May -- it was munching on Wafer Ash, which is also the host plant for the Giant Swallowtail butterfly.

But wait -- who's munching from behind this next leaf?

Monarchs are here! I've been busily keeping several caterpillars of all sizes feasting upon milkweed, safely housed inside the Caterpillar Hotel (also known as a large mesh laundry basket).

We have 2 chrysalises newly formed today, and I expect three more will be there tomorrow -- the caterpillars have already selected their metamorphosis locations.

Next up is another sweet creature on milkweed, a ladybug nymph.

It's a fierce predator of those naughty aphids you can see farther back on the plant, and as an adult ladybug, it will still feast away on the aphid pests. Whenever I see an adult or nymph ladybug, I leave aphids on the plant for it to eat.

I'm trying to ID this next bug -- if anyone knows it, please help me out.

I've got three of them patrolling the top of my Caterpillar Hotel, trying to find a way in. They look like some sort of weevil. Could they want the milkweed? I don't know of weevils that eat caterpillars, but I only saw them on the mesh tent where the caterpillars are, not on the rest of the milkweed out in the garden. There's nothing else inside the mesh that could possibly interest them. Hmmmm...

Most of the hummingbirds have moved on, but I saw one out there yesterday.

At our peak about 3 weeks ago, we had 15 hummingbirds visiting flowers and feeders all at the same time -- I'm only just now able to show some of the pictures.

The feeder below was the favorite of most of the birds. At one point we counted 7 sharing the feeder at the same time, but first they had to calm their territorial instincts.

Of course, the other feeders got plenty of visitors, too.

I do miss all the hummingbirds, but they'll be back. For those birds still trying to make their way south, the flowers and feeders are still here for them (in fact I always keep at least one feeder up all winter just in case there's a hummer that didn't find its way south before the cold gets here).

The brief bit of rain last week has done the garden good. What a pleasure it is to be back outside again!

I've come to realize that our backyard pond is one of our greatest assets. From the get-go, it's been a wildlife attractor -- the sound of the waterfall has called to toads, frogs, birds, dragonflies, and the like. But the raised pond, formerly someone's discarded hot tub, also provides a type of wildlife protection that regular in-ground ponds don't.

It is a pond with a view, allowing birds and other creatures to drink safely while avoiding ambush. Furthermore, the deeper water stays cool in the hot summer, and we have minimal evaporation (as well as minimal maintenance) all year long. Win-win!

    Nashville Warblers

Granted, it's migration season right now, but I've never seen so many birds in our yard all at one time. I'm saving hummingbird photos for the next post, because the warblers have me obsessed right now -- not that I don't love my little hummingbirds, but they got the attention last time!

Can you spot the Nashville Warbler in the Lindheimer's Senna?

So far I've seen at least four warbler species, and at least a couple of vireos. The Nashville Warblers are the most numerous. They have an insect buffet in the Lindheimer's Senna and nearby plants, and then they move over a few feet to have a (cool-water) hot-tub party.

Sometimes they invite friends.

Yellow warbler, maybe?

Wilson's Warbler

How about a size comparison?

Seeing a warbler in the trees can be very misleading -- they are much smaller than one might realize. Since most of us know cardinals, and because a cardinal and warbler both decided to pose for me in a moment of gracious cooperation, let's compare. A Northern Cardinal is about 21-23 cm long and 42-48 g, while the Nashville Warbler is about 10-12 cm long and weighs a mere 7-12 g. That the cardinal is considered "mid-sized" is plainly obvious in the image.

A female cardinal then took a turn as a model. For whatever reason, the lady Cardinals have all had their crest feathers in a pronounced up-do lately. Did they all go to the same salon?

Black-Throated Green Warbler?

Hmmm -- this one has me stumped. Could it be a Warbling Vireo, maybe?

Likewise, here.

At least I know this next one, a Bewick's Wren. Seemed less skittish than my Carolina Wrens, so I got far more Bewick's pictures in 2 minutes than I've ever gotten of all my Carolinas put together (not including babies in a nest that couldn't fly away from my camera). I'll just show one, though.

I just love watching the way wrens look for insects in their very efficient, no-nonsense manner.

Other new visitors to the garden have been a White-Eyed Vireo, a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, a Broad-Winged Hawk, and another much more speckled hawk that the Blue Jays aggressively chased away, but all I have to show for all of them is one rather sucky picture of the gnatcatcher that I'm not bothering to post (actually, several very, very sucky pictures of the gnatcatcher, with only one picture slightly less sucky than the rest). Needless to say, you get nada, zero, zip.

But I promise to hop out there to try again.

Black-Crested Titmouse

Enough chattering! Get back to work!

With all the devastating fires going on around Texas and the near-miss we had ourselves today with a brushfire near our house, I feel the need to report something more heartwarming.

Yesterday I was ecstatic to see a Baltimore Oriole couple visiting one of our hummingbird feeders. The hummingbirds were completely at a loss about what to do with these giant birds (giant to them, that is) on their feeders. Of course, the camera was nowhere nearby, and I missed capturing a picture. But I did rush out with a pitiful offering to my newest avian visitors: one small Clementine orange. Guess who showed up instead?

You naughty squirrel! I roll my eyes at you!

Also arriving to tease me but still thrill me was this Nashville warbler. Peekaboo!

The female Oriole later came back, and I ran and got the camera and ran right back, snapping a ton of pictures. Then I realized that idiot me left the compact flash card back in the computer.

In the end, I finally got this pitifiul picture of the male Baltimore Oriole staying just far enough away to allow for any sort of decent image.

Well, it still counts, Mr. Oriole!

I'd never really thought about how the shape of a birdbath can affect who comes to visit.

Out in the country near Nacogdoches, Texas, the birds stay busy all day at my parents' house. When I visit, I always get up at the crack of dawn with the earliest bird songs of the morning, and I quietly tip-toe outside to watch the activities of my feathered friends.

    The darkness and cool morning temperature last only briefly, and with the sun's arrival, the garden lights up in color, and the romantic countryside can at last be viewed.

The cardinals were quite numerous this particular morning, with the males' red coloration standing out against the green foliage nearby.

The females sported their crests tall and proud.

Such personality on exhibit that morning!

A juvenile Red-Bellied Woodpecker bravely followed its parents to the feeder. Its parents were pros, zipping in for food and flying off immediately. This little one took its time figuring out how to land and how to get seed. Once it got there, it stayed for a bit, enjoying its newfound source of food. Note that its head feathers are just starting to turn red.

A short while later, a Red-Winged Blackbird noisily announced its arrival. It reminded me of the way Blue Jays, Titmice, and Chickadees can be so bossy around other birds.

  Who would have thought Blackbirds could be so flexible? Check out that leg position.

A mockingbird periodically stopped by to take a drink, but it looked for breakfast in the field beyond.

The busiest birds of the morning were clearly the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds.

    There was definitely territory-defending behavior going on -- the male hummingbirds would fuss at other males, and the females would fuss at other females.  This behavior wasn't limited to gender, however -- I didn't get a single picture of a Tufted Titmouse this trip simply because the male hummers kept driving them off!

On the other hand, I felt lucky to catch a picture of another bird species.

                I'm not sure of the exact ID, but I believe it is a type of Flycatcher. It watched me for awhile and took off before I could see its wing markings.

The bees were busy that morning, too, but I'll save them for another post. And I'll be heading back to East Texas in just a few days -- who knows what other bird species I'll get to see!

Last night I piled my family into the car to partake in the social event of the summer season -- the annual mass congregation of Purple Martins. The birds gather in numbers from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands in such roosts all over the eastern half of North America. The groups are so large that they actually can be monitored with Doppler radar. Austin is lucky enough to have a large roosting spot right here.

In a typical summer, the Purple Martins will start gathering in our area around mid-July, with birds migrating toward South America group by group, until by August they are gone, off to their winter home. However, with the extended drought we've been having, this is no typical summer. The birds are roosting earlier than usual, and I suspect they'll leave earlier than usual, as well. Only the birds know how long they intend to stick around.

Most roosts can be found near water sources, as the numbers of insects are far greater there. I'm not sure why our Purple Martins roost near Highland Mall in the middle of urban central, but they've been going there for years. Of course, their roosting locale is also a favorite grackle and starling spot, contributing to many a person's confusion about what kinds of birds they are seeing, especially because Austinites are used to the familiar gatherings of grackles and starlings each evening at dusk. However, the tell-tale graceful swoops and dives of the Purple Martins as they soar in the sky to find insects make them easy to distinguish from the clumsier flights of the larger dark birds, which instead forage on the ground for food.

If you watch the video above, you'll get a sample of how utterly incredible the Austin roost is. Purple Martins, by the way, are North America's largest swallow. And if you want to see some absolutely adorable baby Purple Martins, check out my previous Purple Martin post.