black birds roosting

Flocks of blackbirds gathered to roost for the night in the big cottonwood tree far across the pond.  

Now that birds are finished defending their nesting territories and raising young birds, they begin congregating in really large flocks to feed and protect one another from predators like owls and hawks. The birds gathering may be a mix of Red-winged Blackbirds and Starlings, Cowbirds, and Grackles.

 

log

 Every pond needs a log for turtles to sit on while sunning themselves.

It will probably be used by birds hunting aquatic prey, damselflies drying their wings, and frogs.

hummingbird 2021

 

The twig hanging over the water is a favorite perch for birds.  

This Ruby-throated Hummingbird sits on the twig to rest on her way to the Lonicera blooming nearby.

mulleins

Last year, only one Mullein Verbascum thapsus plant bloomed in the riparian area.  This year, several have sent their tall blooming shoots up among the grasses and rushes. This large one is sending out branches. It is very hairy plant and has many common names alluding to that characteristic - - 'wooly' 'feltwort' -- 'old man's blanket'. Mullein derives from and French word meaning soft.  

Note: This is a non-native plant that can compete with native wildflowers.  Letting it grow here will reduce the good quality wildlife habitat in the natural wetland around our pond.  We will be removing its seed heads to prevent proliferation.

song sparrow on branch

 Song Sparrows usually stay low to the ground and forage secretively among grasses and wildflower plants.  Moving along wetland edges Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia will search for beetles, caterpillars, dragonflies, grasshoppers, snails, or earthworms -- flitting or hopping through plants surrounding the pond to find a meal.  They will also eat berries and seeds when insects are not plentiful.

Occasionally males will come to an exposed perch to sing their sweet melody.  Song Sparrow sounds

birds on the branch

Eastern Bluebirds also like to sit on the branch over the pond.

Many flying creatures use this branch as a place to spot a prey item to eat, or a place to rest, or a place to socialize.

In this photo, after some rain, the rock behind the Bluebirds is under water.  It is our gauge for the water level in the pond.

Below, a turtle sits on the same rock on a day when the water level is lower.

phoebe nestlings

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe is a small member of the flycatcher family that nests near water in open woodland and suburbs.  Phoebes are about 6-1/2 inches long, and mainly eat insects.

We've been watching this one since April as she sits in a tree or on a branch overhanging the pond.
Once she spots an insect, she flies off the branch, snatches the insect mid-air, and returns to the branch to eat it.  This is called “hawking”, a behavior shared with other members of the flycatcher family.

Once she started flying under a deck nearby with freshly caught food items, we suspected she was feeding babies.

Sure enough, two small Phoebes peeked out over the edge of the nest.

The Tree Swallow pair return to the branch over the pond every day.  When she is in the nestbox, he sits on the branch to keep watch on her and their eggs.  Sometimes she joins him there. They can survey their territory, chase away intruders, and spy food items flying by.  Or, just sit close together.  On occasion, he sings to her.  She has been incubating eggs for 11 days.  They will hatch any day.

vibrant thistle color

On 6-7-2020 we posted photos of a lovely rosette of thistle leaves.

The Musk Thistle plant is biennial -- seed germinates in the fall and survives winter as a small plant close to the ground.  Covered by leaf litter, it is insulated through cold weather.

This plant has grown to over 5 feet tall, and branched out to display several flower buds. Each is beginning to show its true vibrant color.

Goldfinches use the downy parts of the seed produced by this flower, and they eat the thistle seed.  But it is an invasive plant and very painful to touch.

Phoebe

The Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe is one species in the family of Tyrant Flycatchers.  Phoebe is mostly insectivorous. It forages by watching from a perch, flying out for insects, and catching them in mid-air.  This is called a "sallying" style – flying up  directly from their perch to catch an insect and then immediately return to the same perch.  In some cases, Phoebe will take an insect from foliage while hovering briefly.  The pond area is replete with insects in the air and on the plants around it.  The branch on the feeder pole is a good 'sallying' perch.