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!