Cardinals Adieu

Our porchside nest of baby cardinals triplets are grown and off to start their lives; they all took their first solo flight earlier this week. This experience has been such a thrill for us, and we did our part by not mowing the lawn or making any noise near the tree while they were nesting. My guy even went out one day to chase off some curious crows who were making Mama and Papa frantic.

I didn't catch two of the babies leaving the nest, but I was lucky enough to spot this little guy just as he did:



He still has his little mohawk, too:



Just before he took off with his mom, he looked back at me:



I'll take that as an Adieu.

Growing Fast

Every day has been bird watching day here as the baby cardinals continue to grow. Mama spends most of her time bringing them bugs and worms and keeping a sharp eye on the nest; to keep from scaring her off I shot this on zoom through the porch screen:



I was surprised to see Papa feeding the triplets, too, and was even able to snap a pic (also zoomed through the screen) of him serving breakfast to one of the nestlings:



My guy and I waited until both parents left to see if we could get a couple more snaps of the triplets, who are starting to get their feathers now:



We were very lucky to get this pic, which shows all three:



I know, they're really not all that attractive yet, but I love their little mohawks. We think they may be two girls and a boy, but it's hard to tell when they're this small.

Springy

Spring has delivered a lot of surprises this year. The cardinals are now both occupying my little maple by the porch to feed and watch over their triplets, which means if I'm very quiet I can snap pics like these through the screen:





The new parents will have plenty to feed this kids, too, as April is our month for plagues of moth catepillars. Usually we only have to deal with buck and tussock moths catepillars (they both sting), but I'm seeing some new varieties, like this one in the the yard right where I walk the dogs every day:



My best guess by comparing my pic to photos on the web is that it's a salt marsh catepillar, which isn't supposed to sting. My personal policy is not to touch anything with spines, so I scooped him up with a spade to relocate him.

In the mail I got my latest ARC from Library Thing's Early Reviewer Program:



So now I have something new to read in between stalking cardinals and ferrying catepillars.

What has spring delivered to your doorstep? Let us know in comments.

Triplets

On Sunday the cardinals nesting by our porch hatched their eggs, and here is the first glimpse we had of the newborns:



They're really tiny, adorable things; no bigger than the end of my guy's thumb. We waited until Mom and Dad left for dinner to snap our pics, and this next one was the best one we could get in the low light (we're not touching the nest or the babies, naturally):



Zooming in, we got a better look:



This is likely the last pictures we'll take, too, unless I can get some through the porch screen. We want to keep our distance so Mom and Dad can feel safe and look after them without freaking out.

New Neighbors

One thing I love about sitting on the porch is seeing my favorite tree, a miniature Japanese maple we inherited from the previous owners. It's a lovely, delicate tree that hasn't grown much in the last eleven years, but always blooms every spring with lots of little, pretty leaves. The leaves also start turning a blazing scarlet red in the fall before they fall and the tree goes to sleep for the winter. The other day I noticed something in the branches that on closer inspection turned out to be a tiny nest:



I thought it might be a hummingbird nest (we have a silvery blue variety in the neighborhood), but as I got closer I saw it was a little too big for that:



The nest was situated over my head, so I had my guy get the ladder so we could see what was inside:



The nest was quite skillfully made from oak twigs, spanish moss and some pine needles, and the eggs are really small:



I sat and waited to see who would come back to sit on them, and heard a very familiar cheeping when Mama arrived:



I got my confirmation that it was her nest when she settled down in it:



Then Papa arrived to scold me for being too close (and I have only been able to photograph him once before this):



So the nest belongs to the neighborhood's cardinals, who are regular visitors to our feeders, but have never nested near us before now. I love cardinals, and we all feel immensely flattered that they'd set up their nursery so close to the house. In about eleven to thirteen days I hope to show you what baby cardinals look like.

Spring Signage

Whenever spring arrives here the air changes, a certain type of shrub blooms for a couple of weeks, and of course the spiders come back to set up house:



I like the spiders. I know most people find them creepy, but their webs are beautiful and I think of them as Nature's exterminators. They also eat most of the mosquitos that will be arriving between now and summer, never a bad thing.

Every spring I also haul out a UFO (unfinished object) quilt project and try to finish it, and sometimes when I dig through my sewing stuff I find something that I forgot I didn't finish. I have to wait for my new glasses to come in, but when they do I've decided I'm going to finally finish Snow here, who has been waiting for a couple years now for me to get on with it:



Spring also often brings some weird new critter trying to invade our property. Most of the time it's a bug (one memorable year we discovered the porch was infested with black widows) but 2015 appears to be the year of the tussock moth catepillar:



I've never seen these around here before this year, and some quick research revealed that contact with this catepillar's hairs can cause allergic skin reactions. Our kid is particularly sensitive to any kind of insect venom, so we are removing them from close proximity to the house. We've also spotted several buck moth catepillars, with whom any contact inflicts a horrible welt that hurts for days (and I can personally attest to it being worse than a burn from a hot iron) so we're disposing of them without any regrets whatsoever.

What surprises has spring brought to your corner of the planet? Let us know in comments.

A Dovely Visit

So far this year we haven't found any birds nesting on our property, likely due to some recent construction nearby and a persistent hawk who has taking a liking to our backyard. On one hand it's nice to have a break from worrying about the babies tumbling out of the nests their Mamas build in strange spots, on the other I do miss seeing the little ones born and grow and take their first flight. But something I saw the other day made me think the doves haven't forgotten us:



From her color and size I think she's one of last year's youngsters, come to visit the old nest (which I did ask my guy to clean off but he forgot and then I forgot to remind him.) She sat up there for quite a while, and didn't show any fear of me when I came out to snap a few shots:



Will she be raising her own brood in the old nest? I'm not sure, but she certainly has that look in her eye:

Partners

Sometimes when I'm working on the porch I get the feeling I'm being watched -- and sometimes it turns out that I am:



Our dog Cole has already chased these two cranes from our yard twice this Spring, but they keep returning to stroll across the property like a couple of supermodels. They also don't mind so much being photographed, but I'm still careful to keep my distance and use the zoom. I think this one might have been snickering a little at me:



Playing polite paparazzi to the cranes has also helped me notice more things about them. At first glance they look identical, but they have very different personalities. One is cautious, easily-spooked and almost tiptoes through the grass; the other is aggressive, loud and always seems to be looking for trouble -- but he's also very protective of his partner (I'm guessing he's the male):



Seeing how they interact with each other is teaching a lot about partners -- and not just the romantic variety. They never eat or preen at the same time; one always stands guard out while the other digs for bugs or neatens the feathers. When they fly off, however, they match each other's moves and stay within two feet of each other in the air. They also squabble now and then, but never when they can see me watching them (which I suppose is like an old married couple.)

I've read up on sandhill cranes and discovered some surprising facts about them, such as they eat just about anything, from mice to snakes to bugs, but it's illegal in my state for humans to feed them (not that I ever would; I just didn't know it was against the law.) They live for as long as twenty years, and I've known this pair for ten, so they're probably middle-aged. These cranes are also so territorial they will attack their own reflections, which is why they sometimes damage cars and windows. Watching them together has taught me a lot that isn't in the books, such as I have never once seen them apart, and yet they still call to each other across the yard. I can't tell if they're having a conversation, doing the mating thing or simply feel nervous, but no matter what they do I get the sense that they're always focused on each other -- true partners in every sense, caught up in their own story.



I just wish I could do this when I get an itch on my back.

Fourth Nest (or First?)

The doves are backing having babies again:



I've gotten so used to this now I don't even blink when I see her up there. We also decided to leave the nest intact after the last batch because as precarious as it looks, it's actually very secure, and there have been no baby dove casualties. It's also in a spot that is well-protected from the local predators (probably why the doves keep coming back, too):



I don't think this is the same dove, however. Here's a closeup of this new Mama:



Now here's a closeup of the Mama dove from the three previous nests:



The new Mama has a lighter throat and different markings, and the pink on her beak is more pronounced, so either she's gotten a lot of sun lately, or she might be a female from one of the previous clutches. What do you guys think?

Backyard Surprises

Our neighborhood sandhill cranes paid me a visit yesterday morning:



My dogs would like nothing better than to chase them around the yard, so I'll have to remember to check for them before we step outside.



Over the years the cranes have grown slightly less skittish of humans, so I was able to get a bit closer without alarming them. I'd love to get some more close-up shots like this one:



This morning we had another surprise show up in the pasture bordering the back of our property:



At first I thought a stray dog had gotten into the field, but on closer inspection it turned out to be a new addition to the herd:



You know the really old saying about making calf's eyes at someone? This is what it actually looks like:

Third Set of Twins . . . Maybe

Our mourning doves came back for round three with their nest, and Mama finally flew off long enough for me to snap some quick pics:



Dad is actually standing guard here; he's been especially attentive with this nest. I think that's due to some recent bad weather. I've noticed that in past years when we have storms he tends to stick much closer to Mama and the babies:



I was only able to photograph one baby's head so I'm still not sure there are two this time. I didn't want to upset Dad so I kept at a safe distance:



Once the baby/babies are a little bigger I should be able to tell how many there are. In the meantime, welcome to Dove Central, little one/s.

Third Nest

The doves are at it again -- for the third time this year, no less.



This morning I crept out to take some shots of Papa hanging out with Mama.



He seems to be a good Dad, too, as he's never too far away, and visits Mama and the nest frequently. And yeah, he smirks at me, too, but being quite possibly the most fertile dove in existence, I guess he's got the right.

Rearing Racer

Spring is almost here, and with three dogs to walk now (Mom brought her darling pooch Abby) I'm spending a bit more time in the yard. Yesterday afternoon I went out with Skye and Cole to take a little stroll, and happened to notice on my way back to the porch how many leaves the old oak tree has been shedding:



Luckily I decided to examine the leaves at the moment, or I would have stepped on someone's head:



I'm not afraid of snakes, but I do like some warning before I meet one. Mr. Black Racer here played dead so well the dogs didn't even notice him when I hurried them inside. I was almost afraid he was deceased, but as soon as I came out with the camera he rattled his tail in the leaves and put on his tough guy act by rearing up:



I found out later via Internet research that this is classic behavior for a black racer when they're startled or feeling threatened.



Snakes are pretty amazing critters, and I love to photograph them. This species is non-venomous but I've read that they will bite if they feel cornered or threatened, so I kept a safe distance and took all the pics by zoom.



He stayed upright in full rearing rage and gave me the stink eye until I retreated, and only then did he slither away. I've never seen a snake do that so I'm delighted I got the pics.

Anything interesting showing up in your yard or garden yet? Let us know in comments.