Wild Flowers And Blue-winged Warblers

Last fall, I went on a tear to get rid of some buckthorn and start replenishing the woods with bee and bird friendly plants (with mostly native plants) in Mr. Neil's woods. I've tried to make a sincere effort to learn my wildflowers and if I've learned anything, it's that if I find a flower very attractive, it's non-native.

I got some large-flowering trillium last fall and planted that on the slope where the big fallen oak has been hosting sparrows all winter. Alas, it does not appear to be popping up. As I was feeling sorry for myself and wondering what I could do differently, I noticed this, mere feet from where I planted the trillium:

Nodding trillium! Growing all on its own, without me planting it! Has it always been growing on this hill and since I'm always bird watching that I have just never noticed it? That's quite possible--really, the only wildflower I knew before this was Dutchman's breeches and Jack-In-The-Pulpit (which we have a ginormous amount of Jack's this year). Refreshed and excited, I decided to head into the woods to see what other flowers might be popping up and to try and get some warbler shots. I head to the spot where a major buckthorn removal had taken place and found:

A butt load of garlic mustard. One of the reasons I have never bothered to learn my plants is that I didn't want to know too much. Once you know what the invasive species are and how quickly they spread and how hard they are to get rid of--you begin to see it everywhere and feel a sort of powerlessness about it. This area floods every spring. So if we begin a garlic mustard removal plan, more will just be flooded in. As I was thinking in my head about what I'd read on the Internet regarding garlic mustard removal, I noticed higher up on a hill, a patch of flowers surrounded by garlic mustard...

It was a large patch of native wildflowers including large-flowered trillium and some rue anemone (and if I misidentify any flowers, please someone correct me, I'm still learning and need all the help I can get). I also found spring beauties, wild geranium, phlox, and something I cannot identify in my books and online:

Does anyone know what this is? I have a feeling it's non-native since I find them so pretty. Here's a shot so you can see the leaves:

So, even though there is still buckthorn and now oodles of garlic mustard, there is still some hope in the woods with some native flowers and our bees out there using them for nectar.

After I finished inspecting the wildflower situation, I headed towards the spot where we find giant puffballs because blue-winged warblers have nested there since I have been coming to Mr. Neil's. I heard one singing right away, found a spot with some open areas so I could aim my digiscoping equipment and waited. It wasn't long before a pair of blue-winged warblers were out and foraging. The birds seemed to have a circuit that they would follow from tree to tree, searching for tiny insects. By watching the circuit a few times, I got a sense of their route and could kind of follow along with the scope and digiscope some photos.

The blue-winged warblers were not bothered by my presence whatsoever and a few times foraged for insects about two feet above my head. Blue-wings are an interesting species. They hybridize with golden-winged warblers and may be contributing to the decline of the golden-wing. When blue-winged warblers move into the same range as the golden-wing--the pure golden-wings disappear to hybrids and eventually all become golden-wings. You can read more about it (and maybe even participate in a study) at Cornell's Golden-winged Warbler Atlas Project.

What a pleasant way to enjoy the evening sun with a blue-winged warbler. I even managed to get a video of the warbler singing his buzzy "bluuuuuuuuuuuuuue wing" song and foraging--enjoy!

Two Different Witchities

We birded Glendalough State Park during the Detroit Lakes Bird Festival. There were common yellowthroats singing on territory all over. I even managed to get video of them through my spotting scope and digital camera. They are usually described as having a song that says, "witchety, witchety, witchety" but sometimes they can be a little different. Here are two different common yellowthroats singing, the first is the usual call and the second is just a little different (you can go directly to YouTube and watch them in high definition if you want):

What Goes Around My Home During the Day

I am so amazed at my body's ability to sleep with whatever virus has taken hold. I can take a couple of DayQuils and a giant mug of coffee and still fall fast asleep on the couch! How is this happening?

And maybe this is the DayQuil speaking but Chris Eccleston is hot, hot, HOT! Non Birding Bill has introduced me to the Dr. Who series (the old series), so being sick at home I thought I would turn on the tv and I discovered a Dr. Who marathon (the new series) on the Sci Fi channel today. Oh, gone are the days of the lanky man with bushy hair and a long scarf--hallo sexy, dark, broody, well dressed (and did I mention sexy?) Chris Eccleston. Unfortunately, Mr. Eccleston didn't continue the series and ended up regenerating himself at the end of season one (something time lords do to evade death) and the Dr. is now played by David Tennant--a little cheekier, not as broody, but he'll have to do.

Meanwhile when not watching daleks run amok, I watched the warblers that still have the trees in my neighborhood under siege. I assumed my chair at the window and watched the parade of kinglets, palm warblers, butter butts, Nashvilles and Tennessees. Some of them even flew over towards my window and hopped about in my flower boxes. However, I am so slow on the uptake that I couldn't get a photo. Then, an odd looking squirrel caught my attention. My apartment faces the ally and it is common to see squirrels raiding the dumpsters. Then it occurred to me that this squirrel was moving strangely and the tail wasn't bushy, then horrid realization set in:

A rat! In broad daylight, a rat checking out all the dumpsters! I know rats are everywhere and they are not new to me. I've seen them in New York, I dealt with them when I managed a bird store and goodness knows I have hacked up my fair share as hawk chow at The Raptor Center, but it still threw me for a loop seeing it right down below.

"Rats! I don't approve of rats! Keep them away from my food."

Yeah, Cinnamon, I don't care for them myself. It was interesting watching the rat systematically test out the building across the way for openings to get inside. It really didn't seem to be too distressed at being out and about in broad daylight. For some reason I always thought of them as being nocturnal.

The rat then made its way around the corner to a stick pile in my noisy neighbor's yard. I went to the bathroom window to watch and it came face to face with a squirrel. Look at the rat in relation to the gray squirrel in the above photo--I mean really, apart from the bushy tail, it's about the same size! The squirrel kept a healthy distance from the rat. It didn't leave but worked to keep the brush pile between it and the rat. The rat on the other hand just seemed to try and get as close to the squirrel as it could perhaps out of curiosity or maybe just trying to show that it wasn't going to be intimidated. The rat eventually moved on to another area of the noisy neighbor's yard. I was surprised that it didn't make a beeline for the area under my bird feeders, but there's probably tastier pickins in the dumpsters.

I think we need something cleansing after a rat. Happily, a warbler delivered. I could hear some warblers outside my bathroom window, so I quietly pished and low and behold:

This is not digiscoped, as if on cue this yellow-rumped warbler just popped down to check out the pishing coming from the bathroom window. So cute!