Welfare Check

 

On our walk we checked-in on the second brood of blue birds.

As predicted they've fledged.

And they really like visiting the bird bath in the kitchen garden... 

Welfare Check

Checked the nest box yesterday. 

Second batch of bluebirds are growing fast.  

Not far from promotion to fledglings.....  

Morning Stroll

From our walk this morning there were yellow (grey-headed) coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and a second batch of eastern bluebirds.

 

Second Time Around

The resident blue birds have commenced their second brood.

Fun Fact:  Young bluebirds, or fledglings, may sometimes help their parents feed subsequent broods of younger siblings. This behavior is more common when the fledglings are from an earlier brood within the same breeding season. 

Grandparents

From our walk today a quick check of a couple of nest boxes revealed this.

Blue bird hatchlings...

And mama tree swallow incubating her clutch of eggs...

Somehow, every year we become grandparents, again. 

Bluebird Of Happiness

From our walk today we spotted an Eastern Bluebird. It didn’t take them very long to setup housekeeping.

In the last week we’ve spotted some transients headed north. Still waiting on the resident Baltimore Orioles to arrive….

 

Afternoon Update

From our walk today there were prairie plants literally reaching for the sun.

Compass plant

Ox-eye

And a fresh batch of bluebirds in one of the nest boxes

With all the madness swirling in the wind it is healing to seek solace and take some comfort in the natural world.

The Natural World

When I retired I made a vow to make an effort to pay closer attention to the natural world.  Every day is a new challenge.

From today's walk with the women in my life there was all of this....

A second batch of bluebirds for this season

click on images for a closer look



Spotted Touch-Me-Not (Jewelweed)

Cardinal Flower

Sneezeweed

Great Spangled Fritillary on Monarda (Bee Balm)

Productive day....

Nesting Season

Meet Tachycineta bicolor - the Tree Swallow.

This blue green feathered bird is among the first to return in the spring and they are a delight to watch as they chase and feed above the tall grass habitat out behind the house.

This is a cavity-nesting bird and they'll compete with Bluebirds for rights to nest in all of the bluebird nest boxes we've built and disbursed.  Which is namely why the bluebird boxes are occupied by other species such as these swallows and house wrens.  But I digress.

We've built plenty of affordable homes for all the box-dwelling birds and they are all a delight to watch.  The Tree Swallows line their nests with grass and feathers and as evidence of their successful courtship last weekend's walk revealed that any number of the boxes may fledge successful broods.

 

click on the image for a closer look

Blue Bird Christmas

Blue birds decked-out their house for the holidays before heading south for the winter.  

They said to tell you they'll see you in early spring...

Porch Setting

First time back at the Platz after a spell away.  Day job calls you know – and that’s what pays the bills.  Exercised the dogs today, fetched and swapped-out the SD cards on the trail cameras, summarized the snow blower and put it away, reinstalled the batteries on the lawn tractor and the New Holland gassed them-up and ran them along with the rototiller.  Unpacked a box of garden supplies and hung the wasp trap after baiting it with sexual pheromone.  All the better to trap the queen seeking to start a new colony.  First porch sitting of the season and it felt pretty damn good.  Even observed a bluebird eyeing-up the nest box at the edge of the yard that fledged a brood last summer.  Note to self to clean nest boxes next opportunity.  

click on the Labrador retriever to enlarge

Part of the My Turn series this Helles Lager was brewed by Howard – Lakefront Brewery’s maintenance guy.   Since it was a chore day this is totally appropriate.  Marchant’s burgers on the grill tonight.

Decorating for the Holidays

Even the blue birds made sure to show their Christmas spirit before winging it south to warmer climes...

 

Blue Birds

This nest box is at the edge of the yard facing the west wall of the house.  Perfect for bird watching.

For the third year in a row a pair of blue birds have taken-up residence here.  They actually arrived while there was still a wee bit of snow on the ground.