Not a second goes by that there isn't something wonderful and enlightening occurring right outside my door (or window). I am constantly amazed at how attentive bird parents are to their young, often forgoing their own comfort and safety for that of their offspring. We humans would be well served to take a few lessons from our feathered counterparts.Last week, during a perfect spring day, we had the privilege of watching a pair of eastern bluebirds deliver a smorgasbord of insects to their hungry hatchlings. The mated pair took turns throughout the day collecting bugs and depositing them inside the nest box. Never more than 5 minutes would pass before one of the pair would be there with a delivery.
The wood ducks are still incubating. It should be any day now! We see the male paddling around the nest box each morning, warding off potential intruders, while the female goes out for breakfast.
There are adorable (but poopy) eastern phoebes making every attempt to affix their muddy nests to every available orifice on the house. So far we have kept them at bay, removing their nests several times a day. But they are efficient builders and undeterred by our constant interference with their progress. Yesterday, with a mouthful of moss, one phoebe waited patiently six feet away while I pried his handiwork from the eaves over our covered patio.
We had a mated pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks fly headlong into one of our windows, both dying instantly. We get a lot of bird strikes, and in most cases, the little fellows shake it off and fly away. Tragically, this was not the case for this pair of gorgeous and somewhat uncommon birds and we are genuinely mourning the loss. To think that this couple made the long trip from Mexico or Central America to raise their family at our home in Ohio, only to be killed by the presence of our man-made structure, makes us extremely sad.
I am pleased to report that I got a glimpse of our red-headed woodpeckers yesterday. I assume that they have set up house (again) in the trees surrounding our meadow, and I am very excited to have them back this year.
Robins, like many birds, are diligent nest builders and we have been watching one bring twigs and mud and moss to construct a sturdy little structure in a hemlock outside our bedroom window. As her nest has taken shape, I have noticed a horizontal black stripe forming across the front of her rusty breast. I read that the females, as part of their nest building process, use their breasts to tamp down the mud around the inside of the nest, forming the cup in which she lays her eggs. Hence, the muddy band I see across her front. There is also a robin nesting in the rafters of our woodshed. Her eggs have hatched now and she spends her entire day collecting worms and insects to fill those 4 or 5 gaping mouths. She looks a little worse for wear. Her feathers are rumpled and it's obvious that with all those hungry mouths to feed, she has no time to groom herself.
That's all to report for now. So much activity, so little time to take it all in!
