Empty nests: Where have all the birdies gone?

I knew that the baby bluebirds had fledged - I'm pretty sure the parents took them to the forest - so I took the nest out of the box in the hopes that they'll build a fresh nest for another brood.

I don't see a fraction as many birds as I did during the winter, but I really like seeing some of the regulars when I'm out gardening. I'm trying to work out a deal with the catbirds: I'll leave some overturned dirt for them to dig in if they'll leave my newly planted seedlings alone!

Anything wildlife-related is fair game for this thread, just like in the previous one (http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1388271/ )!

This message was edited May 19, 2015 8:30 PM

I'm hearing another friend of mine-
Great Crested Flycatcher.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Crested_Flycatcher/id
the call is a 'whee-eep'
I first noticed and 'met' this bird, as it perched on my tomato cages and was swooping into the garden for something, then going back to the perch.

What an odd-looking bird! Thanks for the link; I'll keep my eyes and ears open.

Oh, what a pretty bird! I love how that website has recordings of bird songs. I don't think I've heard that one before, though.

Our front-porch robins have started sitting on another clutch of eggs! And I think somebody is building a nest in my Hawaiian Spider Plant hanging basket -- right by the sliding glass door. Bet it's a house wren.

Wow, they didn't waste any time did they?
One of my birdhouses has the beginnings of a very messy nest; I'm going to try to keep an eye on it.

Walking in the front walk this PM a young robin screamed and practically flew into my face, I don't know who was more startled.
Sally, that call sounds awfully familiar, from when I sit out front early in the AM. I haven't spotted one though.
Just had an Ah-Ha moment. Unless I'm hearing a mocking bird going through his repertoire.

LOL, Ric!

Found an empty rabbit nest yesterday near the side of the house... now I know where the two babies hopping around that part of the garden came from.

That's funny, Ric! I guess its mama hasn't taught it about the 2-legged creatures yet.

I have an insect ID question!

I saw a very pretty black insect and at first thought it was a butterfly.

When it landed, I noticed that it had wings similar to a dragonfly -- kind of elongated-oval shape.

What could this be?

Edit: It may have been an ebony jewelwing!

This message was edited May 24, 2015 7:48 PM

That's an interesting looking insect!

I was all set to prune my huge azaleas in the front today, but a bird was nesting in the largest one and I think I heard little "cheep cheep" sounds.
Drats! I was so looking forward to cutting them back (ha ha ha).

Oh! I saw those ebony jewelwings (damselflies) at the river once.

There are 5 eggs in the Carolina Wren nest in a hanging basket (of Hawaiian Spider Plant) by our back door. :-)

They are brown speckled, and while it's not surprising that some have more speckles than others, Joyanna and I were surprised to see that one egg had a distinctly blue tint rather than a white or ecru backround.

That's interesting. Fingers crossed that is a natural variation. I think cowbird eggs are also speckled brown on white, but larger.

I had that thought also, Sally, but all 5 eggs are very uniform in size. We'll be watching!

I just removed what looked like the messy beginning of a bird's next from a bird house because there had been no change in it for at least a week. It could have been a "dummy nest" built by a House Wren: http://www.sialis.org/nestshowr.htm

This lists color variations for Carolina Wren eggs: http://www.sialis.org/nestscarolinawren.htm
I don't think Cowbirds lay as many as four eggs in a nest; I think I read they usually lay only one.

I guess my subject line was a bit hasty...there will be lots more full nests this summer.

Critter, do you think you can get some photos of the nestlings after they hatch without disturbing the parents?

I've been seeing a pair of bluebirds in my yard again; perhaps it's time for another brood.

I'm sure going to try! I think since they built a nest right up against the sliding glass door, they will be hard to disturb... pretty sure I can just lift the basket down, take a peek, and put it up again just as I did the other day... only I'll have my camera in hand next time!

I came in the front walk yesterday to see 3 fledgling robins on the old fence. It occurred to me that they looked a bit like they had bed head, with their pin feathers and all the down peeking out. One sat on the top rail, one on the mid-rail, and one on the ground, they reminded me of notes on a scale. Of course, you never have a camera when you want one, or else it doesn't have a SD card in it.:-}

ah that pesky SD card...next best is to tell yourself I WILL remember this...and share it with us too. You gave it a nice visual detail. thanks!

Fun! The cardinals at my parents' found another place to nest... Mom said the kids were pestering their mom for food so much that she couldn't stand to watch, just being really pushy about it. Between that & 2 male robins fighting "tooth & claw" for territory, Mom gave up & found another window to look out of LOL.

I saw 2 blue jays fighting today; it's hard to tell with them, but I think they were both males.
I also saw a 3-way robin fight. Yes, it's still mating season!

It's funny to see baby birds that are almost as big as their parents begging for food.
I used to see fledglings being fed quite often when all I did was toss food on my patio. Now that I have feeders, I never see them.

I've been seeing that ebony jewelwing every single day, which is great since they eat the tiger mosquito (yay!), aphids, and fungus gnats. :D

The birds haven't discovered my blueberries yet. Once they do, the berries will be gone in just a few days. They seem to be leaving my strawberries alone, though.

I saw my first firefly today! But still no sign of hummingbirds.

SS--

You can buy "Bird netting' in a roll at HD. Not sure of the price--???
It is where all the weed block rolls are. Outside garden...(at least at Our HD)
It is very fine threaded-and easy to tangle up. But--it will save your berries..
G.

I've also seen a few fireflies, but no hummingbirds.
And here I've got the Coral Honeysuckle all ready for them!

Look what I saw in the woods yesterday. I think it's a Northern Watersnake.

I decided not to fill my water bucket at that particular spot.

Is that snake poisonous?

Not if it's a Northern Watersnake. I'm not positive of the ID, though; it seems like every photo I pull up of Northern Watersnakes looks different.

I just enlarged the photo a bit to make it easier to see.

EEEEEEK!

It was minding its own business. I was a little more careful about where I put my feet when I waded across the creek today, though!

The only poisonous snakes in the DC metro area are occasional copperheads. May people see water snakes and swear that they are water moccasins, but water moccasins only occur as far north as The Great Dismal Swamp in very southern Virginia. So far this spring I've encountered a couple of garter snakes, a worm snake, a ring neck snake, and a 5 foot+ black racer. All were eager to avoid me.

Does this look like a water snake? Every online photo looks different.

Very sure it is a Northern Water Snake. There is a lot of variation in coloration, but the underlying pattern is quite consistent. Look at the snake and imagine it as a drawing in a coloring book, the spaces between the lines may be filled in differently.

what a great explanation, David!

A co-worker was very concerned (OK freaked out) about a snake near her door, we decided it was a brown snake (DeKay's) and reassured her she had no poisonous snake to fear. Found a good page from MD DNR to prove it. Since she is from the Philipines, it is understandable to me she'd be on high alert for snakes though.
http://usaphcapps.amedd.army.mil/HIOShoppingCart/Uploads/DownloadableProds/162_Philippine%20Snake%20Poster04-15-04.pdf

I LOVE ring neck snakes . Very docile. I found one when I was a kid and it shed its skin the next day in my little terrarium. I think I still have that perfect shed skin in a tiny plastic box somewhere, Yeah I am that weird.

I kept a DeKay's snake for a while as a young child. It escaped on a regular basis, turning up in unexpected locations outside my room, resulting in the family naming him "Houdini".

haha, you mom had an 'interesting' time raising you!!!!!!!!

I found some thistle for my goldfinch feeder, c'mon guys...

Speaking of snakes, shortly after I had made the posts above I went out to work in the yard. Almost immediately, Pat called out and told me to bring the camera. lo and behold, another snake. This time a juvenile Black Rat Snake, or perhaps a juvenile Black Racer, markings are very similar.

I saw a very big snake crossing the driveway yesterday. It was black, probably at least 4' long. The weird thing is that the snake "disappeared" right in front of my eyes after it reached the lawn. The grass wasn't tall enough to hide the snake. Where did it go? Did it go into a hole in the ground? Do snakes like in holes? I looked cautiously in the area where the snake disappeared, but didn't see holes. Maybe even big snakes can go into very small holes? A snake of that size!!!

A month or so ado--I saw a snake sunning in the corner bed where
I put all those rocks Rick gave me as edging.
I was tossing Plant Tone on my plants and the snake disappeared in a flash.
All I remember is that it had different stripes here and there...
It had a lot of beige--but I also saw lines of brown and yellow along the body.
Also (maybe) some touches of orange?? They were not head to tail lines--
just random colorations that went longitudinal.

I just decided it was a juvenile rat Snake, but now I know it does not fit the pattern.

A couple weeks ago--my Pakistani neighbor was calling me in distress....
I stepped up on my YUK bed to see above the fence. She had a snake of similar stripes
pinned down with her shovel,
I tried to tell her to let it go--that it was a young snake of some kind--but all she said
was "It tried to bite me"! I would not blame the snake if it did--as it was pinned down
with a shovel.
I am thinking it may have been the same snake I saw sunning in my bed.

I removed my self from this scenario of dealing with her panic across a 6' fence.

I tried to look up Snakes in MD and the closes I could come to the stripes and colors
were "Rainbow Snake" -- http://www.chesapeakebay.net/fieldguide/critter/rainbow_snake

Sorry--I do not have a picture. Any ideas?

G,

Poor snake, pinned with a shovel... I'm sure it would have disappeared in a hurry, given a chance.

Cool photos, thanks!

Muddy, your snake wouldn't be a cottonmouth in any event... they have sort of "blotchy" markings, and yours has evenly spaced straight stripes. I love David's explanation of how to see through the variations in coloring.

We were away over the weekend, so I'll have to keep an eye on the robin nest on the front porch, also check the wren nest, and see if we have babies to photograph!