Wordless Wednesday: Shy Guy

Empty Nest

For those who've been following the progress of the mockingbabies, we're sorry to report that they have all apparently been taken by predators as of this afternoon. While the nest was fine yesterday and feeding activity continued at high levels, today we discovered the nest is empty. The remains of one chick lay on the ground below, while the other two were nowhere to be seen, nor were their parents. Clearly, predators of some type, most likely hawks, were able to access the nest and take the young despite their parents' best efforts.

While nature lovers know that the circle of life is true and inevitable, it's still rather sad for us to see this nest that we've watched so closely end in failure. We hope the parents have lived to fly off and start again. As for us, My Florida Backyard seems strangely empty now, but we know that wildlife flourishes all around us and that there's plenty of life left to observe and love.

Daily Growing

The mockingbabies are about 5 days old now, and while we wouldn't say they're all that much cuter, they're definitely bigger! As of this morning, their eyes are open and they have begun making faint "cheeping" noises in response to sounds. They are also beginning to develop pin feathers on their wings. Still, they're mostly beak and fuzz, and they spend their days eating and sleeping... just like most babies. Here's a picture of the mockingparents - they take turns on food duty and watch duty pretty much all day long.

Here are the latest baby photos, and a short video in which you can hear some of their "first words". Enjoy, and check back early next week for another mockingbaby update!

Hush Little Baby

A few weeks ago, we noticed an exciting event taking place in My Florida Backyard. For the first time since we've lived here, a pair of birds have decided to nest on our property! They're Northern Mockingbirds, and they've built their nest in the honeysuckle right off the back porch, giving us a front row view to all the action. We've been documenting the action over the last couple of weeks, and this morning, we found the hatchlings have emerged! Here's the lead-up to today's blessed event:

And here are the three unbelievably ugly babies! They are obviously very newly-hatched, possibly just today. Their eyes are not yet open, and they aren't chirping yet. While their parents are out foraging for food, the chicks just lay limply in the nest awaiting the next meal, at which point their little heads shoot up and their beaks open wide...

And finally, let's go to the videotape! We made some chirping sounds like their parents might to see their response... do you think these little guys are hungry?



We'll be documenting their growth in the days ahead. Check back often for updates on the mockingbabies!

We Are Family

During a particularly rainy week in My Florida Backyard (the rain gauge tops out at 5 inches, and it was close to overflowing this morning), we had a visit from a local family of limpkins, who apparently produced an amazing five babies this year!

The limpkin is a SSC (Species of Special Concern) in the U.S., although common in South America. Even if the call of the limpkin is not exactly a sweet one (see Don't Cry Out Loud for details), we're so fortunate to have them not only living but thriving here in our neighborhood.

Someone to Watch Over Me

It's baby duck season, and the best mothers are those who know how to protect their offspring. They keep them close along the lake banks, find them safe places to sleep at night, and watch over them always.

This mallard mother and her babies stopped by My Florida Backyard this afternoon. We threw out a little cracked corn, as we sometimes do for duck babies, and the mother stood watch while the babies dined.

 
We see many duck mommies with only one or two babies who survive to this age, but this mother duck clearly knows what her job entails. She has six babies well on their way to maturity, and it won't be long before they're on their own. Well done, Mother Duck!

The Babies on our Block

The first official duck babies of spring have arrived - and boy, are there a lot of them!

By our count, this proud mama duck has TWENTY babies! They're at least a few days old, judging by their size, so she's been doing a very good job protecting them from the predators that ravaged last year's baby ducks.

We'll keep you posted on their progress!

Babes in Toyland

It's really not the right season, but this mama duck apparently got some babies for Christmas!

A few more pictures for your Christmastime entertainment:

Somehow, I can just hear this little guy saying, "God bless us, every one!"

And Baby Makes Three

For some time, I've been pretty sure that the pair of red-bellied woodpeckers who visit our feeder have been raising a family. From time to time, I've seen them carry seeds off into the distance, rather than stopping nearby to bang them open on a tree and eat them immediately. I'm not quite sure where the nest was, but it turns out I was right.

During a rainy afternoon yesterday, the pair brought a youngster over to visit the feeder. They seemed to be teaching him to grab a seed, take it to the nearest palm tree, and crack it open so he could eat it. At one point, I saw one adult offer a freshly cracked seed to his offspring, who plucked it delicately from his beak.

I wasn't able to get particularly good pictures, as every time I opened the door of the porch to go outside (no matter how quietly and carefully!), they flew off. So, the few shots I have are through the screen, and a bit blurry. Still, you can see how the little guy doesn't yet have the distinctive red coloring on it's head. He or she will develop this gradually over the coming months so that by next spring, the bright coloration will show a readiness to mate.

It's good knowing My Florida Backyard helps local wildlife not only survive, but multiply!

Let the Sunshine In

On my way out to get the mail, I had to stop and admire the beach sunflower I planted in the front yard this spring. We don't spend much time in the front yard, but it is the side of the house most people see, so we try to keep it looking nice with minimal effort. Beach sunflower is a fantastic Florida native that fits the bill perfectly. It works as groundcover in full sun or partial shade, and is incredibly drought-tolerant once established.



I planted it this spring after trying several other plants out under this tree in front. I planted some mondo grass, but it didn't do much of anything. I tried several kinds of annuals, but the heat was just too much, even in shade for part of the day. Finally, I decided to try beach sunflower. Since this plant generally grows directly on sand dunes, I knew it should be able to tolerate hot dry conditions.

Because it's a Florida native, of course it was somewhat difficult to find. Fortunately, all the native plant nurseries in the area carry it pretty reliably. I bought mine at Wilcox Nursery in Largo, my favorite place for native plants. We planted four plants under the tree, facing west, back in March. They were watered in and established within about 3 weeks, and since then, I haven't done anything to them. They just grow and bloom and grow and bloom!



We also planted one by the mailbox. Personally, I prefer it to the neighbor's marigolds, but I suppose some prefer a more "manicured" look.

Note that these plants have a spread of 2-3 feet in all directions. Again, that's one plant by the mailbox. This is a true groundcover - one plant will spread to fill in space where you need it.

It does seem to draw some butterflies; I saw a Horace's Duskywing visiting it one day. Since it's in the front yard, where we don't spend much time, it's quite likely that other butterflies visit when we're not looking.

Although I prefer to be in My Florida Backyard, I like knowing that I can keep the front yard looking friendly and cheerful with plants like beach sunflower.






P.S. Just to remind you how much Gulf Fritillary caterpillars love passionvine, check out all the little guys competing for food on this one leaf! (Gee, I wonder who's gonna win?)

They're Laying Eggs Now

I caught this Gulf Fritillary laying eggs on the passionvine in the bright sun this morning. I love to watch a butterfly laying eggs - it's such a delicate process.

She hovers, wings fluttering, as she chooses her spot. Then she lands, and bends her abdomen to touch the leaf:

Then, a second later, she pulls away, leaving her tiny egg (yellow, in this case) behind.
Then she's off, no doubt to lay dozens more. If this little egg survives ants and wasps and other threats of nature, it will grow into a caterpillar and maybe someday become a butterfly itself. It has an awfully long way to go until then, but we'll be rooting for it here in My Florida Backyard!

See these shots and more in my Flickr Butterfly Gallery.

Little Bitty

As the hot days of summer approached, the screen of our back porch seemed to be the hot lizard pick-up spot. If I had kids, I guess I'd have spent a lot of time saying, "Well, when a mommy lizard and a daddy lizard love each other very much..."

At any rate, it's clear the lizards went forth and multiplied. Today, when I came in from the store, I realized a tiny little lizard had come in with me. After living here several years, we've come to accept that lizards will occasionally get into your house in Florida. However, we don't really like the idea of waking up to find a lizard curled up on the pillow next to us, and besides, the cats consider lizards to be the ultimate plaything. So, we always catch them immediately and set them free outside.

This little guy was so cute, though, I had to snap a few pictures first. He was barely an inch long, with another inch worth of tail, and very eager to get as far away from me as possible. Still, I managed to catch him in the lizard-catching cup (yup, we have a cup specific to that purpose - an old plastic souvenir cup from the Toledo Mud Hens) and then grab the camera.

Check out how big his head is! Well, anyway, I set him free in My Florida Backyard, and hopefully he'll stay outside where he belongs!

Dig It

On a sunny day in May, this Florida soft-shelled turtle wandered up into My Florida Backyard from the lake. She visited a few times throughout the morning, and in early afternoon, finally decided the time and place were right.



So, she began to dig.


In slow steady strokes, she used her strong hind legs to dig a deep hole in the sandy soil. She worked for nearly 20 minutes, laboring under the hot sun.

Then, for about 10 minutes, she sat fairly still, though if you watched closely, you could see her straining and shifting from time to time. My research tells me she laid "9 - 24 brittle, white, spherical eggs". When she finished, she scratched in the soil again to cover them, and then returned to the lake with unbelievable speed.

We knew what would happen next, although we did try to fight it off by covering the site for a few minutes and then watering it down to wash away some of the smell. But the crows had been hovering the entire time, and the turtle eggs didn't really have a chance.


In a few minutes, the nest hole was all that was left, crawling with fire ants. It's surprisingly deep and narrow, although sadly empty.

Some people say there are no seasons in Florida, but springtime here in My Florida Backyard seems to bring out the same behavior you'd see in wildlife anywhere this time of year!




P.S. For those who've been following the saga of the baby ducks: we're down to two now, after a red-tailed hawk captured one on Wednesday. The remaining two are holding strong, though, and we have high hopes for them!

I Will Survive

Welcome to part three of our continuing stooo-ry*:

Quacks in the Backyard:
Drama Amongst the Ducks

Today's episode begins when I head out into the backyard to pull a few weeds, snip some blanket flowers to bring inside, and perform other menial tasks. As usual, when I open the screen door, ducks assault me from all sides, begging for corn. I throw them a cupful so I can get on with my work.

When I turn back around a few minutes later, I find that the mallard ducklings have added a new trick to their repertoire - they're now able to climb up the bank from the drought-depleted lake and make it into my backyard to enjoy the treat with the grown-ups!

As I watch them feed, I hear that familiar sharp cry from above - the hawk is back yet again. But now I learn why these three are still around after their brothers and sisters are gone - they got mad survival skillz!

All the ducks immediately fly down to the lake. The little ones don't have much in the way of wings yet, but they move just as fast as their elders, skittering as fast as they can go. Once in the water, the three ducklings immediately duck under the surface as the hawk swoops in for the kill. Half a second later, the hawk flies off, pursued by adult ducks and several mockingbirds (presumably also protecting a nest nearby) and it doesn't seem to have anything in its talons. Still, I can't be sure.

I watch the surface of the water. Up pops one baby duck, followed by a second. I hold my breath... and the third duckling surfaces. I'm sure their little duck hearts are beating like crazy, but they had survived another attack. They live to swim another day.

I can't be sure these guys will continue to outsmart the hawk. But I'm getting awfully close to deciding to give them names and a special place in my heart. I hope they survive to beg me for corn and eventually bring their own babies to My Florida Backyard, where they will always be welcome.

Check out part 1 and part 2.

UPDATE, April 29, 6:20 p.m. - A red-tailed hawk just captured one more of these little guys, again right in front of my eyes. Honestly, folks, this is starting to break my heart.

*You have to say that in your best Muppet Show "Veterinarian's Hospital" voice.

You Oughta Be in Pictures

We're ready for our close-up, Mr. DeMille!




















But wait, there's more!


P.S. In case you were wondering, these are indeed the same ducklings I wrote about the other day. If you're doing the math, we've gone from 11 down to 3. Sad, perhaps, but that's the way it works in nature.