Underside Of A Brown Creeper
Sorry about the lack of posts. I have been avoiding the blog because I'm avoiding anything remotely related to the bees. I had to close them up this weekend. But in the meantime, we did have an encounter with a brown creeper this morning. We're not sure if this bird hit the window and was recovering on the ledge or was just exhausted from migration.
Normally, I would say that it hit the window, but usually when a bird hits the window hard enough to stun itself, it ricochets far out and hits the ground. Lucky, that this bird didn't, it was a good two stories up. Either way, it is a rare chance to see the belly of a creeper. These guys creep along the trunks of trees like nuthatches, but rather than creeping down head first, these guys creep up. Their brown backs and heads blend well with bark, almost looking as though the tree bark itself is moving.
Don't worry, a few seconds after this photo was taken, the creeper flew to nearby white pine and began foraging for food and doing what it does best: creep.
posted by birdchick at 3:30 PM
11 Comments:
Jeepers creepers!
Wonderful up close shots of this creeper! Maybe it was a peeper creeper!
What does closing the bees entail???
Lynne and Mon@rch are comedians!
I love these little guys...they remind me of little jumpy mice when I am lucky enough to spot them.
Glad he/she went back to creeping!
My bees are still bringing in pollen and nectar. Sure, they could be robbing out some hive somewhere, but the pollen packets are a sure sign that there is still forage (with the wacky weather, there are dandelions blooming). Looks like there are some decent warm days ahead as well. Last year, my bees were raising brood in November. Sugar syrup is ok to feed in a pinch, but since European beekeepers avoid it (because they believe it is bad for the bees' guts) I like to maximize their stores of nectar-based honey. This past Spring, one of my colonies came through the winter so strong, I was able to divide it into 3 colonies instead of just 2. I'm not sure when everyone else closes up their hives, but I don't until there has been a hard frost. Otherwise, in addition to shorting the bees on foraging time, you risk having the colonies overheat inside the wrapping. And you will be amazed when you open the hives on a 40 degree day in January or February to check on their stores - a gust of fragrant, warm air will rush out, and you'll wonder why you were ever concerned about them keeping themselves warm in the snow. Apart from standing in a cloud of thrumming happy bees on a hot summer day, the winter hive-check is my favorite thing about beekeeping.
Elements of closing up the colonies include the fall reversal, which is placing the lower brood box above the upper, making the upper the new lower. In addition, I place a sheet of wicking material between the inner cover and outer cover (bee respiration when it condenses inside the hive during the winter) can result in bee drowning, mold, mildew and other icky things. Then there is the hive cover, a rigid cardboard sleeve colored black that slides over the colony to help conserve warmth. In addition, I place a square of rigid insulation material under the hive (the hives sit on pallets, so there is a space there for cooling in the summer as well).
If you decide that full deeps are too heavy to sling around, consider doing what I did, and switch to mediums for your brood chambers. I overwinter in 3. It is more economical in the long run, since you are only renewing one size of frame and so it is easier to rotate them around.
Congratulations on your first harvest, and your first year as a beekeeper!
Kathy Connelly
This guy is a professional creep?
Weird. But cute too.
I can't help but wondering why you are trying to stay away from bee matters. Was it so traumatic to closing the hives?
What a cute little creeper! I'm glad you got some close-up pictures, because I've only seen them from a distance.
Neato! as long as he wasn't a peepING creeper.
Aw, i LOVE brown creepers!
You guys crack me up!
It was so weird to see it perched on a ledge and not on a tree trunk. It was interesting to know that a creeper holds its bill like nuthatch, with it's bill straight up. I wonder how they see around it?
Susan, I just call them as I see them!
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