Archive for July, 2009
Perfect Combination
What a wonderful season we have had with the Hummingbirds. They arrived in late April, and either they just decided to hang around here, or there are hundereds migrating right through my back yard all summer. We were never able to locate one of their tiny little nests, so we really aren’t sure which is the case.
I have an abundance of hummingbird feeders. They were the only invitation the hummingbirds had until mid to late May when the flowers got planted - and I have to admit, I have vast array of many varities of flowers all the way around the house and other perrenial gardens in the yard. I can be a bit of a nut, but I enjoy every minute of it.
On July 11th, my blog ” A Bloomin’ Lesson” told the story of my waiting for the Hibiscus plant to bloom. Well, it has lots of blooms every day now. They are huge big blossoms that are about 6″ or 7″ in diameter. When the Hummingbirds started coming around with what I assumed was their young, it was the Hibiscus that got the real Hummingbird activity. Oh,they still used the Hummingbird Feeders, but the Hibiscus as well as the other flowers, and the tiny insects had more of their attentiom for a while. It was then that I learned that the Hummingbirds teach their fledglings how to fend for themselves and find their own insects and nectar before showing them the free handout of the sweet nectar in the feeders.
So, each and every day, when the Hibiscus blooms are at their peek, the Hummingbirds come right to my patio door and enjoy the nectar of the Hibiscus in addition to the abundantly provided nectar in the Hummingbird feeders. It has turned out to be the perfect combination.
Into The Wild Blue Yonder
What a thrill it is every year to watch the whole process of the birds coming to the bird feeders and building their nests. They are all quite amazing, but my favorite is the Bluebird. I have been very blessed. My next door neighbor has three bluebird houses. Last year, only one of them was occupied by Bluebirds. This year, all three of the bluebird houses provided housing for bluebirds, and all three pairs had three broods.
After the eggs hatched, I got to watch the nestlings as they grew and was amazed at how quickly their housing quarters became quite crowded. I had the thrill of a lifetime when one evening I got to watch a brood of the nestlings learn to fly. What an experience.
Mom and Dad were on the ground chirping out instructions as the first little nestling eased out of the box. I was very close, the Audubon binoculars at my side, but I dared not move a muscle for fear of interrupting the process. I thought Mom and Dad would cave in to exhaustion, as it took a lifetime for the first nestling to make its first leap from the bluebird house. I nearly laughed aloud when it tumbled only a few feet away from where he had started. Then it made a second attempt and land but a few feet away from me on top of a sundial in the middle of my garden next to my hummingbird feeders. I had to remain frozen. It was chirping, calling out for his parents, when they started dive-bombing in panic as they spotted me. Finally, the little guy took off and landed on the other side of patio when it spotted his parents.
By this time the rest of brood was out of the nest and making their efforts. Then day by day after that amazing evening I watched as they continued to get stronger and fly longer and learn to fend for themselves, though they never stopped begging for Mom and Dad to give them an occasional treat. I have been through a lot of mealworms this year, and everyone of them was worth it when I remember the experience of watching the little birds fly into the wild blue yonder for the very first time.
They are still hanging out in the yard. Needless to say, I keep the mealworm feeder full, and now cannot tell the Mom and Dad from the young.
I am so looking forward to next spring when the whole process will start again, and in the meantime, what a great memory!
They May Be Dull, Admire Them Anyway
Let’s face it. There isn’t much that compares to the march of the males to the bird feeders. Their vivid colors are always what people talk about. The bright red plummage and black crown of the male Cardinal in the bird bath is a sight to see. The startling contrast of the black and yellow of the American Goldfinch as he feeds at the thistle feeder or perches high at the top of a red maple tree is the subject of many a Kodak ( or digital) moment. The male Ruby Throated Hummingbird is a favorite at the Hummingbird feeders and the Audubon binoculars are always in hand when a male Baltimore Oriole comes to call at the fruit and jelly feeder.
It is true that when someone says they spotted a Rose Breasted Grosbeak they are more than likely referring to the male. Some of the female partners of these birds go totally unrecognized because of their dull plumage, but they should be looked at from another perspective. The females are often the hardest working of the pair. For instance, the male Hummingbird plays absolutely no part in the building of the nest, the incubation of the eggs or the feeding of the young. It’s all up to Mamma! And while some of the males do play some role in the process, it is usually the female that does most of the work.
And why is the plumage of the female so dull and boring when compared to their male mates? Well, for one, they do most of the nesting, and while Dad is off showing off his bright and awesome colors, she is sitting on the nest and raising her babies. Her coloring, though considered by most to be subtle and almost unseeable, it is protecting her and the young from intruders. So when you have the priveledge of seeing one of the females at the bird feeders, and bird baths, or drinking nectar from the the Hummingbird or Oriole bird feeders, have some respect. She is undoubetly a hard working and a loving mom. She is beautiful in her own right and should be admired.
Hazy, Hot & Humid Reminders
Are the heat and humidity of the summer settling in for a nice long stay in your neighborhood? Here in Eastern PA, we are looking at a pretty long string of the HH&H days. The temperatures are not oppressive yet, but the humidity is often higher than the outside temperature or the heat and humidity are about equal.
Whatever the case may be where you are, the combination of heat and humidity can reek havoc with your bird feeders, especially the hummingbird bird feeders and the oriole feeders. The bird baths will also suffer with dirt and debris causing algae and bacteria.
Set up a little schedule.
EVERY DAY
Bird Bath - dump out the old water daily! Make sure it is clean before refilling it with cool clean water. A wire brush will remove the black spots and a few drops of clorox can be used to remove the bacteria. If you use the clorox, PLEASE rinse the bird bath out thoroughly and let it dry in the sun completely and then refill it. You can also buy commercial cleaners for bird baths, but quite frankly the home remedies work just fine - just be very careful not to leave any clorox in the bird bath. On really hot days put a block of ice in the water for a real cool treat for your backyard friends.
EVERY THREE OR FOUR DAYS
Hummingbird Feeders and Oriole Bird Feeders - You will notice almost immediately that the heat and humidity will cause the nectars in these feeders to appear cloudy. It was clear when you put the nectar out there and that is the way it is supposed to be. The cloudiness means that bacteria is forming. Get rid of it, and wash the feeders in warm soapy water. Use a small brush to get into the ports. If you are preparing your own hummingbird nectar, this is the time of year when it is most important that the water is boiling when the sugar is added to the water and then bring the liquid back to boiling. Doing this will kill any bacteria that exists in the water and sugar and your nectar will last out in the hot and humid weather a little longer.
This all sounds like a lot - it really isn’t and you will get into a routine. If you want to get the most enjoyment out of the next few weeks of summer, being delighted by the hummingbirds, and awed by the orioles and tickled with the Goldfinches when they splash around in the bird baths, it will all be worth it.
The Flicker Returns
There are a few things at my house that rarely, if ever, occur. My husband does not clean the house. He’ll do the laundry, iron, wash dishes and lots of other things - he doesn’t clean!! He doesn’t cook. He hates cooking, but he is one of best eaters of anything I have ever known. And up until today, he never touches my bird books, my Audubon Binoculars by Sheltered Wings, and he is not and has not been a bird watcher. Thus, he has never had a reason to get my bird watching binoculars out.
I guess it is fair to say that there is always a first time for everything. Today, when I got home from work, he was out at an appointment. Sitting on the kitchen counter were 2 of my bird identification books AND my Audubon bird watching binoculars. The book was open and marked with a paper towel to the woodpecker section.
I anxiously waited for him to come home to find out what had sparked so much interest that he would get out both the identification books and the binoculars too. It was so thrilling to me to see and hear his excitement over seeing a Flicker and watching it peck away at the tree and rearrange the mulch under the tree for quite a long time. If you recall, that Flicker or one of his distanct relatives was the topic of one of my artciles a few weeks ago, and he has been back on numerous occasions since. It was very kind of him to come back and show off for Bob. He sure got his attention.
My husband actually complimented me on my choice of bird watching binoculars and told me that I need a new identification book, but he had finally found it. I agreed with him on both counts!
I think we might have a brand new bird watcher in the family
Getting the Bugs Out
Some hummingbird feeders have yellow or red plastic flower shapes surrounding the feeding holes to replicate the look of real flowers. While this may help attract hummingbirds, it may also looking appealing to bees and other bugs that like to eat nectar. Bugs won’t be detrimental to the feeder for the most part, since the hummingbirds will either scare them away when they come to feed or simply eat them as snacks, but they can get trapped inside the feeder. This can make the feeder a pain to clean, or simply look unappealing to you as you watch the hummingbirds feed.
There are a few easy solutions to this problem. One is to hang a banana peel near the hummingbird feeder, which will attract bugs more than the hummingbird nectar. However, a banana peel hanging in the sun can be smelly. You can also hang several hummingbird feeders and fill one with a 3-to-1 ratio of sugar and water. Insects will be attracted to feed on the sweeter solution, keeping them out of the hummingbirds’ feeder, and it won’t hurt the hummingbirds if they sample it.
What’s New?
I ended my last article with a little teaser about my new bird feeder. I just hope everyone has been holding their breath and anxiously awaiting the results. Well, so far there really hasn’t been any results.
My newest bird feeder is a small mealworm feeder. It can actually be used to feed the birds a number of things. I was looking for something small and inexpensive to put outside, but close to the house so I could watch it closely. So, for the sake of being accurate, we can call it a bird snack feeder.
It has a little spike in the center so you could easily fill it with a half an orange, or an apple. It could hold water or seed as well, but I specifically wanted to use the mealworms first. I have a very active and larger mealworm bird feeder that is pretty far from the house and though, when I use the Audubon Binoculars, I can easily see, the robins and bluebirds that visit it regularly. I just want to see if I can get them to come a bit closer. About 24 hours ago, I packed the little feeder full of yummy dried meal worms - the same ones they eat from the other feeder. The special treats are about 15 feet from my back door on a stake under my Braford Pear tree.
Truth is, I am quite surprised and even a bit disappointed, but the bluebirds and roblins haven’t found it yet. The ultimate goal is get an Oriole here. First things first.
Oh Those Squirrels
I do love the squirrels. I think they are cute and fun to watch. Their innovative habits are quite admirable, but oh they make me mad sometimes!! We aren’t overrun by them by any means. We have just enought to get annoying.
I just finished mulching our gardens. They look so pretty and perfect when the mulch is first put down. However, the squirrels are having fun, burying their treasures in it. And that is only a part of my frustration. Yesterday, I found them eating my suet and woodpecker cakes. Boy, can they go through them fast, and they were for the woodpeckers, not the squirrels. One of them actually found a way up the pole and was chewing on the tube bird feeder to get the seed out.
Since we have lived in our current home, I have not had this problem. Though in the house we came from the squirrels were a constant nemesis. I put the baffle on the mounting pole right away yesterday to keep him away from that feeder.
From past experience, I can give you some hints as to what works and what doesn’t when it comes to keeping the squirrels and their appetites at bay. Squirrel proof bird feeders come in many designs. Some use the cage arond the tube, and others close when the weight of the squirrell pulls it closed. Squirrels will only hang on to a caged bird feeder, but they are too large to get throught the cage openings. They work. I have a Yankee Flipper, which will go out in the yard today in place of the more vulnerable feeders. They are pricey, but guaranteed for life and a definite source of entertainment as well as a super squirrel befuddler. The little critters usually outsmart the baffles eventually. Sorry. They find ways of getting over them and underthem and then it is all over.
Well, my newest bird feeder just arrived and I will be sharing it with you as soon as I see what kind of results I can get with it.
Unexpected Visitor
Every once in a while we will have a bird visit our backyard that neither my husband nor I recognize immediately. This morning one of these strangers was under the mesh bird feeder, where he hung out probably cleaning up some corn. Then he quietly moved over to underneath the seed tube feeder. We had plenty of time to get out the bird book and discover that our guest was a brown thrasher.
What fun! He is about the same size as a Robin, almost 12 inches. His beak is somewhat long and curved and his tail is very long. His back is brown or reddish brown, and his belly and throat are white streaked with brown. On each of his wings are 2 white bars. He was just different enough to be a welcome sight.
Our Brown Thrasher visitor was definitely out of his element, as he almost always prefers a thicket or heavy brush environment . His diet consists of insects, berries, nuts, seeds, earthworms and snails. We definitely can accommodate him in the seed and earthworm department. We had never seen a Brown Thraser. It would be lovely if he would come around more now that he has found us. We will have seeds and earthworms for him whenever he decides to pay us another visit.
Try These Litttle Tricks
I read a few interesting things today, and when that happens, I like to pass things on.
I always marvel at the amazing number of insects, bees and wasps that are attracted to the hummingbird feeders. They seem to bother me more than the hummingbirds, and when the little hummers sit to drink their nectar, the insects just seem to disappear while the hummingbirds are there.
So the insects are there anyway, let’s bring on a few more. Try hanging a banana peel near your hummingbird feeder. That will bring on the fruit flies and the hummingbirds will delight in the protein snack it provides for them.
My purple coneflowers, sunflowers and asters are all in full bloom right now. I will be leaving them up after they have finished blooming to provide free food for the birds into the fall before trimming the branches to the ground. The birds will eat every seed they can find, and it is fun watching them forage in the garden to get them.
Did you ever leave a garden hose laying in the sun on a hot sunny day? Well, as the summer days heat up, so does the water in the birdbaths. Try freezing blocks of ice and putting them in the birdbath on a hot sunny day. They will not only cool the water, but freshen it a bit too.
It never hurts to try something new. Our fine feathered friends will never cease to delight and amaze you.