Brown Thrasher and other breeding visitors update

Whoa…in the 90s today and tomorrow, with low temperatures only in the 70s. There’s a slight breeze so it isn’t too awful (in the shade), but it’s a good opportunity to hole up in the house with the A/C going…it needs to be tested anyway. Haha

 Yesterday I mentioned two breeding visitors to our area, the Barn Swallow and Cliff Swallow, and today I will discuss yet another, the Brown Thrasher. David was successful recently in snapping some photos so I want to share them with you. He spotted a young thrasher on a branch...

 ...soon joined by a parent, who promptly plopped a mulberry into its mouth.

 Never too young to start good hygiene...

 I'm sure spreading those wings will feel more natural quickly!

The Brown Thrasher is 9 ½ - 11” in length and have a long tail; bright reddish-brown above; two white wingbars; white below, streaked with brown. Their habitat includes open brushy areas, forest edges, hedgerows, thickets, suburbs, parks.

The thrasher, similar to the Mockingbird, is a member of the family Mimidae, or mimic thrushes (the name thrasher derives from the word thrush). A characteristic of this group is the imitation is sounds. The bird is usually seen singing from a high perch out in the open.

Another breeding visitor is the Eastern Kingbird, also pictured below; have seen no young or “parental” activity that I’m aware of.

 A visitor to our area is also the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We are very near the border of being its migratory vs. breeding area, so I am unsure which they are here. We still saw them around May 25^th, when David captured them in a few photos (shown below).  As with most things, time will tell.  

The female visits the feeders quite often:

...but the male is shyer and stays by the hedgerows for the most part.

The Indigo Bunting, another breeding visitor, is still gracing us with his presence, but have again seen no young or parenting. The females, with their unremarkable colors and markings of brown and white, can be mistaken for other common birds so I am unsure if there is a pair lurking about or not.

Oh, and that Summer Tanager is still elusive and could learn some manners! Haha Yet another breeding visitor here, but we haven’t seen the yellowish-green female counterpart around. They are mainly insect eaters however, so it isn’t often it is seen near the house.

This time of year is so colorful; in addition to these I've highlighted we also have our year-round residents that add such beauty (woodpeckers, cardinals, blue jays, goldfinches, etc.). The trees appear to have jewels hanging from them as the lights capture their presence on the limbs.

A character we don't get to see very often here is a squirrel, but we recently saw one enjoying the mulberries nearby. I reckon this is a Gray Squirrel; their head and body are 8 - 11" in length, with their tail 8 - 10". They are usually gray on back and sides, whitish below; large, bushy tail. Gray Squirrels breed twice a year, an event accompanied by fights, chases, and other noisy activities. Late winter or spring litters are usually born in tree hollows; summer ones, sometimes in leafy nests out along the branches of a tree. Males play no role in raising the young, which average three per litter and nurse for several months.

 Enjoying a tasty mulberry....

 So good, is reaching for more!

One of our wonders in the world, a sunset must be among them.

 Stop, lift your gaze, 

and watch as the sun gently sets…

let it caress the eyes.

Let it lull the soul into the night... 

and prepare you for evening rest.

Think not of tasks undone,

 think not of tasks for the morrow…

ponder only that which is before you.

The Earth slowly waves goodbye,

ready for its slumber.

(PJ Matthews)

Until next time...

A fine selection for your bird viewing pleasure

Today is another perfect day, in the mid-80s, just a bit warmer than yesterday...barely a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze. Ahhhhhhh!

We sat out on the front deck for supper last night; joining us were the usual throngs of cowbirds swarming the feeder and the hummingbirds. It's very difficult to count how many hummingbirds are around now, we think four males and at least one female. The reason it's difficult is due to the "hummingbird wars", they're getting even more territorial. One waits and guards the nectar nearby and once it sees another, ZOOMS after it and promptly goes back to its perch after getting a sip of nectar with an "it's mine!" attitude. It must be exhausting!

The thought of moving about while on the deck is not a good one; it isn't that the hummingbirds are going for you, it's if you move in their path when they're trying to get somewhere! They are so very fast I'm afraid they won't have time to adjust their flight path if I move at all.

We have so many photos David has taken since we moved here in October 2011 and I have been going back through them, finally organizing them, and want to share some of those here today. I decided to have a peek at "a year ago today" to see what was going on at the time. Having been a cooler winter/spring than normal is apparent...we already had our pool set up by this time last year!

For instance, we had also already seen (on this day, last year) an Indigo Bunting, one of our breeding visitors, but haven't seen one around here this year. *sniffle*

A female Cardinal peeking in...

 

Here it appears to be a young one...

 

What we reckon to be an Eastern Kingbird was also visiting us this day (at bottom of tree, ignore the cowbird at the top!), another breeding visitor. David thinks he has some photos of one nesting around here somewhere. Stay tuned, someday I may find them!

Do I spy with my little eye, an Orchard Oriole? From what I can tell, this appears to be a first year male perched in one of our trees (another breeding visitor).

 

And, wow, Miss Cardinal, talk about a bad hair day! Get to the beauty shop girl!

I guess that sounded like a good idea!

And, what's this...a Least Flycatcher? If so, they are migratory visitors here. You are so named unless I find out differently. Welcome!

 

 

One reason I think we have a Least Flycatcher is the whitish eye ring, seen better in the photo below: 

Nothing to see here, Turkey Vulture, move along...

A female Cowbird...how unusual *rolls eyes* Actually, though...in looking at the huge flock, out of around 30 to 40 birds, I only saw 2 or 3 female, the rest were males.

Meanwhile, back at the beauty salon the Cardinal must be heading to, there is a Chipping Sparrow already there.

I'm sure it will look great once it's dry... 

A Blue Jay flies off with what must be a very special seed...unless it's running late for the beauty salon!

Oh, here's the Cardinal arriving at the beauty salon now...

Later, we find our Cardinal couple out for a nice meal.

Female: "Do you notice *chirp* anything different? *chirp*?

Male: "Um, no, what?" *chirp*

Female: "I went to the beauty shop, for all you care! *chirp* You never notice anything!!! *chirp chirp*

Male: (thinking to self) "Oh, no, what have I done...." *gulp* *chirp*

Male: "Well, you never appreciate anything I do! I take you out for a nice meal and this is the thanks I get!" *chirp chirp chirp* 

 

Oh, dear, I hope it wasn't the end of their relationship, as it is for the end of today's post!

Until next time...