Eastern Bluebirds and their young

Dear Diary,

I have missed writing! Now that the month of May-hem is over, perhaps life can resume to its normal trials and tribulations instead of piling more on one day after the next! Now that the well is back in working order (for the second time, due to the cable shorting out...unrelated to the work done the first time), and attempts to catch up are gradually succeeding, I can get back to writing in our diary.

 

First, an apology to my husband…for being a jinx! On May 10^th, I mentioned in my last “normal post” about deer in our area and being careful while driving; on May 28^th, he hit a deer! Correction, a deer hit him. He is always very cautious but this was an example that sometimes it doesn’t matter. As he was driving home from just a few miles away, he was driving past the guardrail by the river when he became conscious of something in the side mirror; in that split second, a deer hit the left headlight/turn signal and then David heard a second thud beside him (which was the driver's door being dented!). The deer was apparently in the deep bank and lunged for the road; being impossible to see since David had actually already driven past him until he saw him as it struck the vehicle. 

David feared it may be hurt and suffering, so went back and saw the deer scramble to its feet and leap into the woods. Pfffft, not even any venison to reward us after that nonsense! As it turned out, after the deer hit the front, he must have been spun around and he hit the driver’s side door and David was unable to open the door. He had to crawl into the passenger side and crawl over….which is very tricky with his recovering shoulder. 

So, actually, I owe my husband two apologies…the second apology being that when he off-handedly mentioned driving down to the river as the light of day was fading, I laughingly said, “after the May we’ve had, I wouldn’t”. I should have known better! Jinx!

 

But all was not doom and gloom during the merry month of May. One of our favorite things, bird-watching, was rewarded last month with our Eastern Bluebirds. The bluebird parents were very busy as they both perched in various areas throughout the yard to catch insects in order to feed their young. One would perch on a nearby tree while another would perch on a wire farther down the property, swoop down and fly to the nest to feed; once done the other would fly to the nest and feed as well. A great example of teamwork!

 

 

They would then change positions, sometimes also on top of the flagpole and at times in other trees, ever watchful for insects to catch. This would go on for hours, every day, in the mornings and evenings. It was difficult to keep track of them and their seemingly endless hunting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As each would catch food, they would fly over to the nest and stick their heads in to feed the young awaiting their next morsel eagerly.

 

Then we were able to see the young peeking out of the nest! What a shock it must be for the young ones to look out of their small wooden box to see the big wide world out there!

  

 

The parents would still do their cycle of watching, swooping, grabbing, and flying to the nest to feed their young. It was an amazing thing to see and I am so glad the bluebirds decided to nest in a tree we could see easily from our front deck.

Wait...don't go...I'm still hungry!

 

 

 



A week or so ago, the bluebird parents began flying around together from tree to tree, chattering between themselves often. Fledglings remain dependent on their parents for about a month, so we hoped we would have time to see it/them. We kept watch on the nest but could see no young looking out, so we are assuming the fledglings were being taught by their parents on how to be an Eastern Bluebird. As hard as we tried, we could not see it/them even though they were bound to be nearby and still talking with each other often, discussing their young.

 

Until a few days ago that is! Around 8:30, David saw the bluebirds flying about and I joined him on the deck. The two bluebirds were showing the young’un the ropes and it was so adorable. One of them was on top of the flagpole, when I saw the young’un fly from the tree and fly toward the flagpole. It suddenly seemed unsure how to land with another bird there, so it flew past and then became confused of where to go next! It floundered during flight for a bit but then swooped up to the roof to get its bearings. The parent flew off toward the cypress tree and the young followed. It was such a joy to see them out and about, ready to begin another cycle of life.

 

We wish our lovely new family the very best!

We haven’t seen much of our hummingbird charm of late…since there is an abundance of honeysuckle (our air is redolent of it!) and other tasty items we’re hoping they are merely taking advantage of their availability. I did see one come to the feeder last night for a brief sip. We didn’t want to use our tap water since it still tasted of the chlorination treatment required when the well was repaired, and used rain water. We then considered what if they don’t like rain water either? David tested by changing one of them to bottled water and within minutes, a hummingbird flew to it and drank. I've been seeing more visits to the feeder, so I guess that settles that! It’s amazing that they can tell without actually tasting it, even if the water is boiled. 

Until next time....

 

 

Well woes, a deep subject!

We recently had some well problems and while "a well, that's a deep subject!" is an old corny joke, I wanted to mention it here since the subject is an important one, and common living in the country. We were into the 3^rd day without water before we got water back, and it’s vital that we have a backup plan in the event something like this occurs. Life in the country is idyllic, but the reality is when you live in a remote area you must be aware of survival threats and prepare for problems big and small.

We had already taken action toward water storage, and fortunately we had had a substantial enough rain to fill our containers. This made it easy for us to at least use the “facilities” in the house by filling up the tanks after flushing. David drove to Golconda and purchased plenty of bottled water. Meals were either cold (and simple so dirty dishes at a minimum) or timed with going into town and having a bite to eat at one of our local eateries. Bathing was…rustic. Grab a sponge, soap and a bucket of water and do your best. I discovered it can be rather refreshing standing out on the deck in all my glory in the brisk night air. I gave silent thanks that everyone seemed to be tucked in their beds at the time…or at least on other roads. Not that anyone could have seen anything…but it’s funny how vulnerable one can feel and how a heard-too-many-stories feeling of eyes staring at you begins creeping upon your thoughts. Especially since those eyes, were they there, would more than likely belong to a coyote, owl, raccoon, deer....you get the idea.

 We were aware of some water problems lurking shortly before…pressure had seemed to drop in the taps. For quite some time since moving here and hooking up the washing machine, there were some mysterious bits blocking the washer hose occasionally, and that had occurred again. While trying to isolate the problem, we found ourselves without water. Period.

 Now, David fits in quite well in a remote environment. He’s very logical and handy with mechanical whatnots and can normally repair whatever decides to break down. I knew he would figure out what the source of the problem was. He did reason it all out and found out that unfortunately this was a time to call in the professionals! The well service came out the next morning, investigated and discussed the situation with David and then said he could come out the next day to fix the well (since he also needed his son to complete the project). David had thought he would need special equipment to remove the failed pump, and when the well service came by the following morning, we had to chuckle since it’s doubtful we would ever have this type of equipment around, or ever be able to afford it!

 

 

We were both very impressed with the well service, and will mention their names here since it’s a positive review! Horman Pump and Well Service from the Metropolis area is a father and son business, and they were prompt and professional. The contraption required to complete the job was quite a beast! The mysterious “bits blocking the washer hose” was also solved; the cheap pump that had been installed previously had a plastic propeller that was gradually being chewed up and was grinding itself away, and of course going into the various hoses and pipes. The unit wasn’t that old but unfortunately by trying to save a few bucks an inferior product was used by a previous owner, so we were glad to be rid of it!

They had to do pretty much everything to put in a well except bore the hole and it was painstaking work; it was quite a job that took around 4 – 5 hours. I’m glad the weather was great that day!

 

So we are glad that we have all new equipment inside and outside the well; the "big blue tank" was fine so it was left intact. Mr. Horman stated our water was great (which we already knew but were glad to hear!) but of course he did treat the water to avert any problems of contamination since the well was exposed.

 

Situations like this really get you thinking…what if it had been worse, which it easily could have been. Had we not had that rain beforehand, there were other contingency plans but it would have made our situation that much more difficult, especially with David's shoulder still undergoing physical therapy from his surgery.

 

We take many things for granted and that can be dangerous, especially in the country. How spoiled we are, how long ago was it that they had to walk and get water from nearby creeks? Turning on the faucet and hearing the air blow through followed by water gushing out couldn't have thrilled me more if it had been oil! I’m glad we had already realized the need to “hoard” water, although we need to ensure we continue to broaden our knowledge and take more steps for emergencies.

 

All is well (no pun intended) again, and it's a beautiful day! Much to get on with (catching up with laundry is one!) so will leave my diary entry as is. Tomorrow's subject will be much more fun...the bluebirds caring for their young!

 

Until next time...

Internet...ack!

'Tis true, our internet went back down again on May 11th and just NOW am back up and running. What an experience that I won't bore you with, but just an fyi that will be back posting soon.

The Eastern Bluebirds have been feeding their young so we can hopefully get some great photos!

Back up to do some catching up!

The elusive Summer Tanager

I *think* I saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak at our feeder over the past few days. They are a migratory bird here so hopefully will be able to snag some photos of it before it's too late. It's so colorful around here!

Another elusive bird that likes to tease us is (possibly) a Summer Tanager, a breeding visitor to our area. David attempted to snap a photo the other day, but the little scamp was nearly out of the bottom frame, but he does resemble the photos from last year (see below):

Last year around May 29th, David was able to get these photos in one of our nearby trees; it certainly fits the Summer Tanager's description. They are 6 - 7 1/2" in length with a yellowish bill; male red; female yellowish green above, yellow below. They enjoy woodlands; in uplands, drier forests of oak, hickory, or pine.

An American Goldfinch is finding its way to one of the new hanging feeders we put up:

 

 An Eastern Bluebird is resting in the nearby Bald Cypress; the bluebird pair have been building a nest in a box we have attached to the trunk. (note: Sadly, we saw an egg that resembles that of a bluebird on the ground today. We admittedly considered attempting to incubate and hatch it, but after reading about the unlikelihood that it is still viable, and the even more unlikely result of providing the correct temperature and its other needs before and after hatching, we had to accept reality.)

A male Cardinal relaxing:

Our Eastern Kingbird is still hanging around our property. Breeding visitors here (they spend their winters in South American forests), they are 7 - 9" in length and are blackish above, white below; dark tail with prominent white band at tip; flies with stiff, shallow wingbeats from a high perch. They enjoy forest edges; woodlands and open areas with some tall trees.

 

Certainly not faint of heart, they are fearless in defense of their territory. It will attack flying from above, pecking and pulling out feathers and may even land on the intruder.

 

Reggie, the Red-headed Woodpecker (and new member of our family) chilling out:

 Our Eastern Phoebe was having quite a preen! They can sure contort themselves:

It's difficult to believe I have written as many posts over the past couple of weeks and have yet to talk about....deer!!! Pope County being the Deer Capital of Illinois, they are definitely abundant around here. While they are seen more around dusk, one must always be alert for them. They are difficult to see at the best of times and can jump out into the road (and in front of you!) very quickly. They're also known to stop just after coming in to the road...the saying "like a deer caught in headlights" was started for a reason!

 

We've seen this young deer alone quite suddenly, however, when it was with about six others recently. It seems fine and healthy, but we haven't seen the others about for a little while.

 

Until next time....