Tag Archive | Backyard Secrets

BACKYARD SECRET – MOURING DOVE NESTS CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR IN GEORGIA

Sep9

      Remarkably mourning doves can be seen nesting throughout the entire year in Georgia. This is due to the fact that doves are known to nest up from five o six times a year; however, they normally nest only three times a year.

       Typically the mourning dove nesting season commences February 1 in South Georgia. In spite of this, the peak of nesting season takes place from May – July. 

BACKYARD SECRET – FUELING RUBYTHROAT MIGRATION?

Sep3

       

During the past few weeks the hummingbirds that have been visiting our feeders seem are on a feeding frenzy. The reason for this is they are trying to store enough fuel (in the form of fat) to power their fall migration.

       Prior to migration, an adult female ruby-throated weighs roughly 1/10th of an ounce (3.5 grams).  These long-distance migrants will consume enough nectar and insects to increase their weight to 5.5 grams (0.194 ounces).  Each gram of this stored fat enables a hummingbird to migrate 300 miles.

BACKYARD SECRET – KILLDEER CAN FEED AT NIGHT

Aug26

       One evening this week my granddaughter called to ask me, Is it unusual see killdeer feeding in a brightly-lit parking lot at night?”  She posed the question because she and her friend spotted two killdeer feeding alongside puddles of water in a large well-lit parking lot.

       While killdeer do most of their feeding during the daylight hours, they do feed at night. Killdeer will hunt for food during the non-breeding season on moonlight nights.  In addition, they also forage for food at night in open areas such as parking lots and athletic fields that are bathed in bright artificial light.  It seems that the bright lights often attract a bounty of insects such as moths and beetles.

BACKYARD SECRET – BUTTERFLIES HAVE AN ODD WAY OF TASTING THEIR FOOD

Aug23

          We taste food by placing it in our mouths; such is not the case with butterflies. Unbelievably, butterflies taste food with their feet. It seems that when a butterfly lands on a flower, before it unrolls its straw-like proboscis and begins dining on the flower’s nectar, they taste the potential source of food through their feet.  They are able to accomplish this amazing fete because their feet are cloaked with cells (chemoreceptors) that let a butterfly know whether the flower contains sugary nectar.

     

BACKYARD SECRET – HOW MUCH NECTAR DOES AN ADULT E. TIGER SWALLOW EAT IN A DAY?

Aug19

         The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is one of the largest butterflies commonly seen in Georgia yards.  In spite of its relatively large size (wingspan -3.5 – 5.5 inches), this colorful butterfly consumes only 0.0014 – 0.0105 ounces of nectar daily.  To put this in perspective, a standard-sized paperclip weighs only 0.04 ounces.

BACKYARD SECRET – THE BIRD THAT MAKES THE SOUND OF A SQUEAKY FAN BELT

Jul12

       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

Jul8

      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.  

      

BACKYARD SECRET – FOWLER’S TOAD OFTEN TRAVEL SOME DISTANCE TO REACH YOUR YARD

Jun29

       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.

BACKYARD SECRET – WHAT ARE THE TOP POLLINATORS OF BACKYARD FLOWERS IN GEORGIA?

Jun24

       There are many animals that pollinate flowers in our backyards. The list of the most important critters that perform this critical task, includes European honeybees, native solitary bees,  ruby-throated hummingbirds, bumblebees, butterflies and moths.

       You might be surprised to learn the most important pollinators are our native bees.  It seems there are 500+ species of these valuable insects in Georgia.  Some 90% are solitary bees.

      

BACKYARD SECRET – MOCKINGBIRDS NEST MORE THAN ONCE PER YEAR

Jun11

       It is commonly believed that northern mockingbirds nest once a year in the Peach State. Actually they nest 2-3 times of year during a breeding season that extends from February through August.

       Interestingly, it has been reported that mockers have been known to nest up to 7 times in a single year.