The Birds...

Stopping for dinner while on a road trip with Ashley one day, I noticed this flock of birds flying around...

They were flying crazy everywhere!

...then I noticed them on every traffic signal pole I could see.

...and all along the tops of the buildings
in this little strip mall,
 and on every street lamp.

...of course, they were on the electric poles and lines too!

... on the signs

...in the trees, basically everywhere you looked!

I'm taking all these pics and Ashley said "M O M, they are just birds!!"  But, I'm thinking of the movie by Alfred Hitchock -- "The Birds!!!"  ...and the thought that Ashley is too young and probably has never seen it!  ... if only she knew!  LOL

Hummingbirds cooling off...

This blog is about my birds and the scorching hot temperaturess we have had here in Northeastern Oklahoma.  I am thankful for the much needed rain that we finally received, but the previous run of temps of well over 100 degrees for 51 days during these past couple months seems to almost be a norm now. And, it is not over yet, we are expecting more days this week!  We broke our record set in 1980.

While the high temperatures and drought conditions are hard for us as humans, it is also really tough for the birds.  A couple weeks back, I was watering a shady area that had some shriveled-up Vinca groundcover growing under a group of trees.  The sprinkler ran all night and was running through the morning.  I went out to check on moving it and realized it seemed to have barely dampened the baked ground.  I also noticed numerous birds flying and sitting in the trees as the sprinkler was rotating.  I went and got my binoculars to view more closely what species of birds were enjoying the water and coolness.

This is the wooded area with the Vinca groundcover that I was watering.
You can see the many tree branches and places for the birds to perch.

I scanned the surroundings with my binoculars, some birds didn't even move when the sprinkler would spray the water on the branch they were sitting on; others would flutter from branch to branch.  As I zoomed and observed them more closely, some of them were literally sitting there with their beaks open and panting. I honestly had never observed that mannerism from any bird.  Some would drink from the droplets of water on the leaves and you could see them fluffing and bathing as well.

I sat and watched them for awhile through the binoculars and noticed numerous species of birds enjoying the fresh water -- Blue Jays, Robins, Cardinals (male, female, juveniles), Grackles, Cowbirds, Red-Wing Blackbirds, Starlings, Chickadees, Gold Finch, Nut Hatches, a Mockingbird, Woodpeckers, Sparrows, Wrens, and several Hummingbirds.  I know I have left a few species off the list, but it was unreal to see such a variety of birds in such a small space as they flew in and out.  The space size would be equivalent to half of a circle of a normal rotating sprinkler.  The perimeter of water was only covering part of the shaded woody area.  The birds really did not seem to mind each other nor did they seem to mind that I was sitting close by.  They were so desperate for the water itself and the coolness.  I think it was 109 on that given day.

It was on either ABC World News or maybe Good Morning America that I recently watched where many of the Mississippi Kite baby birds were jumping from their nests before they were ready to fly... because they were literally baking in their nests!  The news person was reporting about the rescue center available for that specific bird because there were so many of them in distress.

They had video tape of birds that were still in their nest but, they were sitting there panting.  This news airing was why I knew what my birds were doing sitting there with their beaks open-- panting!  It was amazing and sad to watch in person in my own gardens.  I didn't even know birds panted.

So needless to say, after seeing the news story and then observing my own birds and their desperation and need for water, I did not turn the sprinkler off that morning, but rather I waited until later that evening.  And yes, I have turned it on a few other days since for them; granted my thirsty vinca enjoys a drink at the same time.

The same day that I was observing all of my feathered friends enjoying the sprinkler,  I hung a hummingbird feeder in the area while the sprinkler was running and immediately the hummingbirds came to it.

This is the first hummingbird that approached the feeder within minutes of me hanging it.

That encouraged me to place a sprayer hose under another hummingbird feeder in my front flowerbed.  I waited for the area to be shaded about mid-day and then wedged the hose under the lid of the planter with it watering the gardens.  I "killed two birds with one stone"-- watered my gardens and cooled my birds!   Immediately the hummingbirds came to enjoy the spray of water.  I caught sight of one of them who just flew and stayed in the middle of the fine spray of water for quite a while.  I tried to take a picture, but I had too much distance and the little bird just did not show up very well through the water and against the plants and shrubbery in the background.  I was afraid to get too close or move knowing he would fly away and I respected that he needed the water.

I managed to inch my way closer and here are a few pictures that I did capture:

You can see the orange sprayer on the hose wedged under the lid of the planter.
I later adjusted it to spray in a more upward direction.
There are two birds sitting at the feeder.
I have to laugh, one of the perches was broken
and it figures that is the very spot that one of them landed.
His little neck would not reach that far to feed!

He ended up scooting over and they fed from the same flower.

Here you can see the spray better and the birds certainly didn't mind!
The spray was just in front of the feeder and the mist of water traveled to the feeder.

I turned the feeder around because this side seemed to be where they wanted to feed.
He then had a perch to land on and not have to continually fly and burn his calories.

I know these are not great pictures of how pretty the hummingbirds really are, but you get the gist of the sprayer and how much they enjoyed the water and coolness.  I was just glad to see them sharing rather than fighting!  These two sat and ate together for quite awhile.

Dennis observed one hummingbird drinking from the spillway of our spa one day.

It was interesting that this little bird drank from the running water while in flight.  Usually I see them drink when the sprinklers are running and they drink from the water droplets on the plants.

As you can tell, I love to observe the birds on our property.  I recently wrote about the beautiful Painted Buntings who visited.  I also catch myself being drawn to watching birds when we travel-- Belize, Costa Rica, and South Africa all have fabulous birds!  I have some great pictures but was not blogging during the Belize or Costa Rica adventures.  My blog began with our travels to South Africa.

You can click on the bird link at the top of this page under our blog picture to read other bird stories or here is a direct link to my recently updated Amazing Birds blog I previously posted while traveling in South Africa:

Over the years, I have grown to be a gardener by hobby and I may now claim to be a birder by hobby.  I hope you enjoy your own feathered friends!

Quick links to other South Africa bird blog stories:
Morning in Knysna
Grey Heron Rules
African Fish Eagle

Painted Buntings...

I finally saw a Painted Bunting on our property!  I love this little bird... he is so pretty!

*Male Painted Bunting

We have lived on our small acreage since 1983 and I have fed my birds for years.  We have a creek and wooded area along the back side of our yard.  While the creek does not have any water in it during this drought, it does have water occasionally.  The area attracts a variety of birds and I am getting pretty good at identifying them.  I have used a book called "A Guide to Field Identification Birds of North America" and have learned so much.  I'm not saying you need to buy it, but if you want one, I think this book is great!  It was referred to me by a friend who was an avid birder.   They do have newer editions available though since I bought mine.

Anyway, I have learned to recognize between the males and females in a lot of species.  I have not written every bird down that I have seen, but I have seen many and have had some really great birds visit my feeders and drink from my water sources available.  While some birds are very common in this area, I have had sightings of some that are not so common.

Dennis and I were recently in our pool when he spotted the male painted bunting who had flown in to drink from our waterfall.  I was so excited because this is the first male painted bunting that I have seen on our property!  I have listened to two of our friends talk about the painted buntings at their houses, and I told them I was jealous that we have never had one here.  Our friends do not live very far from us, so I could only hope that one day the bunting would be my guest!  To my delight, we did have one stop by for a brief visit.  I should go buy some white millet, their favorite treat, and hope that he will make a new home in our wooded area!

A few days prior to seeing the male painted bunting, I saw two female painted buntings drinking from the waterfall, but I didn't realize what species they were until doing some research. 

*Female Painted Bunting

I learned that Painted buntings are drawn to running water.  Our visitors must have been really thirsty though because they came to drink while we were moving in the pool for both the male and female sightings.  I remember studying them because I had not seen this particular bird before at our house.  Such a pretty little greenish bird.  I have now seen them several times since that first sighting... always at the waterfall getting a drink. 

I have to say, this is something good that has come from the drought... it has brought the buntings to our waterfall!  With our temperatures being over 100 degrees for many days, we have had a variety of birds come in to drink.  Some birds would not be considered my favorites, but I know they are all thirsty.

I want to share a picture of an Indigo Bunting who has been to my feeders, but only seldom over the past few years.

*Male Indigo Bunting
Just a note -- The female is a brownish color for hiding in the trees with her nest.

While I don't see any of the above buntings very often, I am happy when I do!  I try to keep a variation of seeds and treats for the birds to eat.  The indigo bunting began to come to my feeders when I added a treat of seeds that included fruit and nuts, but they are expensive, so I don't have them all the time.  Thus, I'm sure, the reason I only see them seldom!

*I wish I could take credit for the pictures above, but obviously we were in the pool or without a camera, so I Googled and got these pictures of our beautiful Oklahoma birds off the internet posted by Greg Lavaty; I'm hoping he won't mind that I have shared his photos.  So for anyone who didn't know what a painted bunting or indigo bunting looked like... now you do!

I truly enjoy my birds, they are fun to watch and have certainly been educational!

Empty Nest Syndrome...

Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Ashley and I were sitting in the recliners in the bedroom feeding/rocking Tully and watching tv.  Looking out the patio glass doors, we noticed both the male and female house wrens bringing insects to the nest with multiple feeding trips for the babies.  It is really the first time I have sat and just watched them come and go to the nest.  Maybe it's the first time I have actually sat down during the day since they have nested!  It was fun watching them, the wrens spent a lot of time collecting their insects, perching on the chair, then moving to the nest.  It was as if they were trying to get the babies to come out of the nest.  I took a few pictures from inside looking out the patio door of the adults fluttering about:

Here she had flown to the nest with a bug for feeding
Later I opened the blinds, to have a better view
but then they were skittish to actually go to the nest.

They spent a lot of time on the chair trying to figure out
what had changed, but eventually went to the nest again.

On Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I had two children visiting and over to swim, so of course we had to look at the baby birds!  I took another picture of the babies in the nest and to my surprise I could now see SEVEN LITTLE SETS OF EYES looking at me!  Who knows how many are actually in there?  Where were all these birds in my previous pictures???

I can see 7 birds for sure, but think there are actually 8 in this pic.

I knew a nest with only three birds was small, but that was all I could ever see.  Most wrens lay 7-10 eggs in a nest.  I just could not ever get down into the flower pot enough to see all the eggs/birds.  I hated to disturb them and it was just an awkward spot because the top of the pot is fairly small and the nest was down in the pot a little ways.   Finally, I got this pic with a much better view... or maybe they just decided to pose for me.

Thursday, June 30, 2011
I was going to try to get another picture and found the NEST WAS EMPTY!!

Sure glad I looked in there yesterday and got the picture seeing more of them before they were gone.  I'm going to leave the nest for now, but I am glad that I can actually water my plant and not have to continue to use the aqua globes that seem to be a never ending task of filling them with water.  It was all worth it though to see the wren family survive.  I wish I could have seen them all actually leaving the nest... learning to fly out, one at a time!   :-)

Links to my Previous Wren Blogs:
Mama Wren
Baby Wrens are Here
Wren Family Update

Wren Family Update...

We continue to see the male/female wrens fluttering around.  At the time of these pictures, it had been approximately 14 days since the eggs hatched.  I looked in the nest to see if the baby birds were still there and they were... they are getting big!

I think there are three of them

When I moved the plant to take a picture they began to move around a little, I could see the pink on the back of one of them, so they have not gotten all of their feathers yet.  I bet it won't be long before they leave the nest though.

Woo Hoo my plant is surviving and so are the birds!  Those aqua bulbs are working; the downfall is that I have to fill them often with water.

Other Wren Posts:
Mama Wren
Baby Wrens are Here
Empty Nest Syndrome

Baby Wrens Are Here...

I've learned a few things about the House Wren... and yes, in fact it is a wren who built a nest in my Coleus planter!  I finally got a good view.

After reading, I learned they usually choose to build nests close to the ground and close to human homes, thus being called the "House Wren".

First of all, the male wren is the one who begins building the nest and attracts his mate by singing.  If she finds the nest to be suitable, she then finishes the nest and lays her eggs.  Sound familiar?

To solve my dilemma on how to water the plant without getting the eggs wet, I decided to buy the "as seen on tv" Aqua Globes.  (Which I had previously seen at Wal-Mart.)

I placed three of them in the planter, one at the base of each plant and somehow I have managed to keep the plants alive and not kill the eggs... because we now have baby wrens, three of them I think, maybe four.  The hole is so tiny and in an awkward spot that I can barely see inside the nest.

On June 18, I peeked in and could see the eggs had hatched

Very quickly all their little beaks were open and ready to be fed
but, obviously I had nothing to feed them!

This pic is taken a couple days later and I can see
their feathers beginning to grow.

I've learned that the male and female wren both feed the babies.  I'm sure we disturb them some when we are out on our patio, but we rarely see them coming from or going to the nest!  I understand the babies will leave the nest in approximately 12 to 18 days.

Their diet mostly consist of crawling insets and spiders...  I hope they are really hungry and clean up all my gardens!

See Other Wren Posts:
Mama Wren
Wren Family Update
Empty Nest Syndrome

Mama Wren...

I went out to water my plants one day...

They look pretty normal, huh?

Well, look a little closer at the two twigs hanging out of the pot...

I started watering the plant and pulled on one of the twigs to throw it away, but it didn't come out... I then realized there was a bird nest in the pot.

This is the back of the nest

I looked closer and could see the opening to the nest in the front.  There were no eggs, so I just watered the plant and went on.  I had noticed a wren previously sitting on one of the patio chairs for several days, which is unusual for a bird to be under the patio.

The next time I went to water the plant, I moved the leaves to look in the nest and a bird flew out... it startled me; but, I could see several eggs in the nest...

...so now watering the plant is a challenge!

The challenge is to get water to the roots of the plant without getting the eggs wet... but, that is not easy  because she has burrowed down into the dirt for part of her nest.  She has built the nest with twigs all around and over the eggs, with only a small hole to fly in and out of.  I'm afraid if I water too much the water will run onto the eggs... and my well water is cold!  She flys out every time I water, because I have to move the leaves to get to the base of each plant in the pot.  She is so fast and flys low behind the patio chairs... 

This is her flight path behind the chairs...

I can never get a good look to see the exact species of the bird and I have never seen her fly back into the nest.  By color of the bird, eggs, and the way the nest is built, I think it is a House Wren.  Will be interesting to see if the eggs make it with me trying to water and keep the plant alive.  I hope so, I love my birds and my gardening!

Last night was a downpour of rain and I thought how lucky this little bird is with her eggs all snug and protected under the patio.  This plant only gets a peek of sun and then is mostly shaded.

I'll update this blog when the eggs hatch!  I'm thinking positively  :-D

See Wren Updates:

Baby Wrens Are Here

Wren Family Update
Empty Nest Syndrome

Morning in Kynsna

Wednesday, Oct 20  South Africa

We headed to Knysna for the day.

Very Quaint Little Bay Area

Again beautiful flowers and plants... I didn't have a book on trees and flowers, so I don't know the names of everything; but, it was Spring and everything was blooming!

This looks like "Red Hot Poker", but I also liked the bright brown grass blooms!

We saw several of these trees in bloom

This is close up of the blooms

Close up of bloom

I think this is some type of a geranium

Crepe's with an Ostrich filling, nice fresh salad and hot tea for brunch... it was yummy!

The restaurant had a Ziggy Wagtail that would come in and eat cheese from a plate they had set out for him and then he would fly back out.  

Employee told me this was a Ziggy Wagtail

They also had a pair of Zebra Doves that hung around.  Very pretty little bird.

While we ate, it was fun to watch this Spectacled Weaver steal strips of iris blades from the gardens to build his nest.

He came in to strip the blade from the Iris leaf

He's holding his newly stripped piece

Heading back to his nest

After returning home, I found this picture of the nest they build.
It is very intricately weaved with the opening usually in the bottom.

Again, here is a picture I found of finished nest.

We strolled along the water's edge and stopped to watch several people hand-line fishing from an old pier.  You could see the old railway tracks and a place to tie off ships, but it definitely is not being used now for any shipments.

The hand-line fishing they swing the hook and line above their head several times, then toss it into the water, and just pull it in as needed.  They were using prawns for bait.  Most said they were not having much luck, but a few of them had caught some kind of small silver fish.  They kept everything they caught.