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Ojai Naturalist

An Early Spring

20/04/09 at 8.30am   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   0 Comment

Spring was off to an early start in 2019. For the plants of Southern California, spring actually starts with the first rains of winter which begins their growing season that continues through the calendar spring. The birds can get a quick start as well. The California thrashers have a breeding season from December to June with March through May being peak times. The spring birds started arriving a few days before spring officially started, and the thrashers were feeding hatchlings by March 24th. They would have laid the eggs two weeks previous to their hatching. How do I know that they had nestlings? As soon as the chicks hatch the parent birds start stacking worms in their beaks to take back to the hatchlings rather than eating the worms on the spot (this is true of most birds gathering insects or other items for their youngsters).

California thrasher gathering for its nestlings. Now that is how a bird stacks worms! I count 12 in that beak.

One exception to stacking food that I have noticed is in the Bewick’s wren’s behavior. However, I was feeding them giant mealworms, thrown out to them, and that is a lot for a small wren to handle. I also put out dried mealworms in little dishes close by the table, along with small pieces of walnut that I tossed out, for all the birds. Once all the eggs hatch there can be lots of mouths to feed and then the real stacking starts!

Of course, California thrashers, shown above, have quite the advantage with their long, curved beaks. Their beak also enables them to quickly dig deep holes in the ground when searching for food. These holes can look a lot like very little, miniature bomb craters a couple of inches deep.

Another thing that heralds in spring, besides feeding young, is the arrival of our summer birds coming back to do their breeding. One of the earliest to arrive seems to be the orioles. They showed up at the hummer feeders on March 19, 2019 which prompted me to immediately put up my oriole feeders.

Bullock’s oriole
Hooded oriole

The thrasher’s first fledgelings showed up on April 6th. At this stage the parents were still feeding them. It actually takes awhile for a lot of young birds to learn how to use their beaks properly. They will eventually try to pick up a dried worm and try to adjust it in their mouth which results in the worm falling out. I have noticed bluebird fledgelings opening their mouths too wide, as when the parents are stuffing in food, when they are trying to position the worm for swallowing and the food drops out because of their lack of technique. It is quite humorous to see! Mom bluebird will then pick up another worm and give it to them. If they drop that one she picks up another and eats it herself to show how it’s done. One of the interesting things with the thrasher pair is that I got to know which sex my thrashers were. Male and female California thrashers look alike, however they have distinct mating habits. I knew who was who behaviorally because of how they feed with me; however I did not know their sexes.

Dasher feeding two fledglings.

Slasher would come and take a live mealworm from my hand and Dasher would not, although he came in close. When their first brood fledged both thrashers were feeding the brood. After a couple of days Slasher stopped coming around, and Dasher was feeding the fledgelings by himself. That is common behavior for thrashers. The male will feed the first fledglings while the female starts the next batch. That means that Slasher was now sitting on the eggs of the second brood. She was the female. Within a couple of weeks Slasher was back helping feed the second brood.

Tow-Tow II stacking live mealworms for her young.

We had lots of other birds that were feeding young this spring. The California towhee, Tow-Tow II, Buddy the Bewick’s wren and its mate, the House wrens and a pair of Spotted towhees were all catering to young. A few came and took food from my hand on the table and some I threw out food to. The Bewick’s wrens were coming in and hauling off single worms for their babies. The other birds would come in very close to receive their toss outs of nuts or worms.

Buddy the Bewick’s wren coming in for a worm.

The House wrens, the male of which had been singing away all spring, chose a nesting box under the eave of our kitchen door porch. It was a little strange that the House wrens did not notice the other birds feeding or the food that was put out. Never once did they partake. Lots of birds have discovered the food by watching the other birds eating from the dishes, just not them–how different.

House wren feeding young.

The first thrasher brood fledged on April 6th, the day before the White-crowned sparrows left to go north to do their breeding. A Pacific-slope flycatcher came back for the summer on the 12th of April. On the 16th of April, I had a House finch sitting on eggs underneath our carport. That did not last long, however, as a California scrub jay destroyed both eggs and nest on the 24th. Tow-Tow II started stacking worms on April 22nd. The fledgeling thrashers of the second brood showed up on April 16th. Both Dasher, the male, and Slasher, the female had been keeping very busy by this point.

Slasher on the table.

The bluebirds finally got into the act the last week of April when I found two eggs in the bluebird box on the 28th! Last spring the Oak titmice had used the bluebird box as Bonnie and Clyde, the bluebird adults of that spring, stayed in the Silk oak that they had been using the previous two years (see essay “A Surprising Spring”). By May 4th the bluebirds had four hatchlings in the nest! I stopped checking for eggs at this point figuring that I would just count the fledglings when they came out.

Mom feeding the youngsters.
Three of the bluebird nestlings.

Having some hatchlings to feed forced the new male bluebird to quickly learn to come to my hand, as the female was already doing. It was really enjoyable watching the bluebirds at this point because the nest box is less than twenty feet from where we sit in the north yard. By the 21st of May the bluebirds fledged from the Ojai ReTweet up into the higher reaches of thick leaves in the Live oaks. Within less than two weeks the fledglings were feeding with the adults next to us, and I counted five new birds. While all this bluebird activity was going on, both towhee species, California and Spotted, had fledgelings as did the Titmice and both wrens, Bewick’s and House. Within a month the bluebirds had another brood going in the bluebird box. Last year the new male bluebird pushed off the first fledgelings when the second brood was started. This year he did not chase off any of the first brood. Last year the first eggs were Clyde’s and the second set were the new male’s. That could be the difference.

Fledgeling helping feed the second brood.

Not only did the first fledgelings get to stay around, they actually helped feed the second brood. I knew that Western bluebird 1st year adults would help their parents in the spring if they failed to nest or had a nesting failure. However, this was fledgelings helping parents and that is a lot different. Eventually the second group fledged as well, and when they finally came in with the parents I counted four more youngsters for a total of nine.

It was very educating to see the various stages of plumage that these birds go through, not to mention the way the fledgeling bluebirds had to learn to use their beaks, just as the thrashers did, as I mentioned previously.

Proud Pops and some of his offspring.

In the above photo Pops is on the left, second from left is a male from the first brood ( notice the rufus color on his sides ), and the other four to the right are from the second brood (no rufus on their sides yet).

This spring started early with the thrashers in March and ended with the bluebirds fledging their second brood on July 16th. It sure was a long and very busy time for both the birds and me. However, every spring brings a feeling of regeneration and growth that is always such a joy to behold each year. To see the earth replenish itself as it does is an awesome experience to watch! I am so grateful that I get observe these happenings around me and share them with you!

Your’s in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

Winter Arrivals: An Old Friend Returns and New Friendships Made

19/05/13 at 11.48am   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   2 Comments

As fall was underway in 2018, my thoughts turned to the return of our hermit thrush Patience, who has been coming back here for the winter the last three years (see essays, “Theatrical Thrush”, “Winter Arrivals”, “Winter Arrivals; And Then Some”). Migratory birds will return to the same wintering or breeding spots if they have had success there previously. I guarantee you that Patience enjoyed her three winters here! We had already had our other winter arrivals, white-crowned sparrows, dark-eyed juncos and yellow-rumped warblers, and I was getting anxious.

Patience our Hermit thrush returns for her fourth winter, 2018.

Well, on October 23, she returned for her fourth winter! She showed up on her favorite rock by the jade trees, which I have dubbed Mount Precious, doing her little wing shake and waited there until I got back with the worms. She immediately flew to my hand for a worm. Patience is back!

I must note here that I had recently changed the way I feed the birds. I had started putting the dried mealworm dishes closer to where I sit when I feed the birds. The farthest is at ten or twelve feet and some are as close as on the patio table where I sit. This was to keep out the ground squirrels and scrub jays. I also started feeding them in the late afternoon only, well kind of. In the morning I would be at the table, doing whatever, and I would put a dish of dried mealworms opposite me and have walnut pieces for the seed eaters, who also eat the dried mealworms. I also have the live mealworms for the hand feeders. These feeding sessions last only an hour to an hour and a half and always under my supervision. This causes the birds to identify more with me as being a great source of food. This further breaks down their fear of me and lets them act in a more natural way when I am around them.

Putting a feeding dish up on the table really paid off. When birds see other birds eating or gathering food they will come in and check things out.

Immature white-crowned sparrow in the bottom left and a California towhee in the top right.

And check things out they did! It gets a little crowded at times, especially when the food first comes out. Everybody wants their share! It is also very interesting to observe them working out the pecking order, both within and across species. This first rush lasts about twenty minutes and then suddenly you notice that the birds are all gone. They then come back in about fifteen or twenty minutes and will usually get in three to four feeds during the feeding session.

Buddy the Bewick’s wren coming for a worm.

Of course, we still have our year round birds coming in, some of which are the hand feeders, however most are ones that I will throw food to, either on the ground or onto the table. It is quite hard for a bird as small as the Bewick’s wren to find a spot in the pecking order, they being the omegas here, not even close to an alpha. However they do find their chances to get in. We have two other Bewick’s wrens that come to feed; one is Buddy’s mate and the other is from the north side of the property. They do not come to hand so I will toss out a worm onto the table and they will fly down from their chair perches to get them.

Our oak titmouse, Tweeter, will take from my hand but it’s mate will not, so I toss the food onto the table for the mate. With this behavior I have come to realize that I can know which of the two birds I am feeding, even when they come by alone, otherwise I would not have a clue as to who’s who.

Northern mockingbird on Mount Patience.

Another bird that was here last winter and showed up again this year was a Northern mockingbird. I fully expected it to be around last spring since it is a year-round resident, however it never showed. Well, it came back this winter. It perches on Mount Patience, or other rocks, and I toss it live mealworms. We’ll see if it stays this spring.

Whitey coming for a worm.

Since I now have more birds coming up onto the table with me, I decided to see who else I could lure to my hand. It’s a lot like fishing–you use good bait, make a good presentation and reel ’em in. It worked on a White-crowned sparrow fairly quickly. I have to think that he is a bird who has been here during previous winters. It seemed very eager to come to come get a worm. It had been watching the other birds take from my hand, and I’m sure that helped. I named this bird Whitey

Considering that I only put one feeder dish of dried mealworms up on the table in the mornings, instead of the three of four that I put on the ground for the afternoon feed, the birds all get along fairly well. There is a pecking order as to who feeds when, however everyone seems to be able to get their chances. The California towhees used to be the top bird at the feeders, but they have been replaced by the California thrashers as top dog, I mean bird.

In the winter we usually get a small flock of Yellow-rumped warblers. Last winter and this winter we seemed to only get one. Last winter it would come to the worm dishes when the bluebirds came in. This year was the same, only one and it would show up with the bluebirds to feed. Since all the birds, well most anyway, were coming to the table the warbler did also.

Yellow-rumped warbler hovering over the feeding dish.
Yellow-rumped warbler.

The Yellow-rumped came in a little differently than the other birds. It would hover over the dish to snag a worm. That made it really tough to get a really good photo of it. Eventually it calmed down enough and started landing, and I managed a better photo that shows the species more clearly.

The Dark-eyed juncos that winter here do not come up on the table to feed. They do, however, approach close enough so that I can throw them little pieces of walnut. They have now associated me with being responsible for the food being provided. During the winter the juncos replace the Bewick’s wrens as bottom of the pecking order.

One of the California towhee pairs are coming up on the table to feed together. This pair contains the new Tow-Tow II.

Tow-Tow II, on the right, and it’s mate. Notice all the little pieces of walnut I put on the table.

Tow-Tow II and it’s mate are from the south and are the South Tows and the other pair are the East Tows. The East Tows come up on the table also but are more skittish at this point. Since towhees are territorial, as are most animals (us included), it will be interesting to watch the dynamics between them unfold over time.

The other really cool event this winter were the California thrashers. Since the feeders were brought in closer the thrashers followed. This enabled me to quite easily toss out live mealworms to them. They very quickly focused on me. The more aggressive one, Slasher, came to my hand in just a few days!

Slasher grabbing a worm.

The other thrasher, Dasher, would only come within a couple of feet of me and I would toss out its worms. I decided to keep this behavior unchanged so that I could recognize which bird was which. I have done this with other pairs of birds over the years and it really helps. I think that Slasher is the female of the pair based on its aggression. It was much the same with Tow-Tow and its mate. However I can not say that with any surety.

Hooded oriole.

Winter was coming to an end when on March 18th we had our first spring arrival and it was the Hooded orioles. All the wintering birds were still here. The first to leave was Patience, the Hermit thrush, on March 23rd. The Rufus hummingbirds had already arrived for the spring on March 20th. Not only that but spring really encroached when the California thrashers started stacking worms in their beak to take back to nestlings! That was on March 24th, the day after Patience left. The thrashers are very early nesters. Their nesting season is from December to June with March through May the peak times. I will have plenty more information on the thrashers in my next essay.

Most of the White-crowned sparrows left on April 7th, except for two who left on April 18th. Last fall we had two Hooded orioles that stayed three weeks after the others had gone south. Some birds seem to miss the text messages I guess. We had a fun winter with our winter friends, however I must say that Patience will always be the star in winter, as long as she shows up.

Patience the Hermit thrush.

Absolutely nothing is permanent in nature. The only constant is change. My relationships with the birds and other animals are always changing. One thing that does stay the same is my enjoyment of these relationships. Last year I lost three birds that fed by hand; the bluebird pair Bonnie and Clyde, after three springs, and Tow-Tow, which was a five year relationship. This year I gained another winter bird, besides Patience, that takes from my hand– that would be Whitey. With the resident birds, I picked up Slasher and Tow-Tow II as hand feeders. In the end I haven’t lost anything. What I have really gained is more wonderful experiences with my friends!

Your’s in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

A Bad Hair Month

19/02/17 at 4.25pm   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   0 Comment

We, being the animals that we are, shed hair. Dogs shed. Cats shed. You notice all the hair that builds up in your hair brush don’t you? How about a white, long haired cat that likes to get up in your lap, good luck with that. It is one of the criteria of being a mammal: having hair. Yup, animals shed. Birds also shed and this is called a molt or molting. While feathers are actually very durable, they do wear out, as with all things in life, and must be replaced. However, because feathers are necessary for flight, there are certain periods of molting, and also sequences, that are followed.

Buddy the Bewick’s wren during a prebasic (formerly called postnuptual) molt, 2015.
This is how Buddy would normally look. This photo from 2018.

All adult birds molt at least once a year. Many birds will molt twice a year. Few birds molt three times a year and it is very rare to have four molts in a species. The prebasic (formerly postnuptual) period of molting generally occurs after breeding. This is when food is still plentiful and the demands of breeding are over. Feathers make up 4% to 12% of a bird’s body weight, and this requires the bird to use a lot of energy to replace the lost feathers.

Tow-Tow starting her prebasic molt, 2015.

Within the same species the sequence or progression of the molt tends to be relatively the same; in many birds the body feathers are molted progressively in “waves,” beginning on the head, face, and throat, extending backwards toward the tail. There is usually a symmetrical loss of feathers from both sides of the body, which balances feather loss, so that the bird still functions.

California thrasher during a prebasic molt, 2018.

A good many species have a prealternate (formerly called prenuptual) molt during late winter or spring, usually it is a partial one. The prealternate molt tends to make the males have more prominent plumage than the females.

In most male ducks the full adult plumage at the end of the breeding season is replaced by a dull basic plumage (formerly called eclipse plumage), in which the males resemble the females. This period lasts for about two months.

How a California thrasher looks when not molting.

Most birds molt wing and tail feathers, so critical for flight, symmetrically and one or two pairs at a time. As a result of the gradual, balanced loss of feathers, most birds are able to fly at all times. Before I ever started bird watching, I would see a raptor soaring and notice that a wing or tail feather was missing. I used to think that some yahoo was shooting at them. It is nice to know that I was wrong on that. One last fact; any single full feather lost between molts is replaced immediately.

Tow-Tow in a prebasic molt, 2015.

These molts that birds do take some time. I don’t know if the molt lasts a full month, but it is close to that. I have been watching some of the birds here molt every summer for several years now. They look so disheveled, and I find that I really feel for them. I do have one question in my mind about being in a molt; besides looking really bad, do they feel bad? Like, is it itchy?

Your’s in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

A Towhee Tribute

18/12/13 at 11.09am   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   3 Comments

Having had so long a relationship with our beloved California towhee, Tow-Tow, who we lost last spring of 2018, I feel a need to pay her homage, so here it is.

We have had California towhees since we moved here in 2004. They are a very common bird in our area. They are basically a big, fat, brown ground sparrows. They will scratch in the leaf duff, making a lot of noise, very much like a chicken. I had started to feed the towhees in 2013 and was enjoying their company. I don’t remember the exact time that I started calling Tow-Tow, Tow-Tow but I do recall why. I was always calling out ” Tow-Tow, Tow-Tow” to her when I wanted to feed her. It was plain and simple. Calling Tow-Tow a “her” came about because over the years we noticed that she would get very plump in the spring, and then she would show up all svelte after she laid her eggs, so I presumed it was a female.

Tow-Tow stacking worms for her nestlings, 2014.

It got to the point that when she would come around the corner of the house and I would call to her, she would run the thirty feet over to me to be fed. She was the first bird that I had the opportunity to establish a true relationship with. We were well aware of each other.

Tow-Tow with a Sphinx moth caterpillar.

With the towhees being so close to me, I often was shown little insights into behaviors of all sorts. In some years there would be a hatch of green caterpillars that, while they were mostly up in the trees, also fell to the ground in good numbers. Two different caterpillars could be noticed. One was a green larva that was slightly smaller than the mealworms I use, the other was considerably larger and was a sphinx moth caterpillar.

Most birds mate and rear young in the spring because of one fact: more food. There are a whole lot of larval insects around to keep young fledgelings healthy. The larva can also be an indicator of when a bird is feeding hatchlings because the birds will be stacking the worms in their beaks to take back to their nests rather than just eating them immediately. This stacking of worms in their beaks helped me to find Tow-Tow’s nest in 2014. After I would fill up Tow-Tow’s beak with worms, she would fly off to the south yard. I decided to try and follow her. When I followed her around the corner to the south yard, I lost sight of her. I waited there patiently until she returned to me for more worms, and I filled up her beak again. Off she flew to her nest, ten feet away from where I was standing! I could see her nest! Well, that worked pretty well.

Tow-Tow feeding her nestlings, 2014.

Tow-Tow’s nesting effort of 2014 ended in failure (see essay “Nest Watching Wonders”). Towhees make their nests very low to the ground, usually within a couple of feet of it. This particular nest was also a little bit open to view and therefore a prime candidate for predation. Birds are pretty much forced to mate in spring because of chemical changes in their bodies, so Tow-Tow would attempt to have more broods over the years and we would see lots of them.

When one has a relationship with a wild bird, or any animal, over the course of a few years it can open up insights into that animal’s behavior. One distinct behavior of the towhees was shown to us one spring while they were doing a bonding ritual that they do. We had seen it before, however we were inside at the time and did not hear the calls that they apparently make. This time we were at the table in the north yard and the towhees were eight feet away from us. One towhee, I would presume the male, would pick up a small twig and bring it as an offering to its mate. What we got to hear this time was the low, soft chip notes that they were making while they did this bonding ritual. It was fascinating!

Tow-Tow cleaning up her act.

Towhees are stoical birds. Nothing much seems to bother them, that is, other than another towhee in their territory, then they will fight. Not too much though, usually it is just a quick squabble. Besides showing up for the food I offer, towhees and all the other birds also show up for the water here in my yard. Not only to drink but to bathe. Where I live the habitat provides most of the bird’s needs. Where I live is also in Southern California, which means: not much water. To combat this I have eight bird baths. On the south side of the house I have three birdbaths, one on the ground and two off it. On the north side I have five, two on the ground and three off. What’s that saying, “Build it and they will come.” It works!

Tow-Tow bringing worms to her babies, 2016.

Mostly though, the birds come to eat. I have the best and easiest to find food around these parts. They also bring their fledgelings in from time to time. Sometimes they would be quite close to us. It was always enjoyable to see the youngsters. After all, we did feel like grandparents pretty much.

Tow-Tow on the right and one of her fledgelings on left, 2017.

Some years Tow-Tow would have a second brood, some years not. I don’t really know why. The food resources that I would make available to them were kept constant. I feed them every day, however I only feed the birds when I am able to be out there with them. That is so I can keep the undesirables out, like the ground squirrels. Animals can get very pushy over food. The bluebirds, Bonnie and Clyde, would fly right in front of our faces when flying in to let us know that they are here. Patience, the Hermit thrush, would fly to our faces and back from its perch on the chair next to us when we were not paying attention to it. And all the birds we hand feed would come on top of the table and check us out very closely whenever they would come through.

Tow-Tow stacking worms for her young, 2017.

When Tow-Tow would fly up onto the table, she is a ground bird remember, you would hear a loud thump. One always knew when it was Tow-Tow. The last month before Tow-Tow disappeared she added something to her checking us out for food routine. If our hand was on the table she would come right up to it to see if it held any food. First she would look around the area of the little finger and then move to the index finger and thumb. She would then inspect inside the hole that the finger and thumb make when resting on a table. Having found no worms she would then peck our index finger! That’s right, peck our finger! She did it twice to me and twice to my wife. Talk about a brazen bird! But hey, we did, after all, have a long standing relationship going on. She should be allowed that discretion. Not only was it allowed, we loved it! Tow-Tow was always a calm and peaceful presence in our yard and we enjoyed her immensely, to say the least. I am already grooming a replacement for Tow-Tow. This California towhee is already coming up onto the table to eat, so it is only a matter of time before she is taking food from my hand. I even have a name for it already, Tow-Tow II. In memoriam to Tow-Tow.

Your’s in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

A Shocking Spring

18/10/13 at 11.04am   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   0 Comment

As spring arrives there is an abundance of activity from our avian friends. Bonnie and Clyde, the bluebirds, are nesting in the same hole in a tree that they had used the previous two years. The Oak titmice actually used the bluebird box that we had put up close to us at the table in the north yard. However, the first shock of the spring was that we had another pair of bluebirds nesting on the south side of the house!

Bluebirds in the pepper tree on the south side of the house. The male with a mouthful of dried mealworms.

One of this pair was probably an offspring of Bonnie and Clyde. While I can see Bonnie and Clyde’s nest opening in a silk oak from where I sit in the north yard, this other bluebird nest was in a pepper tree that was situated so I could see the opening from where I sit in the living room, way cool! The bluebird nesting box that was being used by the titmice was even closer to me than the nests of the bluebirds were when I was in the north yard at the table.

Of course, there were other bird species that were also nesting. My Bewick’s wren, Buddy and its mate, were feeding nestlings and a second Bewick’s wren was also feeding young, although it appeared to be a single parent. I say that because it never came in to feed with another of its species. The White-breasted nuthatches and two California towhee pairs were also feeding hatchlings.

Buddy taking a worm from the table.

While Buddy the Bewick’s wren would come to hand, its mate would not. This resulted in my just throwing live mealworms onto the table for them to pick up. I also would throw the worms onto the ground when the birds would be foraging there. The single wren also would come to the table to get worms, though not from the hand.

East towhee going back with a mouthful of worms for her young.

Our dear Tow-tow, the California towhee, and its mate, would come to the top of the table to get worms for their brood. The other towhee pair only came by and fed on the ground. Tow-Tow and its mate nested south of us and the other towhee pair nested east. The Oak titmice were nesting twenty feet away from our table in the bluebird box. One of the titmice, Tweeter, was a hand feeder. Both these parents would feed at the table for nuts and dried mealworms. Tweeter had been with us for a few years already while its mate was new.

Shorty the nuthatch.

And then we had our nuthatches on top of that! They were mostly nut feeders, not that they wouldn’t scarf up a worm in a New York second, let alone a minute. The nuthatches both came to the table to feed on pieces of walnut that I would throw out to them and would also eat the bird kibble, which is my name for the dried mealworms that were placed in ground feeders. They also received a live mealworm from me on occasion. Wow, that has us helping out two Western bluebird families, two California towhee families, two Bewick’s wren families, one family of Oak titmice and the White-breasted nuthatch brood. That makes eight bird families that we are helping feed!

Tow-Tow and her mate with the three fledgelings.

The California towhees, Tow-Tow, and its mate, were the first to have fledgelings thts spring. They showed up at the feeders with three fine looking youngsters.

Buddy and its mate seemed to have fledged three. The other single Bewick’s wren’s fledgelings I never really got a count on, as the mother never brought them in close enough. The same held true for the towhees on the east side of us. It was a very busy area here at the time so maybe they weren’t comfortable enough to bring them in like Tow-Tow did with hers.

Oak titmouse nest in bluebird box.

The Oak titmice, using the bluebird box, did their thing so quietly and quickly that they had their hatchlings fledged before I realized that I had never took a photo of them at the nesting box! How shameful of me! I did, however, get a photo of their nest. Just as an excuse, the bluebird box is behind me, back to my left, and when I’m sitting at the table and there is so much going on here at all times, I failed to notice their activity. At least I had a count on their fledgelings, which was three. The White-breasted nuthatches brought two young in tow when they came through feeding. There were young everywhere we looked! Bigger things were still to happen, however.

Early into the feeding of Bonnie and Clyde’s first brood of this spring, another male shows up to help with the feeding. That is not so unusual and we had seen it before (see essay “A Bluebird Bonding Continued…”). Clyde was a little aggressive towards this new male, however he did not chase it off entirely because he had mouths to feed in his nest and this new male was, after all, helping to feed the young. Within a week and a half, before this brood has fledged, Clyde disappears! I did not know the reason for this departure. The new male helped Bonnie fledge three youngsters from that brood. Within a couple of weeks the new male is aggressively chasing off the new bluebirds and feeding Bonnie food because she has started making some more eggs to lay and needs the food. Apparently this new male will be the father of this second clutch.

The new bluebird dad with one of the first brood fledgelings, 2018. You can tell she is a female because of her color of blue.

I was also putting out bird kibble for the bluebirds on the south side of the house. They did very well and fledged four youngsters. Because of the upheaval with Bonnie and Clyde’s first brood on the north side, they also seemed to pick up a fledgeling dispersed from them.

Five fledgelings feeding on the north side along with two males.

Within a week or so our beloved towhee Tow-Tow stops showing up, just like that! Right after that I notice that I am only seeing three titmice coming by now instead of the five we had at first. One is definitely Tweeter because he feeds from my hand, and the other two appear to be fledgelings. Also at this time the second brood of Bonnie and her new mate are fledged and they are being fed up in the oaks. The main thing that happened during this time frame that might explain things was when a Cooper’s hawk alighted in a large oak limb some fifty feet away from me. I thought it had landed awkwardly and continued watching it. It suddenly started plucking feathers of a bird! It had the bird in its talons when it landed and that caused the awkwardness.

Cooper’s hawk in my yard.

I made note of where the feathers were landing on the other side of the fence so that I could gather them and identify what species it might be. Within a few minutes the hawk leaves and I go round up the feathers. Upon identification they belong to a Oak titmouse. Could this be how we were losing our birds?

Bonnie is still feeding her second brood at this point and then something strange happens. The calls of the fledgelings when Bonnie went up to feed had stopped. Not only that, she was returning to the table with the worms still in her mouth, having to eat them herself. Finally, she disappeared herself within a few days! That was a whole lot of birds to lose in a short period of time. Could the Cooper’s be the culprit? If it would eat a tiny titmouse it would surely take a fat, slow flying bluebird fledgeling, that’s for sure. We have a lot of Cooper’s here and as a result I have seen a few kills (see essay “Predators and Prey”), so it is highly possible. Also, I do not see any animal giving up on a habitat that contains lots of food. Oh well, I’ll never know.

So that I could keep an eye on the feeders on the south side of the house, I moved them to the patio on the east side where I could purvey them. With this placement, I could better keep the ground squirrels from eating the bird food, which they had been doing.

Bluebirds eating on the east side patio.

All the remaining bluebirds had now formed one flock. I was using four food dishes at this point. Two south of the table in the north yard and two just west of it. Animals pay attention to what other animals are doing, especially when it comes to eating. Last winter we had a couple of birds come to the feeders because they had observed the other birds feeding. We would get some Yellow-rumped warblers to come in with the bluebirds and we finally had the Northern mockingbird come down from the oaks to feed also. I fully expected the mockingbird to be around this spring, however it never showed, which surprised me a bit. Anyway, we did pick up one more bird that I was interested in, a California thrasher!

California thrasher at one of the east side feeders.

Actually, we picked up four thrashers, both parents and two fledgelings. I named the parent thrashers Slasher and Dasher. Slasher, for that long curved beak that they use to forage in the duff, and Dasher for the way they run along the ground. They seem to run more than a roadrunner does! The thrashers are extremely shy brush birds. Any attempt to throw them food previously only resulted in scaring them away. It was nice to have a drawing card to finally attract them closer. While we lost some birds, Bonnie, Clyde and Tow-Tow, which was shocking to say the least, we have gained others this spring. It is said the only constant in life is change. Life is always changing. Life is also tenuous at best here on this planet. That is the way it is in nature. New relationships will form and others will end. What I look forward to is that the experiences never end, only some of the characters change.

Your’s in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

Reptile Report

18/09/07 at 9.53am   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   0 Comment

I realized that I had not informed you much of the reptile happenings in quite a while. That was because of all the other animal antics that are to be seen here daily, if you are observant enough. There are, however, some interesting stories to tell about the lizards and their interaction with all things in our little habitat here.

In a previous essay from 2016, “Rare Reptiles”, I wrote about my favorite local lizard, Slinker, who is a California whiptail.

Slinker the California whiptail, summer of 2015.

Whiptails are very large lizards and very active during the day. They derived their name from how they use their tails in defense. When a predator sticks its nose close to the lizard, it whips around with its tail and smacks whoever is bothering it right in the nose and then runs off before the animal that’s bothering it recovers. They are very fast lizards. While the whiptail is a smooth scaled lizard over most of its body, the tail scales are somewhat keeled, coming to a point, and that makes the affect on the tender nose of whoever is bothering the lizard that much greater. They are also extremely bold lizards.

Slinker coming for a worm, 2017. Notice the size of that lizard!

Slinker would jump up to take a worm from my hand, which is why I gave him the nickname “Leo the Leaping Lizard” (see essay “Rare Reptiles”). When Slinker showed up in the summer of 2017, he would crawl over my foot and even try to climb my leg! They are not good climbers and he was unable to get any grip on my skin, as I was wearing shorts due to the heat of summer.

Slinker on my lap, 2017

I did try wearing some pants so that he could climb up my leg, however he still could not get enough purchase from the fabric to climb up on my leg. I decided to try a towel instead. Well, it worked! Slinker was in my lap! My only regret is the choice of towel that I used. I really should have searched for something better, oh well. Slinker was not the only California whiptail that we had roaming around in the summers. There were times that I would see two together. It was probably mating time, as one lizard would be following the other. Mostly they are solitary lizards.

I did not see Slinker after the Summer of 2017, however there were other whiptails available to take it’s place. One in particular was a smaller, younger whiptail based on size. As the lizard would wonder the yard in its quest for food, he found the dried mealworms that we put out for the birds. The lizard accomplished this with the help of it’s tongue by touching the ground. I believe the whiptails, and other lizards like the Southern alligator lizard, have a somewhat developed Jacobsen’s organ; they smell with their tongue.

Whiptail eating dried mealworms, 2017.

Since this lizard was now within the range of my live mealworms, it was taking a worm from my hand in no time. This whiptail seems to be a little darker in the front of it’s body with less tan coloring.

Whiptail taking a worm from my hand,2017. What a long tail it has!

There were a few other whiptails that came by from time to time. This only happened during the summer months. Being cold blooded lizards are only active when the weather is warm. While we might see a Western fence lizard during warm spells in the winter, albeit only briefly, we would not see the others. The whiptails and alligator lizards were mostly late spring through summer.

Whiptail licking it’s chops.

Because of the same sensory abilities of their tongues, Southern alligator lizards were the next to find the bird kibble, our name for the dried mealworms that we put out for the birds. I have smelled the dried mealworms myself and think they do have a protein type smell.

Southern alligator lizard eating the dried mealworms.

Alligator lizards can also lose part of their tails. Sometimes it is to get away from predators, sometimes it is in fights with other alligator lizards. The lizard above has had its trimmed a bit, for whatever reason. The original tail is made of bone. The regrowth is of cartilage and as a result does not grow out much.

Alligator lizard with a really stumpy tail.

Both of the alligator lizards above were also hand feeders which is why I could get in so close for a photo of them. The photo below shows an alligator lizard with a nice, full tail. They are large lizards, just about as big as a whiptail.

Southern alligator lizard with all it’s tail.

Going Up.

Alligator lizards are also decent climbers. In 2014 I wrote about an alligator lizard that I was feeding in a jade tree (see essay “Fattening the Lizards for the Snakes”). Well one of the alligator lizards that would feed on the bird food would climb up into a jade tree when he was done eating. They usually spend the night under dense foliage.

Male Western fence lizard.

The lizard species that we see the most here is the Western fence lizard, commonly called a Blue-belly. They perch on rocks and other vantage points and also climb way up into the oaks looking for food. When they spy an insect from their low perch on a rock they will jump down with a belly flop, which you can hear, and run over to capture and devour it. They are very visual hunters and might not have much of a Jacobsen’s organ, if any at all.

Female Western fence lizard.
A baby Blue-belly.

One problem that was occurring during my feeding of the lizards was caused by the bluebirds. They are very aggressive birds and when I would throw out a worm for a lizard the bluebirds would swoop in and grab it first. Even when I would look around and make sure that I did not see a bluebird and then toss the worm out a bluebird would come flying out of nowhere to steal the worm. When I was hand feeding the lizards the problem lessened, however the bluebirds would still make a play for the worm in my hand. In the Western fence lizards the male and female are dissimilar, the males and females look different, so it is easy to tell the sex’s apart. That is not so with the other two lizards I have mentioned. Some behavioral aspects might show some hints as to sex but not by just looking at them. The blue bellies are pretty bold themselves. Even with a bluebird coming in hard the lizard will go for the worm if it thinks it has a chance at it. If I can get the worm close to the lizard it will get it first. Bully for them. The bluebirds were a bit of a pain when it’s lizard feeding time but I have been able to work around that. The Blue-belly lizards helped me out with this problem by moving in on the rocks closer to me. That was cool! I like my animals close to me, the better to observe them. Like our wintering birds we only have the lizards to enjoy for half of the year, however, that is enjoyment enough!

Yours in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

Winter Arrivals; And Then Some

18/03/04 at 5.37pm   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   0 Comment

As fall is approaching in 2017, my thoughts turn to our winter visitors that we start getting in October. More specifically our dear Hermit thrush Patience.  She had been here the previous two years ( see essays “Theatrical Thrush” and “Winter Arrivals”) and I fully expected her return this year, barring some catastrophe.  The White-crowned sparrows and Dark-eyed juncos were the first to show up in early October, in a small flock of each species.  As the month progressed, I thought more about Patience and her returning.  On October 23rd I glanced over to the rocks next to me and there she was on her favorite rock!  Patience was back for her third winter!

Patience taking a worm from my hand, Winter of 17-18. Her favorite rock in the background.

How did I know that it was Patience? She waited on her favorite rock while I went into the house to get some live mealworms for her and she immediately flew to my hand for a worm. It was Patience for sure. This is the third winter that she will be staying with us. Birds will return to the same nesting territories in spring and this shows the same awareness for wintering birds as well. Why wouldn’t a bird return to a place that provides for them? They are very aware of what is going on around them and seem to have some memory of past encounters.

Patience on her rock.

The only other question that remained was, would Agro, the other Hermit thrush that also showed up the last two winters, be here also? As I mentioned in my previous essays Agro would chase off Patience to the other side of the house and I would have to feed her there. Well, Agro never arrived, which let me enjoy the relationship I had with Patience a whole lot more.

White-crowned sparrow.

As I mentioned previously in this essay, the first to arrive were the White-crowned sparrows. They started out with a small flock of four or five birds and grew from there. They would feed on the dried mealworms and also take small pieces of walnut that I would throw out to them.

Dark-eyed junco.

And then there were the Dark-eyed juncos, which are cousins of the White-crowned, again in another small flock of four or five. They are cute little birds, much smaller than the White-crowns. They are also extremely timid. They could only get to the worms when the other birds were not around and of course I threw them pieces of walnut also, which they ate heartily. Another winter visitor here that was not new to us in the winter but had started to come to the mealworms on the ground was a Yellow-rumped warbler.

Yellow-rumped warbler.

It had been following and watching the bluebirds feed and was now enjoying the worms also.

The Yellow-rumped is the fourth wintering bird that we are feeding now, however this winter was going to have a few surprises in the form of our year round residents.

The first to get my attention was a Bewick’s wren. When the wren would come by very close to me while it was foraging and checking out what the other birds were all eating, I would throw out a worm for her to consume. The wren soon focussed on me as the source of her delight. Since things were very busy around the feeders and it was the smallest bird here, besides the hummers, it was tough for it to find an opportunity to feed. The wren started to call to me with a soft “pit-pit, pit-pit-pit” from the tops of some tall Aloe Vera plants and I would throw a worm up over the metal fence corner post for it to gather. I decided to call this bird Buddy.

Bewick’s wren in the Aloe.

Eventually I worked Buddy in closer and closer until I had Buddy right next to me in the jade trees by the table. It is a good staging spot for birds when they are feeding around the table. I had also been using the little “pit-pit” call to alert it that a worm was coming from me. Buddy picked up on that really quick. There also were some rocks underneath the jade trees, one of which was Patience’s favorite.

Buddy and Patience waiting for worms.

At this point I was still throwing worms out to Buddy. When both birds were here at the same time I had to feed Patience first and then throw out to Buddy while Patience was eating hers. I finally decided to tempt Buddy to my hand for a worm. She did eventually come but it was a bit different, just like Bonnie the bluebird had done early in her taking worms by hand. Buddy would only come to an open hand for a worm. It would not come if you were holding it with your fingers. However, come it did! It would land on my fingertips, take two hops forward and grab the worm. It was extremely adorable!

Buddy the Bewick’s wren taking from my hand.

There were more visitors to our food dishes that winter which we had not had previously. Other year round residents of our yard were paying attention to all the birds actively feeding now. They knew that it was food and would come in closer to investigate. One of the birds investigating was a Spotted towhee. I gave it further incentive by throwing out nice pieces of walnut, since they are, like the California towhees, just big fat ground sparrows and therefore like nuts. When I would work with the Spotted towhee, throwing him pieces of walnut, I would use the call that the spotted would make foraging, just like I did with Buddy. The towhee’s call was a loud “braaack”. That also brought to mind a name for the Spotted towhee, Braaack Obama. Kind of a silly name maybe but it worked for me.

Dark-eyed junco, Western bluebird and Spotted towhee feeding. The bluebird is on one of the feeding dishes.

Another bird that I had been hearing up in the oaks above me for a couple of weeks finally came to the feeders. I knew that there was a Northern mockingbird up in the trees from hearing it’s calls. Well, it finally came down to feed.

Northern mockingbird at one of the feeding dishes.

I also started throwing out worms to it in order to get it’s focus on me and who and what was responsible for the worms. After all, that is my modus operandi isn’t it? Let them know just who Daddy Food Bags is around here. I am pretty sure that is my nickname with all the birds, “Daddy Food Bags” or something equivalent. I also was using the mockingbird’s call, a loud “chew”, to alert it to the coming worm. All three of these new birds would recognize and focus on me when I would use the appropriate call of their species. This was getting to be a whole lot of fun!

White-breasted nuthatch on Patience’s rock.

Another bird that I caught while fishing with meal worms and walnut pieces, this is a lot like trout fishing with flies, was a White-breasted nuthatch. They are small little birds with short legs and a low posture, which led me to it’s name, Shorty. Yeah, I know, real original isn’t it? I got it’s attention with worms and then used walnut, which is less expensive. That gives me four more year round birds that are very focussed on me, Daddy Food Bags. It is all very enjoyable, as you can imagine. However, the sole purpose of this is to remove their fear of me so that they will act totally natural in their behavior when they are around me. It lets me see little insights, from time to time, of their relationships with all the other birds and even other species. Everything is interconnected and intertwined on this planet and my feeding of the birds and other little creatures helps me see this up close and personal. I find that so incredibly rewarding!

Your’s in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

Our Squirrels; Our Time Ends

17/09/17 at 4.33pm   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   3 Comments

I have come to realize that it has been a very long time since I have updated you on our three squirrels: Precious, a female, and Mr. Pito, son of Sally. In the fall of 2016, after my last essay on them (see essay “Our Squirrels; Mr. Pito”), our Sally disappeared abruptly one day, never to be seen again. I will never know why, however with all the predators around here, hawks, owls, bobcats and coyotes, it might be a wonder that she lasted as long as she did. My hunch would be the owls, we have a lot of Great Horned owls around.

Mr. Pito enjoying a walnut.

Spring of 2017 brought even more tragedy to our squirrels. Pito Boy, my pet name for Mr. Pito, started to spend time south of us. Soon we were only seeing him a few times a month. One day he showed up with an injury to his right front paw.

Pito favoring his right paw, 2017

Or course I don’t have a clue as to how he obtained it. Very shortly after this photo was taken he was never seen again. He was a very gentle little soul. I trained him from the time he was leaving the nest in 2014 to take the walnuts from me very gently. He was unlike Precious, who would just attack the nut, and you better watch your fingers. She always seemed nervous and antsy. Sally, Pito’s mom, was in between the two of them. Pito Boy was the only juvenile that ever came in with it’s parent out of the several litters we observed. I’ll miss my little Pito Boy.

Around the same time that Pito was injured Precious developed a large cyst on the top right of her head between her eye and ear.

Precious with her lumpy head.

It showed up one day and continually became worse. After a period of a few weeks however it slowly healed. She now was our only squirrel. Come the Fall of 2017 it was her turn to disappear and never be seen again, just like the others. Life is like that in nature. Sometimes it is exceedingly short, sometimes not. You have to really, really pay attention! One thing is for sure, nobody gets out of here alive.

Your’s in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

Antler Antics; The Herd Grows

17/08/17 at 11.44am   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   0 Comment

With having found the full rack of the second largest buck in our deer herd from 2016 (see my essay “Antler Antics”) I was really excited to see what 2017 would bring to me! The Spring started with six does roaming the area. Within a few weeks we started to see some fawns as well.

A fawn with some spotting on it still.

Within a month or so we could count three new youngsters along with the adult females. That would seem to be deemed good recruitment for the herd we have now.

One of the does with the 3 fawns

With Summer arriving we were starting to see some of the males in the herd. The bucks and does form separate herds except for rutting season. One of the first bucks to show up was the big one from last year. And he was bigger and badder than last year! 2016 ended with me naming him Big Boy.

Big Boy from 2016.

Before we start comparing the bucks, I want to go over some of the terms for the points, called tines, on a deer antler. First, there is the “main beam”. This is the part of the antler from the skull to the tips that continue outward in front of the deer. This is the longest part of the antler. The other points that come off the main beam upwards are called G1, G2 and so on. The G1 is the first and usually the biggest of the G series points. Sometimes the G’s have points develop on them and these points are called “kickers”. There are also two little points that come out forward, a few inches up from the base of the antler, and these are “eye guards”. To qualify as a point, and therefore countable as such, the point has to be at least an inch long. The last aspect of antler anatomy is called the “coronet” and it is the little circle of bumps and indentations around the base of the antler. These are much like a fingerprint and can link all the antlers a deer sheds as belonging to it. In the above photo of 2016, Big Boy has 3 points on his right antler and on his left antler his G2 is very small. It might not qualify as a point, regardless, it is very small. You can also see a notch in his right ear. Also note that on the right antler his G2 and main beam tip are very claw like, almost like a crab.

Big Boy in 2017

Here’s Big Boy in 2017 and he shows the same notch in the ear and claw like G2 on his right antler. This year his G2 on his left antler has lengthened considerably and he has kickers developing on both G1s. Notice how the tips of his G1s are misshaped just below the points. That’s kickers forming and once they reach an inch long they will be another point on his rack. Upon mating bucks will pass their genes to their offspring and this includes genes for the formation of their antlers. This will become more clear as I explain more about the bucks later.

I will start with the smallest 2 pointer that we had show up. It was a small buck and had his eye guards, which fork horns, also with 2 points, lack.

The smallest 2 pointer, 2017.

The thing about this buck is, notice the kickers on his G1s. He seems a little young to have kickers. However, that growth is caused mostly from the genes and a little from food resources. I have the feeling that he is a son of Big Boy. Can’t prove it though, for obvious reasons.

The next 2 pointer to show I believe is the 2 pointer whose antlers I gathered last year. It has the same proportions and shape as the antlers I possess. Only much larger this year.

My second largest deer in 2016.

Isn’t he a handsome boy? I never did give him a name and haven’t had any inspiration for one so he remains nameless. Please note that this buck has no indication of kickers. Just a nice smooth taper out to the tips. Keep that in mind.

This next buck has 3 points on his left antler and 2 on his right. Again, there is a nice taper to it’s points.

The fourth buck of the 2+ Club, 2017.

The last buck of 2 points or better was also a 3-2, however his 3 was on his right antler not the left. He also had a deformed G1 on his right antler.

The fifth buck of the 2+ Club, 2017

Notice that the G2 0n his right makes that same kind of claw shape as Big Boy’s does. The left antler also has a G2 forming on it. The tip of the G1 on it’s left antler seems thick right at the end. It reminds me a whole lot of Big Boy. What do you think? What happened to it’s Gi on his right antler probably occurred when his antlers were growing and covered in velvet. It could have been caused by injury or infection or maybe genetic, who knows.

With only having two bucks in the 2+ Club last year, the five of this year astounds me! Add the six does, the three fawns and a fork horn to them and there was a total of fifteen deer in the herd we watched over the course of the year. They start showing up a lot towards the end of Summer for the acorns from the oaks, called mast. They are a primary source of protein for the herd at this time of year.

Another thing that brings the heard together in the fall is breeding season. The rut, as it is called, is the one time of the year that you can see lots of males with the females and they are very focoussed the females. It is quite interesting watching the males bothering the females who are actively in estrous. The males will bother them so much that they have a hard time getting space and time to eat the acorns.

A lusty buck with two does.

The above buck is the one with the injured G1 on his right antler. In the photo below he is fleming, which is a rolling up of the upper lip so that he can “taste” the hormones from a female in estrous.

A buck fleming.

As the year winds down my thoughts turn to the first of the year for 2018. The bucks will be shedding their antlers, called castings, in January. Last year I had incredible luck in finding some sheds and this year the herd has more than doubled! I was looking forward with great anticipation as to what I might find this time.

The Thomas Fire, Ventura CA, December 2017. Taken from my yard.

Well, come December, nature played a dirty trick on me, the Thomas Fire! When it ended it was the largest forest fire California had ever had. Although now it is #2. Ojai was completely surrounded by fire. It was like two burning jaws on both sides of the Ojai Valley closing around us. I have seen many fires here and this was a whopper!

The Thomas Fire from my yard.

The fire on the south side of the Valley burned across Black Mountain and down to the edge of the city at Lion Canyon Ranch. That is where I believe most of the deer that we see hang out. It was a very destructive event to say the least. The fire was very disruptive to the herds normal habits. As 2018 started we were not seeing any deer. Part of the reason for not seeing the deer, besides the disturbance of the fire, is that within two weeks of a fire the chaparral is sprouting up new growth from their roots. This is great food for deer. You see, deer are browsers not grazers. They like leaves, soft, tender, young leaves and that is what they now had all around them. With the new food sources available they did not have to roam much and we saw very few deer in the first half of the year. I also found no antlers whatsoever! What a major disappointment that was! I was drooling on the bit waiting for the first of the year and my search for more antlers. Oh well, I can rejoice in the fact that the herd provided me with so much enjoyment during that year, it was incredible! The only constant in life is change and in time the deer will be around again for me to enjoy. There will not be an article on the herd for 2018 because they still haven’t returned in any numbers as I write this essay. That is OK though. I know that they will return sooner or later and I am a patient man. The herd prospered and grew and for that I am most thankful!

Your’s in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

A Western Bluebird Bonding: Continued…

17/07/23 at 2.26pm   /   by Backwoods Bruce   /   0 Comment

I mentioned in a previous essay that the adult bluebirds, Bonnie and Clyde, had not pushed off their young from from spring of 2016 until late January of this year. By early spring Bonnie was begging Clyde for food with wing shakes and open mouth just like a fledgeling. She does this because she is growing eggs for the nest and needs the extra food. Once she lays the eggs Pops (the name I normally call Clyde) will feed her while she incubates them. We had been watching them as they refurbished the nesting cavity that they used last year (see essay ” A Western Bluebird Bonding”) and we were excited at the prospects! While incubating the eggs Bonnie will leave the nest from time to time and feed at the table. One thing is certain however: if she is stacking worms in her mouth, she has hatchlings!

Bonnie stacking worms for the hatchlings

They made countless journeys to the nest over the next three weeks or so to feed the little ones inside the hole in the tree. One morning it was different. The parents were not flying to the hole but up into the far reaches of the oaks. The young have fledged! The young will stay up in the leafy branches of the oaks for their safety until they become proficient flyers. We knew it would be only a matter of time before they were at the table.

Pops getting a worm for the fledgelings, 2017.

We were curious as to how many young have fledged this spring. The parents had been eating great since they got here over a year ago and we wondered if that would affect the clutch size this year. We only catch glimpses of the young when they are up in the oaks and it is very hard to determine just how many birds you are seeing. Once they start following their parents around on their search for food they will arrive closer and we will get an accurate account.

A first brood fledgeling gulping them down, 2017.

Arrive they did and soon they started feeding themselves at the table. It was still very hard to get a count of the young at first because they come in and out so quickly. Once they settled down we found that they had three fledgelings, the same as last year. As the fledgelings are maturing and feeding themselves, I notice that Bonnie is doing that little wing shake and open mouth that fledgelings do and Pops is feeding her.

Three fledgelings of the first brood, 2017.

That can mean only one thing, she is having a second brood! Within a few weeks the first brood has been dispersed from the area and Bonnie lays a second clutch of eggs. This was very different than last year, when they kept their young for several months. Last year they did not have a second brood, which is probably why the young got to stay around so long. I would have to say that Bonnie fed pretty well here since she is having a second clutch. Food resources play a big role in clutch size and number of broods that a bird has. As the bluebirds were feeding this second brood they received some help from one of their sons from the previous nesting effort of 2016.

Bonnie on the right, Clyde in the middle and one of their sons from 2016 top left

Year old bluebirds can sometimes end up with a part of their parents’ territory when they move out. If one of the young from the previous year have a nest failure or fail to nest they will sometimes help their parents to care for this years youngsters. One of the sons from 2016 showed up with a female to help out with the second brood. Probably because there was no genetic investment on her part the new female only stayed for a couple of weeks before she flew the coup, so to speak. The son, who I called junior, stayed the course.

The five fledglings from the second brood with the three adults that fed them.

As the young started to show up by our feeding area I tried to get a count on the youngsters. At times I would be able to count at least four fledgelings. That would be more than the previous broods that they have had with us. Wait, is that a fifth fledgeling that I just saw? Yes it is, Bonnie laid five eggs! Wow, Bonnie must be eating extremely well!

With having to feed five young this time I am sure that Bonnie and Clyde appreciated the help from their son. We felt that we had also played a dig part in the process. So much so that we really felt like grandparents! When the second brood started to feed more on their own I moved the feeding dishes up onto the table to bring them closer to us.

At the table the birds are feeding only three feet away from us. It’s up close and personal. It does take some time for the little ones to get used to us. Even with their parents flying to our hands for worms. The only time that the young birds would always come in without fear is when Pops comes in to the table. Then it is a bit like Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds”. OK, OK, I exaggerate. However, it is so cute when all five youngsters fly in at once upon his arrival and immediately attack the food! What a dad!

At this point the young still have their streaky breast and upper back feathers. They are, however, showing the color blue that will show their individual sex as bluebirds. The males have more cobalt and the females are more of a sky blue. The problem is trying to get a clean look at them when they are all present. At first I was able to count two males and two females. Eventually I was able to recognize three male fledgelings feeding together at the table with us. OK then, three males and two females it is. The first brood this year was sent away so quickly that I never had a chance to determine their sex.

As the summer wore on and the young bluebirds became more accustomed to us at the table, I noticed that one of the male fledges seemed to be very interested in the mealworms that we were feeding to it’s parents. Which is a bit strange to me because the son, Junior, who came back to help the parents this year never showed any interest in taking a worm from our hand in the one year plus that he was with us.

So what the heck, I offered him a worm and by golly he took it! When I offer worms by hand at the table I start out by offering a worm while my arm is lying on the table so that they can just hop over to it rather than fly over. They seem a lot more open to approaching this way in the beginning. I decided to name him Bright Boy, since he had the sense to figure out what was happening. Within a day or two he was flying right to my hand! This feeding of Bright Boy went on for a couple of weeks when suddenly I noticed Pops chasing Bright Boy away from the feeding area! Within a few days Bright Boy was never to be seen again. Could this be a territorial dispute by Pops over food resources? I think so. Regardless, it was an interesting and informative breeding season with the bluebirds. I saw different behaviors and aspects of bluebird life that I had not observed previously. I will await the wonders of next years breeding season with much anticipation!

Yours in Nature,

Backwoods Bruce

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