Owlets, Owlets, Everywhere!

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Tina

Owlets keep us on our toes. I missed documenting the appearance of owlet #3 (Frankie? Franky?) on Monday (5/2) evening at the nest box hole, though I saw him/her poking out his/her head briefly when I arrived home in late afternoon. I intended to take photos, but due to blogger incompetence or distraction by something shiny, no captures of the newest neighborhood raptor ensued.

I figured Mama and Daddy Owl would successfully usher Baby Owlet into their world of dark, trees, foliage, and mice during the night.

At about 6:30 Tuesday morning–the alarm was up, but we weren’t–there was insistent doorbell ringing and a frantic neighbor who’d been awakened by scuffling noise at her bedroom window and a little owlet staring at her in her jammies. (The neighbor was in her jammies, not the owlet.) Pre-coffee, my husband and I grabbed necessary items–clothes, camera, gloves–and met with the neighbor in her back yard to commence the Great Owlet Rescue.

A darling, but not happy owlet–Frankie(y)(?)–was sitting on the grass. Mama was nearby, watching with steely eyes, as I gently picked Baby up and placed the forlorn fuzzball in a low crook of a large ash tree.

Daddy Owl flew within about 12 inches of my unprotected and early morning face and glared at me as I verbally assured him that I only wanted the best for Baby Frankie(y).

I don’t think he was assured at all.

Baby Frankie(y) sat, confused and bummed, in the tree for a brief period.

Very brief. Baby fluttered to the ground almost immediately and three inept humans tried several more times to keep the owlet in the tree, admonishing Baby Owl to “stay!”. That command doesn’t quite work as well with Eastern Screech owlets as it does with dogs.

Actually, “stay” doesn’t work very well with my dog, either.

Within a couple of minutes, the owlet flew from the safely of the tree to the middle of the large back yard, just beyond the pond,

…and we decided to let Mama and Daddy take care of Baby Frankie(y). There was no real fear of cats or dogs bothering the owlet and we thought it was best to let Mom and Dad take matters into their own hands. Er, wings.

Let me remind you, dear readers, that all this avian drama happened PRE-COFFEE! Yes, no caffeine was involved and I would very much appreciate a virtual pat-on-the-back for my rather lame attempts of wildlife rescue prior to my morning fix.

Thank you.

So, basic math suggests that with 5 eggs laid and 3 owlets out of the nest box, there is a theoretical possibility that there are two owlets left to fledge.

Indeed.

Mid-day Tuesday, this little cutey was clinging to dear life on an oak tree branch after its daring daytime escape from the nest box.

This is owlet #4, named Fritz. Though, she could be a girl owlet–I don’t know, they all look alike to me.

Left to her own devises, Fritz managed to make her way near the top of the oak tree, where I could barely see her amongst the spring greenery.

The only reason I knew where to look for her is that the little song birds–Carolina chickadees and wrens and Cardinals–were fussing-up-a-storm about something at the top of the tree and my bet was that it was a an owlet who was the offending creature. I was right. But Fritz was undeterred by the noisy little bird-pests and determined to stay in her leafy spot for the duration of daylight hours.

In the mean time, a fifth fuzz face was peeking out of the owls’ nest box–owlet #5, who I think I’ll call Jo–because I can. As of Wednesday, Jo was still in the nest box, but I’m fairly sure that a plan of action to get out of there was in the works. At about 9 pm Wednesday night, I stepped outside for a possible owlet look-see and in the sitting area underneath the oak tree was a little grey bit of fluff looking disgruntled. I picked “Jo” up and place her/him in the Mountain Laurel just as Mama flew by me in warning. I backed off immediately and moved to another part of the garden. Mama watched for a bit and so did I, but I decided it was time to vamoose and to give the parents privacy to teach Jo to fly–if only well enough to stay in the trees for the night.

I thought the grey fluff on Wednesday night was baby #5– Jo– but alas, Jo is still in the nest box as of Thursday afternoon. Maybe it was Fritz? Maybe Fritz never left the oak tree? Who the heck knows? I’m sure that Mama and Dad Owl know who’s in and who’s out–and really, that’s all that matters.

Good luck to you all, little owlets: Jo–and Fuzzy, Frizzy, Frankie(y), and Fritz–may you fly well and catch plenty of mice, rats, and other assorted yummies.

The excellent Eastern Screech parents raised 5 chicks to fledgling age–an impressive feat, I’d say. I’ve read that the predation rate for Eastern Screech Owl chicks is about 70%–that’s high–and it suggests that with well-learned flying and hunting skills, coupled with some good luck, 2, perhaps 3 of these babies will survive to adulthood.

I always miss the owls–adults and offspring–when the babies leave the nest box. The intimacy of observing them daily, or almost daily, will cease and I’ll grieve a little bit for my loss, while celebrating their success of a family raised. I never know which of the babies survives, but I’m sure to see some of them (and their parents) in the coming months, here or there, when I’m outside after sundown. In the next 10 weeks, the babies will be learning the skills they’ll need to improve their chances of survival and eventually, the parents will let them make their way, on their own, in the neighborhood and beyond. By mid-summer, the owls will melt into the rhythm of the hot Texas summer days and nights and they’ll seemingly disappear. But I know they’ll be around, hunting late at night and resting during the day in the relative safety of lush and leafed out trees.

Later in the year, during some evening in late November or December, I’ll hear the gentle and melodic trill of a male Eastern Screech Owl for the first time in months as he’s looking for a mate, or letting his mate know that he’s found a nice spot in which to raise a family.

Wildlife Wednesday, May 2016: Plenty

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Tina

It’s been an odd and distracted month for me and one where events out of my control took time away from following the plentiful goings-on of wildlife in the garden. I won’t bore you with the details, but sometimes life really does get in the way of watching wildlife, photographing wildlife, and the blogging about it all. Sheesh!

Ah well. My various difficulties didn’t deter the nesting activities of a Horsefly-like Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa tabaniformis, as she packed in material to nourish her young in a decaying log.

Nor did the big problems of the world (or the relatively small problems of mine) prevent this Syrphid, or Hover fly from pollinating a Zexmenia, Wedelia acapulcensis var. hispida.

On a different Zexmenia flower, a Small carpenter bee, Ceratina, sp., went about her business, too.

Other native pollinators, like this Sweat bee, Augochloropsis metallica, worked a Purple Coneflower, Echinacea purpurea,

…while a Mason bee, Osmia subfasciata, favored a Blackeyed Susan, Rudbeckia hirta var. pulcherrima.

After pollination, this little bee is covered in pollen grains.

April has seen plenty of butterfly action, as well. Texas Crescents, Anthanassa texana, are flitting all over the garden, enjoying the bounty of flowers like the Zexmenia.

Hmmm.

It seems that Zexmenia is a good plant for pollinators.

I don’t have a single photo of the few Monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus who’ve wafted through my garden, but I do have photos of their offspring.

I love the book-ending mode of these two monarch cats.

Those few winged visitors managed to lay eggs and the 5 Monarchs caterpillars that hatched devoured my Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica plants. The cats completely obliterated the foliage, but I transferred 2 cats to a neighbor with milkweed-a-plenty to offer the voracious larvae.

This caterpillar lost his way and ended up on the strand of a Lindheimer’s muhly (Muhlenbergia lindheimeri).

Peeking over the edge, wondering where all the milkweed is, this cat landed on the underside of a culinary sage leaf.

I didn’t catch this Grey Hairstreak, Strymon melinus, nectaring on anything, but she did pose for me, opening and closing her wings coquettishly,

…while she lounged on Rock Rose, Pavonia lasiopetala foliage.

I’ve allowed rogue Passion Vine, Passiflora incarnata to pop up here-n-there in my gardens because it’s the host plant for this pretty pollinator, the Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae. Whether in its adult form,

…or its larval form,

… it’s a beautiful winged jewel and a great pollinator partner.

And yes, there were birds this month and plenty of them! The Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus, remains a consistent, if not daily, visitor.

I’m not sure where this guy nests, though I’ll bet he has a family holed away somewhere nearby , because he’s always on the lookout for a full bird feeder. There are plenty of older trees in my neighborhood, which, thankfully, the owners have kept rather than removing. In many those trees are definite woodpecker holes and if the Starlings haven’t bullied the Woodpeckers away, one of those holes is where this handsome guy and his family reside.

I never was able to capture a clear photo of this sweet little thing, but I found the coloring and markings elegant.

He’s a Lincoln’s Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii, and one of those birds that I noticed… because I’m noticing birds. This species winters here in Central Texas, breeding far north into Canada during summer. I don’t recall seeing any during winter, but he bopped along the ground hunting and pecking for seeds this past month.

A fairly common visitor is the Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus.

I’ve only see a few individuals this year.

Aside from “my” Eastern Screech Owls–which I wrote about here and here, I’m most excited about sightings of a pair of Painted Buntings, Passerina ciris in my garden.
The mature male Painted Bunting is a showstopper bird of the New World.

This guy knows he’s totally a gorgeous dude.

I love the description on The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds page on Painted Buntings, specifically regarding the males’ coloring: With their vivid fusion of blue, green, yellow, and red, male Painted Buntings seem to have flown straight out of a child’s coloring book.

Yeah, that’s about right. One can’t miss this splash of feathered color as he flutters from one seed-bearing plant to another. I’ve noticed that both the male and the female in my garden favor the seeds of the native-to-Texas Lyre-leaf Sage, Salvia lyrata.

Buddy, you’re really good-looking, but you might want to wipe your chin….

The female is not as flashy as her mate, but certainly fetching in her green and yellow swag.

Long ago there were a couple of consecutive years during spring migrations when small flocks of these gorgeous passerine birds visited my garden, each time for a few days. They nibbled on the seeds of a cool season non-native grass that sometimes appeared when I grew mostly grass, rather than a real garden. I’m glad that I can now offer them something nutritious, native, and not-grass on their migratory pathway.

One of a nesting pair of Carolina Wrens,Thryothorus ludovicianus, posed for me the other evening as I was watching for owlets.

These charmers are a favorite bird of mine. They seem playful and cheeky as they hop around the ground and pop through the shrubs, snatching up insects for themselves and their babies. Carolina wrens have the loudest songs and calls–and for such a wee bird! They are my usual wake-up call, singing just outside my bedroom window. Loudly. The couple in my garden have a nest somewhere nearby and are always singing and chittering. After I took the above shot, this wren gleefully (or so it seemed to me) shook out his feathers.

And maybe next month, I’ll know what these are….

Did wildlife visit your garden this past month? Please post for May Wildlife Wednesday Share the rare or mundane, funny or fascinating, beneficial or harmful critters you encounter. When you comment on my post, please remember to leave a link to your Wildlife Wednesday post so readers can enjoy a variety of garden wildlife observations.

Fuzzy’s First Foray

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Tina

On Thursday evening, just after sundown, I was privileged to witness Fuzzy the Owlet’s first steps out of the nest box.

Great view from behind: look at those claws!

I didn’t expect that Fuzzy’s first steps into the great outdoors would occur that evening, but I was wrong–I guess little owls know best. I saw Daddy Owl swoop in front of the box, trill while carrying what looked like a dangly and juicy worm, and baby hopped right out of the nest box and onto the branch to greet Dad, the worm, and the outside world.

Dad fed the morsel of worm to Fuzzy prior to this photo.

Fuzzy walked/hopped along the branch for the next hour or so, enjoying visits from both parents and made good owly progress during the night by stretching his wings and legs.

Yikes! It’s a long way to the ground and why is that weird bird with the three eyes making smoochy noises at me?

I didn’t see Fuzzy or Dad at all on Friday, though Mama was in the neighbor’s ash tree, adjacent to my own oak tree which hosts the nest box. Today, I didn’t see the adults until mid-day when I heard the raucous complaints from other birds, alerting everyone to the owls’ presence in my neighbor’s back tree–the same tree where Dad sometimes roosts. With my handy binoculars, I spied Mom and Dad, but no Fuzzy. I’m guessing that Fuzzy is nearby though, considering that the parents are roosting together, which is not typical.

Additionally, one of Fuzzy’s siblings made his/her appearance today.