Project Feeder Watch

This weekend, I'm once again participating in Project Feeder Watch, which is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America.

I have to admit that, as often as I sit on the patio and watch the birds at the feeders, this year I had forgotten to submit my data to Project Feeder Watch until now, just a couple of weeks before the 2012/13 season ends!

I'm happy to report that I saw two birds today that I haven't seen in a while -- a Red Bellied Woodpecker and the Carolina Chickadee.

I've been lamenting the fact that we no longer have a mature pine tree in the garden to attract "Woody" but I heard him drumming on something this morning in the predawn hours, so I knew he was around somewhere.

I was very happy when I heard his familiar call as I sat on the patio, taking a break from weeding. Just a moment or two later, he landed on the wall, chasing away a White Winged Dove in the process, and helped himself to the seed and nuts I always sprinkle along the top of the wall.

Another bird I heard before I saw was the Carolina Chickadee (actually there were two of them).

I was pulling weeds and heard a call that I actually mistook for something else. It was only when I stood up and tried to locate the sound that I realized it was a Chickadee. It sounded like one was scolding the other as they both flitted around, first in the Wax Myrtle and then in the Crepe Myrtle.

I'm very happy with these photographs I took with my new Nikon Coolpix, it seems the perfect camera for bringing the birds closer with its 42X zoom lens, I've spent quite a lot of time with it since my hubby gave it to me for Christmas.

Northern Cardinals have been regular visitors ever since we moved in. We've had several pairs around, nesting in the wooded habitat either side of us which is now replaced by houses.

I'm glad they still visit, even if they have ignored the nesting shelf we put up for them. (I realize now that the nesting shelf, attached to the fence at eye level, is probably way too low and vulnerable for them - I need to find somewhere else for it.)

I was hoping to get a photo of her splashing around in the birdbath, but she declined, preferring instead to stand on the rim and stare at me before flying back to the feeder.

The Chipping Sparrows have been with us all winter. Usually there are at least ten of them, jockeying for position to get at the seed I sprinkle along the fence. Today, I just saw this one - not a true representation of our local winter population.

I'm hoping that when I submit my Second Day data tomorrow, I'll be able to enter a decent number and bring my average up!

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

New Year's Garden

 The weather for the past few days has been cold, grey and miserable - definitely not the sort of weather to encourage one to head out in the garden.  Today, however, the winter sun is bright and although it's still chilly, my mind is wandering out of doors!

There's a LOT of tidying up to be done - freeze damage to cut back, weeds to pull, beds to mulch. Being out in the garden on a nice, brisk day is invigorating.  And sitting on my scoot, pulling weeds, I can watch and listen to the birds in the garden.

I was happy to hear and then see a Carolina Chickadee - the first I have seen since the houses either side of us were built last year.  I had feared, with the loss of habitat, I'd also lost the little birds, so it was great to see they are still around.

The red-bellied woodpecker visited the suet feeder this morning too. And we have not one pair of Northern Cardinals but two, jockeying for position along the wall where I sprinkle bird seed each morning. And my beloved Chipping Sparrows are back en masse.

While much of the garden is brown, soggy mush, some things came through the Christmas freezes remarkably well.

The Homestead verbena, located up against the wall and underneath the Vitex, is a carpet of healthy green foliage.  I hope to see lots of purple blooms on that again in the spring.

The Silver Mound Artemisia is the only non-brown thing in the island bed. The Cat's Whiskers, which was next to it, is brown sticks at the moment.  I planted them too close together, so I'll need to do some rearranging and I'll probably move the Cat's Whiskers and hope it survives!

Under the crepe myrtle, the Spearmint is still going strong (I don't think it's possible to kill spearmint, is it?)  Luckily, it's confined in that area and I like how it looks, so I'm not worried about it being invasive.  I am very glad we didn't put it in the veggie garden, like we planned to!

Speaking of the veggie garden, my husband went out and did some clean up there last week. We're looking forward to planning and planting this year's garden.

While I specifically did NOT make any New Year's resolutions this year, I did go ahead and prepare my garden journal so that the pages are ready for me to add to them as the year progresses.  I had done really well keeping the journal, noting what I was planting and where, throughout 2010 and 2011, but it seemed like each time I was in the mood to write last year, I didn't have any paper, or ink in my printer.  So I've printed out a page for each week of 2013 and all I have to do is jot down my notes.

Finally, here's something else that's growing well in the garden - I'd like some help identifying it.

It's side yard, by the downspout.  Not only is it green now but it's blooming and has berries.  It almost looks like a wild, miniature strawberry.

Any idea what it is?

No more photos from me this week. My camera decided to quit working while we were in San Antonio before Christmas.  My husband ordered me a new Nikon Coolpix P510, which should be arriving Monday.  I can't wait to try it out!  

I'll show you the results next week! 


Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

Disaster

It is with a  heavy heart that I have to report that when I got home from work tonight and looked around the garden, I noticed the bird house lying on the ground under the vitex tree. No sign of the chickadee, eggs or nestlings.

I have no idea what happened although it has been a little windy here.  I think, with hindsight, that the hook supplied with the birdhouse wasn't suited to the task, and I was too inexperienced to know that when I hung it up.

I'm probably silly to get upset over it, but I did. I'll sign off for now, as I have tears in my eyes again.

Hopefully I can post a happier blog post at the weekend, and confirm if the wrens are nesting in the container on the patio.





Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

The Urge to Plant Something

This past weekend I, and seemingly most Tomball area residents, headed to Lowe's Garden Center as "spring fever" hit and the urge to plant something took over.


I was feeling a bit guilty really, having just had a week of "stay-cation" which would have been perfect for a garden project, but during which I didn't do much of anything but relax. However, it was a wonderful Texas spring weekend, with temperatures in the low to mid 80's, so I couldn't wait to get out there and plant something.  

I think my enthusiasm must have been contagious because my husband joined me and spent the afternoon pulling thistles out of the lawn while I planted in the flower bed.  

(Yes, I *do* realize I have a husband in a million, and No, he's not for rent!)


I concentrated my efforts on the bed outside the dining room window where the daffodils are winding down. I kept it simple and planted a Heuchera hybrid,  Coral Bells "Midnight Rose" and a couple of Iberis sempiverens, Candytuft "Snowflake", along with a six pack of Senecio cineraria, Dusty Miller.

Here's another view of the same bed -- this is as you walk into the back garden from the front gate .

The other project that was accomplished  (a joint effort in that I offered advice and my husband did the heavy labor, i.e. digging the post holes) was this support for the Mars grapevine.

 

Last year we had this vine propped up with some plastic trellis, but it wasn't up to the task and the whole lot collapsed. Not only that, but even though at one point the vine was covered in little grapes, every last one of them disappeared the same night the trellis collapsed.  

We're thinking the local raccoons had a grape party.

We hope this support will a) hold up the vine and b) allow us to utilize some sort of netting or other deterrant to keep the raccoons away from the grapes.  Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

  

In the previous photo, you can see how close we were to the birdhouse that has the nesting Carolina Chickadee, as my husband was digging and I was "heeling in" the posts.  That was when we met the occupant, who sat on the Vitex and scolded us for bouncing her house around.

Here's another shot of the birdhouse - the Vitex is really starting to leaf out compared to the photo of the bird house I showed you last week.

To end my post tonight, I thought I would share a photo of flowers in the front garden.  Another of the Gaillardia "Fanfare" is blooming, and there's also a lot of Verbena blooming.  The problem is, I have been all through my garden journal for last year and find I completely omitted to make a note of what variety it is!

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

For Rent: Desirable Residence, UPDATE

 It's official -- we have a Carolina Chickadee nesting in the bird house hanging in the Vitex tree.

I've seen her fly in and out a couple of times and when  I look in there (from a discreet distance) I can see her on the nest.

I tried taking a pic with my zoom lens but you can't see anything just a black hole.

I'm looking forward to seeing the babies when they fledge. I'll keep you posted


Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.

For Rent: Desirable Residence, All Amenities

 As I was browsing around the gardening, doing a bit of weeding this weekend, I happened to notice some grasses and other materials poking out of the side of the little bird house I put up last week.


Could someone have taken up residence already?


I wonder who it could be... 


If you remember, a pair of Carolina wrens made a nest and raised at least one youngster in a container plant on the patio last July.  

It seems a little early for them to be nesting now, if they nested in July last year. But perhaps they nest several times a year.  (I'll have to go and look up that information)


Or.... Eric and I were digging a couple of post holes on Saturday and I was amazed when a Carolina Chickadee hopped up and down a branch of the nearby Vitex tree, in which the bird house is hanging, and scolded us severely.


So perhaps the nest in the bird house is his, although I've been watching and haven't seen any coming and going since yesterday.


I hope we do get nesters - whoever they may be.  I'll keep you posted.

Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.