Cowbirds & House Sparrows

I've always known I value some birds more than others. After living in the Austin area these last 37 years, I don't particularly value grackles. They've over populated, they fill the trees and utility wires, they are loud and they are very adept at surviving the urban landscape. Pigeons are another example. I actually think pigeons are beautiful birds with their irridescent feathers. But I can understand why people grow to hate them. My son's condominium porch was unusable because of the constant pigeon droppings from their perch above. Pigeons are great scavengers of the crumbs around restaurants. People living near the coast often view sea gulls as nuisances as they swoop in to find their tasty morsel off your plate in outdoor eating establishments. Signs abound - Don't feed the birds!While I find their call to be a pleasant reminder that I'm at the coast, they are certainly noisy birds. Of more concern is their aggression to other species. There are several species fighting for survival because the gulls raid the nests as part of their diet.

Starlings and house sparrows are of particular concern because they are not native to North America. Starlings were brought over by someone who wanted to introduce all the birds that were written about in Shakespeare's work. In retrospect, this was a lousy idea because starlings lay their eggs in other bird's nests. The starling babies are usually larger than the original babies and thus are able to get the food leaving mother bird feeding the starlings rather than her own babies.

Two hundred years ago there were no house sparrows in North America. Today they are one of the most abundant songbirds found in all of the 48 contiguous states. The first attempts to bring them over from Great Britain and release them in New York City were unsuccessful. However, continuing efforts in many places led to the great numbers found today. While they were brought in to control insects, they are actually seed eaters. And sadly they are in direct competition for resources for native songbirds. While sparrows are not the only cause of the declining songbird populations, cavity nesting species such as bluebirds and tree sparrows have taken big hits as the house sparrows range increased. House sparrows are particularly agressive to bluebirds killing both the babies and the parents.

Cowbirds are another problem species. While native to North America, they originally followed the large buffalo herds eating insects stirred up by the bison's hooves and grass seed. When the large herd disappeared they found domestic cattle. As Americans cleared forests to create cropland and pastureland, the cowbirds habitat grew. So, you may ask, what is the problem here. Cowbirds are parasitic. They don't build their own nests and raise they young - they lay their eggs in other bird's nests delegating all of the parenting duties to some other unsuspecting bird. And while you would think that these other birds would reject the odd bird in their nest, over 150 host species have successfully raised cowbird babies.

While part of me shudders at trapping and dispatching (euphemism for killing) these birds, I can see the real issues here. Cowbirds contribute to the decline of two species in my area - the black capped vireo and the golden cheeked warbler. Cowbird control may make the difference between whether these species survive or fade into extinction. Preservation of their habit is also critical for their survival.

My husband wrote a story about the demise of the passenger pigeon. Passenger pigeons were once the most numerous bird on earth. Because of their roosting patterns - hundreds of birds in one tree, they were easy to hunt. Between the hunting and loss of habitat as forests were cleared for farming, the birds declined. And apparently they needed the large flocks to survive, because the species declined rapidly and the last bird died in 1914.

Do we need to control the populations of these "pest" birds? Absolutely! But I certainly hope that as humans we are older and wiser such that in controlling the populations so that other birds will thrive, we pay attention to the populations of the birds we are "controlling" so that they do not become extinct when we aren't watching. Thankfully, we track bird counts much more carefully now so hopefully, we will be wise in our efforts to promote bird diversity.

The Bluebird Saga

Since I found the dead babies, I had not been seeing the bluebirds. Last year I had them a brief while and when they left they did not return. So I was resigned that perhaps next year would be the year for a successful nest.










As with everyone, my life has its ups and downs. On Monday and Tuesday, I was disturbed by some things. It is never fun to be angry with God . . . but I was a little. On one level, I know that God is faithful and in the long run "all things work for the good of those who love the Lord (Romans 8:28). But I was in a blue mood. I had memories from events in my childhood where things had not worked out well in the long term. I was struggling with faith issues. I even finished all the tax returns and had them mailed on time. That should have had me leaping for joy, but instead I was in a blue, weary, grumpy, state. Even the weather did not help, Tuesday was overcast, dreary, with some occasional rain.

But Wednesday came and with it sunshine and . . . . BLUEBIRDS!!!!! It was like a ray of sunshine or a rainbow for me. I got news that the situation I was worried about had resolved in ways better than I could have ever hoped for. Relationships were restored and taken to a higher level. I could not help but consider my bluebirds in the role of the "Bluebird of Happiness."
























They even seemed to be finding the mealy worms that I had placed on the fence posts. Both the male and the female were going in and out of the nesting box. I was glad that I had cleaned it out. My entire day was filled with the good things in my life - a wonderful day!


My time at home is growing short and I'm making sure I have time on the porch. But since Wednesday I have only seen the male bluebird. I pulled out my camera Thursday and finally have photos of "my" bluebird." I have been delighted to finally see him eat the mealy worms that I set out every day. But that joy is tinged with some grief. He is alone. I am not seeing the female.













I see him go in and out of the birdhouse. I see him eat mealy worms. And I watch him stand on the birdhouse and call.












He will sing and























then tilt his head as though trying hard to hear a reply.

I've checked the box . . . no new nesting material. He is definitely hanging around. But it takes two to tango. I can't help but wonder if this is a different male. Is he singing to reunite with his mate? Is he trying to say "I've found home, it’s a great place, lots of mealy worms . . . I'm attractive . . . I'll sing to you . . . I've got this great place to welcome you . . . come live with me . . . "

We leave next week. I won't be around to put out the mealy worms. I'm trying to see if my neighbor would put out suet treats along that fence line in hopes of keeping the bluebird in our area. I'll gladly move the nesting box that the house sparrows are trying to steal to make it easy for my neighbors to enjoy the bluebirds.

But on the long term, I'm still hopeful that some day I'll need to buy more bluebird homes to accommodate all the bluebirds that will be in my yard. Years and years ago, I planted bluebonnet seeds in my yard - some along the roadway some in the yard. A couple of years ago I added to the ones on the road. Through the years they have grown, bloomed, and multiplied. Last year they were thick going along the road about halfway down my propery line. This year they were the thickest and prettiest ever. But it took several years. I will be patient.

My Bluebirds

I am excited . . . the bluebirds are back. I definitely have a pair and they are definitely using one of my nesting boxes. I had a pair last year, but it seemed to me they were only around for a few weeks. I could not determine whether or not the nesting had been successful or if something happened that made them leave. So I am really excited that I have another pair.

It was two years ago that I put up two bluebird boxes. The people at the Wildbird Store in Round Rock assured me that we really did have bluebirds in the area. I was sceptical because I had never seen any around here. But I put up the two boxes, with snake baffles and feeding station and hoped. The first year, they were very lonely boxes. The suet treats turned into melted, dried, solid lumps.

After seeing the pair last year, to Debra's disgust I bought mealy worms and stored them in the refrigerator. After seeing them his year, I've taken some of the suet that I store in the freezer and I've put small quantities in the little feeder tray. I've seen that some other birds have found the suet, but I have not seen the bluebirds eat any yet. I have seen one of the bluebirds chase off one of the mockingbirds from the house that is currently unoccupied. It is time to make my run to the birdseed store - I'll get bluebird treats and some mealy worms.

Last year, I was amazed at how active the male was in defending the territory around his birdhouse from all comers. This morning seemed quiet, the bluebirds are spending a lot of time in the box. But I waited patiently and have had some good views through my binoculars. They are SO pretty - bright beautiful blue, russet breast, cream belly . . . They are by far the prettiest birds in my yard.

The bluebirds really give me a wonderful feeling of satisfaction. First, they are so beautiful. But they also give me a feeling of personal success. They are in my yard because I put up boxes for them. I have no control over whether their nest is successful or whether they decide to stay permanently. But I've attracted them two years now.

I would love to have reason to set out more bluebird boxes!

Bluebirds

I went to bed tired last night and woke up tired. After hot tubbing and getting dressed for the day, I decided to have a more substantial breakfast (still staying on the low carb diet). I also wanted to spend time outside this morning, so I took my breakfast, a cup of hot tea, binoculars to watch the birds, and my morning devotional materials.

Yesterday I had been some birds along the fenceline that I wanted to identify. One of them had come up near the house. I've been hoping for bluebirds and this one had blue coloration, but not that of a bluebird. After consulting the bird books yesterday, my best guess was that this one was a female bunting of some sort. It had definitely done bunting behaviors in the grass by the fence.

This morning, I had my binoculars ready. When I looked at the bird perched on the fence, I was SO excited. It WAS an eastern bluebird!!!!!!!!!!

Now you may ask, why did that make me so excited?????? I've had bird feeders out now for several years - I have the tall cylinders of bird seed that last several weeks. I have a bird feeder with both seed and suet. There is a ground feeder out in the yard. But last spring, I had seen some info on bluebirds and we put out two blue bird houses. I did see a sparrow come out of one of them last year, but otherwise they had been pretty unoccupied. I had put out a little of the suet snacks that are supposed to attract bluebirds . . . but they just went stale in the sun.

But now I have a real bluebird in the yard!!!!!!!! On today's agenda is to go get the mealy worms and a new package of suet treats!

And my scripture for today:
He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.

God's provision . . . . . . seeing the bluebird has cheered me up and helped get me going today!