Monday, June 22, 2015

Birding at Home

Two little baby Tree Swallows peer out of the entrance hole in their nesting box in the above photo, hoping to see mom or dad coming with another bug. We are home for a few days off from our volunteer jobs at the coast. When we arrived last night I noticed that the side panel on this nesting box used for inspection and cleaning was open.  I checked and there were baby birds inside and they appeared to be some what alive.  It's a mystery as to how the nail could have been pulled out and the panel opened.  Perhaps a cat or a raccoon? I saw no adult swallows around so I was concerned that the babies would get taken care of. I refastened the panel and hoped for the best.  I kept an eye on the box all day today and did see some visits by adults, but not many, so I kept my fingers crossed.  By this evening I notice these little heads appear. I took this photo while sitting on the living room couch, my preferred birding location when I am home.  My other favorite location when home is sitting on the patio.  I tried that this afternoon, and identified 19 species in an hour, submitting them to eBird via my iPhone and never had to get off my butt. Home is good.

4 comments:

  1. Home sweet home. Your backyard is quite the oasis! Is it an ebird hotspot yet?

    I have Robins pull the little plant tags out of plants to make a spot to build their nest. Could a bird pull the nail out?

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    1. It would take a bad bird. We do have bad House Sparrow, but I suspect it was not a bird. No, our yard is not an eBird Hot Spot as they are supposed to be public places, and I do like my privacy. :)

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  2. Jim, I am so impressed by the # of birds you list in your sightings. We enjoy our yard abut I doubt that w have ever had a count as high as you list… Love it!

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  3. Thanks MaryLou,---we are fortunate to back up on a common area that has a lot of green grass, and have a neighbor with a tree the birds love, and of course we do our best to enhance with water and food.

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