Going Native

Today I confirmed bluebirds were using a house I set out for them last year.  I also saw my first red-headed woodpecker in a long time eating peanut splits from a feeder.   And a flock of bees of various sizes discovered my new crabapple tree blossoms today.

I was thrilled to see the bees and even more thrilled when I realized that these are the bees that will eventually cross pollinate my two new apple trees to produce apples!

And e-mails from my Ohio Birds and morel mushroom groups tell me that Baltimore orioles are in Ohio now and soil moisture levels predict a banner year for morels, with maybe the first black morels showing up by May 1.

I'm hoping to plant a large wildflower garden soon as part of my plan to make my yard more wildlife friendly, as I go native!

One of the larger bees of a flock that discovered my new "Snowdrift" crabapple tree flowers today.   They worked these flowers all day.  (Photo by Don Comis)

A bee's  view of  a crabapple tree's blossoms.  The visit of a flock of bees today convinced me they will cross pollinate my two apple trees when those trees blossom.  I read that the "Snowdrift" crabapple is one of only a handful that will pollinate the "Liberty" apple trees I bought.  It also helps to have a crabapple tree with the same color flowers as the apple trees, luring the bees to all three trees.  (Photo by Don Comis)

Red-Winged Blackbirds Have Their Songs Down, But Not All Have Their Colors

The red-winged blackbird has the right colors to get the girls.  I photographed him, along with a starling (middle) and a blackbird I can't identify from the photo, on March 21, 2013 in the same maple tree where I saw a similar male today, next to a weaker colored male red-winged blackbird.  (Photo by Don Comis)

Well, the red-winged blackbirds are not only serenading me from a maple tree in my yard, above a platform feeder, but one of them has developed the deep red and strong yellow on his wing patch that assures him of getting the girls' attention.  The girls should all be here by March 9.

One of the two birds had no red and only a thin line of weak yellow.  I could identify with the fellow, remembering my high school days and how I felt comparing myself with the Big Men on Campus who had all the masculine qualities to attract the girls, down to five-o'clock shadow on their faces!

I bought a platform feeder that I placed on the ground near my robin's favorite feeding grounds and he's been using it, until some culprit--probably a raccoon--tipped it upside down.  I had placed it on concrete blocks, so tonight I placed it directly on the ground and will re-fill it tomorrow, when the raccoons are sleeping.

My neighbor's son, Steven, and I just about finished a red-headed woodpecker house for my yard tonight.  Now I just have to figure how to get it 12 feet off the ground--a little easier than the 20 feet goal for the pileated woodpecker house we built earlier and placed in a tree in his yard, temporarily only about 10 feet off the ground.

I'm looking forward to building bluebird houses--at 4 to 6 feet high, these feeders can easily be mounted on fence anchor posts, with no harm to me or trees!

If I can get us registered on time, Steven and I will go to Lowe's free birdhouse building workshop birdhouse building this Saturday and come away with a free Lowe's apron, a certificate and badge for birdhouse building, maybe some more skills--and definitely another birdhouse.

Maybe we'll even build legs for my robin's ground feeder!