Natures Camo

Can you find the critter in the first picture below -

A young Cliff Swallow, perfectly camouflaged and showing  great patience to not move even though I was standing just a few feet away -

I’m guessing it fell out of its nest WAY UP THERE 👆-

It doesn’t look it in the above pic but the youngster is right below the nests above.

The little fella looked fine, not hurt. I watched an adult Swallow bring what looked like food to it, so I moved away.

Hoping nothing will fuss with it and it takes flight soon.

Airbnb Under The Eaves

Did a bit of scouting today. No, not Boy Scouting or Posse Scouting. Rather, potential accessible Nolichucky fishing spots scouting.

While checking out the one spot pictured below, under Rt107 in Greeneville, I noticed a slew of bird activity around and under the bridge.

Upon closer inspection I could see what looked like oodles of some type of bird nests, all neatly lined up under one of the bridge sides - 

Here’s a closer look -

Turns out these are mud nests and they are made by Cliff Swallows!

It was awesome to watch them coming and going and circling above and below the bridge, all the while never bumping into to one another.

Seems they’re excellent insect eaters - lots of mosquitoes, flies and gnats. Perhaps, an ideal spot to fish near, assuming they are in fact dining on most of the mosquitoes in that area, which I will assume then that there’s that many less to bother me!

Striking Blue Plumage

Saw my first Indigo Bunting, a male, hanging out around our pond.

Little factoid for y’all - Buntings are known as a songbird in the cardinal family -

Like the cardinal and how their red sticks out, the Buntings blue pops and does the same !

A Soccer Bird?!

I spotted my first ever Killdeer, on the soccer field at ETSU of all places.

I initially thought it was a Piping Plover, as they're similar looking but these birds live and are found along costal sand and gravel beaches.

Either way I was a bit baffled, as both birds are considered "shore birds", and East Tennessee isn't near the shore.  However, as I've learned, Killdeer are shore birds you can see without needing to go to the beach -

Seems they prefer open, dry, flat areas, including pastures, cultivated fields, gravel lawns, parking lots, and golf courses. These birds prefer open landscapes with sparse vegetation, often nesting on the ground. 

They're highly adaptable and often thrive in habitats modified by humans, frequently nesting on gravel rather than near water.

Learn something new every day...

What The Flock Are They Doing?!

There was a "wake" of turkey vulture positioning themselves to dine on a, unfortunate but delicious looking (not to me), beat up and ripe looking opossum roadkill.

We kinda ruined their gathering as we approached but here's an adult and a juvenile perched just above the carrion they're after -

Now here is where my camera skills, if you can call them that, come into play trying to capture these dudes taking flight.

There goes the adult -

There goes the juvenile -

Oops, but a good looking and health feather pattern -

Um... -

The back end of the juvenile -

Seems I need to work on my camera skills.

As a stuttering Porky Pig would say, "Th-th-th-that's all, folks!"...

Passerine Songbirds

I mentioned in an earlier post about an extremely upper class neighborhood that I deliver mail to in Millis.  The development doesn't have a name, as so many do. Rather just known by their street names; Evergreen Terrace, Beech Road and Frontier Lane, with the latter containing the BIGGER and nicer estates, see below -

I'm guessing that this area was farmland at one point; fields and forest.  One indication that there isn't a single tall, older tree on any of the properties.

Anyway, I digress from the main reason for this post and it's kinda a "find the critter" type post too.

Can you find the critters in the two photos below - 

Look closely over the door and windows.  Care to guess at what these critters are?

Different house, same critters congregating over the windows -

I took another picture today, Tuesday August 11, see below.  Look over the doors and windows, oodles of them -

They're Barn Swallows!

I see them flying in and around this development each time I deliver there.  Recently, I noticed how they'd flock to and perch on just a couple houses around the same area; the more open areas.

They are a beautiful bird for sure and SO fun to watch they soar and dart in the open spaces.

As Dr. Seuss said, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"...

A Welcomed Returning Occupant

I sure do miss having chickens.  Looking out back and seeing the empty coop seems wrong and makes me sad.  Oh, I've been tempted many times and have almost caved a couple times this year alone but passed each time.

However, not having the worry about protecting them from predator's is a relief and stress free.  For example, I recently posted pics of the coyote I watched stroll through my back yard and onto the neighbors chicken coops.  If I had chickens in my coop, the encounter would have been completely different.  Also, the other morning around 6ish, as I was standing at the sink washing my breakfast dishes, a BIG raccoon came ambling by, along the same route as the coyote, and made a b-line towards my neighbors coop and sure enough it wasn't a minute or so later and the chickens erupted with squawking and cackling and carrying on.

Now, not to be completely discouraged, I am happy to report that I do have a resident of my chicken coop this spring!  A returning resident too that is reusing their old nest after some patching -

Anyone care to take a guess at what type of birds these are WITHOUT looking below and cheating -

Looked like there were two littles in the nest but I can't be certain.  I was already causing a disturbance and the parents were in an uproar, so I snapped my pics and hurried away -

A small bird; one of the smallest in North America.

A very chatty boisterous bird.

A busy and energetic bird.

A territorial bird.

A master at finding and catching all sorts of pesky insects, especially on the ground and under plants.

A Northern House Wren! 🐤

Another of my favorite birds.

No Vacancy!

Honestly, I've lost track but believe for the last 5 years or so I've had American Robins make a nest under my back deck and raise a brood.  It's fun to have them there and watch them come and go and raise the young but it's also in a place where I come and go all the time, which scares off the adults and has in the past caused the young to leave the nest too early, as they get spooked too.

Last year they built their nest atop the ladder that is stored under there.  This is where that darn "Murphy" comes in. You see, like last year, once they build their nest, lay eggs and get settled I'm gonna need my ladder, UGH!  Last year I had to wait until the young left the nest before being able to use the ladder, which isn't cool.

So, this spring I've been removing their nest constructions every day or two.  I'm doing this so they'll get the point and move on to a different location, however, they are persistent, OMG!  They're working their feathered butts off and actually make quite a lot of progress with each attempt.  I feel bad but I want to break the cycle...

They can visit but NO lodging!

I'm Being A "Sapsucker"...

I have a Maple tree in my yard that has something wrong with it. It's stunted, as compared to the others it was planted with and has dead branches and limbs throughout, which brake and fall constantly.

I bought from the same nursery, along with (4) other Maple trees and all were planted at the same time.  The others are doing terrific and almost twice as big and tall as this sick one.

One thought, and the likely issue, is that the tree is suffering from 'girdling roots", where the roots grow in a circle around the trunk, essentially choking the tree by restricting water and nutrient flow.  Apparently, this is a known problem with Maple trees.

Now that the tree is sickly, it's a prime candidate to be taken advantage of and attacked.  For example, the picture below shows six perfect holes all lined up in a row on one side of the trunk.  I took this pic at one point this past summer and at the time assumed some sort of "borer" insect or a woodpecker had done this.

However, I recently came across the below Instagram video that explains what or who is the likely culprit making these holes.  The video shows similar holes and to my surprise it very likely was done by the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker!

Of course I've heard of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker but thinking back I don't recall ever seeing one.  To be honest, until researching, I didn't know what one of these birds looked like.  Even now that I do, they look so similar to the Downey woodpecker that I don't know if I would have noticed the difference, until now.

According to the Google machine, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are found across Canada, eastern Alaska and the northeastern United States with them wintering in the eastern United States.  So, just because I've not seen or noticed any, doesn't mean they're not here and very likely the critter responsible for the holes pictured above.

I'll be paying closer attention to the birds visiting my ole homestead.

Good Omen or Bad Omen?

Let's zoom in -

Closer -

AH HA, there's the culprit making all the racket -

Growing up I recall crows as being extremely skittish.  Usually taking flight as soon as a person would appear, or at least when I would came out.  However, seems crows today are far more empowered and bolder, seldom taking off and instead holding their ground with what seems like more of a gangster approach of what ’chu lookin’ at?

According to the Google machine, "in modern spiritualism, crows and ravens are seen to symbolize transformation, prescience, destiny, intelligence, fearlessness, mystery, flexibility, adaptability, and perspective.".  

So, I'm gonna take these symbolisms to mean that they and I have a connection, and that perhaps things are happening the way they're happening for a reason.

Looked Like A Statue

I spy with my little eye...

I came across this juvenile red tailed hawk this morning on my walk.

I spotted him right away and assumed it would take off as I got closer but noppers, just sat right there.  I was literally a couple feet away from this beauty and it didn't move or seem bothered by my presence.

Now, it did look a bit water logged, perhaps from the rains we recently had, but otherwise fine.  I was tempted to give it a nudge but didn't want to overstep, so I let it be and went on my way.  Hoping it's fine and was just resting and scoping out the area -

If I could rationalize with it I would have told it about all the delicious wild rabbits I have in my yard and would have tried to convince it to let me take it home to a nice wabbit meal...

My Littles - Update

An update to June 18th post titled My Littles -

Three days after my above post I noticed this little'n perched on my deck rail.  Seems it was time for both youngster to fledge, which surprised me looking back at the pics I took of them in their nest, hmm

Somehow this newbie made if from the nest, under the deck, topside and perched atop the railing.

I pulled up a chairs and watched this dude for a little while, hoping one of the adults would stop by so I could get a pic but no luck.  A short time later, this baby was gone and off to see the area.

I checked their nest later that afternoon to confirm it was empty, them removed it, so I could finally take down my ladder and check my gutters.

Not A Rubber Ducky

I captured a couple of the many visiting Blue Birds enjoying my bird baths.

Post bath preening and relaxing in warm sunny spot -

This is the first summer in the last 5 or 6 that I don't have any nesting Blue Birds 😥.

The unwanted, dirty and annoying House Sparrows have chased them off.  Bullying them out and away from the bird houses I have and that the Blue Birds have called home for years.  They've done the same thing to the Wrens too.  Wish I knew of a way to rid my yard of just these vermin sparrows...

My Littles...

A pair of Robins made a nest atop my 30' extension ladder that I have stored under my back deck. They made it in less than a couple days, and when I was away in RI for my daughter's graduation.  Seems they like the spot and have been here for the last couple of years.

There are two nice and plump youngsters in there now.  It won't be long now before they're old enough to "fly the coop".

I'm looking forward to it, since the parents get all hot and bothered when I'm out and about in that area and carry on and on and on but also because I need to use my ladder!  Soon enough...

To The Victor Belong The Spoils!

So, I just finished mopping the floors this morning.  Since they were still wet I took a seat in the living room to give them time to dry before walking on them and put things back in place.

A couple minutes later I hear, what sounded like the cat chasing her bell ball around in the other room, so didn't give it too much thought beyond that.

However, about 5-minutes later, when I made my way into the front hall, I noticed drops of blood all over the foyer carpet!  Trixie was with me in the living rooms, so not worries it was her blood, rather I assumed it was the frick'n cat -

Then I look up and am SHOCKED to see the below, my blinds torn apart and ruined, WTF, and NOW I am livid -

So, off I go in a seek and destroy mission to find Oliver!

I see him at the top of the stairs and immediately head that way with steam shooting outta my ears, however, when I get to the top of the stairs I am further shocked at what I discover -

A dead female Sparrow lying and staining my carpet!

Although, I am still upset at the destroyed blinds, which I now need to replace, I'm kinda proud that Oliver took care of this prowler!  I've seen him attempt to catch a chipmunk that was essentially cornered and he failed, so I assumed he was special needs when it came to his hunting abilities but that has now changed!

Seems the screen was opened just enough and this sparrow thought it a good idea to venture inside. I'm fairly certain that she won't be doing this ever again 😉(as I drop her into the trash barrel)...

Back In Time

I had the opportunity to walk around an old abandoned house and property that will soon be torn down.  It's a house in Medway, on route 109, that I remember from when I was a little type.  Although, we seldom drove out this why, too far drive back in the 1970's, we did, however, when heading down to visit family in West Virginia and Tennessee, as we'd jump on route 495 just a couple miles down the road.  Anyway, this house always stood out to me because they had a couple ponies that I looked forward to seeing when driving by.

Fast forward some 50 odd years, YIKES I'm old, and this house and abutting garage business will soon be demolished to make way for a new development of some kind.

In poking around, I scared off a nesting bird, which to be honest startled me a bit.   Had she just stayed on her nest I would have never known she was there. I didn't really get that close to her either but off she went.  I knew immediately what type of bird it was by the noise her flapping wings made, quite unique.  Can you tell from the picture of the nest and eggs?  It was a Mourning Dove!  I returned an hour later hoping to get a pic of her on the nest.  She was there but you couldn't see her from the angle and distance I was at and of course she flew off again as I tried to get closer, so unfortunately, no pic of her.

I scored an almost full roll of 4' tall galvanized fencing that was in one of the old animals sheds.  I also, picked up a couple of ticks too!! 🕷

'PILL-ee-ay-tid' Woodpecker

I spy with my little eye...

Way up there perched atop that thar Aspen tree -

A Pileated woodpecker!

Not a rare sight but Pileated woodpeckers a relatively uncommon, as they're a shier bird. 

Pileated woodpeckers is the largest woodpecker in North American and are the third largest species of woodpecker in the world.  "Pileated" refers to the bird's prominent red crest, from the Latin pileatus meaning "capped" -

This is a female and she was very content to sit up there and preen herself -

* Disregard the date stamps on the pictures, they are incorrect.

Knock-Knock-Thud

I was washing my dinner dishes this evening and watched this female Northern Flicker fly right at me and slam, with a loud THUD, into the window.  She caromed onto the deck, right in front of the sliding door.

This is how I found her -

She was moving and blinking her eyes but was definitely out of it -

I let her alone for a bit, then eventually propped her up -

Where she stayed, still dazed and breathing heavy with her mouth opened -

Trixie was even concerned and checked in on her too.  The flicker didn't care or seem bothered that Trixie was close. Still too dazed I imagine -

After close to 30 minutes or so of her not moving I went out and gave her a nudge.  That seemed to wake her and off she flew.

What a beautiful bird, the pictures just don't do all the colors and details justice.

All's well that ends well!