House finch/cowbird nestlings update

When last I wrote of the house finches (on the blog), back on April 29th, this is what their nest looked like:

[Click on photos to enlarge them.]

Very pretty, very empty.

Then, on May 8th, I took this photo of the nest:

As those of you who follow me on Facebook know, the four blue eggs are house finch eggs. However, the brown-speckled egg belonged to a cowbird, a parasitic bird that lays its eggs in other birds' nests and expects someone else to feed its young (often depriving the host bird's chicks sufficient nourishment).

Then, earlier this week, I glimpsed into the nest and discovered that the evil cowbird chick had hatched:

Anticipating that the four house finch eggs were soon to follow, I went back out to the nest with my smart phone just a few minutes ago to be greeted by this sight:

That image of the cowbird nestling waiting to be fed is going to give me nightmares FOR WEEKS.

Will the four baby house finches survive?

Stay tuned....

Love is in the air: House finch update

Big news, fellow bird watchers! I believe the house finches' nest is ready for some tenants!

Here are pictures of the love birds' completed nest, which I took just a few minutes ago. Here's what the nest looks like standing in front of our front door (on a step stool)...






















And here is the closeup:

















Isn't it beautiful? Those house finches could be professional exterior decorators.

And here's a photo I took of the happy (?) couple, aka Gertie and Atticus Finch, throwing me some shade from the little conifer just outside our front door (while I took the photo from inside the front door).

(I don't get why the house finches, and our other avian visitors, take off as soon as they see me but totally ignore our bird-loving felines.)

Will check the nest for eggs next weekend. Seems the house finches are behind schedule this year. 

The house finches are back!

For years now, we have had a pair of house finches (or Carpodacus mexicanus*) nesting atop our porch light. I am not sure if these are the same finches or the descendants of our original nesting pair. (All house finches look the same to me.) But just seeing them building their nest each April makes me happy -- and lets me know that spring is here (at least in theory; it's in the low 40s here today and was in the 20s a few days ago).

I have yet to see if there are any eggs in the nest. But I did manage to snap a few photos of Mr. and Mrs. Finch as they have been building their nest. (Though every time I open the front door to snap a photo with my zoom lens, they fly away. So I have to photograph them through the glass.)

Here is the male, who I have nicknamed Atticus (H/T John Barker).

And here are the two love birds together, atop the wires running to/from our house to the street.

And here is Mrs., or Mama, Finch, whom I have yet to name. (Any suggestions?)

I will try, in the next couple of weeks, to get a picture of the nest. Stay tuned!

*Two more illegal immigrants from Mexico! [H/T to my stepfather, who studied house finches for many years, for supplying me with the scientific name.]

Nine ways to tell it's Spring

Spring officially begins here in the United States at 12:57 p.m. EDT today, Thursday, March 20, 2014. Though considering all the snow and ice still clinging to the ground here in the Northeast, we New Englanders (and Mid-Atlantic State folks) might be forgiven for not knowing it was spring.

Herewith nine ways to tell spring has sprung (even if there's still snow on the ground).

1. Google posts an animated Spring doodle celebrating the Spring or Vernal Equinox on its home page.



2.You suddenly see crocuses (those little purple flowers) everywhere.

3. March Madness. Which, I've been told, has nothing to do with being pissed about the weather.

I can just feel that billion dollars burning a hole in my pocket!

4. Every time you turn on the television, you see an ad for Cadbury Creme Eggs (which is now owned by Hershey's)...



or this one for Kingsford Charcoal, which I totally relate to.



Quick! Someone get this blogger a burger!

5. You can (almost*) count the number of days until Opening Day of Major League Baseball on your fingers.

*Sorry, MLB, but I refuse to consider those games in Australia Opening Day. For me, Opening Day is Monday, March 31st. Go Mets!

6. Every farm-to-table restaurant has fresh asparagus on the menu.

 7. Your wife starts nagging you about "spring cleaning" and that to-do list she gave you, like, six months ago.

8. You suddenly have the urge to wash your car.

9. People seem a little nicer, including you. (Except maybe for the ones who screwed up their bracket picks, or whose NBA and/or hockey team suck, or whose wife keeps nagging him about spring cleaning and that to-do list she gave him months ago, which he still hasn't gotten to.)

Keeping up with the Finches

When last we left Mr. and Mrs. Finch, our two little lovebirds, they were keeping watch over their as yet unhatched eggs.

Since that post (from April 12, which I link to above), several of you have asked if the eggs had hatched. So at lunchtime I decided to take a look.

Behold!

I'm not exactly sure what we are looking at here. (I took the pictures on a step ladder, a few feet away from the nest, zooming in with my camera.) It looks like two or possibly three baby house finches and two or three as yet unhatched eggs.

And do you see how the nest is in the shape of a heart? How sweet is that?! All together now: AAAAW!

Here are the proud parents, Mr. and Mrs. Finch (taken using my Nikon D3100 and 55-200mm lens; the other photo I took with my little Canon PowerShot S95):

And here are our cats, Flora and Felix, who every morning rush to the front door to converse with the finches. (Felix, our black cat, has been trying to convince Mrs. Finch that he is really just a big black finch by hunkering down and doing his best house finch impression. So far Mrs. Finch ain't buyin' it, though she seems way more scared of me than Felix, sitting atop that bush just outside our front door and taunting Felix.)

I will attempt to get another shot in a few days. Stay tuned!

The love birds are back!

Welcome to another edition of Mutual of J-TWO-O's Wild Kingdom!

In addition to the deer that regularly graze at our all-you-can-eat salad bar (also known as our backyard), we have a pair of little birds that every spring decide to make their nest on top of our front porch light. I don't know if it is the same two birds or not, but every year there is a new nest in the exact same spot, just outside our front door, on top of our porch light.

This fall, we replaced the light -- but that did not deter our feathered friends. Sure enough, sometime in March, they returned.

I have been watching the pair for weeks now (as have our two cats), and yesterday after lunch I could not resist taking a peak inside the nest, making sure not to get too close.

And here is what I spied.

Eggs! At least three of them. And such a pretty blue-green color! (Though they seemed awfully large to be made by such a little bird.)

I also did a little research and am 99% certain that our nesting pair (pictured below) are House Finches. (Which would make sense as they are nesting on our house.)

[I tried to get a photograph of the two love birds together, but they were most uncooperative.]

Could it be that spring has finally come to the Northeast? (Though it is rainy and in the 40s here today. Ugh.)

The pros and cons of spring

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in Stepford (not my town's real name) -- 75 degrees and sunny! And as I sat at my computer in my t-shirt, clam diggers, and flip-flops looking out at all of the beautiful budding trees, I thought of all the reasons I love spring. Which, of course, immediately led me to think about all of the things I don't like about spring. (Hey, I gotta be me!)

So, herewith, my list of the Pros and Cons of Spring:

Pros	Cons
Warm weather outside!	I’m stuck inside, working.
Flowers and trees blooming everywhere!	Bugs everywhere
I have a lawn again!	That lawn isn’t going to mow itself.
Birds singing!	Effing birds chirping like an alarm clock at 5 a.m.
Hello shorts and t-shirts!	Hello stretch marks, cellulite, flabby bits
Baseball!	I’ll be lucky if my team breaks .500
Better mileage!	Higher gas prices + more driving
Cute furry animals frolicking on my lawn!	Tics + animal poop

Feel free to add your own Pros and Cons via the Comments. And enjoy the warm weather!

(Wonder how long it will take Dave S. to say "Seasonal allergies"...)

Nothing says "Easter" like...

Ah spring, when the candy industry's fancy turns to... Easter. Easter, a time of reflection, renewal, and, of course, Cadbury Creme Eggs...



and Peeps.













Truly, few things say "Easter" like fuchsia marshmallow bunnies and neon yellow marshmallow chicks... and the annual Washington Post Peeps Show. (Click on the link to see this year's winner, finalists, and semi-finalists.)

This year, in preparation for Easter, I personally made a pilgrimage to the Peeps Store just outside of Washington, D.C. And let me tell you, it was an extremely spiritual experience. (The words "moveable feast" do not do the Peeps Store justice.)

Behold, the power of Peeps!













































































Magnificent, are they not?

No wonder that Peeps have been the #1 selling non-chocolate candy at Easter for over 20 years. (For more fascinating Peeps facts, click here.)

And speaking of Peeps, a big "thank you" to my human peeps in D.C. and VA for showing me such a great time while I was in town. You guys are the best.