Three Weeks for Dreamwidth runs April 25-May 15. This year, I'll be posting about birds in honor of ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
birdfeeding. Today's topic is Other Wildlife Feeders.
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birdfeeding. Today's topic is Other Wildlife Feeders. ( Read more... )
May. 7th, 2023
Birdfeeding
May. 7th, 2023 12:58 pmToday is cloudy. It rained some last night.
I haven't gone out to feed the birds yet, but I saw a pair of white-crowned sparrows at the hopper feeder. :D
EDIT 5/7/23 -- I've seen a flock of assorted sparrows, two mourning doves, and a male house finch. There may be more than two white-crowned sparrows; it's hard to tell unless I get a really good look.
EDIT 5/7/23 -- I went out for gardening. I saw a male cardinal and a lot of other birds drinking and bathing in the big puddles at the end of the driveway. The fields are not flooded, so the water table isn't full, but the soil is thoroughly wet on top. There are tiny wrens all over the place. I also saw a new bird, small and yellowish, with a bright yellow face and black frame, with white feathers on the tail. I believe this is a hooded warbler; the picture looks exactly what I saw, and they prefer a mix of clearings and forest with well-developed brushy understory, which is what I have. (Compare with other yellow birds.) I saw at least one, maybe two because I saw the same kind in a different place a few minutes later. Interestingly, they appear in Illinois for summer breeding but not east-central where I am. Possibly this one is just passing through, but it could be scouting for different territory, or it may have been blown off-course by yesterday's winds; and in any case, my yard is just the kind of habitat they like so it's a good stopover if nothing else. :D I suspect that the birds are out foraging today because the rain after a dry spring is bringing out insects.
I dug a trench in the prairie garden to offload a trough planted with yarrow and bergamot. Last summer that trough got powdery mildew, so I want to refill it with fresh potting soil. The plants are still alive, and I figure they might do better in the prairie garden which is much sunnier.
EDIT 5/7/23 -- After lunch we made an unplanned but very successful trip to buy plants. \o/
Once we unloaded the plants and 4 bags of compost-and-manure, I transplanted the trough into the trench and put the empty trough back on the picnic table. Then I raked a few patches of ground in the savanna and threw down some bee lawn seed. We're supposed to get more rain tonight and tomorrow so I'm hopeful.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
I haven't gone out to feed the birds yet, but I saw a pair of white-crowned sparrows at the hopper feeder. :D
EDIT 5/7/23 -- I've seen a flock of assorted sparrows, two mourning doves, and a male house finch. There may be more than two white-crowned sparrows; it's hard to tell unless I get a really good look.
EDIT 5/7/23 -- I went out for gardening. I saw a male cardinal and a lot of other birds drinking and bathing in the big puddles at the end of the driveway. The fields are not flooded, so the water table isn't full, but the soil is thoroughly wet on top. There are tiny wrens all over the place. I also saw a new bird, small and yellowish, with a bright yellow face and black frame, with white feathers on the tail. I believe this is a hooded warbler; the picture looks exactly what I saw, and they prefer a mix of clearings and forest with well-developed brushy understory, which is what I have. (Compare with other yellow birds.) I saw at least one, maybe two because I saw the same kind in a different place a few minutes later. Interestingly, they appear in Illinois for summer breeding but not east-central where I am. Possibly this one is just passing through, but it could be scouting for different territory, or it may have been blown off-course by yesterday's winds; and in any case, my yard is just the kind of habitat they like so it's a good stopover if nothing else. :D I suspect that the birds are out foraging today because the rain after a dry spring is bringing out insects.
I dug a trench in the prairie garden to offload a trough planted with yarrow and bergamot. Last summer that trough got powdery mildew, so I want to refill it with fresh potting soil. The plants are still alive, and I figure they might do better in the prairie garden which is much sunnier.
EDIT 5/7/23 -- After lunch we made an unplanned but very successful trip to buy plants. \o/
Once we unloaded the plants and 4 bags of compost-and-manure, I transplanted the trough into the trench and put the empty trough back on the picnic table. Then I raked a few patches of ground in the savanna and threw down some bee lawn seed. We're supposed to get more rain tonight and tomorrow so I'm hopeful.
As it is now dark, I am done for the night.
Poetry Fishbowl Update
May. 7th, 2023 08:22 pmI've finished all but one of the obligatory poems, still have one left to write that spans several prompts.
The ticker is at $175 of $300, which leaves $125 to go in order to reach a half-price sale. We haven't had one since March, so if you're still planning to shop this fishbowl, now's the time.
The ticker is at $175 of $300, which leaves $125 to go in order to reach a half-price sale. We haven't had one since March, so if you're still planning to shop this fishbowl, now's the time.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bluedreaming has posted several "no makeup" podfics as part of Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, if anyone is into audio. (See voiceteam for the "no makeup" challenge.) I think it's useful to post things that are incomplete or imperfect, because so much online is buffed to the point of intimidating people.Plant Shopping
May. 7th, 2023 08:33 pmToday we made an unplanned but very successful excursion to acquire plants. We hit Home Depot, which had an excellent selection, Rural King which had several good bargains, and Wal-Mart which had nothing of interest. We got drizzled on a bit, but not enough to dissuade me from shopping.
I bought a bunch of bedding plants and herbs. I scored a red, a yellow, and a chocolate cherry tomato.
I got a Spigelia marilandica for its tubular red-and-yellow flowers, which I thought was some tropical thing, but turns out is a native woodland wildflower! \o/ Never seen it before, but it's really striking, so I hope it survives.
Unexpected Find 1 -- Houseplants! I got a wandering dew, its pink-and-lavender version that I call wandering dyke, and a cactus. :D I'm especially pleased by the vining plants because I have two hippie hanging planters that have been empty since Midwinter while I tried to get spider plant babies to grow roots. These things I can just pop in there, although I might put them in slightly bigger pots first.
Unexpected Find 2 -- A 24" square slab (labeled "granite" but looks like concrete") that I'm hoping is big enough to cover the hole by the barrel garden. I'll need to measure that tomorrow and if the size is right, we can go back and get the slab later.
Plus we bought 4 bags of Scotts Humus-and-Manure. Once I get the live plants taken care of, I'll be able to do more work in the yard.
... and I just realized that I forgot to get a bunch of shady annuals for the tulip bed that I was going to dump compost on. Oh well, we're planning another trip Tuesday anyhow.
I bought a bunch of bedding plants and herbs. I scored a red, a yellow, and a chocolate cherry tomato.
I got a Spigelia marilandica for its tubular red-and-yellow flowers, which I thought was some tropical thing, but turns out is a native woodland wildflower! \o/ Never seen it before, but it's really striking, so I hope it survives.
Unexpected Find 1 -- Houseplants! I got a wandering dew, its pink-and-lavender version that I call wandering dyke, and a cactus. :D I'm especially pleased by the vining plants because I have two hippie hanging planters that have been empty since Midwinter while I tried to get spider plant babies to grow roots. These things I can just pop in there, although I might put them in slightly bigger pots first.
Unexpected Find 2 -- A 24" square slab (labeled "granite" but looks like concrete") that I'm hoping is big enough to cover the hole by the barrel garden. I'll need to measure that tomorrow and if the size is right, we can go back and get the slab later.
Plus we bought 4 bags of Scotts Humus-and-Manure. Once I get the live plants taken care of, I'll be able to do more work in the yard.
... and I just realized that I forgot to get a bunch of shady annuals for the tulip bed that I was going to dump compost on. Oh well, we're planning another trip Tuesday anyhow.
