Backyard Wildlife Journal

So, we’ve been really busy lately, and I REALLY need to post some pictures. Here’s a run down of what’s been happening:

Toads:  We’ve seen several toads. Steve tucked on into the stump in the backyard birdfeeding area and it hung out there all day.  No toads have had any disease/wound similar to the toad we removed.  We did find a frog dried up and being devoured by ants, but I think it overheated and dried out in the sun rather than having died of some illness.

Yard:  We planted some containers with vegetables and herbs.  Our earlier plantings in the flower beds are doing really great.  The vegetables have also really taken off. I’m feeling like I might have a green thumb this summer!

Bird Feeding:  We ran out of seed almost completely.  I just purchased some new seed. I was able to get Black Oil Sunflower seeds on a sale for $12.99 for 50 pounds.  Peanuts are still priced really high, about $39.99 for 50 pounds.  We started making our own hummingbird and oriole nectar for considerable savings.  It isn’t really that hard and they do seem to show a strong preference for the homemade nectar as opposed to the purchased nectar.  I also bought Thistle seed, a high energy mix that includes sunflower hearts. This cost $23.99 for a 16 pound bag.  I was able to get some suet and seed cakes on a pretty good sale.  So, we are now set on seed for a while.  I’m going to monitor how long it lasts.  I purchased this seed on Friday, May 22nd at Dotty’s Pet Center in Clio. 

Bird Watching:  We have seen several Wild Turkeys and I have some photos to share.  That is pretty exciting.  We only had a couple of loners, not a whole flock.  I’ve been spending a lot of time on various birdwatching websites. I’ve really been learning a lot.  We haven’t had any other unusual visitors as of late.  We have seen a lot of courtship and nest-building activity in various species.  We found a robin’s nest that was overturned during high winds.  All of the eggs were cracked and the nest was on the ground.  We also spotted 2 or 3 snakes in the area. I wonder if garter snakes are able to eat robin’s eggs? 

Dogs and Other Stuff:  We actually have spent quite a bit of time lately away from the backyard.  I’ve spent some time with the guys from the Gera Old Tractor Days Association trying to get them to come to the show at Steiner Tractor Parts.  Also, I am going to be attending their show in June to pass out catalogs and possibly deliver some parts.  We spent Saturday May 23rd at a dog party at our friends’ house.  They have a lot of bird houses in their backyard that are all occupied. I photographed one of the birds occupying a house and it seems to be a House Wren. These friends live only a mile or so away from us. I’ve never seen the House Wren before, but this really piqued my interest in putting up some bird boxes.  We also really need to hang our Bat House.  Here’s a picture of the House Wren. It’s kind of strange, because I was trying to figure out what bird it was.  I never saw it hold its tail in the air.  I’ve checked the bird book though and I cannot really find any other bird with similar markings on the tail and wing. Also, the bill is very long and slender for the bird to be some type of sparrow.  If anyone else identifies this bird, please let me know what you think it is.  Also, There were 8 dogs at the party. I plan on doing a separate blog about the Dog Party.  It was a lot of fun.  For the most part, the dogs all got along.  Most of them know each other, but we haven’t had them all in the same place at the same time quite like this. 

Then, on Sunday, We went to the Frankenmuth Dog Bowl with some friends from work.  This was a lot of fun. I’ll do another post covering the dog bowl in greater detail.  It basically is a Frankenmuth festival where you are welcome and encouraged to bring your dog to share in the festivities.  They also have a variety of competitions and demonstrations. Quincy’s Dog Day Care, Key-Lore had a boot at the dog bowl.  Quincy was able to see her friend, JoJo, but they were both so tired, they couldn’t even really play.  We were able to see many dogs. Quincy was the only Basset Hound at the dog bowl and so she was a real attention grabber.  Our friend Andrew has 2 Italian Greyhounds and they were also quite popular with the crowds.  I really loved seeing the Mastiffs and Saint Bernards.  I forgot my camera, but my friend Suzette took a lot of pictures and I’ll be sure to post some photos of our crew later. 

Well, it has been a really busy week and it looks like the next couple are going to be equally busy.  I wish that I could relax like a basset hound.

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