Nests!

Nests come in all sizes and descriptions, much like the creatures that build them.  

You probably think of birds when you think of nests and so do I.  

Compared to Ruby's 'nest', which she made from my coat when it fell off the doorknob and she arranged to her liking, most bird's nests are quite amazing.  Here's a wonderful nest made by Baltimore Orioles:

It was so well made that even after a Cedar Waxwing stole some grass from it, it was still sturdy.

The Waxwing thief took the piece of grass and put it in its own nest, here....

Some other nests I watched this spring included a Blue Jay nest, very high in a tree near our house.  The only reason I discovered it was that some Crows were attacking it one day and I heard the ruckus and investigated.

The Blue Jays must have decided to move somewhere else because after that day I didn't see them anymore.  If you look carefully at the next photo you can see a Blue Jay in the nest.  As I said, the nest was very high, and to get a photo I had to wait til the wind blew the leaves so I could see it!

Though I couldn't see into the next nest at all, I had fun watching a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches bring pieces of bark to this tree cavity.  Later, I watched them bring many caterpillars to their hidden nest.

I think maybe Wood Ducks nested in this dead tree, but I was never able to see them enter or exit.  

Though Wood Ducks are very tricky to find when they are nesting, other cavity nesters are not so shy -- such as the Bluebirds, Wrens, and Tree Swallows that use nest boxes in our yard.  Here's a look into a Tree Swallow nest:

Their close relatives, the Barn Swallows, build a different kind of nest... almost entirely from mud:

While many birds do a lot of work to make their nests, there are others who don't... such as the Killdeer.   The perfect nest for them is on the ground, either just scraping a slight hollow in the soil or arranging the mulch into a little depression. 

Thanks to Ruby, I got to watch another nest in the ground, made by this rabbit:

I wrote about Ruby and the rabbits in this post-- click here if you missed it.

So, I thought you might like an update.  This is the last photo I took of the baby bunnies before they left the nest:

There were 5 of them-- tightly packed in the nest, on June 10th.  The next day they were gone.

We still have a second brood of House Wrens in one of our yard boxes, but other than that, most birds are finished raising babies for this year.  (Now it's fun to watch what I call the 'teenage' birds!)

While it's lots of fun to watch nesting birds and we've had a good year for it, what about the nests that were too well hidden and the birds were too secretive for us to find?  That is one thing to look forward to winter for... those secret nests will be revealed!

If I Were A Bird

If I were a bird, I think I'd like to be a Barn Swallow.

Barn Swallows are one of my favorite birds for many reasons.  I don't know why I haven't written much about them before, except maybe - like good friends; I have taken them for granted.  So, to make up for that, today they are the stars of the blog.

In my flight of fantasy, here are my reasons for choosing to be a Barn Swallow.

1.  Appearance.  Though I think they are beautiful birds, they are probably not the most beautiful in many peoples' minds.  So, it's not just vanity to say 'appearance'.  I think Barn Swallows are unusual and neat-looking birds.  Their appearance has interesting appeal at first glance and at closer inspection.

Two swallows sitting close together on May 6th, 2015... showing they are a pair.

2. Flight.  They are masters of the air, swooping and turning this way and that.  I love to watch them... wouldn't it be wonderful to join them?  

Taking off - I'd have to be a better photographer than I am to get a good photo of them as they are flying about!

3.  Eating all day!  While they are up in the sky flying, they are actually 'working'... catching insects and eating them.  I've read that a swallow might fly up to 600 miles in a day in their home locale, eating their fill.  While that sounds good, it does have one drawback - I might choose to eat something other than bugs!  However, I guess if I was a Barn Swallow, that would be perfect!

This Barn Swallow was stuck in our garage and needed to be rescued.  Luckily, my husband and I had recently taken a mini-class about bird banding, so we knew how to hold a bird without hurting it.  In this photo, you can see how wide the bill of a swallow is, which is perfect for catching insects while in flight.

4. Living in a barn.  I have a very soft spot in my heart for barns, having grown up on a farm in south-eastern PA.  If I was a Barn Swallow, I'd love to find an old-fashioned dairy barn to build my nest and raise babies (preferably with Guernsey cows in it - this is my dream, so why not?).

5. Playing in the mud.  Since Barn Swallows build their nests primarily with mud, using their bills, it's a good thing I'm not squeamish about that kind of thing.  (See #4, growing up on a farm - I played in the mud plenty when I was a kid!)

6. Family life.  Once they've become a pair, the male and female Barn Swallows work together to build a nest (or repair one from a previous year), incubate the eggs, and feed their babies.  

7.  Singing.  They are pretty much always either singing or chittering.  That would suit me fine!

8.  Travel.  Now, this one is probably far-fetched because though they do migrate, I doubt the ones who live here would travel to Europe.  However, this is my fantasy and it's not out of the realm of possibility, because Barn Swallows have one of the largest range of any species. Besides the USA, they live across Europe and Asia and winter in southern Africa and India across to northern Australia!  During winter here, ours migrate to Central and South America.

These are our Barn Swallows last August 28th, the last day I saw them before they left to spend the winter who-knows-where (but, definitely somewhere there are insects to eat!)

9.  Winters in the tropics.  (No explanation needed!)

10. Migrate during the day.  Many birds migrate at night.  While Barn Swallows may sometimes fly at night, they typically migrate during the day.  I like that idea... why not see the countryside as you are going?  And, they eat along the way, too.

Those are my 10 reasons.  What bird would you choose to be if you could?

Now, here are a few more photos of our stars!

Here's another look at our rescued Barn Swallow.  My husband passed it to me and I gently released it.  Notice how one foot is clinging to my finger?  I had turned my hand so it was on its' back and then opened my fingers.  Birds aren't used to taking off from an on-their-back position, so I had a quick chance to look at it before turning it 'right-side up' and letting it fly away.

The life of barn swallows... spend hours flying and eating, then resting briefly on the wire.

This one looks kind of sleepy, doesn't it?  Afternoon nap anyone?

While sitting on the wire, they are also almost constantly preening so those important feathers stay in tip-top condition.

Preening can lead to some interesting photos.

Don't worry, it's okay!  But it does have a tiny feather stuck in its' bill.

Watching the adults feed the young ones is fun, too.
The babies watch for the parents to bring food...

and flutter their wings in anticipation!

However, sometimes it's a brother or sister nearby who get the bug.

Eventually everyone gets something to eat.

Soon these babies will be as graceful as their parents but right now they have a little way to go in the grace department.

 It's a neat fantasy to dream about being a bird!  I'm thankful though, just to have Barn Swallows living in our yard so I can be a little part of their life by watching!

Ruby the Forager

Though Ruby is not like all dogs, she does have something in common with most... she likes to eat.  In particular, Ruby loves berries and beans. On our walk this morning, I knew Ruby would be on the lookout for some she could pick.  Yes, she picks them herself!

There are lots of things Ruby does not see while we are walking.  Like the bobolinks that flew out of the long grass or the orchids blooming within it.

Ragged Fringed Orchis, a native orchid, which I only saw for the first time myself this year in the hayfields.  

 So I didn't expect Ruby to see them.

But when we got to where the wild blackberries grow, I knew she would be more interested.  We had both picked some berries and eaten them at this spot last week.

No ripe ones now, too bad.

Not in this spot either. Even though Ruby hunted for awhile, she didn't find any.  Maybe a bear or some birds got to them before she did.

She didn't notice any of the many butterflies that were all around.  They aren't good food for basset hounds.

She did notice this poplar leaf though, because I tapped my foot by it (the sign that there's food on the floor for her to eat)!

Even though my tapping got her to come check it out, she knew that was not good to eat, and not something we really want to see either!  Let's have summer awhile longer.

So far, Ruby has struck out on her foraging.  We head back to the house, where I know there are some beans ready for her--  Scarlet runner beans I grow because they are pretty, and because the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds like the flowers... and because Ruby likes the beans.

First we come to the ones on the vegetable garden fence.  Ruby investigates carefully, but she doesn't find any beans.  She may or may not have picked a flower (she says it was an accident).

Then we go to the plants on our deck, which I started earlier in pots in the spring, so they already have some large beans on them.

But Ruby has given up.  She is hot and tired and needs a drink. 

 So I pick one for her...

It's her reward for being a good girl on our walk.

Then we got a drink, and now she is taking a nap! Maybe she'll have better luck foraging next week.

Heron vs. Osprey - "Inside Out" Style

Have you seen "Inside Out" the new Disney Pixar movie?  My husband and I saw it recently, and while I was mulling over how to write about the Heron vs. Osprey incident that took place in our swamp yesterday, "Inside Out" was still in the back of my mind.  If you haven't seen the movie, it is a comical look inside a young girl's brain; focusing on her emotions of joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust.  In the credits at the end, glimpses inside a dog and a cat's brains are shown, too. (Which was one of the best parts of the movie by the way, and the movie was very good!).  

I suppose that is what got me thinking about what we might see if we could look into the brains of  the following 'characters'.  

First, let me introduce them to you, in order of their appearance.  There was an osprey-- a large hawk with long legs and strong talons which it uses to catch fish.  There was comic relief in the form of a red-winged blackbird.  The final character was a great-blue heron.  Oh, and me... watching the whole thing-- and I can, for sure, tell you what the 'little voices' inside my head were saying! 

Me:  Wow, what a gorgeous bird, I'm so glad to see it! 

Me:  Well, this is nice but not very exciting.  I'll watch a little longer anyway.

Osprey: I feel I should turn around.  My neck is starting to hurt.

Me:  Okay, that's better, at least he moved.

 Osprey:  I know that lady is watching me, but I don't care.

RWBL: Sneak attack!  Hee heee....

Osprey:  Did I just feel something?  Oh well, no bother.

RWBL: What?  What just happened, did I really just bounce off an osprey?

Me:  I need to change my camera settings for action shots.  Maybe the blackbird will be back.

(Settings changed... just in the nick of time!)

Heron:  This is my swamp!  My tree! And MY FISHING SPOT!

Osprey:  But, but, ummm... but, I wasn't doing anything!

Heron:  Doesn't matter, I want you to GO!

Me: Oh my!  That heron is almost hovering like a hummingbird!  This is crazy!

Osprey:  I think it's time to get out of here.

Heron: Yes, GO!

Me: I can't believe I just saw that! 

Heron: Pssht!  I showed that osprey what's what.

But wait....

Osprey:  That perch is worth another try.  Wonder if the heron was really serious?

Heron: You betcha!

 Once again, peace (and the 'King' Heron) reigned over the swamp.

Heron:  Satisfaction, a job well done... time to get back to fishing.

Me: I can't believe I saw that, and I hope the photos turn out! 

The whole episode took slightly over 6 minutes, with a couple of those minutes consumed by the heron just sitting on top of the tree. 

I apologize to the serious ornithologists out there who may be offended by my anthropomorphic commentary.  But, if anyone from Pixar sees this and wants to purchase the rights to the story, I think it could be made into a great 'short'!  

*wink wink*