It appears that I may not be the only one with the Eastern cottontail problem this year...they are terrorizing Chris, too! I've been worried that the rabbits might attack my broccoli plants like they did last year. Instead, it appears that they have eaten Chris' giant pumpkin plants less than 24 hours after they were planted. I found this out through an instant message, so I can't be positive, but I'm pretty sure Chris is irked. Really irked! Thankfully, he still has two other plants that are still in their starter pots. When I got home from the gym tonight, I found out that they also ate one of my yellow bean plants! I am definitely irked! I guess we will have to put up a smaller gauge fence around the bottom of the existing garden fence to keep out our cottontail "friends." Chris is reading up (as I type) on ways to keep them out/deter them. I've got a .22 rifle that would do the trick. (Kidding!)
In other news, the bird box that I cleaned out Saturday morning...the one that had nest building activity that very night...already has an egg in it. It appears to be a House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) nest and egg. The nest is very sparse right now. I am going to have to read up on House Sparrow nesting habits. The last two House Sparrow nests were very dense and included feathers and what looked like fur. The egg is a bit bigger than a peanut M&M and is cream colored with maroon/brown-ish speckles.
All but one of the baby House Sparrows had fledged from the second bird box by yesterday evening. When I peeked into the box, there was one baby remaining and he/she seemed really antsy to join his/her brothers and sisters who were sitting in the big bush off to the left of the box. I will check both boxes again on Sunday and I hope to be able to report on more eggs in box #1 and clean out box #2 to make room for another bunch o'babies.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
First Post for 2009
We have been very busy around the house and in the gardens the past few weeks, so I decided it was time to pick back up with my Backyard Observations for 2009. I received a new digital camera for Mother's Day (apparently Oscar gets a hefty allowance that I know nothing about!), so I will be adding more pictures in future posts this year.
GARDENS
Let's go back to Mother's Day weekend. We had 5 cubic yards of mulch delivered that Thursday afternoon. Saturday morning we woke up and were out and about in the gardens by 8 AM. Chris took the garden around/near the pond while I worked in the butterfly/hummingbird (bf/hb) garden. We weeded and weeded and weeded some more! Nine of the ten perennials that I planted in the bf/hb garden came back. For whatever reason, my balloon flower did not return this year. Chris' Clematis has returned with a vengeance this year - I know he's pleased!
After working on the gardens off the back deck, I moved around the front of the house and weeded the front gardens. While I worked out front, Chris mulched around back. When I finished out front, Chris mulched while I made my way up to the vegetable garden. We rented a tiller for the weekend and he'd already run it through very lightly to rip up the weeds. I took the rake up and raked all of the dead weeds.
Sunday morning we went back up to the vegetable garden, spread the compost we got from the University Area Joint Authority, and ran the tiller through the garden several different times in different directions.
The following weekend we drove down to Martin Garden Center south of Tyrone to buy all of our vegetables. I also purchased a few more perennials and a few annuals for deck boxes. We also bought two new pond plants since we lost our water lily over the winter.
We planted columbine, a hydrangea, and two other perennials (whose names/types escape me) out front. I also planted to perennial gerbera daisies out front that I found on the clearance "dying" rack at Lowe's for $1 each. They just had deadheads...they weren't dying...but if Lowe's wants to sell them to me for $1 each, I'm OK with that! We also planted a bellflower plant in the bf/hb garden and I added some lavender (that I bought at the PSU Vegetable Cellar) further around in the garden.
I also planted my deck box and dish. Like last year, I put Mexican roses (Portulaca) in a shallow, round dish which sits on the bar on the deck. They did so well in that dish and in that location last year that I decided to do it again. In the deck box, I went with red flowers and plants. I bought a reddish spike plant from Lowe's and centered that in the box. Around that I added red petunias, red snapdragons, and other little red flowers. I think it looks great!
This past Saturday morning, we planted our vegetable garden. This year we "only" planted 24 tomato plants (compared to 37 last year). We planted grape, cherry, Carolina gold, and celebrity tomatoes. We planted 12 pepper plants - 6 blushing beauties (ivory to purple/burgundy color) and 6 orange pepper plants. We planted 6 broccoli plants, 4 zucchini plants, 4 cantaloupe plants, 6 yellow beans plants, and multiple onion plants. Chris planted his corn the Wednesday prior. We still have a good section of the garden left...for Chris' GIANT pumpkins!
That's right...Chris is growing giant pumpkins. He found a local giant pumpkin grower who very generously and graciously sent Chris a variety of giant pumpkin seeds (just because Chris had inquired!). Chris started four seeds and they are growing like mad! He started them last week and for several days they rested in our oven with the light on, which produced the ideal 85 degrees the seeds needed! He has already transplanted two from the starter peat pots to larger pots. Something tells me we're going to need a frontend loader later this year to move these things!!!
Ah! Back to the vegetables before I forget. We also planted an asparagus root in a pot to see how it does, spinach and lettuce seeds in pots on the deck (since we have such a thriving rabbit population), and herbs (basil, parsley, and cilantro) in pots also on the deck. Over the weekend, we purchased radish seeds which we'll be starting this week and again once or twice this summer. Finally, I bought two different kinds of sunflowers which I plan to grow along the privacy fence - Autumn Mix (5-7') and Irish Eyes (24-30"). I will be starting them in seeds trays this week and continuing to do so each week for about 6 weeks to get staggered growth and blooming.
ANIMALS
Hummingbird activity began about four weeks ago. No sooner did I get the feeder out and brew up a batch of nectar (one part sugar to four parts water) did the male Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) show up. It is generally one male that comes to the feeder, feeds, and "hangs out." In fact, it was this little hummingbird, who I call "Flick," that was a MAJOR distraction the week I was supposed to be writing my final exam paper for school. I would sit down to read and/or write and, of course, Flick would show up. He'd feed and then sit on top of the shepherd's hook and watch the gnats flying around. He'd also shake (it was drizzling and the rain was beading on his feathers), stretch, and yawn. Amazing...and very distracting! I'm lucky I finished that paper!
Over the past few weeks there have been many hummingbird visits to the feeder. I have seen two males at/near the feeder at the same time, competing with each other for "feeder rights." I have also seen a female at the feeder. As of yet, I have not witnessed any hummingbird courtship, nor have I seen the male and female at the feeder at the same time as I did last year. I will have to go back and review my posts from last year to see when the courting started.
I also have the thistle, "regular birdseed," and suet feeders in the backyard. There are birds at those feeders constantly! I have taken to filling them just once per week. If I filled them everytime they were emptied, my pockets would also be emptied! I ran out of thistle seed recently, but fortunately Tractor Supply Co. had a great sale on thistle seed ($27.99 for 25 lbs.) so I have a raincheck for two bags that I need to go collect. I have found that TSC has the best price (regular price $34.99 for 25 lbs.) on thistle seed and for regular bird seed ($16.99 for 50 lbs. - Royal Wing brand). Wegmans has the best price for suet cakes (10 pack for $8.59).
So far this spring, I have seen the following birds at the feeders and in the yard:
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) *
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) **
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) ***
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
I encourage you to follow the links to read and learn more about the above listed birds (as well as others) at the Cornell site. I LOVE the Cornell site!!!
* Love these guys! They have ME trained to feed them peanuts on command. One of them will come and sit in the tree outside the kitchen and squawk for food. If I hear them, I go outside and put peanuts all along the railing of the deck. Next thing I know, four or five different Blue Jays are coming in to eat!
** LOVE this bird! I have seen it twice now - once on May 2, 2008 and once on May 4, 2009. Very nearly a year to the day...strange! Chris has yet to see it and therefore does not believe I have seen it! But I have! I really have!!!
*** We just fledged four baby House Sparrows out of "house box #1" and should fledge four more out of "house box #2" any day now. There were five babies born in box #1, but one did not survive. I found it when I cleaned out the box this past weekend. Within hours of me cleaning out the box, a new nest was being constructed. It appears to be another House Sparrow nest. I have logged both bird boxes with Cornell's project NestWatch and will track the success of these boxes over the summer.
Another bird that I have seen is the Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus). Chris and I were out walking last Tuesday evening and we came across an adult Killdeer on a nest. The nest was located among fist-sized rocks roadside (at the end of a driveway between the lawn and the road). The nest was very well camoflauged among these rocks. Ironically, it was the adult that drew our attention to the nest. Had he/she not created such a ruckus, we would have walked right on by. As it was, the adult exhibited the "broken wing" distraction behavior that adults will use to draw attention away from the nest location. He/she was very convincing! There were four eggs in the nest. We walked by again three nights later and there was one adult in the area of the nest and another flying around. Both screeched and squawked when we drew near. I was able to see one Killdeer chick. I didn't want to stand there too long because I didn't want to draw more attention to the nest/chicks and I didn't want to cause the adults more stress. I logged this nest location into NestWatch as well.
Eastern cottontails continue to be abundant in our yards and gardens. Oscar likes to give them chase, although it seems they might be aware of his electronic dog fence boundaries, because it appears they know to sit and feed just beyond his limits! So long as they leave the vegetable garden alone this year, the Eastern cottontails and I will get along just fine. I have, however, begun to research organic rabbit repellants/deterrants just in case!
One final note...and unfortunately, it is a sad one. Fredrick von Hoppenstance, our resident green frog (Rana clamitans), did not survive the winter. His remains, along with those of a female green frog, were found when the pond thawed and Chris cleaned it out. Fredrick was a great source of entertainment last summer. Here's hoping our pond attracts another frog or two this year.
RIP Fredrick von Hoppenstance.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
GARDENS
Let's go back to Mother's Day weekend. We had 5 cubic yards of mulch delivered that Thursday afternoon. Saturday morning we woke up and were out and about in the gardens by 8 AM. Chris took the garden around/near the pond while I worked in the butterfly/hummingbird (bf/hb) garden. We weeded and weeded and weeded some more! Nine of the ten perennials that I planted in the bf/hb garden came back. For whatever reason, my balloon flower did not return this year. Chris' Clematis has returned with a vengeance this year - I know he's pleased!
After working on the gardens off the back deck, I moved around the front of the house and weeded the front gardens. While I worked out front, Chris mulched around back. When I finished out front, Chris mulched while I made my way up to the vegetable garden. We rented a tiller for the weekend and he'd already run it through very lightly to rip up the weeds. I took the rake up and raked all of the dead weeds.
Sunday morning we went back up to the vegetable garden, spread the compost we got from the University Area Joint Authority, and ran the tiller through the garden several different times in different directions.
The following weekend we drove down to Martin Garden Center south of Tyrone to buy all of our vegetables. I also purchased a few more perennials and a few annuals for deck boxes. We also bought two new pond plants since we lost our water lily over the winter.
We planted columbine, a hydrangea, and two other perennials (whose names/types escape me) out front. I also planted to perennial gerbera daisies out front that I found on the clearance "dying" rack at Lowe's for $1 each. They just had deadheads...they weren't dying...but if Lowe's wants to sell them to me for $1 each, I'm OK with that! We also planted a bellflower plant in the bf/hb garden and I added some lavender (that I bought at the PSU Vegetable Cellar) further around in the garden.
I also planted my deck box and dish. Like last year, I put Mexican roses (Portulaca) in a shallow, round dish which sits on the bar on the deck. They did so well in that dish and in that location last year that I decided to do it again. In the deck box, I went with red flowers and plants. I bought a reddish spike plant from Lowe's and centered that in the box. Around that I added red petunias, red snapdragons, and other little red flowers. I think it looks great!
This past Saturday morning, we planted our vegetable garden. This year we "only" planted 24 tomato plants (compared to 37 last year). We planted grape, cherry, Carolina gold, and celebrity tomatoes. We planted 12 pepper plants - 6 blushing beauties (ivory to purple/burgundy color) and 6 orange pepper plants. We planted 6 broccoli plants, 4 zucchini plants, 4 cantaloupe plants, 6 yellow beans plants, and multiple onion plants. Chris planted his corn the Wednesday prior. We still have a good section of the garden left...for Chris' GIANT pumpkins!
That's right...Chris is growing giant pumpkins. He found a local giant pumpkin grower who very generously and graciously sent Chris a variety of giant pumpkin seeds (just because Chris had inquired!). Chris started four seeds and they are growing like mad! He started them last week and for several days they rested in our oven with the light on, which produced the ideal 85 degrees the seeds needed! He has already transplanted two from the starter peat pots to larger pots. Something tells me we're going to need a frontend loader later this year to move these things!!!
Ah! Back to the vegetables before I forget. We also planted an asparagus root in a pot to see how it does, spinach and lettuce seeds in pots on the deck (since we have such a thriving rabbit population), and herbs (basil, parsley, and cilantro) in pots also on the deck. Over the weekend, we purchased radish seeds which we'll be starting this week and again once or twice this summer. Finally, I bought two different kinds of sunflowers which I plan to grow along the privacy fence - Autumn Mix (5-7') and Irish Eyes (24-30"). I will be starting them in seeds trays this week and continuing to do so each week for about 6 weeks to get staggered growth and blooming.
ANIMALS
Hummingbird activity began about four weeks ago. No sooner did I get the feeder out and brew up a batch of nectar (one part sugar to four parts water) did the male Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) show up. It is generally one male that comes to the feeder, feeds, and "hangs out." In fact, it was this little hummingbird, who I call "Flick," that was a MAJOR distraction the week I was supposed to be writing my final exam paper for school. I would sit down to read and/or write and, of course, Flick would show up. He'd feed and then sit on top of the shepherd's hook and watch the gnats flying around. He'd also shake (it was drizzling and the rain was beading on his feathers), stretch, and yawn. Amazing...and very distracting! I'm lucky I finished that paper!
Over the past few weeks there have been many hummingbird visits to the feeder. I have seen two males at/near the feeder at the same time, competing with each other for "feeder rights." I have also seen a female at the feeder. As of yet, I have not witnessed any hummingbird courtship, nor have I seen the male and female at the feeder at the same time as I did last year. I will have to go back and review my posts from last year to see when the courting started.
I also have the thistle, "regular birdseed," and suet feeders in the backyard. There are birds at those feeders constantly! I have taken to filling them just once per week. If I filled them everytime they were emptied, my pockets would also be emptied! I ran out of thistle seed recently, but fortunately Tractor Supply Co. had a great sale on thistle seed ($27.99 for 25 lbs.) so I have a raincheck for two bags that I need to go collect. I have found that TSC has the best price (regular price $34.99 for 25 lbs.) on thistle seed and for regular bird seed ($16.99 for 50 lbs. - Royal Wing brand). Wegmans has the best price for suet cakes (10 pack for $8.59).
So far this spring, I have seen the following birds at the feeders and in the yard:
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) *
American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) **
Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) ***
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)
Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
I encourage you to follow the links to read and learn more about the above listed birds (as well as others) at the Cornell site. I LOVE the Cornell site!!!
* Love these guys! They have ME trained to feed them peanuts on command. One of them will come and sit in the tree outside the kitchen and squawk for food. If I hear them, I go outside and put peanuts all along the railing of the deck. Next thing I know, four or five different Blue Jays are coming in to eat!
** LOVE this bird! I have seen it twice now - once on May 2, 2008 and once on May 4, 2009. Very nearly a year to the day...strange! Chris has yet to see it and therefore does not believe I have seen it! But I have! I really have!!!
*** We just fledged four baby House Sparrows out of "house box #1" and should fledge four more out of "house box #2" any day now. There were five babies born in box #1, but one did not survive. I found it when I cleaned out the box this past weekend. Within hours of me cleaning out the box, a new nest was being constructed. It appears to be another House Sparrow nest. I have logged both bird boxes with Cornell's project NestWatch and will track the success of these boxes over the summer.
Another bird that I have seen is the Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus). Chris and I were out walking last Tuesday evening and we came across an adult Killdeer on a nest. The nest was located among fist-sized rocks roadside (at the end of a driveway between the lawn and the road). The nest was very well camoflauged among these rocks. Ironically, it was the adult that drew our attention to the nest. Had he/she not created such a ruckus, we would have walked right on by. As it was, the adult exhibited the "broken wing" distraction behavior that adults will use to draw attention away from the nest location. He/she was very convincing! There were four eggs in the nest. We walked by again three nights later and there was one adult in the area of the nest and another flying around. Both screeched and squawked when we drew near. I was able to see one Killdeer chick. I didn't want to stand there too long because I didn't want to draw more attention to the nest/chicks and I didn't want to cause the adults more stress. I logged this nest location into NestWatch as well.
Eastern cottontails continue to be abundant in our yards and gardens. Oscar likes to give them chase, although it seems they might be aware of his electronic dog fence boundaries, because it appears they know to sit and feed just beyond his limits! So long as they leave the vegetable garden alone this year, the Eastern cottontails and I will get along just fine. I have, however, begun to research organic rabbit repellants/deterrants just in case!
One final note...and unfortunately, it is a sad one. Fredrick von Hoppenstance, our resident green frog (Rana clamitans), did not survive the winter. His remains, along with those of a female green frog, were found when the pond thawed and Chris cleaned it out. Fredrick was a great source of entertainment last summer. Here's hoping our pond attracts another frog or two this year.
RIP Fredrick von Hoppenstance.
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Turtle Crossing
Just a quick posting to let you know I saw a box turtle on the road Sunday morning...alive and well...attempting to cross from one side to the other. Had it not been raining and had I not been in a hurry to get somewhere, I would have stopped to help him/her across the road. I didn't...and I justify that decision by saying it's all about survival of the fittest. If that turtle was smart enough and meant to live, he would have made it across the street intact...which it seems he did because I have not seen any squished turtles. Of course, I say this - about survival of the fittest - and then realize that I am providing artificial means/sources of food for birds, chipmunks, and squirrels everyday! Quite the conundrum!!!
Until next time, keep your eye open for wild wonders...
...and stop to help that turtle across the street if you see one...I will next time!
Until next time, keep your eye open for wild wonders...
...and stop to help that turtle across the street if you see one...I will next time!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
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...
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...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
A Plethora of Tales to Tell
Where to begin? Well, I guess it's best to start with the sad news and work our way up...wouldn't you agree?
Monday evening, there was more carnage...this time in the butterfly/hummingbird garden. A dead juvenile Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). It appears that he flew into the window of my office, as there was a very large smudge mark and a single feather stuck to the window. Chris noticed the poor thing and told me. I went out to remove him from the garden before Oscar found him. I took a plastic grocery bag and used it to pick up the bird. Before we determined the cause of death, I did a visual examination. I noticed that one of the bird's eyes was cloudy/milky and that there appeared to be a small amount of blood coming out of its mouth on the same side of his head as the ruptured(?) eye ball. It was then that I looked up at the window and realized just how this little guy expired.
I think what's saddest about this is he was one of about six juvenile Blue Jays that had been visiting our yard and feeders since Friday. Saturday they were all flying about, squawking, eating, and otherwise playing around. It is easy to tell they are juveniles for several reasons. 1) They are still very awkward in flight and landing, 2) their feathers aren't as smooth and full as an adult, and 3) well, they carry on like a bunch of teenagers! They were a source of entertainment all weekend long. And now, one of their own has fallen. I was home sick yesterday and I swear the rest of the Blue Jays were looking and calling for their sibling. So sad...
Now onto happier thoughts, eh?
In an effort to catch and relocate our resident groundhog, I believe I previously mentioned that we borrowed a trap from someone from my office. Well, we finally caught something, but it wasn't a groundhog. Thankfully, it wasn't a skunk either...it was a rabbit. On my sick day. I had a terrible headache - a sinus headache - and had just woken up at 9:30 AM and decided to go down and fix myself a cup of tea. I let the dog out and went to the sink to fill the kettle and turn it on. No sooner did I do that and Oscar started barking, barking, barking! I looked out and lo and behold, there's "Thumper" in the trap. I march outside in my bathrobe and slippers and try (in vain) to get Oscar to calm down, sit, and let me release the rabbit. Yeah, right. So instead, I carry the trap with the rabbit back to the house, where I fool Oscar into going into the house, and then turned around and released the rabbit from the deck. The poor thing was terrified. Of course Oscar was barking at it a mere inch from its face the whole time we were walking back to the house. At one point, the rabbit moved as close to me in the cage as it could get and looked at me like, "Human? Help me!" So much for my subsiding headache...it came back in full force. I think we might be done with that trap. I'm convinced the groundhog has moved on.
The five House Wren babies fledged from their nest late last week. They hatched on August 6th and were due to fledge on or near August 20th. I checked the box on the 20th and they were still there; by August 23rd, they were gone.
On Saturday, I spent an hour picking "stuff" in the garden including one pound of green beans, 20 Roma tomatoes, 28 other tomatoes, SIX POUNDS of grape tomatoes, a nearly five-pound zucchini (I have no idea where it was hiding!), a cantaloupe, and a dozen ears of corn. Needless to say, I spent Sunday morning blanching and freezing quite a bit of vegetation!
Chris planted the red hibiscus I bought at the beach - it is a Bordeaux variety and it is really beautiful. It is supposed to bloom through autumn and I hope it thrives in its new location. It should get plenty of sun. I am very excited to have a hibiscus...I just love them!
Another thing I love is having hummingbirds be such frequent visitors to the feeder and garden! I suspect that the pair from earlier this summer may have nested and had babies. I have routinely observed a small female visiting the feeder and another, larger female who seems to watch over her from the trees. Occasionally, they will fly together, squeaking and chirping. in addition to eating at the feeder, I have seen the hummingbirds visit the bee balm and the Russian sage often.
Hmmm...what else? Oh, yes! Chris counted AT LEAST 18 fish in the pond yesterday. I swear we are going to have to feed those fish birth control pills! I keep telling everyone that "Fertile Myrtle" lives in our pond and just keeps having babies! And there have been no sightings of Fredrick Von Hoppenstance since before we went to the beach on July 19th. My brother and a friend of mine both think Fredrick fell victim to a raccoon. I suppose it's possible. I prefer to think he found "greener pastures" at the neighbor's pond. Either that or...hmmm...the neighbor kids did feed our pond fish while we were gone on vacation. What if Fredrick didn't FIND his way over to there pond but rather was taken to their pond? What if Fredrick was frognapped?!?
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Monday evening, there was more carnage...this time in the butterfly/hummingbird garden. A dead juvenile Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata). It appears that he flew into the window of my office, as there was a very large smudge mark and a single feather stuck to the window. Chris noticed the poor thing and told me. I went out to remove him from the garden before Oscar found him. I took a plastic grocery bag and used it to pick up the bird. Before we determined the cause of death, I did a visual examination. I noticed that one of the bird's eyes was cloudy/milky and that there appeared to be a small amount of blood coming out of its mouth on the same side of his head as the ruptured(?) eye ball. It was then that I looked up at the window and realized just how this little guy expired.
I think what's saddest about this is he was one of about six juvenile Blue Jays that had been visiting our yard and feeders since Friday. Saturday they were all flying about, squawking, eating, and otherwise playing around. It is easy to tell they are juveniles for several reasons. 1) They are still very awkward in flight and landing, 2) their feathers aren't as smooth and full as an adult, and 3) well, they carry on like a bunch of teenagers! They were a source of entertainment all weekend long. And now, one of their own has fallen. I was home sick yesterday and I swear the rest of the Blue Jays were looking and calling for their sibling. So sad...
Now onto happier thoughts, eh?
In an effort to catch and relocate our resident groundhog, I believe I previously mentioned that we borrowed a trap from someone from my office. Well, we finally caught something, but it wasn't a groundhog. Thankfully, it wasn't a skunk either...it was a rabbit. On my sick day. I had a terrible headache - a sinus headache - and had just woken up at 9:30 AM and decided to go down and fix myself a cup of tea. I let the dog out and went to the sink to fill the kettle and turn it on. No sooner did I do that and Oscar started barking, barking, barking! I looked out and lo and behold, there's "Thumper" in the trap. I march outside in my bathrobe and slippers and try (in vain) to get Oscar to calm down, sit, and let me release the rabbit. Yeah, right. So instead, I carry the trap with the rabbit back to the house, where I fool Oscar into going into the house, and then turned around and released the rabbit from the deck. The poor thing was terrified. Of course Oscar was barking at it a mere inch from its face the whole time we were walking back to the house. At one point, the rabbit moved as close to me in the cage as it could get and looked at me like, "Human? Help me!" So much for my subsiding headache...it came back in full force. I think we might be done with that trap. I'm convinced the groundhog has moved on.
The five House Wren babies fledged from their nest late last week. They hatched on August 6th and were due to fledge on or near August 20th. I checked the box on the 20th and they were still there; by August 23rd, they were gone.
On Saturday, I spent an hour picking "stuff" in the garden including one pound of green beans, 20 Roma tomatoes, 28 other tomatoes, SIX POUNDS of grape tomatoes, a nearly five-pound zucchini (I have no idea where it was hiding!), a cantaloupe, and a dozen ears of corn. Needless to say, I spent Sunday morning blanching and freezing quite a bit of vegetation!
Chris planted the red hibiscus I bought at the beach - it is a Bordeaux variety and it is really beautiful. It is supposed to bloom through autumn and I hope it thrives in its new location. It should get plenty of sun. I am very excited to have a hibiscus...I just love them!
Another thing I love is having hummingbirds be such frequent visitors to the feeder and garden! I suspect that the pair from earlier this summer may have nested and had babies. I have routinely observed a small female visiting the feeder and another, larger female who seems to watch over her from the trees. Occasionally, they will fly together, squeaking and chirping. in addition to eating at the feeder, I have seen the hummingbirds visit the bee balm and the Russian sage often.
Hmmm...what else? Oh, yes! Chris counted AT LEAST 18 fish in the pond yesterday. I swear we are going to have to feed those fish birth control pills! I keep telling everyone that "Fertile Myrtle" lives in our pond and just keeps having babies! And there have been no sightings of Fredrick Von Hoppenstance since before we went to the beach on July 19th. My brother and a friend of mine both think Fredrick fell victim to a raccoon. I suppose it's possible. I prefer to think he found "greener pastures" at the neighbor's pond. Either that or...hmmm...the neighbor kids did feed our pond fish while we were gone on vacation. What if Fredrick didn't FIND his way over to there pond but rather was taken to their pond? What if Fredrick was frognapped?!?
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
More Carnage in the Pond Pump
Just a quick update this morning...Chris had to unclog the pond pump again this morning and this time it was a dead bird that had been sucked in! Yikes!!! He said it was bald and I asked if he thought it was a baby bird or just had been stripped of feathers either by the pump or by decomposition (no telling how long it was in the pond before it got swept into the pump housing). He said it looked like a fully developed bird, but he could not tell what kind. Sad. :(
We have set a trap for our resident groundhog even though we have not seen him since before we left for our beach vacation back in mid-July. A kind gentleman here at work retrieved his trap from his farm for us, so we figured we'd give it a try. If we are successful in trapping the varmint, we are going to relocate him to some state game lands about 5 miles away. I don't want to risk him/her finding his/her way back! We're leaving it out during the day while we're at work up through dusk. Chris springs the trap each night when he takes Oscar out so we can avoid trapping a skunk. We saw one in the neighborhood about a week ago. That's the LAST thing we want to trap!!!
I blanched three gallon size bags worth of squash and zucchini Monday evening. I have more to steam blanch and now that my new 12-cup Kitchen Aid food processor is here, I will be able to make short work of the zucchini. Mike (a co-worker) gave me a recipe for zucchini chocolate chip cookies (and a delicious sample of his work!) so I will definitely have to try them! With the new food processor, I can also chop tomatoes for salsa in no time and also cucumbers for pickle relish. Do not be surprise if you live nearby, work with me, or are within a short driving distance, if I show up at your house with jars of pickle relish in the coming weeks!!!
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
We have set a trap for our resident groundhog even though we have not seen him since before we left for our beach vacation back in mid-July. A kind gentleman here at work retrieved his trap from his farm for us, so we figured we'd give it a try. If we are successful in trapping the varmint, we are going to relocate him to some state game lands about 5 miles away. I don't want to risk him/her finding his/her way back! We're leaving it out during the day while we're at work up through dusk. Chris springs the trap each night when he takes Oscar out so we can avoid trapping a skunk. We saw one in the neighborhood about a week ago. That's the LAST thing we want to trap!!!
I blanched three gallon size bags worth of squash and zucchini Monday evening. I have more to steam blanch and now that my new 12-cup Kitchen Aid food processor is here, I will be able to make short work of the zucchini. Mike (a co-worker) gave me a recipe for zucchini chocolate chip cookies (and a delicious sample of his work!) so I will definitely have to try them! With the new food processor, I can also chop tomatoes for salsa in no time and also cucumbers for pickle relish. Do not be surprise if you live nearby, work with me, or are within a short driving distance, if I show up at your house with jars of pickle relish in the coming weeks!!!
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Random Updates from the Past Month
Shame on me! It has been one month to the day that I last updated my blog. Some blogger I am, eh? I did go on vacation toward the end of July, but that is really no excuse because that was only one week out of four. So, yes, I am a bit of a slacker!
Now on with the show...
Vegetables abound in our garden! We harvested the first ears of corn at the end of last week and it is delicious! You might swear we tilled sugar into the soil or watered with simple syrup...it is that sweet...how exciting! We have zucchini and cucumbers coming out of our ears and at some point soon I am going to have to start making pickle relish to use up all of the cucumbers. Just before logging on to write this entry, I was researching the blanching time for squash so I can freeze a big batch tomorrow night. I got a great idea from my research to steam blanch some shredded zucchini in 1 or 2-cup increments for backing zucchini bread in the fall/winter.
Today I blanched about two pounds of green beans...they are doing really well. The peas did not do so well. I managed to harvest enough to make one serving of peas before the plants started dying off. I'm not sure what caused the die-off. Peas seemed like a pain in the rear anyway, so I am not too torn up over the loss of the plants. Peppers are going like gangbusters - just this weekend I used the dehydrator to dry anaheim and super chile peppers. The gypsy peppers have been very tasty in our lunches everyday.
Another thing we have been taking in our lunches each day is a serving of grape tomatoes. Those are growing quite well (and wild), too! In fact, our grape tomatoes seem like they are on steroids...they are gigantic! All of the tomatoes are growing really well, but our staking did not work very well. We put so much money into the garden this year that we opted to stake the tomatoes rather that invest in cages...probably not the best idea, but we'll make do this year and buy cages next year. It's just that the tomatoes are growing wild and flatter than expected. But boy are they still growing!!!
We have ten cantaloupes on the vines and they are looking really, really nice. I hope I can harvest one or two before this coming weekend (my graduation party) so I can serve some fresh fruit in addition to my sheet cake. In fact, for the party this weekend, I anticipate quite a bit will come from the garden - sliced tomatoes for hamburgers, raw vegetables for dipping, tomatoes for fresh salsa, cantaloupe for dessert, peppers to serve with the grilled bratwursts - it is all going to be very delicious and very fresh!
Goldfinches continue to visit the thistle feeder and other random birds visit the "regular" seed feeder. The hummingbird makes regular visits to his feeder and is once again fending off other males and even the female. When he isn't looking, the female sneaks in for a quite snack. Last week, I saw both the male and the female sitting on the shepherd's hook where the feeder hangs (on separate occasions) and watched as they yawned and stuck out their tongues. It was really cool!
A house wren (Troglodytes aedon) has nested, layed five eggs, and had them hatch in the bird box at the far end of the yard. The eggs hatched Wednesday. In fact, when I did my evening check on the box, three had hatched, one was in the process of hatching, and one egg remained. When we checked the box Thursday evening, all five bald babies looked healthy - tiny, but healthy. Momma House Wren made her presence known while we were near the box and immediately returned to the box as soon as we were about 20 feet away.
Neither Chris nor I have seen Fredrick since we left for vacation on July 18th. We heard him the night we returned from vacation (July 26th), but have not seen him. I am concerned! We had a clog in the pump in the pond on Friday and it was a dead frog! Luckily it wasn't Fredrick, but what if it was his new mate?!? I've often wondered how Fredrick tolerates his swingin' single lifestyle at our pond...I mean, it is a nice bachelor (lily) pad, but still...he has to get lonely. What if that frog was his chance at love, happiness, and frog procreation?!?
Speaking of procreation, our pond fish keep multiplying. In addition to the nearly dozen grown and colorful (white and orange, mostly) goldfish we can see, there are about a dozen small (1-2" long) black babies swimming around. Two of them have started to turn orange already and they are easier to spot. It is really cool when we feed the fish because all of the sudden we will see ripples and movement at the surface of the water, but we can't see any fish because of shadows, reflections, or lighting...but then they will swim to a spot where we can see and there are 5-6 at any give time swimming around together.
The butterfly and hummingbird garden is officially official for both butterflies and hummingbirds now. Butterflies have been seen flying around the yard quite regularly now and on at least three different occasions, I have seen butterflies in the garden on the butterfly bush and the bee balm. Speaking of the plants in that garden, in addition to feeding at the nectar feeder, the female hummingbird has visited the bee balm, the red dahlia, and the Russian sage. I bought a magazine about gardening for butterflies and hummingbirds and plan to read up on ideas and things I might add now and next spring.
Out front, the few perennials that I added continue to do well. The mums from last fall are already up and the red one has already started to bloom. I hope it blooms through the fall. I put in four mums last fall - one red, one orange, one yellow, and one purple (if my memory serves me correctly). I just love mums in the fall!
Oh! One last thing - I bought a hibiscus plant while I was on vacation at the beach. I asked the seller if it would survive up here in zone 5 and he said yes. He told me how to take care of it and convinced me it would do OK, so on the last day of vacation, we walked across the street to the farmer's market and I bought a red one to bring home. It is still in the pot right now, but I am going to plant it one night this week next to the deck. It will get plenty of sun and will be very near the butterfly and hummingbird garden, so maybe the hummingbirds will visit it (since they favor red flowers).
I cannot think of anything else that is worth mentioning/updating right now but I am sure something else will occur to me as soon as I post this.
OH! Chris bought me VERY NICE Audubon binoculars for my birthday. These things are amazing! From our kitchen, I can look out to the garden 300+ feet away and see if we have red tomatoes ready for picking! And the clarity when I look at the goldfinches on the feeder is phenomenal. I cannot wait to get out into the woods and do some bird watching (other than the ones I watch in our very own patch of woods).
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
Now on with the show...
Vegetables abound in our garden! We harvested the first ears of corn at the end of last week and it is delicious! You might swear we tilled sugar into the soil or watered with simple syrup...it is that sweet...how exciting! We have zucchini and cucumbers coming out of our ears and at some point soon I am going to have to start making pickle relish to use up all of the cucumbers. Just before logging on to write this entry, I was researching the blanching time for squash so I can freeze a big batch tomorrow night. I got a great idea from my research to steam blanch some shredded zucchini in 1 or 2-cup increments for backing zucchini bread in the fall/winter.
Today I blanched about two pounds of green beans...they are doing really well. The peas did not do so well. I managed to harvest enough to make one serving of peas before the plants started dying off. I'm not sure what caused the die-off. Peas seemed like a pain in the rear anyway, so I am not too torn up over the loss of the plants. Peppers are going like gangbusters - just this weekend I used the dehydrator to dry anaheim and super chile peppers. The gypsy peppers have been very tasty in our lunches everyday.
Another thing we have been taking in our lunches each day is a serving of grape tomatoes. Those are growing quite well (and wild), too! In fact, our grape tomatoes seem like they are on steroids...they are gigantic! All of the tomatoes are growing really well, but our staking did not work very well. We put so much money into the garden this year that we opted to stake the tomatoes rather that invest in cages...probably not the best idea, but we'll make do this year and buy cages next year. It's just that the tomatoes are growing wild and flatter than expected. But boy are they still growing!!!
We have ten cantaloupes on the vines and they are looking really, really nice. I hope I can harvest one or two before this coming weekend (my graduation party) so I can serve some fresh fruit in addition to my sheet cake. In fact, for the party this weekend, I anticipate quite a bit will come from the garden - sliced tomatoes for hamburgers, raw vegetables for dipping, tomatoes for fresh salsa, cantaloupe for dessert, peppers to serve with the grilled bratwursts - it is all going to be very delicious and very fresh!
Goldfinches continue to visit the thistle feeder and other random birds visit the "regular" seed feeder. The hummingbird makes regular visits to his feeder and is once again fending off other males and even the female. When he isn't looking, the female sneaks in for a quite snack. Last week, I saw both the male and the female sitting on the shepherd's hook where the feeder hangs (on separate occasions) and watched as they yawned and stuck out their tongues. It was really cool!
A house wren (Troglodytes aedon) has nested, layed five eggs, and had them hatch in the bird box at the far end of the yard. The eggs hatched Wednesday. In fact, when I did my evening check on the box, three had hatched, one was in the process of hatching, and one egg remained. When we checked the box Thursday evening, all five bald babies looked healthy - tiny, but healthy. Momma House Wren made her presence known while we were near the box and immediately returned to the box as soon as we were about 20 feet away.
Neither Chris nor I have seen Fredrick since we left for vacation on July 18th. We heard him the night we returned from vacation (July 26th), but have not seen him. I am concerned! We had a clog in the pump in the pond on Friday and it was a dead frog! Luckily it wasn't Fredrick, but what if it was his new mate?!? I've often wondered how Fredrick tolerates his swingin' single lifestyle at our pond...I mean, it is a nice bachelor (lily) pad, but still...he has to get lonely. What if that frog was his chance at love, happiness, and frog procreation?!?
Speaking of procreation, our pond fish keep multiplying. In addition to the nearly dozen grown and colorful (white and orange, mostly) goldfish we can see, there are about a dozen small (1-2" long) black babies swimming around. Two of them have started to turn orange already and they are easier to spot. It is really cool when we feed the fish because all of the sudden we will see ripples and movement at the surface of the water, but we can't see any fish because of shadows, reflections, or lighting...but then they will swim to a spot where we can see and there are 5-6 at any give time swimming around together.
The butterfly and hummingbird garden is officially official for both butterflies and hummingbirds now. Butterflies have been seen flying around the yard quite regularly now and on at least three different occasions, I have seen butterflies in the garden on the butterfly bush and the bee balm. Speaking of the plants in that garden, in addition to feeding at the nectar feeder, the female hummingbird has visited the bee balm, the red dahlia, and the Russian sage. I bought a magazine about gardening for butterflies and hummingbirds and plan to read up on ideas and things I might add now and next spring.
Out front, the few perennials that I added continue to do well. The mums from last fall are already up and the red one has already started to bloom. I hope it blooms through the fall. I put in four mums last fall - one red, one orange, one yellow, and one purple (if my memory serves me correctly). I just love mums in the fall!
Oh! One last thing - I bought a hibiscus plant while I was on vacation at the beach. I asked the seller if it would survive up here in zone 5 and he said yes. He told me how to take care of it and convinced me it would do OK, so on the last day of vacation, we walked across the street to the farmer's market and I bought a red one to bring home. It is still in the pot right now, but I am going to plant it one night this week next to the deck. It will get plenty of sun and will be very near the butterfly and hummingbird garden, so maybe the hummingbirds will visit it (since they favor red flowers).
I cannot think of anything else that is worth mentioning/updating right now but I am sure something else will occur to me as soon as I post this.
OH! Chris bought me VERY NICE Audubon binoculars for my birthday. These things are amazing! From our kitchen, I can look out to the garden 300+ feet away and see if we have red tomatoes ready for picking! And the clarity when I look at the goldfinches on the feeder is phenomenal. I cannot wait to get out into the woods and do some bird watching (other than the ones I watch in our very own patch of woods).
Until next time, keep your eyes open for wild wonders...
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