videos: Attacks by House Wrens

If by some reason you are unable to view the video that I referred to in my previous post (a house wren throwing just-hatched bluebirds out of the hole) that's on the sialis.org website, you can watch it on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt9BfiGULdQ

or here


There is also a video of a House Wren attacking eggs at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPFau293qoI

or

Very Empty Nest Syndrome, May 16th, 2009

[this is a revision of a previous posting. There were supposed to be two photos shown and for some reason they didn't appear. If you don't see the two photos of the chickadee nest, please let me know.]

I'm feeling 'abandoned'...

First, the chickadees fledged on Thursday, May 14th which was day 16. I wasn't able to verify that till the next morning. I had to watch to see if there was any parent traffic in and out of the box and there was none. Without a nest box cam, it's hard to see them fledge since they look just like their parents and they don't sit in the hole and push off from there, they fly out of the hole just like the 'big birds' do.

I took out the nest and was amused and amazed to find so much dog fur (which my dogs provided). It makes sense because the nest was built in April when the weather was going between cold and cool. Here are some photos of the nest. It's flattened somewhat especially on the side that was closest to the hole. As the day of fledging grew near, the chicks would have been tramping around the sides of the nest cup trying to get a peek out of the hole.

And I also feel 'abandoned' because the bluebirds have not started another brood here. I wonder if they have started one somewhere else but the accommodations here are so good, why go anywhere else ::grin::. They've been hanging around, though. I do have evidence of that! Below are some photos from my new 'toy', a camera for use outdoors and 'outside the nest' which is a very interesting perspective after watching so much 'inside the nest' activity. It's called "Wingscapes" but I've seen similar cameras marketed with different names. It's a motion-activated camera which is really cool. I can set it to capture photos or videos. I have so much to learn about it. My first successful project has been to watch what goes on at the bird bath.

This camera was very graciously donated to me by a very, very special friend. I shall be forever grateful to her.

For more information about this outdoor camera, you can read all about it at
http://wingscapes.com/

Now, on to the show:

You can watch the slideshow below. It will run automatically. However, there are controls for it if you move your cursor to the bottom of the screen.
If you 'double click' on the screen, you will see the photos in a larger format which I highly recommend. You'll be taken to another website where you'll see larger photos. Above the photo you will see two arrow images, one pointing 'back' and one pointing 'forward.' Use these to control the speed at which you want to view the photos. If you click on the arrow at a fast pace, it's almost like watching a little video. If you have any problems, let me know. I still have so much to learn!

Real Birds of Atlanta, Day 14, May 3, 2009

They are definitely birds now (and oh so beautiful). In the first photo, I think one of the chicks has its wing over the other so it's hard to tell but there is one bird whose wing feathers are bright cobalt blue (that'd be the male Louie) and the other's wing feathers are tipped in white (that'd be Thelma). You can see those differences in the second photo.

While I'm typing this, I see that the chicks are 'playing dead.' It's because there's a Brown Headed Nuthatch who keeps walking all over the box and almost gets a chance to look in when Daddy Blue comes to the rescue. Of course, Thelma or Louie are bigger than the teeny nuthatch, they just don't know know it!

You can 'double click' to see larger views.