Backyard notes

I thought all of our winter warblers had moved on, but today as I was working in the backyard, I heard a familiar "chipping" and looked up to see a Yellow-rumped Warbler dropping from the magnolia tree into the birdbath underneath to have a splash. A straggler, I'm sure.

*~*~*~*

I've noticed a lot of bluebird activity around the bird boxes recently. Today, I checked the box where the Eastern Bluebirds raised their first brood last month. The box contained a neat, new pine straw nest, so the pair is getting ready for a second go at family-raising.

I checked the other box on that side of the garden and it had a nest, too, but it was rather untidy and I'm pretty sure it wasn't a bluebird nest. The House Sparrows had built there earlier and I had removed their nest, but this one didn't quite look untidy enough to be a sparrow nest, so I left it alone. It could be a wren or perhaps even a particularly inept bluebird. In fact, the earlier bluebird nest from which the chicks were fledged was not an especially tidy affair.

*~*~*~*

Sitting in my swing on the patio one afternoon recently, I was watching a flock of White-winged Doves around the feeders, when suddenly they exploded into the air, and one of the doves, with a hawk chasing it, headed straight toward me!

The swing has a cover over the top to provide shade and the dove managed to avoid that cover, but the hawk smacked right into it! It was a Sharp-shinned Hawk and it took a second for it to get its bearings and, in that second, its intended dinner escaped. The hawk flew up to a nearby crape myrtle tree to regain his equilibrium. A few seconds later, he rose into the air and continued his hunt, but, to add insult to injury, a pair of Barn Swallows who are nesting somewhere in my neighborhood chased him!

I see the swallows over my yard quite often, but they are not nesting in it. It's likely that they have a nest in my back fence neighbor's yard, but I haven't confirmed that.

*~*~*~*

The Pine Siskins are still here, but in significantly fewer numbers than before. Occasionally, I see an American Goldfinch with them, but those are almost all gone now.  

*~*~*~*

A few days ago, I saw my first female Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the yard. I don't think she tarried. I haven't seen her since, but I continue to see one or two males in the yard almost every day. I think, in most instances, they, too, are just passing through. I'm still hoping that the female that has nested here in recent years - or maybe one of her daughters - will show up and linger with me through the summer.

UPDATE (04/18/13): One more note - Outside this morning, I saw a Ruby-crowned Kinglet in the redbud tree. He was taking a "bath" in the morning mist. Another winter bird that I thought was long gone.