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Re: a good morning (while waiting for fall!)



To Ginger and all,
I also had a fun morning with the birds. Saw a female
wood thrush sitting on a nest right outside our front
door up in a sweet gum tree! It is right on the edge
of the woods and we can see it straight ahead from a
window in our stairway.Seems late, unless this is a
second attempt?? Of course, then saw a male and female
cowbird at the feeder not an hour later. This behavior
goes along with the thrush acting like a its cousin,
the robin. Just like a "yard" bird...
How do they ever have successful nestings with all the
predators, competition, cowbirds, etc. What a miracle.
Then a bizarre sighting about two hours ago of a
yellow-throated warbler on my balcony railing hanging
out with goldfinches. It looked like it was trying to
get on the feeder, then it flew down to the feeder
pole in the yard and tried fluttering to land on a
perch of a tube feeder then flew up to top of pole.
I ran into the office to get my binos, but two seconds
it took, the bird was gone.
I have not seen or heard a yellow-throated warbler
since the beginning of spring in our yard.
Also for you herp lovers, a female box turtle was
digging a hole in our gravel(Big gravel) driveway a
few weeks ago, and then have noticed other(Practice?)
digs in the gravel(small gravel) of the pathways.
Anyone know what this is about? No eggs laid that I
can see and she did not cover the "holes" back up.
In the same spot next to our house where I have seen
both male and female box turtle, I have also seen a
black rat snake, Am. Toad, N. Cricket frog and
Pickerel frog(yesterday). It is beside the vent to the
crawl space that we see the black rat snake go in and
out of every year in spring. (a mouse made a little
hole in the screen). Bees also go in and out of this
hole. It is also by the hose faucet.
Gray tree frogs continue to be seen hanging out under
the hot tub cover(m and f) and on our house. so much
fun to relax with a frog beside your face.
Kate
 
--- "Travis, Ginger" <Ginger@athena.dev.unc.edu>
wrote:
> 
> This morning in a little patch of yard on the edge
> of the woods I saw:
> a couple of immature Northern Parulas foraging down
> low;
> a pair of Red-eyed Vireos squalling and threatening
> each other with opened
> beaks (the vireos are down low eating fruit on the
> native viburnums);
> a whole family group of House Finches -- very
> unusual summer birds where I
> live. In addition to one adult male and about 4
> females or young, there is a
> separate female who has come to the feeder
> occasionally; she has badly
> infected eyes, and it hurts me to see her; 
> an unseen Hooded Warbler (I am pretty sure) singing
> some aberrant song;
> separately, a male and a female Blue Grosbeak at the
> feeder; these are very
> skittish birds in comparison with Indigo Buntings;
> but the grosbeaks swing
> their tails widely with flair;
> a Chipping Sparrow on the ground;
> an Eastern Wood Pewee calling;
> and an Eastern Towhee singing in the brush.
> 
> Not bad for July. Like Robin Carter, I'm waiting for
> fall (which starts in
> August!). But I sure can't complain about this
> morning's show.
> Ginger Travis
> near Chapel Hill, N.C.


=====
Kate Finlayson
N. Chatham Co.,N.C.
katefin@yahoo.com

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