February Backyard Birds

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Temperatures are mild, days are lengthening, and February is nearly half over. My back garden birds have increased in number and appetite as they await and anticipate Spring’s renewal.

This lovely Pine Warbler, Setophaga pinus, is a regular in the garden this winter. Austin is just barely in this warbler species’ nonbreeding range and it’s only in the past couple of years that I’ve enjoyed their company during winter’s dormancy. This year, two of these warblers hang in the garden, though I typically see just one at a time, mostly this pretty boy.

He’s easy to spot in trees and shrubs as he present himself as a dash of rich yellow, foraging busily for insects. In my garden, he favors peanuts, offered from a feeder and hopefully a decent substitute for Pine Warblers’ preference for pine seeds, which my garden lacks. Pine guy works the branches, the peanut and suet feeders, but also spends time on the ground, hopping through fall planted iris straps and December fallen oak leaves.

There’s usually a lucky piece of peanut found among the leaves, twigs, and ceramic armadillos, and this little bird is good at finding the nummies.

Downie and Red-bellied Woodpeckers are year-round daily visitors, but a new-to-my-garden bird is this Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Dryobates scalaris. Austin is clearly in the nonbreeding range for this handsome guy, but I’ve only seen him visit my garden in recent months.

I’ve noticed in walks around my neighborhood that I’ve seen him, or another of his kind, flitting around Live Oak trees, so clearly there’s probably more than one Ladder-backed bro. I don’t know if this is a new population, but I’m chuffed he’s joined the bird gang that includes my garden as their place to dine and socialize.

I like this patient Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, who perched, surveilling his realm, while I snapped some shots. I’ve noticed territorial chasing between birds; it’s that time of year, I suppose. The Red Bud tree where he perched grows in a garden with evergreen shrubs and where Mocks have previously built nests and raised chicks. I hope this site will host another family or two of these cheeky, charming birds.

I couldn’t resist the bum shot of this cute Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus. I’m seeing more action from the couple that lives in this area and enjoying the male’s song, always the early-bird first of each morning.

Another bum shot, but of the Carolina’s cousin, a Bewick’s Wren, Thryomanes bewickii.

Last Spring and for the first time ever, my garden hosted a darling Bewick’s couple and they fledged three equally darling chicks, which you can read about here. In recent days, the two adults are once again checking our their birdhouse and chastising me if I’m lingering too close. I look forward to more beautiful songs, some annoyed-at-me chittering from mom and dad, and observing the remarkably devoted parents as they raise a new family later in April and May.

I’m deep in winter pruning, the garden transforming from the remains of a year’s growth, full and lush, to a decidedly minimalist look. Spring wildflowers have emerged and will act as colorful, pollinator feeders until the perennials rise up again, to settle into their important roles in the garden as food sources and protection for wildlife, as well as aesthetic sustenance for the gardener.

Frosty Photos

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Along with much of the continental United States, my garden has been stuck in freezer mode since Saturday morning. There hasn’t been snow, per se, but instead, the wintry mix weather folk like to talk about. The sleet started over night Saturday into Sunday, the thin blanket of ice covering everything, everywhere, all at once (with apologies to that worthy Academy Award winner of a few years ago).

Here in Austin, we’d experienced one light freeze before this deeper, longer one, prompting my check for the swirly ice sculptures which give native plant Frostweed, Verbesina virginica, its name. No ice capades appeared in my garden during that first freeze, but this deeper freeze delivered a dramatic frost show–but on only one of my Frostweed plants. Usually each plant produces its own icy artwork–ranging from bombastic to minimalist–but this winter, one of my largest and oldest specimens was the sole artist-in-residence.

The beauty of the ice, fragile and ephemeral, belies the rather violent nature of the super frozen moisture as it bursts through the plant’s stem structure, destroying limbs of the now-ended growing season. Frostweed is done; I will prune the remains to the ground soon. In a matter of weeks, spring will beckon, fresh growth will emerge, and the cycle for a new year of foliage, blooms, seeds, and ice flowers will commence.

The ice sculptures are called many names: ice flowers, ice ribbons, frost flowers, and more; my favorite of the nicknames is ice beards.

On less swirly–though still slippery–ice, this this Fox Squirrel, enjoyed some scattered seeds and peanuts for breakfast these past mornings.

Birds are also busy at the seeds, though this White-winged Dove, Zenaida asiatica, was content to chill in the chill.

One of the winter warblers hanging out in my garden, a darling Yellow-rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata, is unfazed by the cold. He bopped around the garden, nibbling on this-n-that, dashing to shrubs and trees for protection.

Once this freeze is history, I’ll assess the damage to the garden. I don’t expect any permanent problems, as I choose tough plants to grow. But winter pruning must begin this week and the next 6 to 8 weeks are my busiest time in the garden. The goal of pruning completion is the first week of March; wish me good luck with that!

Winter has left its impression the garden.

Hawk Before The Ice

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A neighbor alerted me to a Red Shouldered Hawk, Buteo lineatus, perched atop my SIL’s tree stump bordering my front garden. This handsome guy sat royally, observing his realm for at least one hour.

I’m not 100% sure it’s a male. If its mate was perched along side, the gender of each would be obvious: female hawks are bigger than their male partners. That being said, he’s not huge and usually, the girls are quite large birds. I’m sticking with my non-professional assessment that this hawk is a dude hawk.

I suspect it is one of the adult hawks who nested successfully in a tree around the corner from my house last spring, which you can read about here. Unhappily, about six weeks ago, I found some feathers–more than from a preening session–at a house on a street adjacent to my own. I don’t know what might have killed that hawk, as Red Shouldered hawks are apex predators for this neighborhood. I’m guessing that maybe the hawk victim was on the street and was hit by a car (though no blood, mess, or body was seen) or perhaps, the hawk died of rat poison. If that’s the case, whatever attacked and ate the sick hawk was also poisoned.

People, stop hiring companies that use rat bait stations. Despite what the company will tell you, that stuff kills more than rats. Check out this article from Audubon.

Recently, my lone hawk has perched in various spots around the neighborhood with no mate in accompaniment. I hope he finds a new mate; he’s a good-looking chap and I’m certain he has nice hawk manners. He was also a good provider to those two darling hawk chicks last spring.

I took these photos while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Yes, in January: welcome to Texas winter weather. One day it’s shorts, the next day it’s parkas and boots. I’ll be packing those shorts away–at least for the very near future–as Texas is about to a receive a dose of icy freeze. All my blooming things will be done for the year and winter pruning will ramp up next week. Boo.

One can tell when there’s an ice event crossing the border into Texas, as our junior senator, Ted Cruz, hops a plane for a warmer place. This time it’s apparently that bastion of Blue, California.

C’mon, Ted.