Barn Swallows, Cliff Swallows, and the neighborhood raccoon

The other day I witnessed something I've certainly not seen before…a woodpecker being chased off the feeder! Not only that....but by a Mourning Dove! Doves seem so docile and unassuming when we watch them feeding (they even put up with the cowbirds!) but Cyril the Red-bellied Woodpecker decided the dove was too close on the feeder, and I saw him peck his long beak toward the dove aggressively. The dove would have none of that and I saw it spread its wings and walk toward the woodpecker with its head in full-pecking motion. Cyril flew off and the dove promptly went back to eating, undoubtedly quite pleased with itself. I doubt Cyril will be put off for long though.
The face-off was between the seemingly non-confrontational Mourning Dove....

 ...and Cyril, the Red-bellied Woodpecker, who we never thought would ever be pushed off of any feeder. Even the massive flocks of Cowbirds give way to the woodpeckers!

Learn to live and let live, Cyril! There's plenty of food for all of you. :)



Another of our regular critters that I've yet to talk about is "our" raccoon that we have named Nelson. Nelson, while annoying since he not only eats up anything in and out of sight, but raccoons are destructive. They will pick up absolutely everything, if there's nothing of use to consume, it just gets tossed over their shoulder so that we even get to clean up after them, including broken bits and bobs.

 

They can also certainly be entertaining, as most animals are if you stop and watch.  He has done some amazing feats (i.e., pulled a 35-lb bag of seed off stacked tubs to the ground) and some absolutely hilarious mishaps (i.e., missing a tree while jumping to it from our roof to escape David and on another occasion, jumping from the roof down to a window ledge, where we had put some birdseed…one night I looked over to see his nose and eyes peeking over the top of the ledge while one of his paws tried to reach the seed, only to find himself plummeting to the ground since he actually needed both hands…I mean paws…to hold on). We should have known better to leave our new tube-feeder out…yes, he of course jumped on it and it’s now on the ground with no seed in it.  

A few nights ago, David caught Nelson scouring our deck for food (as usual), except this time he was after the dog’s food bowl that had been left outside. Busted!

 

 

 As Nelson grabbed one side to pull it off the table, David sneaked up to it and grabbed the other side…and a tug of war ensued. Nelson would pull the bowl toward him, David would pull it back...Nelson grabbed it again and pulled...well, you get the picture. Nelson, doing what raccoons do, then pulls if off the table so he could run off with the whole thing and get rid of the human interloper.

David then successfully retrieved the bowl, while Nelson ultimately scampered off and let David win this round…for now 

 "What can I destroy and eat here?"

 Yeah...as I said, for now. Nelson certainly isn't going to let some seed go to waste, now is he?

 It's also hazardous having Nelson on our front deck at night, because once I opened the door to let one of our cats, Rosie, inside when I thought I heard her...except it was Nelson who had just knocked over a bucket of seed and was just outside the front door when I opened it. Not having my glasses on, at first I nearly ushered Nelson in, thinking it was Rosie! Well, in my defense, it was also nighttime! She does resemble a raccoon....

The Barn Swallows have decided to nest in the workshop area this year (last year it was near the back of the house). They are breeding visitors here, and they wasted no time getting down to business! Not that we mind since they feed almost entirely on insects, which they pick out of the air in their quick, graceful flights. They are 5 ½ - 7” in length, with the tail deeply forked; glossy dark blue above, light rufous below, with darker throat. They prefer open woodlands, other open areas, farmlands, and suburbs. Similar to the Cliff Swallow, the Barn Swallow also builds their mud nests in culverts, under wharves and bridges, and inside sheds, garages and barns.

 

These photos were taken by David around May 25th, when the nest was being built.

 You can hopefully see the bit of stuff in its beak, ready to put on the nest.

 The nest...a work in progress...

The next set of photos were taken earlier this month. The swallow likes to perch on this wire since it is a prime spot for juicy insects.

Might as well have a nice preen while waiting. 

 Hmmm...I spy with my little eye....

 Food!

 The Barn Swallow nest now...

 ...and inconsiderately put where it's impossible to take photos! haha

Before the start of the fall migration, Barn Swallows join with other swallow species to form huge flocks that rest and preen on telephone wires. It seems the Barn Swallow has adjusted to man and man’s interference on nature quite nicely!

I was peeking through photos from one year ago, and what should I see but photos of Cliff Swallows, that I mentioned earlier in this post, taken when David was out and about in the canoe around Barren Creek on June 12, 2012. Quite the serendipitous find since I happened to mention them today!

Cliff Swallows are 5 - 6" in length with mostly dark above, light forehead, rusty rump and throat, square tail. They are found in open country cliffs, farmlands with bridges or buildings for nesting, usually near water. Their natural nest sites are cliffsides, but like the Barn Swallows have adapted and take advantage of man's "contributions" to their habitats. They are also breeding visitors here (obviously!).

 Their nests are quite different from the Barn Swallow, and it appears they are inclined to have a community of nests. Quite the flurry of activity!

These are the swallows that return to the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, in California, on or about March 19th of each year.

David was able to get a great shot of a heron that day as well, as he was out on Barren Creek spying on Cliff Swallows.

The Barn Swallow was also photographed at that time, on June 10th 2012, when the nest was at the back of the house.

It was amazing to see the difference between June 10th 2012 and June 10th 2013. We had a much cooler Spring here this year, and have had rains occasionally whereas last year we were already into the 90s and under drought conditions (and it got worse!). 

These Gladiolus flowers were already blooming by this time...and look at that grass! It was already "crunchy" under our feet.

This year these flowers haven't bloomed yet and are growing much taller. By the end of the drought later that summer, our area was considered "exceptional" for drought conditions. This year the grass is lush and green and the forest is amazing; you can feel the cool breezes come out of the forest and there is more wildlife around since the conditions are more bearable with an abundance of food, flora, and water.

 

I have definitely smiled to myself when it has rained (as it did earlier today!) and have been very thankful that thus far it's been a wonderful Spring.

Until next time....

 

 

 

 

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....