From Outside the Bay Window

Two days ago, this was the first thing that greeted me, in the morning, as I walked into the livingroom and glanced out the bay window.

Beautiful.  We even made eye contact while I was taking her pictures.   She didn't seem fazed...I am wondering if she has encountered me out in the yard a few times.  After a little while, she did mosey away.

I have mixed feelings about the deer.  I am always thrilled to see them...but, as a friend pointed out, because they are overpopulated,  they are contributing to the depletion of native plants...and giving invasive species an even more competitive hold.  They used to be a rare, thrilling sight...perhaps things would be better if they were more rare.

---as I typed this out on the deck, I noticed my shrub dogwood [silky dogwood (Cornus amomum), I believe] was shaking.  Very odd.  Too much shaking for it to be just a bird.  I got up from the swing, trying to get a better look.  At that point, I saw, what looked, by the size, like a fawn running toward the front yard.  Too bad, no pictures.--

I do have pictures from the other day though:

Surprise Guests

Our last day of school was Friday, but it wasn't until Monday morning that summer vacation really felt like it began.  I visited a nearby state park... and got a half decent shot of a blue heron.

Upon my return home, I backed into my driveway, grabbed the camera, and opened the car door.  Before shutting it, I spotted a cedar wax wing on a bare branch near our serviceberry tree.  Without shutting the door and with camera in hand, I slowly began taking pictures.  I rarely have a chance to be that close (this is likely the closest I've ever been).

At first, I did not realize this was a juvenile bird; it was not until its mother (or father?) brought it a berry for it to occur to me.

Despite the blue heron, this moment and these shots were the highlight of my day.  My goal to create habitat for native plants and the wildlife they support seems much closer to becoming a reality.  :)

Little Lady

I don't know if I have just not been watching, or what, but I haven't seen hummingbirds here for quite a while.  So, imagine my surprise when I saw one right outside my window several weeks ago (when the Penstemon digitalis was finishing up).

I encountered this little lady again, yesterday, while walking past the trumpet vine (that I inherited from a previous owner--it has only begun to bloom over the
past two years.

 Coming around the corner, I must have startled her...she took off ahead of me--probably the only reason I noticed.  Luckily, I had my digital

camera with me, and I zoomed in to snap some pics when I saw her alight on a branch of an elm tree.

I am glad to be seeing this little lady visiting...
and I hope she brings her mate and their friends--or their rivals...
I know how territorial they can be.

What Took me SO LONG!?!?!

Work on Phase II of my pond and streambed project has been very sporadic since buying a liner several years ago and starting breaking ground on Christmas day of 2015 (I believe.  I can't find a post about  it).  I guess my focus had been on the meadow--I figured the meadow was a much larger expanse than my pond...and I wanted to transform the yard big time.  The meadow progress has had its own pitfalls...hopefully I will post about that at a later date.

This spring, as I was looking forward to (longing for) summer vacation to start, I decided that this had to be the "year of the pond".  I cannot wait any longer.  I'm not getting any younger.  I am--somehow!--turning fifty this year!

Anyway, I have started, again, digging Phase II of my pond which I left undone in 2016.  I can't believe that I did not post here a few days ago--last week some time, when I came in exhilarated from the progress I had made.  My soil is loose and digging has been easy.  It feels good.  Makes me feel young. :)  I am confident now that I will fill it with water long before summer is over.  How I will manage to hide the liner and make it look as natural as possible is yet to be seen...but, I hope to do that as well.

My husband, Jeff, surprised me by researching pumps and filters while I was out digging.  We ended up ordering the pump, two filters, and a corrugated hose. :)  They arrived the other day--and, yet, I still didn't post! :-O

Getting pictures uploaded from my phone to my blog has been a deterrent.  So, here I am finally back on my desk top...hoping to have access to the photos I want to add.

This long rambling post doesn't do justice to the feelings of joy I feel knowing what a huge asset this pond will be to wildlife--and to my own peace of mind.  I love water.  I always have, I think.  I am drawn to ponds, lakes, and streams.  Having one in our own back yard--and all that it attracts is something I have wanted for 'forever'.  I am shocked and dismayed that it took me so long!  It seems so easy (so far) and the benefits immense! :)

(Pictures to follow--still having trouble accessing them.)

First Firefly

I just saw my first firefly--or lightning bug as I grew up calling them. :)

I always associate their blinking near the Fourth of July--a week or so earlier...so, I guess, he is right on schedule.  No picture...not that I didn't try a video in the dark, but lost patience when if flew out of my field of view.

And Then There were Four

I took another couple of pictures today.  It looks like two more nestlings have hatched...until I saw the photo on the larger monitor, I thought all five had hatched...I can see a hint of blue between the sleeping babes.

They all look a bit fuzzier today. :)

Bluebirds are Hatching

The bluebirds second brood is finally hatching...after checking almost daily lately, all I've seen were the eggs...finally, today, I checked and saw these tiny, gangly, nearly naked hatchlings.

I'm thrilled with the photographic capabilities of my new phone. :)

Oriole Feeding Young

I was able to take a video of the female oriole feeding her young.  I had to edit it because it was upside-down (I took it with my phone)...so, I decided to add a title...and captions to make it accessible. :)

Oriole at Nest

I got this shot of the female oriole as she and the father took turns feeding the babies.

Amazing Encounter

 I had a surprise visitor today while working in the yard!

I thought I'd be posting about moving rocks and planting some of the thousands of seedlings that germinated from my winter sown collected wildflower seeds...and the frog I spotted sitting on a rock under the deck where I was working.  However, the frog was not the only encounter I had with wildlife today.

While I was taking photos of the frog, somehow I realized something was behind me...I can't remember now if I heard a little huff or something before or after I turned around.  Before, I think.

I turned around, and startled, I gasped!  A small spotted fawn had approached me while my back was turned.  It was so close; I swear it might have nudged me had I not turned around.  My gasp startled the fawn who jumped back and darted a few feet back.  I quickly recovered from the shock and made a soft clicking sounds which seemed to reassure it.  The fawn stopped and watched me...luckily it stuck around long enough for me to get my phone out and the camera app open.  After I took a few shots I got a video of it going back to its mother.  ~smile~

Very cool encounter.

Nothing like this ever happened to me before!

Baby Pictures!

After seeing that the bluebirds had started their second nest, I spotted one (from a distance) sitting on the nestbox.  Once I was inside and had it uploaded and cropped, I realized it was not one of the parents, but one of their offspring--which I've read sometimes help their parents raise more young.  Good practice for them, I'm sure.

I'm including this as a "baby picture" even though he is probably more like a teenager:

While walking the paths that evening, I spotted another little guy perched in the branches of a meadowsweet shrub that I put in a few years ago. It makes me smile to see so much new life in our yard being nurtured by the habitat I'm creating and all that it attracts.  I wasn't sure what kind of bird this fledgling was, but he stayed perfectly still aside seeming to watch my every move.  I took a few pictures with my cell phone, then left.  After grabbing the better camera from the house, I went back through the trails hoping to see him still there.  He was.  I got a few more shots, and noticed another bird on the wire above.  I felt pretty confident that it was one of the parents, and if I could get a decent shot, I should know be able to identify the baby.  It seemed clear that it was a bit concerned that I was so close by.

   

The caterpillar in its mouth also validates my theory that it is the father.  So, now it would seem that I had chipping sparrows nesting nearby as well...that is if I was correct in ID'ing the adult bird.

The caterpillar in its mouth also validates my theory that it is the father.  So, now it would seem that I had chipping sparrows nesting nearby as well...that is if I was correct in ID'ing the adult bird.

It's Happening!

With a bowl of cereal in my hand instead of a camera, I walked over to look out the bay window into the back yard.  Within a few seconds I saw a chipmunk dart across the stone sidewalk and into the plantings opposite me.  Just then, a hummingbird appeared fleetingly feeding on the lupine that is a remnant of the previous owner's flowerbed.  It was gone before I could even think to go for the camera...but I love that I will likely have more and more moments of my own private nature show--and not just bursts of activity, but something to keep my interest any time I look outside.  I have to wonder what I miss going on around me all of the time because I either don't look or don't stay still enough and wait.

Regular Visitor or Resident?

I was pleased to see a cedar waxwing perched on a dead branch of one of the wild cherry trees--of course, I didn't know what it was from the distance, but, after it flew to the quaking aspen in the blueberry patch, I was able to identify it through the zoom of the camera.  Normally, I have to wait until I upload the picture, but it was close enough, that, once I knew what it was, I was able to see recognize it with the naked eye thanks to its colorful wax-wings.

I've seen them in the yard a few times since last year, and I have to wonder if they might not be nesting here.  That would be thrilling to me.  If not yet, once I have more fruiting shrubs and trees, I expect they might. :)

At It Again

Normally after the bluebirds fledglings have left the nest, within a few days, I clean out the old nest and wipe down the inside of the nest box (and around the entrance hole) with a bleach and water solution.  This year, with the house wren nesting across the yard, I put off the clean-up.  I figured after all the energy that it took to feed and care for the young, a little break would be welcomed.

However, after I noticed a photo I'd taken earlier in the week showed the male bird checking out the entrance hole again, I went out to clean the box a day or two later.  Since I was unsure what if the male bird would keep checking after finding the old, messy nest, I decided to leave the door open for 24 hours, hoping that would draw the attention of the pair if they were still in the area.  The next afternoon, I came back and closed the door...and waited to see what would happen. 

Again we were gone, but when I checked again within four days of cleaning it out, I found a completed nest!  :)  I'm pleased that they didn't go looking elsewhere.

 From the research I did online, it appears that once the house     wrens eggs are laid, they stop attacking other birds' nests..."as if a switch was flipped".  So, I'm hopeful that there will be nothing to interfere with the bluebirds having a fully successful second brood.

Birds & Berries

While at the patch, there was a lot of excitement from the birds.  I'm sure they were hoping I wouldn't strip the bush of all of the ripe ones.  The catbird is always hanging around the property and seems to have decided everything is his; I could hear his calls.  A robin took off across the yard from somewhere nearby.

While at the patch, there was a lot of excitement from the birds.  I'm sure they were hoping I would not strip the bush of all of the ripe berries.  The catbird is always hanging around the property and seems to have decided everything is his.  I could hear him calling..and enjoy his company.  A robin took off across the yard from somewhere nearby.  As I tried to compose some pictures of the berries, an oriole landed on a branch of one of the other bushes.  I was lucky enough to snap a photo through the branches.

Already in Use

The pond is still mostly a liner filled with water...with only some of the rocks strategically placed, however, it is already getting some use!  Who knows how many birds visited while I was not watching...I do know I saw a catbird very early on, but did not have a camera ready.

Today, I went out the back door when I spotted this little guy splashing away.  It is a hot day and a bath must be great!  He didn't even mind that I came out, did an abrupt about face, grabbed the camera, and took shot after shot.

The section that he is using is the exact spot I designed with bird bathing in mind.  I tried to keep it shallow...and the rock I used allows for a slight variation in depth to accommodate birds of various sizes and fearlessness.

The Bluebirds' Second Clutch of Eggs :-)

Their Finished Nest

I'm finally posting a picture of the bluebirds finished nest.  This is the second one of the season...and I hope they have time to build another and raise a third clutch...but I guess I'm getting ahead of myself.

Something's Coming

Maybe it isn't earth shaking...but it does involve moving earth and lots of rocks as well.

While, I'm not ready to unveil my latest work, I will debut my latest invention, the rock mover: 

It's low-to-the-ground profile makes loading the rock so much easier.   Instead of taking days or even weeks to move a huge stone end over end from one end of the property to the other, I now can do in 3-5 minutes what normally takes 3-5 weeks (at least the way I do it)

                                                                                                                                Late winter or early spring (who could tell the difference this year?!), I moved this rock end over end, *up* a slope.  Eventually it came to rest here, propped up on a log...it stayed there for months, until yesterday, when I felt I needed it across the yard now, with no time to spare.

Now, what was it I was gathering all of those rocks for again?

Some Newcomers

Often when I see birds at a distance, and I have camera in hand, I will zoom in and view the photos later to see what it is that is not clear to my naked eye.  Recently, I did this and although the images are blurry, I seem to have an American redstart, Setophaga ruticilla, (an immature male, I think)  and three cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum).  

American redstart, Setophaga ruticilla:

cedar waxwings, Bombycilla cedrorum:

I was totally unfamiliar with the redstart, but have seen waxwings not only in field guides, but also about a mile from me while I was out walking.  I'm thrilled to have sought out information to identify the redstart.  The male (in his adult plumage) is quite striking.  I hope to get pictures (and clear ones) some day.

All of this has me wondering if it were a male redstart that I mistook for an oriole chasing that crow (as described in an earlier post).  It all happened so fast, that I can't be sure.  However, I did see an oriole while I was out walking four miles the other day.  Either way, I'm happy to have such a variety of birds in the yard.  As what I've planted matures and I add more natives, I expect to seen an increase in bird diversity.  One of the black gum (Nyssa sylvatica) seedlings is now almost as tall as me.  Now that will definitely be attractive to wildlife...the female for the berries (and pollinators) and the male trees for pollinators alone. <...but I know  Nyssa sylvatica  by heart. :) >