Finally Caught on Camera Every year we look for new lives visiting our garden and nature has never stopped surprising us. I still remember when I saw my first Downy woodpecker in the garden years ago when the yard was still barren, just green lawn and trees. I was so excited to see the woodpecker, a rare occasion back then. After a decade of organic gardening and … Continue reading New Visitor
Back From The South We were glad to see our old friends who flew back from the South, the Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). It’s fun to watch them chirping while gliding around at high speed. This spring one of their usual nest boxes was taken first by an Eastern Bluebird family (previous post) which had already produced four beautiful eggs. One of the Swallows poked its head in the house … Continue reading Tree Swallows
Tree Swallow Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) have been back in the neighborhood for a few weeks. They have been checking nest boxes around the garden but they have been chased out of each nest box they tried by the House Sparrows. In turn, we chased the Sparrows out. It’s a spring ritual that we have to do in order to secure a place for the … Continue reading First To Nest
Residents And Visitors Spring is the busiest time in our own garden aviary. We have both resident aerialists that stay with us year round and the ones that travel back and forth from North to South America annually. Every spring we roll out the red carpet for them, helping them stay strong and nurturing a new generation. By the end of spring some of them … Continue reading Spring Recap On Birds
…And The Birds Are Still Happy I checked on our vegetable garden early last week and was happy to see the garlic I put in last October came up. The Daffodils and tulips have also pushed themselves above the soil. But Mother Nature doesn’t seem to give up on winter just yet, she dumped a whole load of snow on us again last Friday. The … Continue reading Another Snow Storm
Friendly Little Ladies Our Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) population has increased this year. I think they are programmed to come back here since we provide so much food for them. I mentioned on a previous blog that I grow Columbine for Hummingbirds and the variety of columbine has increased as well. I had added Pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), Bee balm (Monarda didyma), and Scarlet runner bean … Continue reading Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Baby Tree Swallows Learn to Glide We have two Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) families nest in our garden this year, one in the back yard and one in the front. The family in the back has three chicks, four chicks are in the front. So, we have the sky covered for insect patrol this year. Once a swallow family has success in rearing their young, … Continue reading Practice Makes Perfect
Aerial show this morning There was an aerial show over our garden this morning. It was like six mini-fighter jets doing an air show. Sleek white and metallic blue bodies swooping back and forth chasing one another at high speed, too fast to catch on video. Once in a while one of them would swoop to block the entrance of the nest box. I suspect … Continue reading Still defending their home
Bluebird building the nest. After a day of fierce fighting for new home between the Eastern Bluebirds and the Tree Swallows, they both finally settled on a place to raise their kids. The Swallows took the same old house that they have been nesting in for the last couple of summers. The Bluebirds settled on the house by the vegetable garden. To my relief, of … Continue reading Settling Down
Tree Swallow vs Eastern Bluebird The usual visitors to our garden in the past few years just came back…the Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). We heard their unique gargle-like chirp up in the sky a few days ago. Four of them. Yesterday they were chased off by the Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) couple that have been checking the bird houses in our garden. They have narrowed … Continue reading Hope they settle down soon
Petals and Wings 