Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has finally arrived at Casa Tipton y Kelly here in the beautiful coastal plains of southern Delaware!  After the extended cold temps of the winter I began to despair that the warm temps would ever arrive.

Purple Martin house - they can't wait!

Bill cleaned out our Purple Martin house yesterday and before he even got the house all the way up on the pole, three Purple Martins landed on their summer home.  Bill says he hates all the noise that the Purple Martins make but to me, listening to their raucous cacophony is music to my ears.  I especially like seeing them gliding through the sky in circles above their house.  

Bluebird eggs in our bluebird house a few years ago

The robins are here as well as the swallows.  Bill said he saw a bluebird a couple of weeks ago but I haven't seen any.  Their house is here waiting for them.  Until last year the bluebirds usually raised two bunches of bluebirds each summer.  Last year though they had too much competition from the swallows and sparrows.  

Me checking out the new bluebird house a few years ago

I work tonight at the hotel then I have the rest of the week off.  I've already made my reservation for next year's Bloggerpalooza.  Yes folks, I will be staying on the premises.  This way I can have a few drinky poos (prefer martinis and margaritas) without having to worry about driving home.  Also, I can make the rounds of the different hospitality suites.  By the way, Dr. Spo and Someone said they will rent the Captain's Quarters which was worked so well as the hospitality suite last year.  

Cubby and Sassy Bear

You all don't have to make reservations yet but if you plan on coming you should reserve your room by the end of the year.  Also, let me know who wants to go on the Dogfish Brewery Tour.  There is no charge but the tour dates do fill up fast.  And........I have some great new fun plans for next year's get together.  Yes, I can TOP last year's Bloggerpalooza.  Some people can sing, some people can change a tire (I can't do either) and then some people can put together a fun event.  That's what I do folks.  And I love it!

Never know what surprises await at the Bloggerpalooza - the "Blue Thingie"

Have a great day!

Your host at the Inn

Murder in Milton Part Two

The beautiful eastern bluebird

When Bill and I returned from our trip south we discovered that someone or something had opened the bluebird house and torn out the nest of newly born swallows.

For the past two years this particular  bird house has been the home to two batches of bluebirds each season.  However, this year the bluebirds were not able to build their nest because of the aggressive house sparrows kept the bluebirds away.

Bluebird fighting off house sparrow

Swallows tried to build a nest in that blue bird house only to battle the same house sparrows.  As I wrote in an earlier blog posting, one day I came home from work and checked the bird house to see if the swallows had laid their eggs.  As I began to open the front of the blue bird house a house sparrow quickly exited the hole of the bird house.  I opened the front of the bird house only to find a bloodied and dead swallow.

Swallow

To those of you who think house sparrows are cute consider this, in one of my other blue bird houses I found a nest of sparrow eggs.  A dead swallow was also in the nest, pushed to the side.  Yes, the sparrows were going to raise their young with a dead swallow in the bird box.  This is the same bird box that swallows had raised two batches of baby swallows.

House sparrow

Bill set up a contraption and was able to trap the house sparrow that was killing the swallows.  After disposing of that sparrow, we didn't have any more problems with sparrows keeping other birds away from that bird box.

House sparrow on top of perch at bluebird house

The swallows built their neat nest and laid their eggs in the former blue bird house.  Two days before we left for our vacation down south, I checked the nest and saw that the eggs had hatched.  The little featherless and blind baby swallows were ready to grow.  Thus it was with great anticipation that we were looking forward to seeing how much the baby swallows had grown.

Bill looked out the window and said "The box is open!"  We rushed out and, sure enough, the front of the blue bird box was open and the nest on the grown.  There was no sign of the baby swallows.  Now this was a real mystery because the latch was still closed on the door of the bird house.

We couldn't figure out what happened.  Could a cat have climbed the wooden pole?  But what cat could have that kind of strength that it took to open the front of the bird house without removing the latch?  It wasn't until the next day that we figured out what happened.

A few weeks ago our neighbor had some lawn service people in to take care of his lawn.  Bill pointed out to me that the Hispanics who were doing the yard work had a hyper active little kid with them.  Bill thought the kid and his antics were cute.  Me, not so much.  I'm not a fan of over active, bratty, little kids.
I didn't give this kid any more thought until this day.

Another thing we noticed when we came back from vacation was that our neighbor's back yard was completely trimmed.  This was very unusual because our neighbor Tom rarely if ever trims his back yard.  Alright, now I'm adding two and two together.

This Hispanic lawn service crew is working on my neighbor's back yard.  My bird box is near the fence of the back yard.  The swallows who built the nest hover over the bird box and sit on the perch at the top of the bird box.  So picture this:  a bored, hyper active, little kid sees the swallows around the bird box.  He goes around the fence and sees the bird box.  With me so far?  Then he sees the adult swallow enter the bird box to feed its young.  Okay, now the kid wants to see what's inside the bird box but he isn't tall enough to open the latch.  So he puts his greasy, dirty little finger in the bird box hole and pulls down.  Viola!  Then he sees the nest and pulls it out, baby birds and all.  Now he's no longer bored because he has destroyed the nest.

I go out to check my theory.  Around the bird box I have a wild rose bush.  At the base of the island I have ground cover of thyme.  To the left of the bird box and away from the rose bush I see an indentation in the thyme.  The indentation is the size of a child's foot.  Ah yes.  Theory proved.

Again, as has happened so often in my life of growing plants and trying to maintain a backyard habitat, it has been invaded and destroyed by kids, animals and insects.  We had so many problems with the neighborhood kids when we lived in Philadelphia I finally gave up even planting flowers in front of the house on the tree lined street where we lived.  I thought I had a safe place in our new home in Milton.  Apparently not.

Well, long story short.  This morning we had good news.  Bill spotted a bluebird on the perch atop the bird house.  That's wonderful news!  Maybe the bluebirds will be able after all to raise a batch of young bluebirds this summer in that preferred bird house.  After the deaths of two adult swallows, the deaths of four baby swallows and one murderous adult sparrow, this story will have a happy ending.

Me early this morning checking out the bluebird box

Not a pretty sight, me early in the morning

Taking out the old swallow nest 

Life and Death in the Backyard

Perhaps my greatest pleasure living in southern Delaware is my back yard.

I live in a development of three quarter acre lots.  I chose my corner lot because it is almost an acre and backs up to a farmer's field.  Beyond the field is Route 1.  I am far enough away from Route 1 that the constant traffic doesn't bother me but is rather like a living panorama.

The real panorama is what goes on in my backyard during the spring and summer months.  I love grow flowers and herbs.  I also love to provide a natural habitat for several native bird species.

I have my back yard lined with three blue bird (or swallow) boxes and one purple martin house.

The past two years I have had bluebirds take up residence in one of the bluebird houses and raise two batches of four baby bluebirds each season.

The blue bird house in contention

Each year I have had to fight the common house sparrow who are a non-native bird species.  The sparrows come in early and take over the bird boxes, fighting off and killing the native species of birds that I am trying provide a home for.

This year the sparrows have been particularly aggressive.  So aggressive that the bluebirds have given up even building a nest in the same box that they built in the past two years.

A pair of swallows is attempting to build a nest in that blue bird box. So far the sparrows have killed one of the swallows.  I came back from an errand one day and checked the box only to have a sparrow fly out of the box, leaving a dead swallow in the box.  That was two weeks ago.

Since then Bill has built a contraption to trap the sparrow in the box.  After I returned from my visit in Pennsylvania he showed me the male sparrow that he caught with a bottle that he put to the door of the bluebird house that he had trapped.  He intended to keep the sparrow for me but the sparrow died in the bottle.  He didn't know why it died because he left the lid ajar for air.  Maybe the bird died from shock that he was caught.  Good.  I was going to twist its neck anyway.

Since then another pair of swallows has been attempting to build a nest but without success.  Last Saturday I was checking one of the other bluebird boxes and I was shocked by what I found.  The sparrows had built a nest but to the side was a dead swallow.  As incredible as it seems, the sparrows were going to raise their young with a dead bird in their box!

I took the dead swallow out of the box and tore out the sparrow nesting.  Below is what happens when you let sparrows take over your bird boxes.

This is the dead swallow in the sparrow nesting.  

The dead swallow before I buried it

Last year I wrote several blogs about my battles with the sparrows.  I never caught one last year but they never did raise any of their young in my backyard.  I lost count of the nest I tore out.  I threw out a total of 19 if the brown speckled sparrow eggs.  I don't have a problem throwing out the sparrow eggs but I don't think I could destroy young sparrows.  I'm not that ruthless.....yet.  

At the present time there is a sparrow nest in one of the purple martin apartments.  I'll wait until they lay their eggs and then I'll take out their nest, eggs and all.  There is a downside to this.  Last year when I tore out one of the nest the sparrow got into one of the purple martin apartment and killed three baby purple martins.

Planter boxes that edge my back yard bull of herbs

I grow a lot of flowers and herbs in my back yard.  The bees and other insects love those plants and, in turn the birds feed off of the insect.  I love sitting out in the early summer evening and watching the purple martins and swallows soar up and down in my back yard catching insects.  I understand some people's concerns for all birds but I will not permit the sparrows to take over my back yard.  They can find somewhere else to raise their young because it won't be in my backyard as long as I live here.

The purple martin house with gourds for the swallows

New Bluebird Nest!

New bluebird nest





















Purple Martin eggs




We have a new bluebird nest! After a delay of about ten days, mama and papa bluebird have built a new, neat nest. The bluebird pair is apparently the same because the Biggest Bluebird I’ve Ever Seen, is again perched atop the bluebird box. Of course there were a few forays into the bluebird box by the errant house sparrow but the Biggest Bluebird I’ve Ever Seen quickly took care of that unwelcomed intruder.

In a day or two I expect to see four small blue bluebird (what other color would they be?) eggs in the new bluebird nest. In about a month the new baby bluebirds will be grown and out exploring their new world just like their sisters and brothers are doing now.

The swallows have built a nest in one of the other bluebird houses. Their pure white eggs are nestled in another neat nest lined with white feathers. It’s interesting that each bird has its own unique nest. The Purple Martins don’t build so much of a nest as they line the bottom of their aluminum compartment with broad pieces of straw. The Purple Martin eggs are also pure white. Only the house sparrow eggs are a tan with brown dots. The house sparrow nests are a mess. Everything and anything is in their nest from trash to straw and plastic.

The Purple Martins quickly claimed the last compartment in their tall six apartment birdhouse when I removed the sparrow nest on Monday. From what I can tell the Purple Martins have already raised one batch of young ones and are now working on the second batch. I think the Purple Martins only raise two batches of young ones before they leave for the season.

This year, for the first time, both of the gourds hanging beneath the Purple Martin house area occupied by swallows. One gourd was occupied by another Taliban sparrow but it only took two cleanings to get that sparrow out of there. I think the house sparrows took up in my neighbor’s birdhouses.

Each evening Bill and I sit out on our deck and watch the Purple Martins sort out their pecking order. We enjoy their graceful swooping of the swallows over our back yard looking for a meal. The bluebirds seem to be more preoccupied with guarding their nest and feeding their young. They make no noise at all whereas the Purple Martins are always squawking about something. We will miss them all when they leave later this summer. Then the quiet in our backyard will be deafening.

Backyard Update

Swallow peeking at me from her nest.















Swallow eggs in birdhouse.








Here is the latest on my backyard bird sanctuary (except for the house sparrows.) The bluebirds have built another nest in the same bluebird house. The first crop of baby bluebirds are now on their own, now it’s time for the second batch of new bluebirds. Last year the bluebirds also raised two batches in this same bluebird box. I'm happy to say it looks like a repeat performance this year.

This year for the first time, swallows have taken up in one of the other bluebird houses. Their pictures are featured on this blog. There is also a swallow nest in one of the two gourds hanging from the Purple Martin house. Last year the only swallow nests were on my neighbor’s porch. They built a mud nest right over his front door. While it was cute and interesting to watch the baby swallows grow, the mess they made wasn’t too cute for my neighbor’s company. This year my neighbor took down the hook the swallows built their nest and moved it over to the side of his porch where the mess wasn’t so noticeable.

One house sparrow pair continues to build a nest in one of the Purple Martin apartments. I cleaned out that last nest about an hour ago and I don’t expect to see them back. I checked the five other apartments and they all have the white Purple Martin eggs in their modest nests. One of the apartments was formerly the house sparrow nest that I had taken out at least a half a dozen times before the Taliban Sparrows gave up. I don't like cleaning out their nest and I hope this is the last time I have to do it. My backyard bird habitat is for native bird species only.

This year we’re getting plenty of rain unlike the past two years in which we watched the farmers’ fields of corn burn up from lack of rain. With all the rain we also have plenty of mosquitoes. I’m food for the mosquitoes but the mosquitoes are food for the birds in my backyard. My backyard is ecology 101 at work. As I type this I hear thunder rumbling in the distant sky now. More rain, just what we need.

My goal when I moved to our new home in Delaware was to create a backyard habitat as a sanctuary for the local natives species birds. Yesterday Bill and I finished putting in the two remaining raised flower beds that border the edge of our acre of backyard. Anchoring each flower bed is a bird bath. The bird baths are probably the main attraction for the birds in our backyard. Now that I have two new raised flower beds, I’ll have to get two more bird baths. That brings the count of bird baths in our backyard to eight. One can never have enough bird baths in their back yard. Believe me, they’re all used. On especially hot days I have to change the water several times. No complaints from this quarter though, it is a labor of love. But there are a lot of dirty birds out there.

Of Bluebirds, Purple Martins and House Sparrows

My battle continues with the house sparrows that continue to build their nests in the lower levels of my purple martin house. I've been tearing out all three nests every morning. As soon as I tear them out the house sparrows go back to building their nests. On the upper level there is one Purple Martin nest with eggs. I wish the Purple Martins were more aggressive in chasing away the house sparrows but that's not happening. This year one of the gourds has swallows nesting in it. There is a nest in the other gourd but I'm not sure which bird is nesting there. I suspect it is another house sparrow nest.

Tomorrow I'll go into a different mode in battling the house sparrows. I'll wait until they lay their brown speckled eggs then I'll throw the nest out, eggs and all. That's what happened last year when the birdman who put up my Purple Martin house discovered one of the bluebird houses had a nest of house sparrows. He threw the nest out, eggs and all. At first I was shocked when he did this, but now I understand why he destroyed the house sparrow nest. House sparrows, or English sparrows are a non-native species of bird who have taken over nesting location of native species. Along with the starling, another non native species of bird, many of the natural nesting locations of birds like bluebirds and purple martins have disappeared. I can't control the North American continent but I can control my back acre of yard. There will be no house sparrows (or starlings) nesting in my back yard.

I have three bluebird houses in my back yard but only one is occupied. It is the same bluebird house that was occupied last year that produced three batches of bluebirds. They came back this year and successfully fought off the house sparrows to reclaim their box. Maybe part of the reason they were so successful was one of the bluebirds is a big bird. It looks almost as big as a robin. So far that big bluebird has fought off all attempts to take over his bluebird box. Good for him.

The house sparrows remind me of uninvited guests who are determined to have their way, regardless of who they are putting out. They remind me of people who have horse blinders on and can only see their way, regardless of the damage they cause. Ironically I know people like this and they say they're just "focused." That's one way of looking at it. Of course they are wrong. It is just an excuse for not thinking. The sparrow doesn't think. It just does. I guess that's why they've been so successful in replacing many of our native species of birds. Well, I wish them the best wherever they decide to make their nest. One thing is for sure, it isn't going to be in my backyard. Buh bye!