Spring has sprung, and there is so much happening in the yard, I couldn’t decide what I wanted to write about in my blog this week. So, I’m going to ramble and write about a few different things. But where to start?

Bird nests everywhere

Bluebirds

My bluebirds have already hatched and fledged a brood. On Saturday I was taking pictures of mom and dad delivering crickets and other insects to their young, and Sunday their nest was empty. There were no signs a predator got them, so I hope the little family is off elsewhere, with mom and dad teaching their little ones to be fully independent bluebirds.

Phoebes

My phoebes are nesting over the door again, and we finally heard little peeps from the nest for the first time this morning. It’s a little inconvenient to have to avoid our front porch during this time, but we (phoebes and people) have learned to make it work for three years now. The phoebes make me laugh. They don’t want to be obvious about where their nest is. I’m sure this is an evolutionary trait to avoid tipping off predators.

So, they’ll land near the porch… sometimes perching on the porch, or one of our hanging ornaments… pretending as if they’re just hanging out there, nonchalantly, with a big moth in their mouth. Then, as soon as I turn my back, I’ll hear wings flapping, tiny voices peeping, and when I turn around again, I’ll catch a glimpse of a phoebe flying off in search of other insects. I’m sure it’s not a game to them, but it almost seems like one to me; truly, silly phoebes, we know your nest is there, right above our front door! But, my spouse and I try to be conscious about giving them time and space to feel comfortable coming and going as they need.

Wren

I found a wren nest in an old hanging pot in our dilapidated barn. The parents are so secretive, I don’t know for certain if they are Carolina wrens or Bewick’s wrens. I have seen both in the vicinity. Of course, wrens never nest in the specifically-built-for-them birdhouse I put up. No, they’ll build in the pot right above the much-used lawnmower, or the discarded boot, or the wreath on my parents’ front door. I’m glad they aren’t picky, though, because I love my wrens, and life would be a little less joyful without them.

Hummingbird wars have recommenced

Hummingbirds are notoriously territorial, and I’ve witnessed some vicious fights. In one, a male attempted to drown another male in the mud after they tumbled to the ground, locked together in a battle. (I broke that one up. “Let nature take its course” has limits when it comes to hummingbird homicide in my front yard.)

Last fall before they migrated south, we had around seven or eight hummingbirds battling over our feeders. I always wonder how many will survive the trip south to return home in spring. And yes, my home is their home, and they are world travelers who navigate their way back to share this space with me. So, far, we have counted six. So, we may have lost one or two, or those two may be lagging behind the others. But already the dominant male who guarded the feeder in front from a very specific perch on the cottonwood tree is back to guarding the front feeder from his perch in the cottonwood tree. I’m so happy they made it back safely, and I have all my hummingbird favorites planted for them. My shrimp plant and salvias are already blooming.

Helping out a mama opossum

I like having opossums around. I don’t have horses (nor do any neighbors). Plus, they are notorious for eating ticks, up to 5,000 per season. I need about 10,000 opossums to eat all the ticks in my yard, so having even one around is nice. However, they are known to carry certain diseases such as leptospirosis, so my spouse and I were a little worried when we started seeing one during daylight hours. This possum walked awkwardly and was pretty fearless when faced with barking dogs. I know opossums rarely have rabies, so I especially wasn’t worried about that, but it wasn’t completely normal behavior. (Incidentally, if you don’t want opossums, raccoons, or skunks around, don’t leave bird food or other pet foods out at night.)

This weekend I was photographing birds when this opossum came wandering out to the bird feeder area. I took some pictures of it. Later, when I was processing the pictures, I realized why it was walking so awkwardly. It was a mama opossum, and she had tiny little joeys clinging to her belly. Her pouch was filled to the brim. Pregnant women everywhere will sympathize with this poor opossum… unable to walk normally, trying to eat for twelve, willing to brave dogs and daylight in order to get to the easy food before someone else gets there first. She may be fighting some other disease or illness, too, but, bless her heart, she’s trying her best to take care of her babies.  So, we started putting out additional food for her. After all, she’s carrying around the start of my tick-eating opossum army. Yes, indeed, spring has sprung.