Wildlife Wednesday - February 2015

I'm excited to showcase the wildlife that has visited the garden over the past month because of my new toy - a Nikon D7000.  It was a late Christmas present from the hubby.  He originally wanted to buy me some jewelry, but after being indecisive about picking out the jewelry that I wanted, I decided I would get more use and enjoyment out of a quality camera. This is my first DSLR, so I'm still getting use to all the bells and whistles.

Feathered Friends

Being the middle of winter and natural food sources running low, the birds have really been flocking to the yard and feeders to supplement their diet.  And with more birds in the yard, there are also more predators hanging around.

I believe this is a Cooper's Hawk (please correct me if I'm wrong).  He has been seen in the yard frequently over the last month, usually making his daily visits at sunrise.  

I love watching this magnificent creature.  I'm still waiting for my "National Geographic moment" where I get to actually witness him make a kill.

The most distinctive bird sound that can be heard out in the garden right now is the pecking of the ladderback woodpecker.

This female ladderback is the more frequent woodpecker visitor right now.  Every once in awhile I'll catch a glimpse of her red-headed mate.

She especially loves grabbing a delicious snack of suet on the chillier winter days.

The visitors that warm my heart the most right now are the yellow-rumped warblers.

The warblers can be seen daily flitting through the trees and nibbling on the suet cakes that I've put out for them.  There have probably been at least 12 of these warblers hanging out in the yard.

And then there are the frequent patrons...

...like the cardinals and sparrows...

...the wrens (not sure what kind - looks kind of like a Carolina wren, but different from what I at least thought was a Carolina wren)...

...the lesser goldfinches...

...the house finches...

...the pesky white-winged doves and brown-headed cowbirds...

...and then there is this mystery bird.  At first glace, it looks like it may be a finch or sparrow.  However, if you knew the relative size of the tree that it is sitting in, it is closer to the size of a crow.  Anyone have any idea what it may be?

Other Critters

While the winged creatures have been the highlight of the garden this month, I cannot skip out on showcasing some of the other critters that have visited the garden.

This Easter fox squirrel is munching on his winter stash of pecans.  The squirrels are generally pretty good about leaving the bird feeders alone, thanks to the several pecan trees in the area, plus the acorns that were finally present this year after the oaks received enough water this summer.

The scariest critter was this hairy guy.  I saw him creeping along the back deck at night (after almost stepping on him)!  After some help with identification, I believe he is a giant leopard moth caterpillar.  If so, I certainly hope I get to see him when he is transformed into his adult stage.  What interesting looking creatures!

While I'm disappointed some of my broccoli bolted before ever producing decent harvestable heads, I'm glad these bees are enjoying their blooms!  There are probably at least 20-25 bees constantly buzzing around the broccoli flowers at all times on warm, sunny days.

 Finally, there are the Eastern black swallowtail caterpillars that have been chilling on the parsley for the past several months.  I was shocked that they made it through some pretty chilly nights and days over the past couple of months.  However, I believe they finally met their fate about a week or two ago with some of the freezing rain conditions that they just couldn't make it through.

That's all the wildlife for this month.  Be sure to stop by My Gardener Says... where this meme is hosted by Tina every month and where many other gardeners showcase the wildlife in their gardens!

Wildlife Wednesday - January 2015

The new year is bringing new wildlife to my garden!  I'm excited to share my new visitors with you as part of Tina's Wildlife Wednesday over at My Gardener Says.

New Visitors

While I was out of town over the holidays, my husband remained at home in Texas and noticed some commotion in the yard one day.  After looking out the window, he noticed a hawk was swooping down into our bushes, looking to catch a tasty meal of the poultry type.  He quickly grabbed his phone and snapped a couple of quick pics for me (sorry for the poor quality), but props to him, knowing this was a sight I'd want to see.

The hawk was a bit small in size compared to other hawks I've seen.  And with his (her?) coloring, my best guess is that this is a sharp-shinned hawk.  Another possibility might be Cooper's hawk.  If I have any bird experts reading this post, I'd appreciate a confirmation or correction.  This type of hawk fancies smaller birds for meals, which made sense, since the hubby said the visitor was chasing some of the birds in the yard.

Just a week ago, I noticed a pile of feathers just a few feet away from the evergreen bush captured in the picture below.  I assume our new visitor had captured a tasty treat.  From what I could tell, the hawk appeared to have gotten a white-winged dove for its meal, which is fine by me, since there are a few too many white-winged doves hanging around my yard.

This guys was definitely my favorite visitor over the past month.

This past weekend, I noticed another hawk circling overhead.  I think it might be a different hawk, since the undercarriage looks much more red/rusty brown instead of which with rusty splotches.

Another new visitor to the garden this month were European Starlings.  They are considered an invasive species, competing with native birds and destroying crops.

Rare Guests

Given the colder months and scarcer food sources, I've noticed some visitors to the garden that I tend to see much more frequently during the winter time, including...

...the ladder-backed woodpecker...

...the Eastern bluebird...

...Inca doves...

...and the tufted titmouse.

I also had a large army of Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars in my dill and parsley over the past month (and yes, a group of caterpillars is called an army).  I started with at least 20 cats and last I checked over the weekend, there were still at least 10 out there in their last instar.  I'm not sure if they will survive the freezing temperatures headed our way this week.  I've certainly been impressed with the nearly- freezing temps they have already survived, so maybe there is still hope for them to make it through the looming cold front.

Common Patrons

That brings us to the visitors that I can see out in the yard almost every day...

...the Carolina chickadee...

...the Carolina wren...

...the Lesser goldfinches...

...and of course, the sparrows.  After a decent rain last week, the sparrows were really enjoying their time splashing around in all the impromptu bird baths.

Overall, here is a count of all the birds I noticed in the garden over the last month:

• 40 white-winged doves
• 20-25 sparrows
• 12 yellow-rumped warblers
• 6 Inca doves
• 6-8 Lesser goldfinches
• 3 Carolina wrens
• 2 Carolina chickadees
• 2 Northern cardinals (1 male, 1 female)
• 2 blue jays
• 2 Eastern bluebirds
• 2 European starlings
• 2 ladder-backed woodpeckers (1 male, 1 female)
• 2 house finches
• 1 red-bellied woodpecker
• 1 tufted titmouse

Be sure to check out the wildlife other gardeners have found in their beds and yards at My Gardener Says!

Wildlife Wednesday - October 2014

I'm excited to share the wildlife that has visited my garden this past month as part of Tina's Wildlife Wednesday over at My Gardener Says.

The gulf fritillary have been hanging around the garden a lot, and are especially loving the zinnias right now.

I'm also 90% sure that I saw a monarch flitting around the garden this week.  She didn't stop to let me take her picture, but it made me so happy to see that my garden was attracting the lovely and endangered creatures.  HOWEVER, I did find these little guys nibbling my milkweed to the ground:

MONARCH CATERPILLARS!  2 of them!  At least, as far as I can tell based on my quick internet search.  At first, I was a little miffed that they were stripping the milkweed bare, but then I figured that that is what they are there for, caterpillar food.  But once I found out they were most likely monarchs, I was so HAPPY they were eating the milkweed.  Anything to help them grow big and strong and multiply.

While digging in the veggie beds to do some fall planting, I found this guy.  Anyone know what he is?  Maybe a moth larvae of some kind?  Friend or Foe?

Seems like the aphids found the new butterfly weeds.  Lucky for me, the ladybug found the aphids.  These milkweed plants really do attract a gambit of wildlife.

As I was watering the Turk's Cap, this leaf-like grasshopper thing popped out of the plant.  With further research, it looks like he is a Greater Angle-Wing Katydid (Microcentrum rhombifolium).  Pretty interesting looking.

Then there are these guys - cactus bugs - which are having there way with my prickly pears.  They are leaving these ugly spots on the cactus.  Anyone have any good recommendations on how to get rid of these foes?

 The honeybees are loving the autumn sage that is in full bloom.

And then there are the regulars... like this Carolina wren.

And these lesser goldfinches.

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to stop by Tina's blog for more gardeners' wildlife recaps.

Bird Watch - April 2014

This spring has brought some new visitors to my (and my neighbor's) garden.

The main visitors of note are the purple martins.  This spring is the first time I've seen these well-respected feathered friends.  Maybe it has something to do with having a bit rainier winter?  Purple martins almost entirely nest in man-made bird houses.  I unfortunately do not yet own a purple martin house, but my next door neighbors do, so I've been able to enjoy purple martin sightings.  I'm hopeful that they are eating a bunch of pesty insects right now, especially the squash vine borer moths.

I also recently bought a Droll Yankee Nyjer seed feeder, as I wanted to attract more finches to the yard.  The day after I put up the feeder, I immediately had goldfinches visiting.  Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with the feeder results.

While not a new visitor this month, one of my favorite birds in the garden are the blue jays.  Yes, they have a tendency to bully other birds, but aren't they just spectacular?  So regal.

While not a bird, another critter in the garden right now is this little guy.  I see him hanging around pretty often.

Other birds in the garden this month include many house sparrows, white-winged doves, blackbirds, one male and one female cardinal, a few Carolina wrens, and a male and female black-chinned hummingbird.