From Left Field

A Proud Visitor

Look who showed up today with "the ladies". It's strutting season and delight to witness. Sorry that the photo quality isn't the best; I took out the window of the front door. Lucy became interested in what I was doing, observed the display and promptly started barking at what she considered a threat. If this guy's display works as well on his own species, he's going to sire plenty of young turkeys this year!

Spring Garden Plans

I realized today that I haven't posted much of anything about our garden and its development. So, here's a recap of what's happened since last year.

While the project to dig out the garage area was going on, I dug around the garage to create an area for a perennial garden. Designing the garden from scratch was way too daunting for me, so I turned to a trusty source; a copy of The Victory Garden that we had kicking around the cottage. In it, he laid out a design for a perennial garden that measured the same size as the two sunny sides of the garage area. He said that he planted that exact garden by going to garden nurseries and picking up plants commonly sold there. In reading the list of plants, I found it hard to believe that I'd find all of them at one of my local nurseries. Also, I figured that the cost of the garden would be prohibitive if I were to buy grown plants. So, I decided to start the entire garden by seed, shunning the option of buying plants altogether.

This decision naturally lead me to find a seed-starting system. I bought one from Gardener's Supply, complete with an adjustable-height light fixture, special grow lights, seed trays with lids and self-watering tray. The initial cost of this system was probably close to 75% of the cost of the garden, but I now have a grow system that I can use year-round and produce quality flowers and vegetables for a fraction of the price of buying them as maturing plants.

I ordered most of my seeds from Stokes and some from Burpee. I also had some kicking around that I bought for cheap last fall at Bloomingfoods.

Paul and I planted 5 trays worth of seeds on Feb 15th. All but impatiens have sprouted. Here's the list of plants that we have started. Myosotis (Alpestris Blue Ball), Achillea (Yarrow--Cloth of Gold), Dianthus (Cheddar Rose), Monarda (Bee Balm), Lupins (Russell Hybrids), Scabiosa, Snapdragon, Blanket Flower, Echinacea (Coneflower), Desert Bluebells, Four O'Clock Marvel of Peru, Delphinium (Blue Jay), Aster (Wartburg Star), Chrysanthemum (Crazy Daisy), Geum (Mrs. Bradshaw), Heuchere (Coral Bells), Hollyhock, Coreopsis, Balloon Flower, Strawberry.

As far as other garden projects are concerned, we made some recent progress. We bought a really nice composter that I will fill this week with leaves and kitchen scraps. We bought a mold that we can use to create walkways and patios simply by filling it with cement (we bought a plastic-canister cement mixer as well). We're planning on making a walkway from the garage to the laundry room door. Also, we bought hinges that we will use to create a raised bed vegetable garden. Since my seed trays are occupied by perennials, we'll have to plant the vegetables from seed soon. Next year hopefully I'll have some room in the seed trays to plant vegetable seeds. Daffodils that I planted last fall have nearly bloomed. They provide constant encouragement for me as they are next to the laundry room door--a door I use about 10 times a day.

More News from the Nest

Just like last year, Mama has stopped laying eggs with the total at five. I believe that they are incubating them now nearly constantly. In about two weeks, if all goes well, they will hatch. Unless I see invasive activity from other birds or box damage from predators, I'm going to stop peeking into the nest and let the blues do their thing. Hopefully when I check the box on April 11th I'll be greeted by some hatchlings.

Eggs! (not the Easter variety)

I checked the box and the egg total is up to four. I took Lucy out last night around 11:30 and realized that she sometimes sniffs around and does her business very close to the nest box. Plus, there's always me saying imploringly "make your wee, Lu!" and giving ample verbal praise after the deed is done. I assume that Mama is sitting on the nest at night because it's still dipping into the upper 30's at night. Those eggs won't make it unless she does. So now I'm going to start worrying that we'll scare Mama from her nest. Perhaps I can develop a way of communicating telepathically with the dog....

News from the Nest

I checked the Bluebird nest box today and found 3 eggs nestled inside. I really like this new box because it's well-constructed with good wood, ventilation and roof overhand. However, it has a serious design flaw: you can't open the box and view inside the nest cup. Because the box is fairly narrow and deep, the Bluebirds have constructed a tall nest so that they can easily feed the future birds. But because the door that opens swings from the top, it's not possible to look down into the nest. If only I could open the roof! Therefore, I checked the nest contents with my fingers. I don't know what I'll do when there are birds in the nest. But that's a bridge to cross later; right now I'll hold onto my excitement about the eggs.

Eagle Cam

I'm happy to report that I found a webcam (Eagles Online) of an Bald Eagle nest. I know that I'll be checking it out regularly.

Bird Cams

We're at the cusp of a favorite time of year for birders: mating season. I think of it a "Little Ones Season". To help us enjoy this time of year, especially there are plenty of webcams out there peeking into various nests of birds. Here's a short list of good ones focused on Peregrine Falcons. I'll post others as I become aware of them.

Kodak Birdcam
This is a terrific cam site. It hails from Kodah Headquarters in lovely Rochester, NY. The cam takes shots every couple of minutes of a nesting pair of Peregrines. There is a 4-camera view as well as links to last year's highlights and information about the birds.

Buffalo Audubon Society
Moving a bit westward, we arrive in Buffalo, NY where another pair of Peregrines are nesting.

Cleveland Falcon Cam
Continuing on our westward journey, we find more Peregrines roosting, this time in lovely Cleveland, OH. Terminal Tower is the most unidentifiable of the tall buildings of the Cleveland skyline and it seems that the Peregrines appreciate this architectural gem as well. When I see Terminal Tower I think about a trip I took from The College of Wooster with two friends to buy fake IDs to use on Spring Break (we were 20). I later had said ID confiscated at a bar in Columbus (another road trip from Wooster).

The Birdhouse Network
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a terrific resource for birder lovers. They sponsor this site that currently has cams for Barn Owls, Osprey, and Eastern Bluebird nests.

Hawk Walk

Ben the Dog has been here since Sunday afternoon. I've been taking him and Lucy on the Clear Creek Trail this week. Every day is a new adventure. Lucy freezes when she sees someone approaching, therefore the whole pack must wait. Ben must sniff everything. Ben must wee on most things, including Lucy's head when she's not fast enough to get out of the way of the stream. On the whole, it's been a lot of fun for all three of us. Lucy has taken a bit of a shine to Ben and I think that he's tolerating her much better now.

Today we were "joined" on the path by two Red-Tailed Hawks. I heard them before I saw them. One flew off, but the other remained in a tree limb watching for small rodents in a nearby field. They are gorgeous birds. They look a lot like Cooper's Hawks, but are larger and have that distinctive red tail. Paul and I happened across one last week while coming down our little road to our house. She was sitting on a fence post eating what looked like a field mouse.

Great Hummingbird Nest Photolog

This website was an offtopic post on Bluebird-L. For all of you who haven't seen a hummingbird nest and nestlings, this provides a wonderful glimpse. Spoiled am I for I have actually seen and feed baby hummers in their nests. If you need inspiration to volunteer at your local rehab center, look no farther!

P.S. If anyone wants to buy me the camera that took those photos, I'm not going to object.

The House of Blues 2005

We put another bluebird house in the yard during a time in the winter when the ground wasn't frozen. Papa Blue found it almost immediately and put a few claim sticks inside. Now we see both Mama and Papa near the nest every morning. It is situated near a row of pines and under the electric wire from which they love to hawk insects in the yard. It is within sight of last year's house, but not close enough to engender a turf battle. We're using last year's box as a decoy box for House Sparrows.

Today I checked the box and to my delight I saw nesting material in there that looked like a enough for a complete nest. The box is higher than the other one, so without a step-stool, I can't see down into the box. I'm sure that there aren't any eggs yet; the nights are still far too cold for egg laying, but in the next few weeks, I'm confident that the couple will be directing their attentions to getting a family started. I'll have to check my entries from last year to determine when the first nest was started and when the first eggs were laid, but off-hand I think that they are about one month early this year. I suppose that the familiarity of the birds, the appropriate house location and the plentiful supply of bluebird banquet and mealworms have all contributed to this early start.

I've placed three order for mealworms from a company called Reptilefood.com. I've been very happy with their product, price and customer service. Plus, if you use this special link, they donate 5% to the purchase cost to the Purple Martin Conservation Society.

Yard Bird Activity

It's been awhile since I've posted anything about the birds around here, so here's an update.

Our new birds of the year are:

Cooper's Hawk
Eastern ("Red") Fox Sparrow

The Fox Sparrow is special because they are already uncommon and their numbers are in decline. They summer up in Canada and we're on their nothernest edge for winter, so either he's been here all winter or is traveling north. I'm not as thrilled about having a Cooper's around since they are song bird predators and I've seen it snatch a Dark-Eyed Junco and a male Cardinal. While walking in the wooded ravine across from our house, I saw a large patch of feathers that I think were once a Blue Jay. I know that it's all a part of a large ecosystem, but I worry about my bluebirds. I can't imagine the sorrow I would feel if I saw Papa Blue in the talons of that Cooper's Hawk! Now, if they developed a particular fondness for House Sparrow and European Starlings I'd do everything in my power to see their numbers increase.

But so far, the bluebirds have been doing really well. All winter we've been feeding Bluebird Banquet and mealworms in a wonderful feeder that I received as a wedding shower gift. Other birds eat it as well, but the bluebirds manage to get the lion's share. Happily, they have claimed the new bluebird box that is in the yard. The House Sparrows have claimed the other one, so for now, I choose to leave that up as a decoy. My plan is to capture the male once he's made a nest in there and has a regular routine of being in the box. I WILL NOT tolerate a House Sparrow nest on my property!!

American Robins have returned although the snow flurries outside must not be the most welcoming sign for them. Seems that they've arrived a couple of weeks too soon. This March we're having weather that we should have had in January. My daffodils are equally baffled by this recent plummet of temps. Ah, global warming, isn't it just swell?

There has been one good aspect of the milder temps this winter, however. The suet cages haven't been completely occupied by those bastard European Starlings. I've had to out-maneuver them on occasion by removing them entirely for a couple of hours, but compared to last year, my efforts have been minimal.

Recently, I've noticed a large flock of Grackles who enjoy poking around in the yard, searching for grubs and eating the corn we put out for the Wild Turkeys. With them is a lone Red-Winged Blackbird. It's the funniest sight; seeing this oddball out there.

Oh, and right now as I type, a (I'm guessing male) Carolina Wren is chirping his heart out on the deck railing near the feeder. Apparently he doesn't want to be left off the list of visitors. So, yes, we still see Carolina Wrens, two at a time even, which is an encouraging sight. I just love those little birds and having taken care of one last summer I know how fragile that species is. I root for the Wrens and the Bluebirds the most.

If you're interested in providing food for the non-seed-eaters during the winter months when insects are gone, I suggest making up some Bluebird Banquet. I highly suggest adding ground eggshells which provide very needed nutrients that will help them maintain healthy bone density and produce healthier eggs. Wrens, Bluebirds, Nuthatches, Song Sparrows, Woodpeckers will really appreciate it, as will seed-eaters such as Cardinals, Juncos, Tufted Titmice, and Chickadees.

The Wild Turkeys show up nearly on a daily basis. There are two large groups of them who will engage in turf battles if they are here at the same time. There seems to also be a splinter group of a few young birds who tend to show up first to the corn. I think that they are the younger turkeys who are at the bottom of the pecking order grabbing what they can before having to share with their elders.

I've noticed that the birds are definitely taking on their mating plumage. Red feathers are really starting to stand out and Papa Blue looks really blue again. I'm definitely looking forward to spring and the new life that it provides.

Baseball is Back

Oh, yes, it's that time of year again: baseball preseason is in full gear. The Indians are about to play the Astros in their first game of the preseason. I have the feed coming through the wires and I'm as excited as a kid on the last day of school. Last year I cried when I saw my team take the field. This year, undoubtedly I will again, because I feel close to doing so now and all I've heard so far is Tom Hamilton's voice.

As an intelligent, progressive woman, I sometimes puzzle over the incredible depth of feeling that I have for my team, and for baseball in general. There are many aspects of the game that I don't care for. But the feeling that baseball elicits in me is truly unique and I love it in a way that is hard to describe. There is something incredibly beautiful about baseball. It is an artful game, full of complexities and difficulty, striving and failure, grass and sky.