Baby Barn Swallows and the "Baby Answer"

From contributing Blogger, Nancy Baney

While several family members were visiting last evening, including my niece from Boston who had just arrived, my husband noticed baby birds on the edge of the neighbor's roof. We first thought they were tree swallows but soon identified them as young barn swallows after grabbing the binoculars. The parents were flying over the meadow catching insects and bringing them to the young. What a fun event to watch!

My five year old granddaughter was fascinated and even grabbed the camera after I was finished. Because she dared to walk over closer to take a picture, my niece was able to get a nice close picture of the three sitting all in a row.

They did not seem to care about us being there and the parents continued to feed as we watched and took pictures. We were not even being very quiet.

My seven year old granddaughter came out and looked then went back in to finish reading her Aunt Kristin's blog about the babies in the nest she had found.

Update from Kristin on the Baby Birds....

And

The

Baby

Birds

Are.....

Song Sparrows!

We have both been proven wrong!

Everytime I watch the bush, I see one coming up out of the bush and singing to me. Make sure you listen to the song on the What Bird link above. It can vary in the pitches, but it is a really strong song for such a little bird! This nest does fit the description for their nesting habits. I don't have a picture of one in my files that I can find - they are little more shy than a Chipping Sparrow and a LOT more shy than a House Sparrow. I did get some more photos, though. In the first one I intentionly left my hand in the shot for a size reference. Then they opened their beaks hoping I was bringing dinner! I will try to get some more photos of them as they grow - they can fledge in just 10 days, so they are growing really fast.

Guess That Baby Bird!

While cleaning out our gi-nourmous juniper bush row today, my husband found a nest, complete with 5 tiny little babies in it. The nest is too neat and too small, and probably too low to the ground to be a robin's nest. We didn't have any birds swooping down on us for going near the nest, either.

So, time to do some detective work. Based on the birds we have on our property and the size, location and type of nest, my Mom and I started narrowing it down. She has a really good book of nests to help, Peterson Field Guides - Eastern Bird's Nests. I quickly ruled out Chipping Sparrow, House Sparrow and Carolina Chickadee because they all like to put lots of soft stuff in the lining - there was none in this nest. The Carolina Wren was ruled out, too. Nuthatches are cavity-nesters. We are down to the following possibilities: Catbird, Indigo Bunting and Cardinal. Mom is betting it's the Indigo Bunting.

So now we watch and wait. I don't face that area much when I am birding, but I will have to watch that area now to see what type of birds come and go from that area. All bird ID methods fail when looking at little pink finger-like things with a little slate gray fuzz on them! If we get it figured out - I'll post it.

The Birds and the "B" Key

My husband works in software. Today was a "system test" day, so he decided to have the team come to our house and set up on long tables under our 3 giant oak trees to reduce the tedium of system testing. It was a great idea and everyone seemed to like the tranquility of our property and the chance to get away from the distractions at the office.

Unfortunately, though, one of the women on the team got an early indoctrination to our wildlife habitat. Shortly after they set up under the trees, a bird did its business overhead, which landed right on the "B" key of her laptop! Yuk! From the reports, she was good-humoured about it at least.

While we were shooting the breeze outside with the last person here, I heard what sounded like a playful child scream, not a mad or getting-hurt scream. My younger son even play-screamed back, thinking that's what it was. Right after that, a Red-Headed Woodpecker flew over my shoulder towards the woods I was facing! I have that on my life-list, so I immediately recognized it, but it was the first time I had seen one on our property! Cool!

If you listen to its voice on the What Bird site link to it above, you will see what I mean about a child screaming! My mom reports the first time she saw and heard these was a large flock of them apparently migrating. Imagine 100 or more of those voices all together. WOW!

Of Owls, Baby Birds and Kids

Well, I finally gave up watching for my Barred Owl tonight. It is so light this time of evening still, I was sure I could find him when I heard him already out. They are just so stealthy, though, they are really tough to find. In the meantime, I got to hear and see quite a healthy new brood of Titmice and their raucous squeaking. They just make such a fuss at feeding time! They follow mom and dad around from the feeder to the dogwoods and back into the woods - all making enough noise to make sure they are the next one fed.

Speaking of kids, we took our older son up to Purdue today for a computer camp - such sacrifices a mother will make for her child! (I'm a 2-time IU grad). It was so cool, because on the way to his Aunt's house up there, I pointed out a Meadowlark on a wire. Both kids were so excited. My older son said "well, there's another one I can cross off my list!" Now, mind you, I don't think he has ever put a single mark down in his field guide - but I bet he has the entire list in his head! He's kinda like a computer himself! I really enjoy sharing my love of birds with the kids. It has helped make them more aware of the natural world around them - and respect for it.

Getting them interested can be done with some easy birdwatching. A hummingbird feeder is a great start. They are really easy to attract with a simple feeder and a solution of 1 cup of water with 1/4 cup of plain white sugar dissolved in it. No need for fancy store-bought blends (and DO NOT add food coloring! - they don't need it and it may actually be harmful). Here east of the Mississippi, we only have the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, but they are great to watch. The nice thing about these is that it is pretty safe for the birds to put the feeders right near a window where kids can watch from inside. This is key when they are young because it is hard for little ones to stay still and quiet enough to watch birds outside. They are just too wiggly for birds (and some people!) to be around.

Here are some fun facts to get kids interested:

• get a frozen pea out of the freezer and tell them that is the size of their eggs!
• they can fly forward, backward and hover - like a helicopter
• just like bees, they feed on the the nectar of flowers
• they eat twice as much nectar a day as they weigh!

Once you get them watching the hummingbirds, it's on to other feeder birds like the Northern Cardinal and the Chickadee! Soon, you will have a little bird-watcher in your home! Have fun keeping a list (of words or pictures) of all the birds you have spotted together.

Well, it's been a long time between posts. Not that there hasn't been any birding action here. We have just been busy outside with all the good weather. I actually enjoy being serenaded by all the birds while I work outside. The excitement of migration season is over. Probably my favorite bird this spring - even though it's hard to pick, would be the Indigo Bunting. They hang around here all year and I sometimes hear them calling during the summer. They seem to only show up at the feeders in the spring, though. They must be really hungry after migration. Once food is plentiful, they shy away from the feeders. I found one at the feeder along with a Red Bellied Woodpecker and Gold Finches.

The same must be true of the Baltimore Orioles. They haven't been back since that week or so they were eating from the suet. I even put a little jelly feeder you can see in the photo out for them. My husband claims that by "rolling out the red carpet," I actually scared them away! However, there is strong evidence by serious birders that they actually have a pattern of what they prefer to eat during the various parts of the year. I imagine that, like the indigo bunting, they need pretty dense nutrition sources right after migration. The raisins in suet would be just the ticket. Sort of like a Power Bar for athletes.

I have many more photos and from the spring. More to come soon. Oh, AND, before I forget, our little tail-less wonder wren is finally growing his tail back - it is ALMOST normal length, but I can still tell when he is here from his tail.