House Wren action!

July 13th I decided I should clear it out. This is the super duper Bluebird nesting box, with two sides that open up. It is a clever design. We've not had bluebirds, though! 

The House Wrens began renovations in June, stuffing it with sticks. You can see what it looked like full of sticks. This prevents other, bigger birds from invading. This side opens for viewing, the other side doesn't have the divider and is great for easy cleaning.

This is what was in the nest. I did some cleaning out, after researching it. I thought it best to clean it out. There were moths, droppings, and debris. Often our wood duck nest boxes have buggy invaders. They suggest washing them out with soap and water or a hose,  but that'll require a bucket. Maybe today! 

There was one egg left. 

OK, back to the action. As I sat on my deck, I can hear the twitters and trills of the House Wrens. It is lovely. June 18th we were anticipating the gutter replacement, the birds having done some nice renos to the green nesting box, decided to abandon it. I don't blame them. It was quite noisy. You can see a couple of sticks poking out. They stuff it to stop bigger birds from getting in. 

July 13th, I noticed the absence of sticks, they'd been moved. (Nice new eavestrough, though!) They've been at it. I don't know, I wonder if it is the same pair or another one?  

The action was fun to watch. Teeny birds, and big sticks!

House wren nest building from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

This is nest building in nest box #2. It is fascinating, and hard work.

house wren nest #2 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Just after I cleaned the nest, I spotted a pair of brown-crested flycatchers on top of the box.  

Brown-crested flycatcher from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

  A sparrow was having a bath in the water fountain. It's a popular spot for birds. I had an oriole there📹 last week. Also, a male rose-breasted grosbeak📹. I saw the robin chase away the female grosbeak, too.

sparrow from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Saturday's Critters # 448 <= if you like critters! Thanks to Eileen for hosting.

Flora and fauna tails

Spring is joyful. The birds are singing, the birds are nesting, and all is well with them. It is a small mercy. There are five phoebe eggs!

We had a big storm roll in. We had 20 mm (25 mm = 1")!

The videocamera just gives a hint of the beauty of the night.

You have to picture this. He was snuggled into the plant. Sitting beautifully, when I held up the camera...

These were originally created for Canada's 150th, in 2017. They came up the second year with yellow. 

These are from a newer hybrid, I think.

Caitlin visited me on Mother's Day and brought me the hanging basket on the right (below). It's tradition. We sat on the front deck, and she wore a mask. JB has a cancer treatment this week. 

 Also tradition, the cherry tomatoes in a basket (below, left). I transplanted it to the larger basket. JB can reach up and throw some in his lunch!

Lilacs are blooming. Can you smell them?!

Poor phoebe. The other birds keep wanting to check out the nesting box. I saw a robin, and just the day before a starling trying to get in.

Starling & House Wren from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Too late! They are filling it up.  The hole is way too small for them, but the starling sat on top, ticking them off.

The eavestrough empties into the water barrel, and into the goldfish pond. It will drain down some today. The goldfish were quite excited.

The mosquitoes are really awful. JB has to cover up during his walks. Today, he'll walk in town. It is ridiculous. I put on a bug jacket. I took Cinnamon walkies.

The invasive Spongy Moth caterpillars have hatched out. I found a couple on the back deck. That, and the mosquitoes sent me indoors. We've always been able to sit out there. In a normal year, the bugs avoid the sunny deck. Not this year! I was most perturbed.

Spongy moth caterpillars have hatched... 

 

LDD Moth Caterpillar from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.