perfect! Wow, “Less than an inch in seven months”. I will never again ruminate about rain in the forecast almost every day this week. Especially when the deciduous trees and bushes are just at their very beginnings of leaving out or flowering . I walked by a Yellow Saucer Magnolia tree, in full bloom, never seen anything like it. Finally , here up north in VT the trees are singing with the return of our migratory birds. Louisiana Water Thrush, Northern Water Thrush and Wood Thrush, must be nesting nearby. I have been fortunate to actually spot the LWT, and hear their beautiful Thrush songs everyday on a certain section of trail. Lucky for me,when we open our camp, I will once again be honored with my favorite birdsong, the Hermit Thrush. They seem to return to the same patch of forest for the last few years. My eBird picked up a Streaked-backed Oriole today! I thought it was an eBird ‘oops,wrong bird’ but I did see a flash of orange, so I came home a did a quick search , apparently an extremely rare siting in VT, but someone else actually posted a photo. I guess one never knows, part of the excitement of birdwatching. By the way, I would be happy to send a few photos of our camp Bedrock. If you would like, let me know how to send them, I can DM or another way. Also, great photographs today, especially the Yellow-breasted Chat and the Montezuma quail.
We've had two dead Flammulated Owls picked up in Portal and Tucson Wildlife Center reports a third came to them. My two were underweight, at 37 and 39 grams. Serious lack of insects here. No crickets, no scorpions, no moths.
How terrible, Helen. I keep getting reports about how SEAZ is in an "Extreme" drought, worse that the rest of AZ. Frustrating how these Pacific storms never push into our area...and now the usual Foresummer drought begins...I've never seen it so bad.
Wow, such amazing diversity of wonderful birds coming through your yard, captured in your great photos! I have yet to see a montezuma quail (only heard in the distance), I have to come back!
So, I like our native cowbirds, it's not their fault that they have this incredible strategy to drop eggs and flee. it's just that we have expanded cowbird habitat with development, forest fragmentation and destruction and since, they have increased the number of species they parasitize, impacting some to ESA assignment. I know you know this. Now feral cats....not native, a super predator, they are a different ecological problem. Your 1 rescue kitty, with your oversight, is not the problem.
I'm looking forward to that Blue Mockingbird photo!
I remember at Dana out on the island seeing feral cats, and I think there was a program to catch and release them after "fixing" them...not sure it's still going on. The last few years I've seen no feral cats there. Up on Trabuco Creek in San Juan there are brown-headed cowbird traps set up during nesting season (Bell's Vireo season, I think). It would be interesting to know if cowbirds actually "help" vireo production there as the University of Florida study showed.
It's interesting that the birds that are parasitised by cowbirds produce more offspring of their own. Our cuckoo lays eggs in other birds nests, but the cuckoo chick always ejects all the eggs / nestlings
Now that's interesting, fascinating in fact! I didn't realise that there were species of cuckoos that allow some of the host nestlings to survive. And the stinky chicks certainly must provide quite a bit of protection for the nests!
That closing pun was delightful, as was your beautiful backyard homage. My home list this year is delightful, thank you for the inspiration!
So glad you enjoyed it, Scot! You are most welcome!
Hermit Thrush Lookout,
perfect! Wow, “Less than an inch in seven months”. I will never again ruminate about rain in the forecast almost every day this week. Especially when the deciduous trees and bushes are just at their very beginnings of leaving out or flowering . I walked by a Yellow Saucer Magnolia tree, in full bloom, never seen anything like it. Finally , here up north in VT the trees are singing with the return of our migratory birds. Louisiana Water Thrush, Northern Water Thrush and Wood Thrush, must be nesting nearby. I have been fortunate to actually spot the LWT, and hear their beautiful Thrush songs everyday on a certain section of trail. Lucky for me,when we open our camp, I will once again be honored with my favorite birdsong, the Hermit Thrush. They seem to return to the same patch of forest for the last few years. My eBird picked up a Streaked-backed Oriole today! I thought it was an eBird ‘oops,wrong bird’ but I did see a flash of orange, so I came home a did a quick search , apparently an extremely rare siting in VT, but someone else actually posted a photo. I guess one never knows, part of the excitement of birdwatching. By the way, I would be happy to send a few photos of our camp Bedrock. If you would like, let me know how to send them, I can DM or another way. Also, great photographs today, especially the Yellow-breasted Chat and the Montezuma quail.
Thanks for this, Lor. Love to see your photos! You can email me at kjlamb@mindspring.com Thanks!
I got a fever! And the only prescription is more cowbird!
You know me too well...
We've had two dead Flammulated Owls picked up in Portal and Tucson Wildlife Center reports a third came to them. My two were underweight, at 37 and 39 grams. Serious lack of insects here. No crickets, no scorpions, no moths.
How terrible, Helen. I keep getting reports about how SEAZ is in an "Extreme" drought, worse that the rest of AZ. Frustrating how these Pacific storms never push into our area...and now the usual Foresummer drought begins...I've never seen it so bad.
very cool! If you haven't been, you should see Ken's yard- it's so cozy but full of wildlife attractants
And PJs aren't required...only encouraged!
Wow, such amazing diversity of wonderful birds coming through your yard, captured in your great photos! I have yet to see a montezuma quail (only heard in the distance), I have to come back!
So, I like our native cowbirds, it's not their fault that they have this incredible strategy to drop eggs and flee. it's just that we have expanded cowbird habitat with development, forest fragmentation and destruction and since, they have increased the number of species they parasitize, impacting some to ESA assignment. I know you know this. Now feral cats....not native, a super predator, they are a different ecological problem. Your 1 rescue kitty, with your oversight, is not the problem.
I'm looking forward to that Blue Mockingbird photo!
I remember at Dana out on the island seeing feral cats, and I think there was a program to catch and release them after "fixing" them...not sure it's still going on. The last few years I've seen no feral cats there. Up on Trabuco Creek in San Juan there are brown-headed cowbird traps set up during nesting season (Bell's Vireo season, I think). It would be interesting to know if cowbirds actually "help" vireo production there as the University of Florida study showed.
https://archive.news.ufl.edu/articles/2007/03/uf-study-first-to-document-evidence-of-mafia-behavior-in-cowbirds.html
It's interesting that the birds that are parasitised by cowbirds produce more offspring of their own. Our cuckoo lays eggs in other birds nests, but the cuckoo chick always ejects all the eggs / nestlings
The benefits of stinky chicks!
This study from Spain is interesting...in this case, cuckoo parasitism of crows isn't always a bad thing--the cuckoo chicks help with nest defense! https://web.archive.org/web/20200804084045/https://www.aaas.org/news/science-parasitic-cuckoos-provide-nest-protection-crow-hosts
Now that's interesting, fascinating in fact! I didn't realise that there were species of cuckoos that allow some of the host nestlings to survive. And the stinky chicks certainly must provide quite a bit of protection for the nests!
where are you from Juliet, that you have cuckoos?
Scotland!