Wednesday Wings - Young Oriole Learns to Eat Grape Jelly

Wednesday Wings - Nestbox Report for June 15

First the Bluebirds used this box for a brood of four. That mostly happened when the weather was too cold and/or wet and/or windy to open the box, so I don't have pictures.

Once the Bluebird young fledged, the wrens adopted the box and filled it with sticks to the brim. They are sitting on eggs now.

The way Wrens build their nests, the cavity is much lower than the nest box hole. The adult Wren has to go up and over the sticks before it can go down to the eggs or hatchlings. If I open the nest box, I'll crush the pile of sticks, so there won't be any any pictures of Wren eggs or young Wren hatchlings.


In a different box: The Wrens are sweet, energetic little birds full of song, but I find them annoying when they take over the nest boxes.

After reading that moving the nest boxes away from nearby trees and shrubs would discourage the Wrens, I moved this nest box to the front of the property in a small garden in the middle of the lawn. In less than a day, a Wren couple had claimed it.

The young Wrens have fledged now, and I'll be emptying out the box to see if it attracts something else for a second nesting.


One of the nest boxes out back has a Tree Swallow brood that's ready to fledge.

When I walk within twenty feet of the box, I can hear the young Swallows chirping away and see them peeking out of the box hole.

Monday the parents were yelling and dive bombing me as I approached the nest and this little guy or gal stuck his/her head out and joined in the scolding.


It's a big world out there and he/she can hardly wait to get out in it.

Wednesday Wings - Female Oriole

The female Orioles (right) are less brillant than the males (left), but just as beautiful.


I love the mix of oranges and browns.


To weave their intricate hanging basket nests in the treetops they must be very agile.

Wednesday Wings - Return of The Male Orioles

When the male Orioles arrived on May 1, I was ready for them with my new Birds Choice Oriole Feeder SNOF, a gift to myself and my beautiful orange and black friends.

It has two spikes for oranges and two dishes for grape jelly. Since I've never had Orioles care to eat my grape jelly, I just plunked the orange halves in the dishes. After they arrived, I put out some grape jelly in one of the cups and surprise! With this perfect new feeder, they gobbled the jelly up.





My Orioles have always stopped coming to the feeder once the nest building started, but I've read they will continue to come for the grape jelly. I'm hoping that's what happens this year.


For a bonus, the Catbirds are coming to the feeder for the grape jelly. I've never had Catbirds at any feeder before and I'm thrilled to be able to get a better look at them. And, of course, take a few pictures.

Wednesday Wings - Yellow-shafted Flicker, Male

Last week I spotted this Flicker in the grass celebrating spring by eating ants, his favorite food.

His head is a little blurry because he was bobbing it up and down so fast.


The female Flicker has been coming to the suet feeder since March, but this is the first time I've spotted the male. (See the female eating suet here.)

The male looks exactly like the female except for the black mustache extending out from his beak.


The pictures were taken between two bars of the porch railing which are showing on the picture edges.

Needless to say, I'm very excited to have a pair. Maybe they'll bring their young to the suet feeder. There's no season as optimistic as the beginning of spring.

Wednesday Wings - Song Sparrow

Each year seems to bring a different mix of small birds to the feeders. This past winter the feeders were full of Song Sparrows and I ended the season with many unpublished Song Sparrow pictures waiting for a post.

Since the forecast calls for snow tonight, it seems like the perfect Wednesday to publish a few of them before spring takes over.


Now that it's the end of March, I'm hoping once this week is over there will be no more snow pictures on this blog until next winter.

Wednesday Wings - Yellow-Shafted Flicker

The Yellow Shafted Flicker is a rare guest at the feeding station.

It's always a lone female and she doesn't appear until late February.


I imagine her dreaming of eating her favorite food, ants, while she has some suet to make do until spring.


This picture is reposted from last year when I was lucky enough to get a good shot of her yellow shaft.

Wednesday Wings - Woodpeckers

Hairy Woodpecker on the left, Downy Woodpecker on the right. They're identical except for size.

It was a little over fifty degrees today. Winter in SW Michigan isn't over yet, but we're getting a nice February thaw with lots of mud and slush.

Funny how fifty degrees feels so cold in autumn, but it's down right balmy after several months of frigid winter. I think I post that thought every spring, but every spring I wonder about it.


Here's Mr. Hairy all by himself looking very awesome. This time of year he spends some time each day "drumming" for a mate.

Wouldn't it be easier just to meet a female at the feeding station?


On the left is a female Downy. On the right is a White-breasted Nuthatch.

The Nuthatches love to be upside down. Once I heard a so-called bird expert on the radio say that birds require gravity to eat because they can't swallow. Obviously that's not always true. And maybe never. I don't bother listening to him anymore.

Wednesday Wings - Turkey in a Tree

So far this winter I haven't seen any turkeys in our yard, but a few days ago I noticed a flock of them crossing the road to the neighbors bird feeders.


The neighbors dogs must have barked, because the turkeys came flying back across the road, into the woods, and perched high up in the trees.


After the rush to leave, this is the only one that was still visible from my window. It always amazes me to see these big heavy birds fly.

Wednesday Wings - Downy Figures Out the Feeders

We're in the middle of a Lake Effect Snowfall today, our first of the season. The birds are flocking to the feeders.

For some of them it's their first winter and they need a little time for their bird brains to figure out how the feeders work.


This male Down Woodpecker thinks there should be something for him to eat in this mesh, but he's puzzled about what and where it might be.




Maybe if he tries a different side?


After circling the entire mesh nyjer feeder and not finding anything at four inches above the top level of the seed, young Downy decides to sit up on the hanger and think about it for a few minutes.


Next he flies over to the suet feeder where he doesn't have any luck finding something to eat either. At this point I'm laughing out loud.


Ah, he's got it figured out. I knew he could do it.

Wednesday Wings - Chickadee

The cute, friendly little Chickadees have no time to sit still for a picture. They like to grab a sunflower seed and fly off to crack it in a nearby tree.


It took dozens of camera clicks to finally catch a Chickadee during a momentary absence of motion.


Normally the niger feeder is full of Goldfinches, but a few Chickadees have been giving it a try and seem to like it.

They stay on the feeder to eat and don't fly off with the little niger seeds like they do with the sunflower seeds.

Wednesday Wings - Roadside Turkey, Tufted Titmouse, and Goldfinch

On the way to the grocery store this afternoon I had to stop the car for a flock of wild turkeys in the road.

By the time I got the camera out and turned on, they were out of sight except for this straggler.


There are so many different, delicious seeds and berries in the woods and fields right now that the feeder isn't a very popular place.

This cute Tufted Titmouse is happy to get a fast food lunch. It's so much easier than harvesting his own food.


The Goldfinches have their winter coloring now.

They've been ignoring the Niger/thistle feeder for the sunflower seeds on the platform.

Wednesday Wings - Late Summer Bluebird Nest

The first bluebird nests of the season in spring normally have five eggs. With late season nests like this one my bluebirds have always stopped at four.

So four it is. As of tomorrow they're one week into the incubation period. Hatching will be on or about Thursday, August 5.

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Mama Bluebird takes the occasional break on the power lines.

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Daddy Bluebird proudly sits on the nest box happy that he doesn't have to sit on those eggs for two weeks.

Wednesday Wings - Front Yard Robin Nest

Close to the front of the house sits Mom Robin on a nest built precariously on a branch about six feet off the ground.

This picture was taken from the road side. The nest is hidden on the house side.

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The nest is easily predator accessible so I don't know how much luck she's going to have with it. Also the branch is not sturdy. I was able to pull it down far enough to get a picture of the eggs.

It's by the main door and Mom Robin is nervous about all the activity.

If it gets to the stage where there are hatchlings that look ready to leap out, I'll inconvenience myself for a few days to avoid the area. Sounds like a good excuse to procrastinate mowing the lawn.

Wednesday Wings - Tree Swallow Nest

Every year we have at least one nest box of Tree Swallows.

This is a picture from two years ago. It would be difficult to improve on this picture, so I'm re-posting it. The light was just right to show the iridescent blue feathers and the posing was perfect to show off the sleek body lines.

The male and female look the same.



This picture is last week.

The Tree Swallows are feisty little birds. They dive bomb my head if I get too close to their nest. Just walking in the same part of the field as their nest causes Mom Swallow to stick her head out and give me what for.






This picture is also from last week.

The swallows line their nests with feathers arranged to insulate the eggs and newly hatched chicks. Inside there are six small white eggs. In just a few weeks they'll all be sitting on the power line learning how to fly.