New Home For The Mockingbird Family

   Spring must be here, at least, according to the birds and other critters.  Nest building is in full swing with the songbirds.  Both hanging baskets of ferns have nests (one with a wren and the other with a dove) and, today, I watched as the mockingbird scoped out the jasmine vine as a possible site.  She must have approved the chosen spot because it was not long before the birds started bringing in twigs.  Unlike the dove in the fern, the mockingbirds make incredibly sturdy nests and the jasmine vines will provide a good bit of protection from the elements.  Some predators such as snakes can still access her nest but mockingbirds are well known as fierce defenders of their homes.  These birds can be quite feisty!

  I suppose it is because I spend so much time in the Small Gardens that the critters who visit have no fear of me.  This pair of mockingbirds often seem to crave the attention that I give them.  Yes, I talk to my birds especially now that I have no domesticated pets.  The wild critters are substituting as my pets now and are subject to the same attention that I plied to my dogs and cats.  The female mockingbird will often come sit by me as I rest from doing chores.   It is not uncommon to find her just a few feet from me.  She cocks her head to the side as I speak and will edge nearer and nearer until she is just inches away.  We will stay that way for the entire time I rest.  Then, as I rise to go back to work, she stares at me as if I am not supposed to leave her.  If I am working in the plants, she often comes to seek out any flushed bugs.  She and the mama wren work the gardens for their meals!

  The birds are welcome to taste the veggies or fruits occasionally in return for their constant bug vigil.  A few nips out of a tomato or peach is well worth the free pest control service they provide.  It is nice to live in harmony with those around you.  To bad humans cannot do that with each other.  Life is good here on the Bayou.  Life is good.

  

Busy Building!

    Along about noontime, I glanced out the front window just in time to see something zip to the left.  Ok, so that was a big bee!  Shoes on, camera in hand and glasses..I need my glasses!  I had to go find a bee!  The search did not take long because the bee was busy building a home.  There, on my gatepost, was a nice sized hole and there, going in that hole, was the bee.  She was poking stuff into the hole.  This was obviously a female that had gnawed out a tunnel in the post and then gnawed individual rooms.  In these cells, she laid in a stock of pollen and regurgitated nectar.  She then laid eggs in the different cells of the tunnel before sealing them off from the rest of the tunnel.  The sealing is done with plant fibers and soft wood from her gnawing.  This was her intentions for the day.  It was time to seal the main entrance to her nest.

  

  These tunnels can sometimes be up to 5 feet long and have many, many side cells.  The female bee does all the work.  Several generations of bees might use the same tunnel with a female adding to the tunnel system each year.  The tunnels are also used as overwintering spots for bees.  They will again lay in a stock of pollen and seal themselves in once the weather turns cold.  Many of the adult bees will die during the winter but those who survive will gnaw their way out during spring and start the process anew.

  The bee that has claimed my fencepost is a Southern Carpenter Bee.  These bees are not as fuzzy and cute as some of the other bees.  Some resemble Bumble Bees but mine lacks the bright yellow fuzziness.  In fact, this one looks downright intimidating!  The females are not apt to sting.  She can and will if you grab her but she is far too busy to be concerned about a mere human.  That said, the male does not have a stinger but he sure can get himself in a tizzy and act like a big bully if he thinks you are getting to close.  But that is all he does...nothing else...at all.   So Carpenter Bees are not a threat to anything but the wood in your house and, well, any gateposts that just happen to be handy.  I guess it is time to remedy a problem before it gets any worse.

The Thatching

  Desperate times call for desperate measures...as the old saying goes.  I never really thought how this might hold true in the critter world until this morning.  While out walking the old dog at daybreak, I noticed something in the marsh.  Some small critter was scampering about as if hunting for something it lost.  At first, the thought of a rice rat crossed my mind since this thing was too small to be a nutria or otter.  Then, a clear view made me realize that it was a squirrel.  I literally laughed out loud at the critter and truly asked it what it was doing down in the marsh.  Of course, the squirrel gave no answer but continued its search.  After a few moments, it came out of the marsh, passed between the dog and me and headed up into the nearby oak tree.  In its mouth, the squirrel was carrying a long tuft of marsh grass.  I watched as she (and I now knew this was a female since she was nest-building) carefully tucked the marsh grass into her nest.  That sweet squirrel was lining her nest to make it more secure against the weather.  She was smart.  Even though that Groundhog Day has come and gone, the squirrel knows weather and she was making preparations for what is to come.  I have never seen a squirrel harvesting marsh grass as they usually stick to the more convenient grasses around the hillside. The thatching process was in full swing, however.  

  This afternoon, that same little squirrel was still busy.  This time, however, she was harvesting a different crop.  Clippings from one of the shrubby bay trees was her plant of choice.  The small tree was quite leafy just yesterday but was nigh on devoid of leaves today.  The little squirrel gnawed through four different branches while I was standing not ten feet from her.  These, she nibbled on for a few moments then toted them up to her cozy nest.  I am not sure if these were intended as a food supply or more nesting material but she was intent with her work.  Perhaps the recent cold spell made her realize that her nest needs attention and she is making good use of today's warm temperature. 

  I am thinking this little squirrel is preparing her nest in time for the March birthing season.  Most squirrels have two breeding seasons with the first little ones being born in early spring (March here).  There will still be cold nights then so Little Mama is padding the nest well. She will also have to stay near her little ones for a while so a food supply will come in handy.  Even if it is twigs to nibble, she will be able to survive.