Lovely Day

The storms have passed through and left us some nice, cool air to enjoy. There's a nice breeze today and it's just perfect outside.

Last winter we made bird houses for Christmas gifts. Jim made this cute little caboose for fun and we hung it in a pine tree on a whim. It's very small and we thought it would be too small for any bird. Wouldn't you know it? A house wren family has taken up residence in it! Mama wren sits on the nest and we see her come and go. Daddy wren sits in the branches above and sings a loud, melodious tune. Jim feels good knowing his little creation is now providing a home for a wren family.

After four days on the lam, Rocky came back to the chicken run last night. Derek saw him climbing the fence and called Jim to come see. Jim picked him up and put him in the cage for a good meal and drink. Rocky ate and ate and ate and drank and drank and drank and slept and slept and slept! His battery fully recharged, he is now busy climbing the pine trees by the wood pile, foraging for pine cone seeds and fresh grasses. He is a happy little squirrel and it's great to see him doing well and adjusting to life as a wild squirrel. We hugged and cuddled him a lot last night. We missed him! Today, Jim hung a squirrel box he made in one of the pine trees in the chicken run. Rocky knows the chickens and it seemed logical to put a nest for him near the chicken coop.

The chooks are out enjoying some free range time in the yard today. I have had to restrict the times they are allowed out of their run because they are tearing up my plants and mulch. So now they are only allowed out when we are able to keep a close watch on them. They have been finding lots of worms after all the rain we had this weekend! They are 9 weeks old today and starting to "cluck" rather than "peep". I still haven't heard any of the roosters try to crow.

Busy Day

Jim and the boys attacked the downed willow today. I posted an ad on Craigslist last night advertising the free wood to anyone who will come and get it. I got an immediate response from a guy wanting to know if it was alright to come out Friday and take it all. He said he would cut the stump to the ground and rake up the mess when he was done! Of course I said yes! We are very happy that he is going to remove the tree for FREE! One man's trash certainly is another man's treasure.

One guy showed up unannounced this morning asking if he could have some of the wood for making some end tables. He had his three kids with him and they wanted to pet the chickens. I caught my Buff Orp rooster, Rudy, and let them all pet him. He was a good boy and they loved him. What is it about chickens that is so irresistible? Anyway, the guy filled up his car with wood and headed home. He was here for a few hours picking out the pieces he wanted. There is extensive rot in the trunk that fell over, as you can see in the photo. Jim cut good pieces for the end table guy, at various thicknessess.

While the guys worked on the willow, I busied myself with getting things done around the house. I love taking care of my household. There is something so satisfying about it. I actually got up at 10 a.m. this morning *gasp, WHEEZE!*, baked a chocolate cake (holy schmoly), hung a load of laundry to dry, cleaned the chicken coop (lotsa crap), mowed the lawn around the house *pant, pant*, vacuumed the house, and then fixed dinner. Just the fact that I managed to drag my carcass out of bed before noon is a miracle in itself. But when you're a night owl, mornings are rough.

After dinner, the guys relaxed and cooled off in the pond. Jim is aggravated by all the coon tail growing in the pond and he's making it his personal mission to pull as much of it as he can. We refuse to use chemicals because we eat the fish we catch and I personally despise chemicals. This weed can be effectively controlled by raking or pulling. It comes out easily but it smells funky. Jim pushed the canoe all around as he pulled coon tail, and he hung it on the edge of the canoe to keep it from getting back into the pond. Ian went along for the ride. When there was no more room for weeds, he pushed it to the edge of the pond and tossed it all up on the bank where the sunshine will kill it. Doesn't it look like the canoe is wearing a ghillie suit?

While Jim was pulling pond weeds he caught a small crayfish about two inches long. I had Sweet Pea and Rudy with me while I did some light weeding and Jim brought the crustacean over to the chickens and dropped it on the ground in front of them. Rudy instantly grabbed it and smacked it on the ground a few times to kill it. Then *GULP!* down it went...whole! I didn't even have time to offer him some cocktail sauce to go with it.

I watched a male house wren stuff this nest box with twigs, then call to attract any nearby females. One arrived, entered the nest box, decided whether to set up housekeeping, then came out. I couldn't tell if the male's nest met her approval or not. I saw him again a few hours later but didn't see a female with him. I wonder if I can expect house wren babies in a few weeks? House wrens fill up every nest box available with twigs, then the female chooses the one she likes best. Some people hate house wrens for this fact, but I don't mind them at all. The male has a very loud yet beautiful song. It's amazing that so much volume can come out of such a tiny bird!

The photo shows the nest box after we built it last fall. It was the very first project we worked on as a family, just after moving back home. It was a very satisfying feeling to hang this little box above the propane tank. And wouldn't it be nice to see another little family inside it?

Squirrelly-O Iglesias

Rocky the orphaned squirrel is now a strong teenager. He is a bundle of energy and virtually explodes at playtime. We let him climb in the lilac bush and he goes bonkers! Jim is going to use one of our spare nest boxes to make an outdoor nest area for Rocky when he's ready to be released. Our hope is that he'll stick around and stay in touch. When he discovers girl-squirrels, he might not want to!

What is a male squirrel called anyway? A buck? A boar? A furry grenade?

At any rate, Rocky loves to eat sunflower seeds, maple seeds and today he discovered white clover. He is as healthy as can be and full of explosive spunk! We think he will do very well foraging for food when we release him.

I raked out the chicken run this evening. All the uneaten grass clippings and what-not were used to mulch our blueberry and raspberry bushes. I noticed that one of the blueberry bushes has a few berries on it. If only the bushes were larger I would have a nice blueberry crop to look forward to. As it is, we're going to have to wait a few seasons before the bushes are large enough to produce well for us.

Last week while out on my evening stroll, I found this large gourd that had survived the winter intact. My cousin grows various gourds and pumpkins to sell each fall in a neighboring field. I brought it home and now it's a charming bird house. It only took about 15 minutes to make. I hung it on the trellis my sister-in-law and her hubby made for me a few years ago. I have some heirloom morning glories planted under the trellis. I noticed this morning that they are really taking off now that it's warm. When they cover the trellis and start to bloom, I'll repost this picture. It's a very large gourd and would make a nice home for a house wren family.

The black cherry trees are blooming which means there will be tasty, bird-sized fruit to feed our feathered friends in a few weeks. The windbreak is carpeted with lovely, green growth. The air smells fantastic; crisp, clean and earthy. My senses are overwhelmed with the perfection of the natural world.

The scents and sounds instantly transport me back to my childhood, when I would spend the entire day outside. The family property was my playground. My mother knew I was OK and never pestered me with a curfew or put limitations on me that city kids faced. I could run free, unrestricted, the entire day. I would come home in the evenings tired, hungry and suntanned. I slept deeply and awoke refreshed. That's the way every child should grow up. That's how our children are growing up, thank God.

Oscar Sightings

I've seen Oscar, our Eastern Screech Owl, in both nest boxes. But lately, he's been in the smaller one just inside the windbreak. I wonder if he's chosen it over the larger wood duck box in the fence row? It's very easy to find owl pellets of varying size beneath the smaller box. I found one that was about an inch long and two that were large enough to come out of a Great Horned Owl!

The sun was going down yesterday and I was on my way to work when I glanced out at the nest box in the windbreak and saw Oscar's cute face poking out of the entrance hole. I ran inside and grabbed my camera. Oscar seemed to be watching two things simultaneously; me in the office window and the boys throwing a football in the front yard. The first photo shows him looking at me, the last one shows him looking at the boys. I hated to leave because I really wanted to watch Oscar for a while.

I wonder if there is a nest of babies inside with Mrs. Oscar brooding them? Time will tell!

Meet Oscar!

The first thing I did this morning when I woke up was look through the spotting telescope at the wood duck box at the far end of the field. There was Oscar, his cute little gray face visible inside the entrance hole! Hurray! He decided to stay! He is ignoring the screech owl box in the open part of the windbreak. Perhaps we should add a mesh wire ladder to the inside. Or maybe he just likes the roominess of the wood duck box. Who knows what owls think. I'm just thrilled he is still here and has chosen a nest site that we can see from the house.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I grabbed a pair of binocs and my digital camera and headed down the road. When I neared the nest box I entered the windbreak from the road, which made a bit of a crackling noise. I tried to be quiet and stealthy but sneaking up on owls is impossible, so instead I tried to be quick and as unintrusive as possible. I got within 100 feet and propped the binocs up on a tree branch to take some quick pictures through them. Then I put my camera in my pocket and indulged in a few moments of staring at Oscar through the binocs.

He's a lovely little gray phase Eastern screech owl and I am completely smitten with him! Just look at those cute little ear tufts as he stares at me with squinty eyes. I don't know how he can sleep with all the racket the blackbirds are making out there. They are pairing up for spring and all you can hear are various species of blackbird calling, whistling and trilling to each other! Poor Oscar, I hope he can get some rest when they go to bed.

I have no idea if there is a Missus Oscar yet but I feel certain there is. These owls are residents here year-round. I like to think that when they saw the lovely nest boxes we provided they decided to give them a try and liked them enough to stay. I've heard these little owls at all times of the night, as early as sundown and as late as 3 a.m. I hear them in the orchards and in the windbreak calling to each other. I've found their pellets and droppings in the windbreak. And now, finally, I've seen them! It's very likely I've walked past them many times without ever knowing because they are so perfectly camouflaged.

Updates on Oscar and his family will be posted regularly. And you can be certain that any owlets I can see will be photographed come hell or high water!

What a thrill!

Screech Owl Tenant

I came home from work this morning to discover that an Eastern screech owl had claimed the nest box Jim and I built last fall. My heart leapt when I saw his adorable face peeking out of the hole, dark eye brows furrowed on a gray face. I wanted to try to get a picture so I trodded up the hill and took a shot from the top. Not satisfied with such a long-distance photo I decided to try to get closer. I walked down the hill toward the nest box and when I looked up again the owl was gone! Oh no! It's true that owls are silent fliers because I never heard his wings at all.

I gave up on the owl photo shoot and went to bed. When I got up this afternoon I looked out the bedroom window to see if he was back in the nest box, but he wasn't. Rats! I looked down the length of the field at the wood duck box mounted in an ash tree 650 feet away in the fence row to see if anything was going on and, lo and behold, a little gray owl face was poking out of the entrance hole! So...he left the box with the pesky neighbor (me) and opted for the larger condo with no neighbors at all. Smart owl! The photo shows him in the first box. Below is the wood duck box. I wonder which one will become the nest site?

We all grabbed binocs and took turns looking at the owl, who we named "Oscar". He was enjoying a nap in the duck box and seemed quite pleased with his choice of domicile. I'm beside myself with glee knowing that with all the choices of nest sites in our trees, Oscar chose one of the boxes we hung!

We are looking forward to seeing Oscar's mate, and with any luck we'll be able to watch them raise a family. And of course we are happy to have nature's best rodent control nesting here on the Twelve Acres!

Owls at Work?

By my records, I have trapped and dispatched 42 European starlings and 94 house sparrows since I got my sparrow trap last October. I love this trap because it attracts the non-natives and gives me the opportunity to kill them humanely without harming the native species in any way. The occasional Dark-Eyed Junco, House Finch or Tree Sparrow gets trapped but I can easily release them unharmed--and it's a great opportunity to see the native species up close.

Here's a photo from the seller's website showing a sparrow trap full of quarry:

I haven't killed all the starlings I've trapped. I have clipped the primaries on a dozen of them and released them during particularly harsh winter weather to give the raptors an easy meal. Apparently, it worked (see photo at bottom). I've found two dead starlings with clipped wings in the windbreak, both headless. My first thought upon finding them was that the screech owls caught them and only had the heads for a meal. I've read that, in good times, Saw-Whet owls will eat only the heads of mice, but I seriously doubt there are any Saw-Whets here. I hope other birders with more experience than me will chime in and offer their opinions.

To the uninitiated this practice of trapping invasives and killing them probably seems harsh. But it's a bird eat bird world out there and I feel that I'm helping the local cavity nesters by eliminating as much of their competition as I can. I cringe at the thought of finding starlings nesting in one of my owl or duck boxes! I read an article about managing bluebird trails that simply stated it is irresponsible on the part of the bluebird landlord to place nest boxes for them and not monitor them to prevent competition from non-natives. Trapping is legal since invasive species are not protected under federal laws and in some areas it is encouraged by wildlife authorities.

One Man's Trash...

is another man's treasure. It is so true, isn't it? Last week one of the guys I work with brought me one of these wooden boxes and asked if I couldn't turn it into a duck nest box. All it was missing was the roof, bottom and hole. I was so excited and asked how many there were. There were six altogether, but when I looked at them I could tell that two would be more work than I wanted. He took those. These wooden rectangles were used to ship a large piece of equipment to the factory where I work. And as they say, if it looks like a duck box and quacks like a duck box, it must be a duck box!

While he intended to turn these into duck boxes, I looked at them and instantly thought "screech owls" (or flickers or woodpeckers)! I'm cuckoo for owls and we already have two duck boxes mounted anyway, so owl boxes they were.

Last night, Jim and I worked diligently to finish the boxes with proper hinged lids, bottoms with drainage holes and 3" entrance holes. Voila! They are ready to mount. I am giving one to my mom's friend in Michigan and another to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory if they will take one. I'll mount the third one as well as the big duck box in this photo.

While we had all the tools out (and the inspiration) we finished this cute log cabin bird box Jim built during Christmas. It was a prototype to the one he built for his parents as a gift. I'm currently looking for the perfect mounting pole. It has to be something that I can grow a vine on. This little log cabin is so cute I can't put it on a plain old pole. Isn't it precious? Don't miss the teenie birdhouse on it!

Nest Boxes

It was cold and windy yesterday but I wanted to get out and get some pictures of the duck box and bird house gourd in the fence row.

Jim helped me mount this Wood Duck box in this Ash tree before winter set in. My cousin across the road gave us two of these and a fiberglass model which Jim put on the far edge of the pond. It would be so cool if some Wood Ducks decided to use them next spring!

If the ducks don't like it, hopefully the Screech Owls or maybe even a pair of Kestrels will.

Here's a close-up of the nest box:

I found a bird house gourd in the orchard last fall while I was out gathering winter squash. I'd never used one before and thought it would be fun to see if the birds would actually use it.

It took a few months for it to dry out and once I heard the seeds rattling around inside it I drilled a hold in it. There were a lot of seeds inside which I saved for growing this spring. I'm sure I could grow several hundred gourds from the amount of seeds that were in it.

I sanded the gourd lightly and applied two coats of a matte sealant to protect it from rain. It's now hanging in a Red Osier Dogwood in the east end of the fence row, my wildlife garden-in-the-making.

Snowy Scenery

We had a few inches of snow that started late last night, which was bad since I drove my Z3 to work instead of the Durango. BMWs are the ultimate driving machine unless you're driving in snow and your Beemer happens to be a little roadster! I could only drive 10 mph on the road that leads to our house. Lesson learned--next time check the weather Amy!

This bird house was made by Jim and me this fall. The wood came from a recycled pallet I found at work. It was a nice, heavy oak. The rusty nails were sawed off from behind so no little birds can get hurt by them. I do like the rustic look they lend to the bird house, along with the rusty corrugated metal roof. I found the metal on an old shed that had fallen down in the neighbor's woods. We used it to make three wren houses this winter for Christmas gifts too. It didn't take long for a tenant to show up. A few days after we mounted it last fall we could see grasses and a feather inside! Maybe they're using it as a roost until spring arrives.

The bird house is placed on a landscaped mound we created last year. It was something I'd envisioned in my head since I can remember. It fits nicely into the curve of the driveway and there are three White Birches planted on it. I'll finish it with perennials in my chosen color scheme of purple and creamy yellow.

It was cold and blustery today but I wanted to venture into the north end of the windbreak to snap some photos. I like the way the pines and spruces look like a Bavarian forest at this end. This open end is the result of the tornado that ripped hundreds of trees down in June, 1996. There is still a lot of damage to repair and we are working on it gradually. I acted like a big squirrel last fall and stuffed my pockets full of acorns from various oak species in our area and spaded them into the ground as I walked throughout the north end. I hope to see lots of fresh green oak seedlings pop up in spring! Some of the seeds I planted are Red Oak, Pin Oak, Shagbark Hickory, Honey Locust and Bur Oak.

The windbreak trees are right around 65 years old and most are straight as can be. Some have developed multiple leaders as the result of the tornado that ripped their main leaders off. My goal is to replace these patriarchs over time with a mix of conifers and hardwood deciduous trees to created a mixed forest feeling where we can walk and observe nature.

Amongst the patriarchs new life springs forward. This White Pine seedling grows from a niche in the bark of its parent. When it comes time to remove the mature tree I'll be sure to leave the youngster so it can grow and replace its parent.
As I walked through the trees I scared up Cooper, our big Cooper's Hawk. I know, the nickname isn't that original but it helps me keep all the raptor species straight. So far I have counted six raptor species out here. We have so many that I think I should call the Black Swamp Bird Observatory and tell them they can come out here anytime to hold bird watching events. I really should join but with my crazy work schedule I don't know if I'd be able to participate much.

I checked for signs of activity near the Screech Owl nest box we mounted in December (below). I don't see any indications that the owls have been in it. I know they use the windbreak for hunting along with the hawks, so I feel confident they will use it...that is, if we've done our homework and placed the box properly. Time will tell! In the meantime I'll keep an eye out for them.

And how is it that everyone I know has found an owl pellet but me? Hopefully I'll stumble upon one before long.

Nest Boxes

We've been building nest boxes and bird houses in our spare time using scraps of wood I find at work. We've come up with some very nice designs I must say. They're all shapes and sizes for the various songbirds and raptors we have here on our twelve acres. We hope to get to watch a pair of Screech Owls raise their young in the owl nest box to the left. We can see the box from the house so we won't have to intrude on their privacy to watch the nest.

It's mounted about 18 feet off the ground in a mature white pine tree. The broken branches around the box can be used as perches. It's recommended that an owl nest box be mounted beneath a branch.

My cousin across the road gave me two wooden duck/owl nest boxes along with this fiberglass model, which Jim mounted on a pole right at the edge of the pond. It remains to be seen what bird species will be interested in nesting in such a habitat. I've read the wood ducks raise their young in wooded areas then lead them to water after they hatch. Mallards nest on the ground in grass, so I doubt they'll want to use it. Perhaps owls will? As soon as I find out I'll be sure to write about it.

Let Snags Stand

Screech owls use the abandoned nests of other cavity nesters (woodpeckers, flickers, etc) to raise their young. Owls, and many other raptors (birds of prey) will perch at the top of trees to scan the area for prey.

If you have dead trees on your property, please consider allowing them to remain so that owls, hawks and falcons can benefit from them.

There's so much reward in hearing a pair of great horned owls calling to each other or a family of screech owls whinnying at night. It's very satisfying to know that the dead trees we've left on our property may be providing a nest site for babies or a hunting platform for the adults.