A miserable wet day it is today, as have seen a few others just recently, but the feeding of the new arrivals to the world still has to go on. Our Bluebirds have not shirked from that duty, as can be seen from the picture, and some of those snacks for the kids have been quite substantial! Even though I have been quite actively working on some landscaping in the garden near to their nesting box, the parents have patiently waited for me to either be still, or well passed by where they are perching on an adjacent nesting box, en route to their destination. Once happy that I am not a threat, they fly straight into the nest to feed their young and then leave for more! The Bluebirds are not the only busy ones either, as their activity is similar to the busy little House Wrens in another nearby nesting box.
We had a Cedar Waxwing drop in for a few minutes the other day on it’s way to somewhere else, but not on our patch! Our Robins seem to be behaving themselves and not attacking our house and car windows now as they, or one of them, was wont to do! However, a couple of friends have told me stories of having to assist their Robins by either shoring up their new nests with a bit of wood to prevent them from falling, or, as in one case, to prevent the nesting material from dropping down into the exhaust fan compartment where it had been placed by the birds. For quite a sizeable garden bird, the Robins don’t seem to have much “Know How”, when it comes to actually placing a nest, although they are usually always very well made, when they do get it right!
The Goldfinches and House Finches are displaying their wonderfully bright yellow and red colours as they flit amongst the pine trees, whose lovely green shows up their colours even moreso. Of course our Little Hummingbird is also a “frequenter” of a lofty pine tree perch and is also busy at our feeder, as are our Woodpeckers, Chickadees, and Nuthatches, and even a Chipping Sparrow. I hope that you are all enjoying the bright colours of your garden birds too, despite their sometimes wet and bedraggled appearances, as they cope with some of the more prolific downpours, whilst, hopefully, you are able to watch them from some form of dry observation point. Whatever way you do, make sure that you enjoy and remain safe and well.
Cheers,
John Baldwin
