Thursday, June 26, 2008

The First "Take" from the Garden

Last night I was able to harvest our first vegetable from our garden - a sweet banana pepper. While it may not seem like much, from what I can tell, it is just the first of many, many veggies to come from that garden. Our Early Girl tomato plants have fruit growing and almost all of our other tomato plants (37 total) have buds. Yes, I said 37 tomato plants. And no, I don't can. Yet. And no, I don't have a stand-alone freezer. Yet.

Most of our other plants are doing well, also. Most, if not all, of the pepper plants (15 total) have buds on them and there is at least one super chili pepper growing already. The zucchini plants have doubled in size since Monday and there are many little zucchinis growing! The yellow squash and cucumbers do not yet have any blossoms, but continue to grow. The peas and green beans are putting out squiggly feelers, so this weekend we will run string back and forth for the vines to attach. I estimate we have 120+ stalks of corn and that is after Chris thinned them out to every 12". The melons (musk and honeydew) are both looking good, as are the broccoli, cauliflower, and celery.

I am sad to report that the cabbage and cauliflower that I planted outside of the fenced-in vegetable garden have fallen victim to the neighborhood Eastern Cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus). However, the black-eyed Susans have taken to their new garden quite well and the mixed variety of sunflower seeds that I planted there are growing like crazy. So far, nothing has disturbed the sunflowers and I am hopeful that remains the case as they develop their heads. I think the garden is too far out in the open (and well within our dog's patrol range) that squirrels will not be a problem...but then again I thought that too about the rabbits and the cabbage and look how that turned out!

Bird activity remains constant with added visitors to the new finch feeder - a male and female Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus). As usual, the male is much more colorful and attractive compared to the female; however, they have both been fascinating to watch. They both seem content to sit on the edge of the feeder and eat the seeds that have collected in the bottom tray rather than pick at the feeder the way the Goldfinches do. I have witnessed them picking at the feeder, but they appear to prefer "the lazy way" to eat.

Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Ducks in a Row

The following event did not occur in my backyard, but it is worth mentioning...

So usually, "get your ducks in a row" means get your act together. Last evening, I got my ducks in a row...on a busy four-lane road between Home Depot and Lowe's! As I was driving home from school last night, I approached a red light at a very busy intersection near Home Depot and Lowe's. I happened to look over at the driver next to me, who I was sure would "floor it" as soon as the light turned green because the lanes merge past the traffic light. Her face was one of wonder and awe...I looked up just as the light turned green and I looked ahead to see what I was she was ogling.

It was a mother duck and approximately eight little ducklings crossing the aforementioned busy four-lane road from the storm water retention pond at Home Depot over to the one at Lowe's. I have never seen so many little webbed feet move so quickly! I could not help but laugh out loud in amazement and wonder. THANKFULLY, Momma Duck and all of her babies made it safely across all four travel lanes (traffic was light) and were headed toward the pond at Lowe's in my last glance in the rear view mirror. What a sight to behold!

Finally, before I go, I am going to test inserting two pictures of Fredrick and see how that turns out. If it works, I will try to incorporate photos into my posts when possible.





Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Yikes! It's Been Two Weeks Since an Update!

How did this happen?!? There has been so much activity in the backyard over the past two weeks and on many different occasions, I thought to myself, "I need to blog this!" And yet, here it is...two weeks since my last post. Dear readers, know that I am ashamed and I will make every effort not to allow such a long lapse in writing again!

Now...on with the show!

I guess I will work backwards somewhat and start with the updates for today. Chris and I went to Tractor Supply Company today (I really love their bird feed and feeder selection) where I bought an eight pound bag of Nyjer seed and a nice metal finch feeder. Previously, I had a sock feeder; however, it was both unattractive and quickly becoming less and less full which meant fewer and fewer American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis) could feed at the same time. I replaced the sock feeder with this new metal feeder and within minutes of hanging the new feeder, both a male and female Goldfinch arrived to feed. Excellent!

Chris sat outside for a while this evening while I fixed dinner and managed to capture some excellent shots of both the female and male hummingbirds as they visited the feeder in the hummingbird/butterfly garden. I was telling Chris that I read that the male will defend the feeder even against females until they have mated. I assume since she is "allowed" to feed now...and the fact that I have witnessed the male perform his courting flight for her on at least a half dozen different occasions now...that they are a mating pair, which is incredibly exciting! The male courtship flight is a very cool sight to see...she sits in a tree and he flies back and forth for her in a pendulum motion chittering and chirping the entire time.

Yesterday I was weeding in the hummingbird/butterfly garden very close to the feeder and on three different occasions, a hummingbird buzzed my head! The first time it happened, I really thought the bird brushed my head/hair, but I realize it was more likely the downdraft created by its wings. Before I got into that garden to weed, there was some grass growing under the feeder. When a hummingbird would arrive to feed, you could see the grass blowing back and forth because of the downdraft from the bird's wings. Amazing!

I am also happy to report that the nest of eight baby Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapilla) have fledged from the box at the far left edge of the mowable yard (it butts up to the "wild" portion of our second lot). That was a fascinating experience to watch the activity in that box progress from nest building to egg laying to Momma Bird tending the eggs to hatchlings to feathered fledglings. I really love Black-capped Chickadees ("chick-a-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee") and am very happy to know that the BCC population around our house has increased by eight. I read that the fledglings will stick around Mom and Dad for about three weeks, so I suspect they are all hanging out in the trees of the wooded area on our lots.

Fredrick Von Hoppenstance has been out and about quite a bit lately. Fredrick is, in fact, Fredrick and not Freda. I was able to confirm this by taking a few photographs and reading about Green Frogs in our National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians. Fredrick's yellow throat indicates he is a male. I was able to capture several pictures of him yesterday as he sat at the edge of one of the rocks in our pond and later when he was swimming in the pond. One shot very clearly shows his webbed back feet as his leg was stretched out as he "hung out" in the water.

Something...I am not sure what...has been "going to town" on the dried ears of corn that I have been placing on the "squirrel feeder" on one of the trees in the wooded area of our lots toward the front of the house. Just this afternoon I placed a new ear of corn on the feeder at approximately 3 PM and by 7:30 PM this evening, it was completely stripped of all kernels. I need a trail camera to see what is eating that corn so quickly! I have, on occasion, seen both Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) and Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) at the squirrel feeder, but I have never observed either bird at the feeder continuously. This is going to warrant further dedicated observation.

By the way, in case you were wondering why I include the Latin name for the animals I observe and about which I write, it is because I am making a conscious effort to learn them myself and thought I would help to educate my readers as well. Also, I wanted to point you toward one of my favorite Internet sites for bird information and it is none other than the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. One of these days, I wouldn't mind working at Cornell in some capacity just to be so close to and have access to the vast knowledge of the folks in that Lab. I would even love to volunteer there someday! The site is http://www.birds.cornell.edu.

I know there is more that I am forgetting, but that will just mean that I will need to post again tomorrow and in the coming days as I remember stuff and as new observations occur.

Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Hungry, Hungry Hummy!

A ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) continues to visit the feeder in the hummingbird and butterfly garden off of the deck, just outside of my office/craft room. He visits in the early morning and late evening. This evening, he visited frequently between 8:30 and 9 PM. He displayed territorial behavior, fending off another male at the feeder with a little mid-air tussle and a few squeaks.

I have never seen this behavior before in a hummingbird, so I researched it and sure enough, males will defend feeding areas. Each hummingbird will police about a quarter acre. I'm happy that my little guy picked my garden as part of his territory. I refilled the feeder yesterday and exhausted my supply of nectar so I will have to whip some up tomorrow.

In case you are wondering, the ratio for nectar is 4:1 water to sugar. You should bring the water to a rolling boil and allow it to boil this way for two minutes. Then add the sugar, turn off the heat, and stir to dissolve the sugar. You can store the excess in your fridge. Just beware that your color blind spouse may mistake it for lemonade, mix it with iced tea to make an Arnold Palmer, and serve it to you! SUPER SWEET!!!

Yesterday afternoon when I was taking the feeder back to the shepherd's hook, the hummingbird buzzed my head twice! I felt like the Air Boss on Top Gun being buzzed in the tower! The humming from the bird's wings is crazy loud, especially when the bird is about a foot from your head!

Speaking of the loud humming from the wings...the sound definitely gets my dog Oscar's attention. He is a German Shorthaired Pointer (Deutsch Kurzhaar) so he is naturally interested in birds. This evening as I sat on the deck and listened to the various bird songs, "Hummy" (yes, I know I need a better name for him) buzzed in and out to the feeder. The whoosh caught Oscar's attention and he sat, transfixed, watching the bird float in and out to the feeder. As quickly as he would arrive, he would disappear...and this seemed to fascinate Oscar!

I'm considering an additional feeder for the front garden outside of the living room. I read that additional feeders need to be out of sight of existing feeders so more hummingbirds can feed. Knowing there is another hungry male in the area makes me want to do what I can to make sure he's taken care of. I bought my first feeder at Tractor Supply Co. I have the day off tomorrow...I think I will go there in the morning and see if they have any more in stock.

Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders!

Friday, June 6, 2008

Fredrick Takes a Dip!

This evening I stepped out onto the deck to take care of the evening's watering chores - this included refilling the pond some, watering all of the plants on the deck, those in the butterfly and hummingbird garden, those out in the blackeyed Susan garden, and turning on the sprinkler for the vegetable garden.

I started the hose flowing into the pond and stepped back into the house get the food to feed the fish. It was - as usual - a feeding frenzy as soon as the food hit the surface of the water. However, I noticed a large splash as I turned away from the pond to put the food container on the grilling station. I turned around and saw an odd swirling of the water. I just thought that was due to the crazy fish, but then I noticed him!

Our resident green frog (Rana clamitans), Fredrick von Hoppenstance. There he was swimming across the pond without a care in the world. He stopped in the middle of the pond for a minute and I was able to get a good look at him. He is quite handsome...as far as frogs go. He swam to the far side of the pond and under a rock. I am not sure if he was eating the fish food as well, or just happened (hoppened?) to take a swim at the same time. Whatever the case, it was nice to see Fred this evening.

I should note before I go that we had a great day of rain on Wednesday and everything...EVERYTHING...has really perked up with the natural watering. The vegetable garden looks great. We have corn popping up in rows...so exciting! The plants on the deck, especially the two peppers and the Mr. Stripey tomato, look really healthy and vibrant as well. I swear the one pepper plant has grown four inches in the last two days!

Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

It's an Official Hummingbird Garden!

Great news! The area I designated just off the deck and outside of my home office/craft room as a hummingbird and butterfly garden is, in fact, a real hummingbird garden! We have spotted a male ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) at the feeder each day since Sunday.

This morning, as he has on several occasions already, he was sitting on the top of the shepherd's hook that hold the feeder in the garden. This time, however, he was actually facing my office so we could see his vibrant red throat and his face. I hadn't put my glasses on yet this morning, so I had to rely on the binoculars I keep by the windows to get a good look at him.

His throat was so bright - it was almost a neon color. His face is adorable even if he looks like he is scowling! He took off from the hook and drank at the feeder for a minute before another hummingbird swooped in. As quickly as the second one flew in, it flew right back out. We think it was another male. The first male returned to the top of the hook and remained there.

Also of note this morning - the giant groundhog (Marmota monax) that lives under our shed was out for breakfast this morning. He waddled his way around the yard this morning in the thick fog as he munched the dewy grass. Closer to the house, just under the birdseed feeders, two Eastern Cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) fed in the grass.

Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Welcome to My Blog!

Greetings and thank you for stopping by my new blog which will contain my observations of flora and fauna around my house. The house is situated on 2.19 acres in a rural township in central Pennsylvania. There is a state game land nearby and approximately 0.75 of our 2.19 acres are forested.

This spring, I put in a butterfly and hummingbird garden off of our deck which is also located right outside of the windows in my home office/craft room. In this garden are flowers like dahlias, salvia, coneflowers, butterfly bush, balloon flowers, an obedient plant, Russian sage, bee balm, and candy tuft. I also have a small shepherd's hook and a red hummingbird nectar feeder.

About 20 feet further into the yard are the two lids to the septic tank, which the previous owners of the house cleverly disguised (as best they could) with flowers and mulch. In this "septic garden" I have a large double shepherd's hook with a bird feeder filled with wild bird seed and a seed sock filled with Nyjer seed. I also have a small shepherd's hook with a suet feeder.

On the outskirts of the backyard, we have placed two bluebird boxes approximately 100 feet apart. At the very edge of our backyard, we have put in a 29' x 33' vegetable garden that contains corn, tomatoes, peppers, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussell sprouts, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, green beans, peas, and lima beans.

The previous owners appear to have attempted a butterfly garden midway out in the yard. I recently ripped everything out of this garden, turned the soil, transplanted some blackeyed Susans to this new location, planted some sunflowers, and planted some of the leftover vegetable plants that didn't make it into the big garden (cabbage and broccoli).

Just off our deck, we have a small pond that is home to about a dozen goldfish and one green frog (Rana clamitans) whom we have named Fredrick von Hoppenstance, or Fred for short. On the deck, we are growing a Mr. Stripey tomato plant, two super chili peppers, lettuce, spinach, and a pot of herbs (basil, cilantro, Italian flat leaf parsley, and mint). I also have several pots with annuals around the deck for color.

This gives you an idea of what we have where and what might become topics of later blogs. I can say that very soon I will be writing about the myriad birds that have been visiting the backyard feeders. This has been a great source of entertainment and enjoyment so far this spring and I cannot wait to share it with you!

Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders!