Posted by banjo_robb on Sunday, June 21, 2009
Well, our bird friends had a successful rearing season, I am happy to say! The Eastern Phoebes had a clutch of 4 nestlings, which have since become fledglings. The parents & fledglings still hang around in our area; often you will see the parents 'leading' the babies from tree to tree, with encouraging vocalizations. These insect-eaters sure do help keep the bug population down! The nest remains on our wall, but no one inhabits it now. I wonder if Phoebes breed more than once in a year? Will need to research this...
The Black-capped Chickadees had a clutch of 2 babies, so far as I was able to see. And they seem to have fledged, for no one hangs by the birdhouse anymore.
It has been fascinating watching these young 'uns. Nature sure is the greatest show on earth, & the best part is that it is free!
8 comments on “Bird Watching..............Update”
Greg Connor Says:
Monday, June 22, 2009 @7:44:01 AM
We have had a great time watching the birds here in Minnesota too.
One Saturday in May, we had 12 Bald Eagles riding the wind currents above the house here.
I don't know that I have ever seen Eastern Poebes. Sounds like fun!
banjo_robb Says:
Monday, June 22, 2009 @7:57:22 AM
Wow Greg! Those eagles must have looked amazing! I've been watching several live eagle & falcon cameras online, & just enjoy it so! The Eastern Phoebes are small, & say "fee-bee" when they chirp. They also are notorious for their constant tail-twitching. Very cute birds!
fisher Says:
Monday, June 22, 2009 @11:15:31 AM
Hey Robbin,we've had a good spring for birds.Catbirds had a nest in the forsythia,next to the feeders.So they spent the last four weeks chashing the birds at the feeders,this kept them very busy,and the babies must have flown,cause theve moved on. Chickadees built a nest in the new bird house,they seemed to like that.Cardinals have now shown up with new fledglings. I saw my first pair ever of Scarlet Tanangers yesterday. They were in the peanut butter suet,what a beautiful bird!Pretty rare in these parts.
banjo_robb Says:
Monday, June 22, 2009 @4:37:25 PM
Scarlet tanagers are beautiful! I haven't seen one in many years! We had about 5 or 6 Pine Grosbeaks enjoying my strawberry patch the other day, but I haven't seen them since. Cardinals are my favorite, Fisher, but this year we only saw one, at the end of the winter.
dhwhite Says:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 @7:16:46 PM
Yes, eastern phoebes raise 2 broods a year and are monogamous. I had these nesting at my place when I lived in Georgia. Out here in New Mexico, we have Say's phoebes around the place. Many of the songbird species have declined drastically in recent years, due to habitat loss on the wintering grounds in Latin and South America.
take care, Don
banjo_robb Says:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 @10:15:09 PM
Hey Don,
Thanks so much for the Phoebe information! Guess what! Today ("yesterday") the Phoebe parents were back at the nest, hovering around it & checking it out! I had read a bit about the Phoebes online a few days ago & found out that they tend to be loyal to one nest, so I guess maybe they'll be raising a 2nd clutch of eggs soon. This is so exciting to watch!
Ronnie Says:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 @10:54:51 PM
We have Japanese Holliy and Barberry bushes around the house, which would appear to be inhospitable to any living creature, but that is where our brown thrashers prefer to nest. Was walking around my property a few weeks a o and a brown thrasher fledgling alit on my shoulder and seemed to enjoy a tour. These little guys seem to have no fear of man or anything else. After a few minutes, the fledgling decided to take a self guided tour and flew away into one of our trees.
banjo_robb Says:
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 @7:44:33 AM
That is so neat, Ronnie! You were a "Thrasher Escort" for awhile! LOL!
We do have thrashers in this area, but none nesting right by us. I'll keep a watch for them, though, since we do have some holly trees on our property as well.
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