Phoebe, robins and ONStorm

 🐣 Critters

🐣PHOEBE –  Phoebes have hatched May 28th. It looks like all 5 of them! They should fledge June 11th. 

The first 🐣ROBIN was here as of Feb. 1st, in the snow and cold! They've nested and hatched: May 14. The robins fledged on Sunday, May 29, having hatched exactly 13 days ago. No eggs remained, I assume they hatched 3/3 eggs. 

I anxiously await the Wood Ducks hatching. I did a quick check on them. May 29. 

🍃 Invasive Spongy Moths🐛 <= my data!

We had a helicopter go over the nearby lake. It is always a bit creepy since I associate them with emergencies. I asked on Facebook, and they are spraying BTK on the caterpillars. I hope all our butterflies and caterpillars are safe here. They were up about an hour. Our LDD Spongy Moth caterpillars have mostly died off. After a couple of years they get hit by a naturally occuring virus.

helicopter from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Public notices describe BTK as harmless to people, and non-toxic to insects, birds, fish, mammals, and adult moths and butterflies. However, this is misleading. BTK is not species-specific and, if consumed, will result in mortality of any butterfly or moth larvae at the time it is sprayed. BTK has been sprayed in several extremely rare Ontario habitats, such as oak savannah, oak woodland and tall grass prairie — which means it can also negatively affect many rare moths and butterflies that use these habitats.

I was quite happy to be able to sit on our back deck in the 31 C. weather. There were flies, but no mosquitoes or blackflies. I've been using Skin-so-soft when I go out to do the lawn. That certainly helps.  My left arm is covered in several blackfly bites, oozing little hives. Unlike mosquitoes, they land and immediately dig in. You just don't feel them.

There are ~5600 households with Ottawa Hydro still without power lo these 10 days. Some homes need to have individual repairs, as their neighbours are up, but they have household damage. What a mess it is. Ontario Hydro has about 7100 left to get reattached.

Robins and other birdies 🐦

I'm back to bird watching. There are hints of spring. The goldfinches are showing a tinge of yellow. Their antics are fun. I put the zoom lens on the tripod, and set it up in the bay window. Nice, warm bird watching! I prefocused and just have to push the button. 

I love capturing them on the fly. There are several who photobomb, as well! Can you spot them?

 

The birdbath is popular! Our robin (I think there is only one) is a heavy drinker! The mourning doves watch it carefully.

The mourning doves had a debate:

            "What do you think, dear? Should we join them in the tree?"

        "They look pretty cozy!"

        "Well, I'm going!"

        "OK, see you soon. I'm still thirsty!"

Thirst satisfied, off it went to join its partner. 

The mourning doves have it right. Snuggle in the shelter of the evergreens.

🐦Robins

I don't know if it is a him or her, but the robin has been visiting daily. It's fun to see. It's overwintered, and it isn't a sign of spring, to be honest. The flock of starlings I spotted were hopeful.

 

For more critters, visit: Saturday's Critters # 425. Thanks to Eileen for hosting us in one big critter family!

Drought and baby birds

Water levels are bad, here in South eastern Ontario. We've not had much water for 3 months. The year 2016 was the worst. The watershed conditions do not look good this year.

We drove into Ottawa Thursday, to take a baby robin into the Bird wild life. I popped it into a fake nest I'd bought years ago.  

This is where we found it. In the sun, out in the open, on the dry, crackly grass.

This is who lurks in the night.

Coyote from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Baby Robin from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Ottawa Valley Bird Care Centre on Moodie Dr. , 70 km and an hour later.

We made it home, after lunch with the kids, who are in our bubble. I had a suspicion, and wandered out into the backyard, where I'd found baby robin #1. Sure enough, a screaming baby robin #2. Something had gotten to the nest, I assumed.

It looked helpless, sitting there in the dried grass and in the sun. We've weasels, coyotes, aggressive blue jays, wandering around the yard. Never, in all my time outdoors, have I seen such young birds on the ground. They get their flight wings, and momma and papa follow them around.  The young ones have speckles on their red breasts.

We just couldn't face another trip into the city twice in one day. I sent JB out to get pablum and eggs. That's what we fed Batman Not Robin, back in the day, on the advice from the same bird rescue peeps. It didn't work very well.  Cat food (you know, stuff from the vet @$2.68 per can), is what I fed it. We weren't about to go into the city again. It was starving.

We've seen robins and robin's nests over the years. They are demanding babies.

The saga of Batman (not Robin)- feed me, I'm yours!

These are archived photos of Batman. It was blind in one eye.

I'd tried pablum and egg yolk, but had troubles. 

Off we drove to the bird centre.

Arriving at the Centre, I took the wee one in. I was shocked. The technician told me that I should not have done so. That Momma would be around feeding it, and I should have watched it for 2 hours. She said that it wasn't too young to be out of the nest. I felt as if she slapped my face. It was the centre that told me to feed this to Batman, all those years ago (2011). Batman did well on it. Well, we arrived home and put our feet up. At least we know they aren't dead. 

For more critters:

Saturday's Critters #341

To the dump, to the dump

I read a newspaper article: Perth landfill sees triple the number of visits during quarantine period

...on a normal day, there would be between 45 and 60 visits a day to the landfill. But during this coronavirus pandemic, he is seeing about 190 visits a day.

I think we'll be in that category! I cleaned old pots out of the shed. This is my progress.

JB was going into town for the new hummingbird feeder, and saw a truck with ads on it. This man takes stuff to the dump. I've cleaned the garage, swept out the bird seed.  It took me awhile, as I needed breaks. Happily, JB swept up and collected my mess outside the garage.

The umbrella stand in the corner was busted. It's in the dump pile. I found a new one, by putting the garage garden tools in an empty garbage can. Then used this stand the previous house owner made. (He's a carpenter.) I painted it with leftover stain, and swept out the corner. The orchid cactus looks good there!

Honeysuckle are in bloom.

Later, in August, this will happen!

I like honeysuckle. We have been watching some BBC shows, Foyle's War was one. Honeysuckle Weeks, a British actor, often acts in them. She was named for the honeysuckle that was blooming when she was first born.

JB helped me put up my new flags. I've had trouble with my blister on my instep. I can't wear any of my shoes! My boots worked, though. And a thick bandage. The heart flag is made of flags from around the world, with the word PEACE in the centre.

Traffic incidents are increasing, as people begin to move about.

I wondered about this critter, then realized that it's a raccoon missing part of its tail.

Butch from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Just for fun, spring nesting season is just begun and the trailcam captured robins getting frisky!

robins from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

We interrupt this regular news broadcast...

Spring is going to be early this year.
Wed., March 9th I spotted my first red-winged blackbird of the season, and I saw as well as heard the song of our Eastern Phoebe! It is way too early.
The American Robins never did leave. It is a strange year.
Then, I spotted a brown creeper. It is so early for all of them!
In London, Ontario, they've heard spring peepers!
I need a handyman. A tall one, to fix a hole in the attic. The bat house was intended to cover up a previous hole. Those woodpeckers are stubborn. Dorah heard mice in the wall the other day. It's going to be a busy year!

March 6th, 2016

I saw my first brown creeper: Sunday, March 6th. I was photographing into the sunshine, but it was clearly going UP the tree. Nuthatches go down.

April 3, 2014

This one, on the right, was from an April walk.
My video was 11 months ago, so it is an early bird! Buster and I spotted one on a walk on a warm day.
 
Brown creeper from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.