Random Miscellany from the Backyard

Fredrick von Hoppenstance is alive and well! And, apparently, has a girlfriend!!! We went over a month without seeing Fredrick and really began to fret over his fate. Did he meet with an unfortunate end thanks to a raccoon? Did he move on to the neighbor's pond? Just what happened? Well...he's not talking, but at least he's back and he's as photogenic as ever! I snapped quite a few pictures of him today and I will post them in the next few days once I have a chance to upload new pictures from my camera and sort through them. Like I said, he has a girlfriend, too. She is very skittish...if we get within five feet of her, she hops into the pond and away from us. She is also much smaller than FvH. I'm very happy that Fredrick has a companion.

I went up to the garden this afternoon to pick some tomatoes. Yes, they continue to grow and ripen! Unfortunately, with such a dry summer and then the recent rains, the tomatoes that are left on the vines are splitting. Still, I managed to pick about 2.5 pounds of grape tomatoes, about a dozen romas, a few Celebrity tomatoes, and about eight green peppers. As I was walking up to the garden, I heard the familiar tap-tap-tap of a woodpecker. I walked up to the stand of trees and saw an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) in a tree. I watched it for a few minutes until it flew away...then I scanned the trees for the woodpecker and I found her...a female Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus). She did not stay in the tree very long for me to observe her, but I was able to make the ID.

The other bird of note for today is the Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio). I did not spot one...I WISH! But I did hear one this evening and I have heard one on several occasions outside in the evenings. Sometimes it sounds like the call is coming from the trees/woods in the front of the house; most often, however, the calls come from the trees out back. I am sure there are a few owls in the neighborhood calling to each other. I read that Screech Owls are monogamous and that the male will call to the female from the nest site to court her. I really love reading about and learning about birds like this!

I bought my mom a finch feeder for her birthday. She very much enjoys watching the birds visit my feeder when she comes up to visit me. She said she had spotted Goldfinches in her neighborhood down in Baltimore before, so I thought a finch feeder would be a good gift. She filled it and hung it last Saturday and so far, she has not seen any birds. I told her to not get discouraged...to give it some time. I did some reading on how long it takes to attract birds to a new feeder and read that wrapping aluminum foil around the top of the feeder so it reflects sunlight might be enough to bring the birds in. I'll mention that to her! (Or maybe she'll read it here before I have a chance to tell her...Hi, Mom!)

I am so excited that fall has arrived. As much as I LOVE spring and summer gardening and weather, I love fall just as much. Fall is when Chris and I celebrate our wedding anniversary...when pumpkins, apples, and mums abound...when cornstalks become decorations...when the most brilliant colors pepper the trees of the mountains here in central PA...when the most ordinary ride into work on a Tuesday morning can be extraordinary just because of the foliage. I love fall.

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