There has been so much happening in my daughter's back yard recently, I figured rather than start a bunch of separate threads I'd just put it all in its own thread. Lots to report! First of all, we have another generation of playhouse dwellers! Paige discovered the eggs one day, and has been carefully monitoring the progress: Four eggs laid again! One just didn't hatch, so three new alien babies Ready to fledge! Paige is crossing her fingers that she can keep Dot (the new puppy) away from them! Mama Bird Feeding one of her little fledglings: While all that was going on, this also happened: To quote Paige: This Eastern Bluebird showed up in the backyard and keeps visiting our nesting box! It appears the male finds nesting spots and presents them to the female, and if she accepts it, she will start building. It has a tinted sticker that's supposed to be one-way, but I'm not convinced it works, so after I took this pic I taped up a piece of black paper to give them more privacy. Fingers crossed HEY GIRL! Wanna come inside? Paige, AKA the Crazy Bird-Lady, obsessively stalking her Avian Creatures from the window. Mr. Bluebird. He found the perfect house for his lady. He deep cleaned it. He brought her the keys. He welcomed her inside. Alas, she is holding out for a 2-car garage. But he doesn't give up! He perches on his abode all day long, calling to ladies that he's eligible! He's ready to commit! He just wants a family! If only there was Match.com for birds. Poor guy needs a break.I already asked for help on a bird watching group, BECAUSE I AM CRAZY, but if anyone knows anything about birds.. please tell me this gorgeous dude won't sit here and sing desperately all season long! It's breaking my heart! Why won't she accept him for who he is?? And, while all that was going on: I believe we have some monarch eggs! I, of course, am so beyond excited that the butterflies decided to return to our little garden this year This milkweed is wilted because I had just transplanted it, it was growing under the butterfly bush which was quickly dwarfing it and blocking all the sun. But we have several other big healthy milkweed stalks that should feed the caterpillars just fine. Last year, we didn't become aware of the caterpillars until they were in their 2nd or 3rd instar. This will be the first time we can watch the process from the very beginning.
Paige you're a woman after my own heart. My husband thinks I'm a little strange when I get excited about a new nest or the appearance of bees, froglets, efts and butterflies in the garden. We have three bird nests at the moment: a woodpigeon, a blue tit and a house sparrow. I'm keeping an eye on them all. If a magpie (or other corvine) comes anywhere near I'm out there scaring them away. I saw the woodpigeon taking the empty egg shells away this morning so it has babies in the nest (three I think.) The bluetit and sparrow parents are doing a sterling job of feeding their youngsters and they're going to be fledging soon. We put up a bug house this year and there's already some solitary bees using it so I'm hoping to see the young ones chewing their way out soon. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the wildlife that makes our gardens their home. I find it strange that there aren't more people who take notice of what other life forms there are all around us.
Oh God Eileen...now you've done it!! Who knows WHAT Paige will get involved with next, thanks to you. She showed me her Amazon cart....14 items in it waiting for purchase!! And all related to the garden and the mothering she feels she just HAS to do of all the creatures in it!! (She won't purchase all the stuff, at least not all together, it's just her way of bookmarking things she'd like at some point) But shhhhh....don't tell her I told you!
Don't look Ronni whatever you do!! Paige this is just for you:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Andrew-Ja...al-Wood-Shelter-Garden-Nest-Box-/282240993442 This is the bug box I have in the garden. Maybe Ed could build you something similar?
Update from Paige: Bluebird finally woo'd his lady, because now she's busy building a nest! It's a fumbling process. She will spend forever clanking around in there, and I'll think she's really making some progress, then I'll look and see that she emptied half of the materials back out, or pushed it all to one side. Bluebird dude is so happy, though. Every time she's in the box, he sits on top and peers into the hole and flaps around excitedly, like he can't believe his luck. We still have two baby robins in the nest. The first fledgling, sadly, did not make it.. I can't stand the thought of anything happening to the other two by our hand, so I'm keeping our outside activity very limited, and I have to check the nest before each time I let the dogs out to potty. It's somewhat exhausting, so I'm looking forward to these babies taking flight into the big world and out of our backyard.
Sorry to hear that one of the fledglings didn't make it Paige. Let's hope the other two will be OK. I get upset if a youngster gets taken by our local Sparrow hawks but I suppose they has to eat too and feed their own young. Now you have the Bluebirds building a nest so, fingers crossed, you'll soon have eggs and then nestlings to look forward from them too. I'm still waiting to see if any young bees emerge from my bug box. I did see a funny little fly? setting up home in it. It was only about 3mm long, black and slender. It hovered around for quite a while before deciding where it was going to pick to, I presume, lay its eggs. I don't think I've seen an insect like it before so will have to do some research to see if I can ID it.
From Paige: "Bye bye, final little Robin! This baby was extra cautious and stayed 16 days instead of the typical 12-14. Even this morning, when I checked the playhouse before letting the dogs out, he was sitting on the ledge just next to the nest. I don't mind that he stayed a bit longer, if it gave him a little more time to grow strong enough to survive the big world outside of the playhouse he's known his whole life. But I won't lie, I'm HUGELY relieved that they're out of the yard now. Dot has so much curiosity that I could never let her outside without going and checking the yard for babies first, and even then, I was on edge the whole time. It will be nice to have our yard back for now. That being said, I will leave the nest in place for a few weeks just in case the Robin parents are extra ambitious and want to go for a 3rd brood. It just seems like the right thing to do. But I won't be sad if they decide they're done, and we are looking forward to observing the new bluebird family beginning in the nest box "
Thanks for the update Ronni. Like Paige I love when birds nest here but worry the whole time about them and if we're disturbing them. I'm always relieved when they fledge and leave so that we can get back to letting the dog out to play in the back garden. Let's hope the Bluebirds manage to raise a family in the nest box and that the youngsters go on to fledge successfully. Our Bluetits are on their second brood so there must be enough food around this year for them to raise more than the one family.
The butterfly garden, 2 months ago vs now. Most of the pretty blooms are gone now that summer is approaching, but the butterfly bush will bloom soon which will add some color. The star of the show is, of course, the milkweed. It came back beautifully this year and even now, Paige is finding new little milkweed sprouts all over the place! She wanted it to eventually take over the majority of the bed to give maximum monarch potential, and it seems well on its way to doing that.
It's so good to have people like Paige around who care for our wildlife. With green areas disappearing fast due to rural and urban development it's essential that our gardens can offer a refuge for all types of creatures. That's why I have a pond, trees, open grass, shrubs, flowers and, yes, even weeds to encourage them to breed here or at least come to feed. Keep up the good work Paige!!
