What great joy watching the activities of 'my yard' nesters!
Kingfishers - have made a hole in gravel bank just40 yds from by garage
viewing area! Last 2 weeks was spent deciding and excavating. I haven't
quite figured out was is going on now but Sat. M and F entered hole. He
remained about 5-7 min. but she was inside for about 15. Then he arrived
back (always vocalizing) and alternately perched and circled in the vacinity
of hole. She went in alone. I have not been around to watch for a long
period since. Several years ago the same bank was excavated by a BEKI
couple. They appeared to incubate but never did pull off a family. Here's
hoping.
Phoebe - 3 mouths being feed daily. Expect to fledge soon.
House Wren - must be incubating.
Tree Swallows - looking (again) on Fri. When they stopped at box with wren,
they encounted a fiesty 'bulllet' propelled out of the hole who made
frantic pursuit. At this point I cleaned out the 'dummy' wren nest in
another nearby box, and that seemed to satisfy the new tenants. Sat and Sun
was steady transport of nesting material. Today - mating! She just sat on
a branch and he flew to and fro frantically mounting her at least 7xs.
Oriole - F just landed on fraying cloth strips that I have hung in front of
our windows to deter bird strikes - like 3 FEET from where I sit at
computer!!! calling, flying from one strip to another. This despite the
selection of yarn and cotton I have hung in a suet feeder nearby.
White breasted Nuthatch - they're in one of our nesting boxes!! A first
for us.
Chickdee - Incubating in another nest box
Song Sparrow - in our cedar bush near computer window - 3rd yr in a row.
To say nothing of the crows which have to have nested behind house judging
from frantic activity in area almost daily. I did once see them chasing a
red-tail from the area.
Also - atlasing today in Winhall we had 2 Black-billed Cuckoos fly over Rt
30. I have NEVER seen 2 birds at once. No calling heard. The best thing
was the lack of tent caterpillars ( and not many blackflies or mosquitoes -
yet!). They must be an altitudinal thing because they are dripping from
the tree and munching away here in the Rt 7A valley. YUOK!
Has anyone else see the Yellow-headed Backbirds?
Ruth Stewart
E. Dorset
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