Showing posts with label competition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label competition. Show all posts
7/16/2022
turtle chases ducks off favorite rock
Mallard was sunning her ducklings on the favorite rock in the pond. Turtle appeared a few feet away, nosing his way toward the rock, also his favorite. When turtle got to the rock, ducklings jumped off.
5/11/2022
strutting blackbird
The blackbird was foraging among the short grasses near the pond. A female, recently arrived after migrating, landed on a branch of swamp willow. The male saw her and started displaying his handsome epaulets. He walked toward her with his feathers fluffed out and tail partly spread. As he proceeded, he lifted the leading edge of each wing so that the red shoulder patches were puffed up, appearing bigger. She flew to another small tree; he followed among the willow sprouts, displaying his male beauty to impress her.
(Red-winged Blackbird males have colorful upperwing coverts of red bordered with yellow on the bend of each wing. He will use the colorful display to threaten other birds, defend his territory, or attract a mate.)
10/28/2020
water sports
Sunny and warmer, closer to normal weather today, after an early snow in October. Several Mallards are getting ready for their travel south by feeding on the dwindling supply of plant material in the pond. But the resident muskrats do not like to share their food supply. We watched several encounters today between the animals.
8/01/2020
protecting native plants
Unfortunately, the builder brought in soil during the last 12 months to finish the area beyond the native plantings. That soil contained a plentiful seed bank of invasive or harmful species. We now have a bothersome crop of knapweed, velvetleaf (shown above), mustard, ragweed, lambs quarter, crabgrass, dock, amaranth, spurge, and thistles surrounding the pond. They are competing with the desirable native plants like milkweed, aster, lobelia, boneset, chamomile, clover, daisy, echinacea, golden alexander, meadow rue, bee balm, penstemon, ironweed, mountain mint, vervain, silene, sunflower, and others.
To protect them, you will see me pulling, snipping, and clipping.
6/03/2020
nestbox terror
Both adult Red-wing Blackbirds have been very aggressive in this wetland area. They regard the entire pond and shoreline as "their" territory.
The male attacks or takes flight after other birds, even larger Crows. He loudly protests Starlings that feed at the shoreline. He has chased away Chickadees, Tree Swallows, and Bluebirds that tried to nest in the boxes intended for them, just because he does not want them nearby.
The female Blackbird claimed all the seed feeders near the pond as her personal property, and persecuted all other birds who tried to feed at any of them. When the feeder on our deck was taken away, she stood on the deck rail and demanded we put it back.
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