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MOCKINGBIRD SANG DURING FIREWORKS

Jul6

       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?

Jul2

        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.

 

BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PLANT TRUMPET CREEPER

Jun7

       One of my favorite native vines is the trumpet creeper. The problem is experience has taught me you have got to be careful where you plant it.

       Trumpet creeper is a great wildlife plant.  Its thick foliage provides nesting and escape cover for birds and other wildlife. In addition, the vine’s large showy blossoms are a great source of food for a variety of pollinators ranging from bumble bees, moths, and butterflies to orchard orioles and ruby-throated hummingbirds.  It sounds like this is a plant that all wildlife gardeners would like to see growing in their yards; unfortunately, this is not the case.

       The problem is that the trumpet creeper aggressively spreads for the spot where it is planted.  In fact, it is not uncommon for trumpet creeper to spread 35 feet or more.  Consequently, I would recommend that you never plant trumpet creeper close to your home, barn or other structures.  If trumpet creeper reaches a building, it will quickly attach itself and potentially cause damage to the structure.  It matters not whether the exterior is covered with brick, wood or siding, trumpet creeper will attach itself to the material.

       That being said, it does well growing along fences, arbors, and the like.  I have even seen it grown beside poles to create a trumpet creeper tree.

      

BACKYARD SECRET – LEAVING HUMAN SCENT ON A BIRD NEST WILL NOT CAUSE BIRDS TO ABANDON IT

Jun3

         Most of us have heard that, if we touch an active bird nest or young birds, the scent we leave behind will cause the nesting birds to abandon it.

This advice is false.  The reason why this is the case is most birds have a poor sense of smell. 

While we will never know where or why this myth originated, some feel it was perpetrated by adults to discourage youngsters from disturbing bird nests.

      

BACKYARD SECRET – GRAY SQUIRRELS EAT BONES

May17

       One the wonderful things about wildlife watching is every day when you walk outside you have a chance of spotting an animal you have never seen before, or observing wildlife engaged in a behavior you have never witnessed.  A few days ago, my daughter, Angela, saw a gray squirrel do something that she had never seen.

       As far was my daughter is concerned, she sees squirrels in her backyard far too often.  While she doesn’t have anything against the agile tree inhabitants, her major complaint is they eat more than their share of the seeds and suet she offers her bird neighbors. Then on top of that, they destroy her feeders.  That being said, they engage in some fascinating behaviors.  A few days ago, she witnessed a gray squirrel do something she had never seen before.

       As she idly watched a squirrel scampering down the top of the 6-foot wood fence that stands along the backside of her yard, she noticed it was carrying a bone about four inches long and about the width of a nickel.  It looked to be one of the bones left by her dog.

       When she told me about the experience, I told her that she was probably correct since gray squirrels do eat bones. While gray squirrels devour a variety bones, they are particularly fond of those that are sun-bleached.

       Gray squirrels dine bones for a couple of reasons.  First of all, the bones help wear down their front teeth. This is necessary because these teeth continually grow throughout their lives.  If the squirrels do not gnaw on hard bones the teeth will continue to grow and eventually curl and prevent the animals from eating.

The second reason is bones are an excellent source of much-needed calcium and phosphorus.

       If you happen to see gray squirrels carrying or eating bones in your yard, you will know why they are engaged in this bizarre behavior. 

Isn’t it amazing what you can see taking place just outside your backdoor?

BACKYARD SECRET – IT IS TIME TO PREPARE FOR ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS

Apr29

        Now is a great time to be on the lookout for rose-breasted grosbeaks migrating home for the nesting season.  During the past several days, I have received reports of rose-breasted grosbeaks visiting backyards scattered across the state.  If you want to stand the best chance of seeing the handsome birds in your backyard, here are a few suggestions.

       To begin with, fill your feeders with their favorite seeds.  I have always provided the migrants with black oil sunflower seeds. They are also fond of safflower seeds and raw peanuts.  While I have never served up either seed to northbound migrants, my daughter fills her feeders with both sunflower and safflower seeds.  This year, the birds visiting her yard have shown a preference for safflower seeds. On the other hand, I have not seen a grosbeak in my yards this spring.

       You can also enhance your chances of attracting the birds by offering seeds on platform and tray feeders; they will also use large hopper feeders.

       The location of your feeders can also affect whether or not the birds dine at your backyard diner.  While they will visit feeders in any number of locations, they seem to prefer feeders placed near large deciduous trees and thick shrubs.

       Finally, offer the migrants plenty of clean water.

       I hope you will hosting rose-breasted grosbeaks in your yard very soon.

AN EASY WAY TO PROVIDE BIRDS WITH NESTING MATERIAL

Apr20

 

       Some backyard birds incorporate hair in their nests.  In fact, my wife and daughter watched a tufted titmouse pluck hair from one of our sleeping bird dogs.   This is a form of kleptotrichy.

       If you want to do something to help your feathered neighbors other than provide them with food, water and cover, try offering them nesting material.  

       Recently my wife and I packed hair my wife trimmed from out little housedog into a wire suet feeder.  They next day after we hung the wire feeder up in your backyard, the hair began disappearing.  Since we have not caught any bird in the act of plucking hair from the feeder, we have are not sure what birds are using it.  Perhaps it is a tufted titmouse, who knows?

       If you do try offering your backyard birds hair trimmed from your family dog, make sure that it is free of flea and tick control chemicals and shampoos.

 

 

 

BACKYARD SECRET – FEMALE RUBYTHROATS ARE NOW IN GEORGIA

Apr8

         My wife and I live in Monroe County just north of the Fall Line.  Each year we anxiously await the arrival of hummingbirds that have spent the winter south of the border.  This year the first male was seen in Monroe County March 7, however, most folks did not see one until March 16-19.

       Female rubythroats are always seen days after the males arrive.  This past week the first females were reported here.  My wife and I, however, have not seen one yet.

      With that in mind, both males and females are obviously flying about the southern half of the state. Chances are, if you live north of Monroe County, there is a good chance you have already seen a male ruby-throated hummingbird at your feeder, although those of you that live in the northern portion of the state may not have seen a hummingbird yet. 

       If you have already seed a male, be on the lookout for your first female hummer.  Since I have no knowledge of the arrival dates for those of you that live in North Georgia, I would appreciate it if you let me know what the arrival dates of both males and females in your neck of the woods.

SINGING BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER ADD TO THE PLEASURE OF MORNING WALKS

Apr5

       I try to walk around my large backyard every morning.  The walks provide me with a chance to get some exercise while keeping abreast of the plants and animals that inhabit my backyard.  For the past few weeks, the singing of up to three black-and-white warblers gave made these treks extra special.

       The black-and-white warbler’s distinctive black and white striped plumage  make it easy to identify.  Most folks, however, are not familiar with its song.  Some say the high-pitched call sounds much like a squeaky wheel—it goes something like this  weesy-weesy-weesy-weesy. 

       If you cannot identify this song, all you have to do to familiarize yourself with it is pull up the Merlin bird identification app on your cellphone.  There you find more than half a dozen examples of this unusual call.  Then the next time you hear it you will know the name of the feathered songster singing it.

       Lately I have heard up to three calling in my backyard at the same time.  When I hear them accompanied by song calls of ruby-crowned kinglets, white-throated and chipping sparrows, pileated woodpeckers, Carolina wrens, tufted titmice, Carolina chickadees and others, I am reluctant to go back inside for a cup of coffee.

       Many of us only hear or see black-and-white warblers on migration  during their spring and fall migrations, some actually nest in Georgia.   Most of these birds breed in the northern half of the state, however, from time to time, some nest below the Fall Line.     

       The vast majority of these migrants spend the winter far south of Georgia.  It is interesting to note that some winter in the Peach State.  One place where I often see black-and-white warblers in winter is Georgia is  Veterans State Park near Cordele.

       I am hoping that birds I have been listening to decide to spend the summer in my backyard.  Probably this will not happen.  In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy there serenades as long as I can,

       Perhaps black-and-white warblers are singing in your backyard right now.  All it takes to see if that is the case, step outside your backdoor and listen.  You may be pleasantly surprised.

      

      

BACKYARD SECRET – BUTTERFLIES ARE SOMETIMES SMALLER IN THE SPRING

Mar23

       Recently my wife and I were walking about our backyard on a recent March after noon we noticed that one of our native azaleas was in full bloom.  When we stopped to admire the beautiful blossoms displayed by the large native azalea, an eastern tiger swallowtail flew in and began nectaring at the shrub’s stunning blooms.  As we watched the butterfly feed, we both noticed that it was much smaller than the tigers we normally encounter.  This begged the question, “Why is this individual so small?”

       One possible reason for this is eastern tiger swallowtails overwinter as pupae in a chrysalis.  If a butterfly emerges earlier than normal due to unseasonably warm weather, it may be smaller because it pupated before reaching its normal size.