Update on the phoebe nest

phoebe egg 2013

Phoebe began to build a nest. Mon., May 9th [I tried to fix a mistake], there was one cold egg in the nest. I took it out, as it seemed strange. Turns out it was a cowbird egg, with a phoebe egg underneath. Phoebe eggs are cream-coloured.

From All About Birds

Cowbirds lay eggs in the nests of other birds, abandoning their young to foster parents, usually at the expense of at least some of the host’s own aggressive chicks. 

The phoebe fooled the cowbird. It is dead and cold. She must have scared them off.

Here is the good news: they are setting up a new nest. It is just out the back door, where I installed a shelf for this purpose.  

They abandoned nest #1. This is Phoebe nest 2.0 and I cannot do any work out the back door!
Phoebe nest 2.0 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Frost warning last night - poor plants

violets and JOS

White trillium

Magnolia has yet to bloom.
Last year Maggie bloomed by May 18.

new bug!

Phoebe has laid 3 eggs, now!

cherry blossoms

Cherry tree -
hope it survives tonight's frost.

Daisy up a tree

Buster up a tree

Another glorious day in the wetland

We did walkies, despite the cool temperatures, and the hordes of mosquitoes. I inhaled a couple, they were so bad.
Dear old Daisy jumped on my back while I was examining critters in the pond. Sitting there, she began swatting at the mosquitoes around my head! Unfortunately, she jumped onto my back later whilst I was hunched over about 3' into the swamp. If I stood up she'd fall into the bog. I had to balance my net, camera, then grab her from behind before standing. What a cat!

Cherry tree looks beautiful.
Check out Buster in the branches...

Meantime, the first lilac buds are open. Buster is checking out chickadees in the cherry tree. Last year the drought killed off most of the cherries.
Buster and Dorah were busy, and couldn't take a walk with us. He appeared when we returned from the wetland.

Daisy and I found a new wetland water bug

White violets, bleeding heart
in the rock garden

Daisy insists she can
help phoebe in the shed.

Phoebe in the shed has laid one egg!

weird little swimming bug with legs

Another plant: poison ivy!
You can see the groupings of 3 leaves,
all along the long vine.

She is a good swatter!

poisonous Marsh Marigold

  

garden Iris in bloom!

Buster & Daisy

What a pair!