TIPS THAT HELP OFFERING HUMMERS FRESH NECTAR
With heat indexes almost daily soaring above 110°F, the nectar we offer our hummingbird neighbors can quickly spoil. With that in mind, here are a couple of simple tips that help ensure that rubythroats will be dining on nectar that has not spoiled.
While summer temperatures soar, the hummingbird nectar we provide in the feeders’ spoils more rapidly than it does when temperatures are not excessively hot. With that in mind, if you are using large feeders that take hummingbirds days to drain, put them away and use smaller feeders. In addition, it is a good idea to replace the unused fluid in your feeders every couple of days.
If you notice that the nectar in a feeder is cloudy, immediately discard it. That is a sure sign that it is no longer fresh.
THE HACKBERRY GALLS – PROVIDES IMPORTANT WILDLIFE FOOD
Most of us recognize that the hackberry is a fantastic wildlife food plant. It is a caterpillar host for a variety of butterflies including the hackberry emperor, tawny emperor, snout, mourning cloak, question mark and comma. The tree’s berries are eaten by at least 48 species of birds and other wildlife. The importance of the hackberry’s berries is compounded by the fact they remain on the tree throughout the fall, winter into the next spring. And yet the tree’s value does not end there. It is a little-known fact that the galls that appear on the tree’s foliage are also fantastic sources of food.
Although the galls are not pleasing to the eye, they do not cause any real harm to the tree. These odd unsightly growths are made by insects known as the blackberry psyllids. Hidden inside the galls are tiny grubs packed full of protein.
Many birds peck into the galls and dine on these tiny morsels of food hidden there throughout the year. The tiny insects housed in galls from late summer into early fall are a great source of food for southbound songbirds.
During rhea winter insect-eating birds also dine on the insects living inside the galls. In spring, when the adult psyllids emerge, they are an important source of protein and fat for breeding songbirds and migrants heading north through the state.
Wow! It is astounding that galls that we commonly overlook are so important to so many.
BACKYARD SECRET – PARTS OF FOX SQUIRRELS SHINE IN ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT
Remarkably, when viewed under ultraviolet light, the teeth, bones, and flesh of fox squirrels shine pink. This trait is so rare that in Florida researchers use it to identify their remains at archaeological sites.
BACKYARD SECRET – THE BIRD THAT MAKES THE SOUND OF A SQUEAKY FAN BELT
From time to time, we hear sounds that sound like they are made by human devices. For example, several years ago a mockingbird learned to imitate the ring call of my flip phone. When you hear such noises, it seems impossible that birds can make them.
For example, I recently received a text from a friend that asked what bird makes the sound of a squeaky fan belt. My first impression was it might have been uttered by a mockingbird. When I told her this, she wrote back and said she did not think so.
This prompted me to do a little research on the odd sounds made by blue jays. To make a long story short, I discovered that blue jays often make sounds that mimic a variety of devices such as rusty pump handles, and gates, as well as squeaky fan belts. I am now convinced that the sound my friend heard was probably vocalized by a blue jay.
Whenever we hear unusual sounds such as these, we can never be sure what makes them unless we actually see the bird calling. Since she never saw the bird, it may have actually been produced by a vehicle with a squeaky fan belt.
My friend told me she is going to try to get to the bottom of this mystery. I cannot wait to hear what she learns. In the meantime, I know it is a sound she will never forget.
BACKYARD SECRET – YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOOS RELISH TENT CATERPILLARS
Tent caterpillar nests built on tree limbs are common sights in yards and trees lining highways throughout Georgia at this time of the year. Each nest contains scores of hairy caterpillars. While most birds shy away from dining on what appears to be an easy source of food, the yellow-billed cuckoo relishes them. In fact, it is one of the few bird species that eat them. They can consume 100 or more tent-building caterpillars during one attack on a tent caterpillar nest.
The reason why most birds stay clear of the juicy caterpillars that reside in the web-like nests is the caterpillars that live there are covered with stiff spines. The yellow-bellied cuckoo, on the other hand, it is able to eat them because it is able to do so is periodically the bird sheds the lining of its stomach and hairs found there. When the bird expels its stomach lining and stiff caterpillar hairs form a mass that looks much like an owl pellet.
MOCKINGBIRD SANG DURING FIREWORKS
Both male and female mockingbirds sing, however, by far the male sings the loudest. These birds sing both day and night; however, young males are more apt to sing during the nighttime hours than adults. Last night I learned that loud noises do little to deter them from singing.
For several days, a mockingbird has been loudly singing in the neighborhood. For the past few days, I heard him singing both during the day and at night. When I got up went outside the each morning, he was still singing. These vocalizations continued throughout the day.
Last night the whole neighborhood celebrated the 4th of July by setting off firecrackers and fireworks. Prior to the beginning of the celebration the lone singer continued to sing. When the sun finally set, I was certain the bird would stop sing. Boy was I ever wrong! In spike of the fact some of the explosions were so loud literally shook the house, and the skies full of beautiful fireworks the bird continued to sing. When the lights and sounds finally faded away, he was still singing.
When I got up and greeted the day, the tireless songster was still at it. If this mockingbird was not deterred by all that went on the night before, what will?
ARE SQUIRRELS DETERRED BY COFFEE GROUNDS?
Recently it has been reported that coffee grounds spread below bird feeders deter squirrels from visiting bird feeding stations.
Before I recommend this practice, I want to know if you have tried this technique. If you have experimented with it, please let me know his bizarre practice actually works.
BACKYARD SECRET – FOWLER’S TOAD OFTEN TRAVEL SOME DISTANCE TO REACH YOUR YARD
Fowler’s toads (Bufo fowleri) commonly inhabit backyards throughout much of the state. They are, however, rather scarce below the Fall Line.
In order to reach our yards, Fowler’s toads often have to travel great distances reach water to reproduce. Consequently, often Fowler’s toads make a hazardous journey to reach our yards. Researchers have found some of these toads make a perilous trek from 1,000 feet to upwards of 6 miles across fields, forests and highways to reach the place where they set up their home range. If Fowler’s toads are not among your backyard neighbors, it could be because you live too far away from a suitable breeding site.
They breed in a variety of places such as farm ponds, along the edges of lakes, temporary pools, and roadside ditches. The do best, however, in waters that are not inhabited by fish.
