BirdOculars.com

Rest In Peace Little One

I wish that I were writing this under happier circumstances.  I wrote previously about my little titmouse patient where I told you how he seemed to have bonded with me.  He would come to the window and land in the pane so he could see if I were there.  He had degraded from coming down for a treat and flying away to coming down and hanging around on my patio which was not a good sign.
Read More …

My Little Titmouse Patient

I recently wrote about creating a monster in my backyard.  It started with one amusing little titmouse that came to my hand to feed.  That’s all, just feed.  Soon, others joined him.  I’ve fed a total of 3 different titmice since he started.

Within the last week, his behavior changed.  No longer was he looking for me and coming down to grab a bite and return to his perch.  Now, he was coming down, grabbing something and taking it onto different places on my patio.  I didn’t think anything at first but now I see he’s not well.
Read More …

The House Wrens Have Returned

As I had posted last week, it seemed like my house wrens had disappeared.  They had built a nest, incubated eggs, fledged young and even rebuilt a nest for a second brood.  Then, they were nowhere to be seen or heard.  If you’ve ever had house wrens during mating season in your backyard then you know it’s impossible to miss them.  The male sings almost nonstop even after he’s attracted a mate.  When that singing stopped I got suspicious and I had to investigate.
Read More …

My Dark Bluebird Legacy Lives On

I was so thrilled when a pair of bluebirds finally decided to make a home in my second bluebird box again this year. I hoped that my resident pair had moved on or died as cruel as that sounds. The reason is it is heartbreaking to see all their work go for near nothing. Thanks to Julie Zickefoose, I learned the pair probably had a genetic problem of some kind.  These two have laid as many as five eggs only to have one or two fledge and rarely more than one live.
Read More …

My House Wrens Have Disappeared

After my house wren pair set up a nest, laid eggs and fledged their first brood, I mentioned that I saw the male cleaning out the nest.  Then I saw the female putting new soft nesting materials back into the nest box.  When I checked around I was told this is how they do it and all was well.  Convinced that they were just getting ready to have another brood, I stopped thinking about it.  After all, the bluebirds had put their nest together in the other box and already had laid eggs.  The house wrens showed no interest in bothering them.
Read More …

Bluebirds Have Eggs In A Nestbox

After spending about a week visiting the nestbox everyday, the bluebirds have built a nest and now have eggs in it.  I’m very happy to see them make the commitment to the box which has also been looked over by my house wren male just in case nobody else wanted it.
Read More …