East Texas Naturalist Blog

My bird feeders have been sort of a neutral zone all Spring.  There has been a wide variety of birds frequenting them and there have been very few skirmishes.  Not at all like the hummingbird feeders which are the scene of daily wars between the various hummers.  The seed and suet feeders have been relatively peaceful.  Of course, there have been some issues.  Some as simple as the bigger birds chase off the smaller birds, but even that was relatively calm.  I have not seen much really aggresive behavior.

That all changed when the first mockingbird fledgling appeared.  All at once the parent mockingbirds have claimed the feeders.  No other birds are allowed to feed without being harassed.  That includes the seed feeders which the mockingbirds don't use.  Any chickadee or titmouse that dares to try to feed will get a fast rush from one of the parent mockingbirds.  The rush is like a bullet.  It is the fastest flight I have seen by them at any other time.   The suet feeders, which the mockingbirds do use, are in the middle of the seed feeders but they don't care if the other birds are on the seed feeders or the suet feeders, the offending birds are chased away.

Their viligance is not continuous.  There are long periods of time when the mockingbirds are not in sight.  So the feeders are still available for most of the day, but when the mockingbirds return, they stay at least a few minutes chasing the other birds away. Once the other birds quit trying to feed the mockingbirds fly off.  The mockingbirds are there fairly constantly during early morning feeding times and near dusk. Inbetween running the other birds off, they spend a fair amount of time feeding the fledglings.  The fledglings fly to the parents and bob their heads up and down while making a soft screeching sound as they wait for the parent to drop some food into their mouths.  

It is hard to beat a weekend like this.  I woke up at 4am which is not my favorite time of day.  Actually, for much of my life that hour is closer to my bedtime than a time I would wake up. 

A little before dawn I got up, walked and took pictures (as usual), then came back to the RV.  I have spent most of the morning in and out; watching the Sunday morning news shows; watching the birds, squirrels and my new resident, the chicken, at my feeders; and sitting for a while in the warm sun.

Pleasant morning watching all the different species of birds coming and going: chickadees, English sparrows, titmice, the pair of cardinals who have a nest about fifteen feet away, a few cowbirds, and, of course, the mockingbirds are out in their usual numbers.  

It is amazing what a difference a couple of days have made.  It has been so rainy and cold for over a month.  The temperatures were so much cooler than the calendar would suggest.  Then a couple of days ago the sun came out.  The temperature actually moved into the lower 80s.  On top of that, the trees are turning green. I made mention of the fact that the birds didn't care what the weather was presenting, they were acting like it was Spring.  Now all the signs are there.  It is so cool.

The first hummingbird came to the feeder today.  It was a beautiful male.  About an hour later, another male came.  I am pretty sure that it is a different one.  The first one was in much better color.  It was nice to see them here.

I also have a pair of Robins building a nest in the tree/bush just outside my window.  This is the same bush that I see the Phoebees in quite often.  The Robins have been really busy today, flying back and forth with twigs and grass.  I don't know that they will really stay there for they have not been exposed to the "normal" human traffic in that spot.  That includes a two year old who is quite active and is often pushing all sorts of rather loud wheeled toys just under the branch where they are nesting.  We'll see how brave they are.

Three weeks ago we had 5 1/2" of snow, then another day of snow the next week.  It has rained most of the time for about a month.  The lake is up over 4 feet above normal (and what it was a month ago).  The temperature has been about 10 degrees lower than normal so we have had a lot more 40s and 50s than 60s and 70s.  However, it is Spring.  Today is the first full day of Spring.

The weather may not show that Spring is here, but the birds don't care.  They are here in numbers on and around my feeders.  There have been numerous species including chipping sparrows, house finches, goldfinches, cardinals, titmice, and chickadees. Nearby are "my" pair of mockingbirds, some phoebes, a nuthatch, and about thirty yards away, a bluebird has been around now and then.  

On the lake, the white pelicans are back.  With them is a species of duck, but the light has been poor so I can't tell which ducks.  The coots are still there as well.

I really enjoy my morning walks in the woods along the lake.  Never once have I seen another person on these walks.  I must admit that is a pleasure.  Not that sharing nature wouldn't be fun, for sharing anything is usually better than being alone.  There is a fine line of distinction though.  It is fun to share nature with those who also appreciate and enjoy it.  That is somewhat of an issue these days.

I do love the solitude of walking along the woods; stopping to take pictures here and there; sitting on a fallen log to see what comes along when I sit quietly and wait; and discovering something new on every walk.  These solitary walks are a joy.  Selfishly, I know I would not want to share that time on any kind of regular basis.  That "alone time" is so peaceful.  Ocassionally sharing that time would be fine for I do enjoy showing others the joys of nature and the little treasures that can be found in even a short walk in the woods can bring. 

But there is another aspect of all this.  The morning walks in the woods are refreshing in so many ways, but that is only a small part of enjoying nature.