Kaseys Korner

Downy Woodpecker

Such a beautiful, daily visitor to the garden and today I was lucky enough to get some decent photos.  

and lastly, my favorite:

October

It's quiet in the garden. 

Since the snow and low teen temperatures, almost all the foliage (what's left) is brown.  

Thank goodness for color from fall decorating.

There's no such thing as too many pumpkins, is there??

I have a lot of leaf raking ahead but otherwise, I'm leaving the garden to its rest...

August morning in the garden

Sunflowers are ripening & just as quickly being gobbled up.

mostly by the Goldfinches!

It's been entertaining to watch them feeding especially after they stripped all the seed from the easier-to-reach tops of the heads & have to move to the bottom.

They jump,

stretch & contort themselves all manner of ways to reach the seed.

The view from my patio chair into the back garden:

Everything is full and lush.  Helped along by our recent rain showers. 

If you know where to look, you can even spot the beautiful cluster of 'Polka' roses opening on the arbor:

They are absolutely exquisite.  

But what rose isn't?  Really.  Below:  'Crown Princess Margareta' on a second flush.

The little Arabella table adorned by topiaries:

The day wrapped with a friends visit & sparkling moscato on the patio.

Perfection.

Barn Swallow tragedy

Today, yet another baby bird catastrophe at my neighbors.  She has a lot of Avian activity over there and not all of it positive, as you may have noticed!!

Let me preface todays' catastrophe with what occurred earlier in the summer:  A Barn Swallow pair had built a nest in June, up near the ceiling of her side porch.  They raised a brood of chicks (mostly successfully) except for one baby who got stuck in the nesting material trying to fledge & died before my neighbor noticed.  During the time I helped her rescue the baby 'Says Phoebe's', I also removed the dead baby from that nest.  

Undeterred by the casualty, the Barn Swallow pair built a second nest on the opposite side of the porch & were busily raising a second brood of babies.  

Until this morning ~ when the nest fell down, babies & all.

That's when my neighbor called me (local bird whisperer!! haha)  We debated trying to put the babies back up in the original, first nest but they looked so "developed" we decided to leave them be & hope they would be encouraged by the accident to fledge the nest.

Big mistake:

By late afternoon, our resident Cooper's Hawk picked off three of them before we could intervene and save them. I only noticed because I was out with my camera (photographing the garden) & heard the parents distress.

Above, greed meets reality.  He had one baby in each talon before landing on the street ~ because that was just a little too ambitious even for easy pickings.

We were totally SICK about it.  Out of four babies, only one remained, huddled tight into the corner of the porch.  So we did what we should have done from the beginning ~ put him up in the first nest.  :(

 

Edited on 8/6/18:

Happy to report the lone living baby is being cared for by his parents & is still in the nest as of today.  Obviously they were not ready to fledge.  If only we could have a "do-over...."

July in the garden

I started this post 7 days ago & exactly like July, the week slipped by in a blink of an eye.

Before I lose track of any more time, a quick catch-up of the garden.

I'm happy to report that very slowly a few bumblebees have shown up.  Even some tiny ones lately.

It was alarming how scarce they were earlier in the summer.

July is always the biggest month for baby birds in my garden and this year is no exception. 

A nest of baby Robins fledged and immediately made themselves at home on my front patio.  This little one was on my front step!

The dearest babies ~ to my heart ~ are the baby Bullock's Orioles.  They are chattering all around the garden and curious about everything. 

I had so many adults visit the feeder this summer until something broke it earlier this week.  I haven't replaced it because it's so near to the time they'll be migrating south but I hope that's not a mistake.

The noisiest babies by far are the Blue Jay fledglings.  They are almost the same size as their parents but their behavior distinguishes them every time.  These photos are not the best but I wanted to share anyway because it shows how they stick together ~ where one goes, the other follows.  Almost in synchrony.  Above they are waiting for one of the parents to come down & feed them.

From birds to flowers:  The 'Elodie' Lilies (still my favorite) were first to bloom and seemed to be over in a flash.

I think the heat may have contributed??  The first 16 days of the month were all above 90 degrees, close to triple digits even.

Luckily others have jumped in to take their place.  'Black Beauty' ~ an heirloom species lily is currently very showy.

They have thrived in spite of neglect and not the most optimal of conditions which is a big plus for them & the gardener (me!)

'Salmon Star' Oriental Lilies are also blooming.

I plant more of these every year but I don't know what happens ~ when it comes time for them to bloom, I'm lucky if I get one or two.

Finally, the Chinese Trumpet Lilies ~ whose specific name eludes me at the moment.

A towering presence of pink.  Just lovely.

and then ~ ta da ~  I have Artichokes in the garden once again!  It's probably the first time in six years.  :)  

I forgot how much I missed them.

The birds gifted me with some sunflowers in the front garden.  I didn't plant them but I sure am thrilled to have them.  What is it about sunflowers that are just so "happy?!!?" 

Summer is flying by way too fast.  I know it's unlikely but I hope August will drag its feet a little!

 

 

Downy Woodpecker

Little Downy Woodpecker ~ you have guilted me into putting out some seed!

Other than providing sugar water for the Orioles & Hummingbirds, I don't usually feed the birds during the summer months.

BUT when I look out my window & kept seeing you there, checking for food ~ I caved.

There's seed in the garden in July.  

American Goldfinch

tussling with a nesting ball.

I can't even tell you how close I came to removing said nesting ball from the garden.  It was a freebie ~ compliments of my local Wild Birds Unlimited store ~ when I bought the Chickadee Nest box earlier this Spring.  

There it's hung, in the garden, ever since, without an iota of interest from a single bird.  

April, May & almost all of June ticked by with the nesting ball completely intact.   Then, a few days ago, some action!

It was apparently just a matter of matching the "right" birds with the "right" time.  Who knew?

The Goldfinches, with their later nesting season, are decidedly "into" the nesting ball! 

They've been working vigorously at extracting the soft material so tightly bound in the ball.  Pulling big beakfuls before flying off to put it to use.

Thank goodness I'm a procrastinator and hadn't pitched it!

It makes me happy to see it being used.

Curious side note about above two photos:  There appears to be a nodule on this females underbelly?? 

Wonder what that could be?  

Then, yesterday, a nest catastrophe involving a completely different bird ~ a 'Says' Phoebe.   

Builder of the sloppiest nest ever, perched atop an old Barn Swallow nest, above my neighbors front door.  Per my neighbor, every time she landed on the nest, the left side would disintegrate a little bit.  Long story short, it deteriorated enough that two of the five eggs eventually rolled out & broke on the porch.  But yesterday, calamity of all calamities ~ the babies in the remaining three eggs had fledged & only a day or so old, all three fell out prompting my neighbor to call me.  Because I'm a bird whisperer or something ~ did you know?  

Never one to shirk duty, I put on my gloves, got my ladder & carefully put the two that were still alive back in the nest.  Then I duct taped a piece of floral foam (the only thing I could think of) along the left side to prevent a repeat disaster.  I wish we'd done that sooner.  I don't know if both babies are still alive or not but at least one is as I've seen the female flying to the nest throughout the day.

I can't help but worry those tiny fledglings have some internal damage falling from door height onto concrete tho???  Why do I get so invested in these things?  Darn nature is fraught with peril and I hate when it happens before my eyes.  I will check back and update later.  For now,  "Mom" is feeding so I think that's a good sign?

Edited:  June 29, 2018

A day after their traumatic fall, the baby Phoebe's are still alive. 

Miracle of miracles.  Maybe they're tougher than they look? 

Now ~ whether they have injuries or not remains to be seen.

Fingers crossed. 

 

Edited:  July 6, 2018

The two baby 'Says' Phoebes appear to be thriving.  It won't be long before they're ready to leave the nest & then we'll know for sure if they escaped unharmed from their early nest fall. 

So far, so good, which is better than expected.  Yay!

Edited:  July 10, 2018

Both baby Phoebe's fledged today!   Amazing testament to their resilience....

Red Breasted Nuthatch

pair have taken up residence in my yard!!!  

I've never had them in my garden before last Fall then suddenly a pair showed up with a little flock of chickadees and stayed all winter.  A couple weeks ago, I put up a chickadee nesting box & they promptly took it over.

Horrible pictures (above & below) but included so you can see they're gathering nesting material. 

 

Edited:  May 2, 2018

It appears the Nuthatches have abandoned the nest box.  I will give it a little longer (before I check) in case I've missed them, but there has been no sign of them for at least ten days now.  I feel certain there is a nest built inside the box.  They put 'pitch' or sap around the entrance hole on the outside of the box (as is customary) but now, no sightings or activity, even in the mornings & evenings when I was seeing them before.  

 

Edited (again):  May 3rd, 2018

The day after posting the above update, I decided to get the ladder out & climb up to see if I could figure out what the heck was going on.  You'll recall in the last update I mentioned it been quite a while since I'd even seen a Nuthatch in my garden let alone around the nest box.  When I opened the box, the first thing I saw was a paper wasp & the beginning (maybe five cells) of its umbrella shaped nest, on one side of the box.  It sickened me.  There absolutely was a nest and it contained EIGHT eggs.   

Without having anything concrete to base my feelings on, I immediately felt strongly that the wasp was the factor that forced the pair to abandon the nest.  When I googled, I found this website:

http://www.sialis.org/paperwasp.htm

The first sentence (if you aren't inclined to click thru the link) says:

"Paper wasps are nasty buggers that seem to love to quickly build umbrella shaped nests in nestboxes, baffles, and feeders. Many birds will avoid or abandon a box that has paper wasps in it - even if they have eggs or young."

It also said destroying the paper wasp nest won't do any good because they are imprinted on the nest box.  I will be removing the nest box from the garden immediately.  There was useful information about how to prevent paper wasps from using nest boxes in your garden (applying wax, vaseline, etc., to the inside surfaces) and I will do that next Spring before putting them back up.

The loss of a viable nest saddens me greatly.  Eight baby Nuthatches would have been a welcome addition to the garden & the local bird population.   

2015 Vintage Wheelbarrow

I never thought I would beat the zinnia/lantana plant combo for my vintage wheelbarrow but I may have just done it this year!

Last Spring, long before planting ever began, I decided upon a color palette of purples, pinks, blues & chartreuse green.

After that, the fun began.  Assembling colors, habits, shapes, etc.... 

Following is a complete list of all plantings in the container: (1) 'Electric Star' Cordyline, (2) Nicotiana langsdorfii, (2) Persian Shield, (1) gal container 'Black & Blue' Salvia, (1) gal container unknown purple Salvia, (1) Salvia 'Wendy's Wish' & (3) Petunias 'Cascadias Rim Magenta.'

Now that it's typed out, what a LOT of plants!  No wonder it's overflowing to the max. (but in the best possible kind of way!)

Above:  A better view of Nicotiana langsdorfii

I love those dainty green bells but unfortunately they get "lost" in many of the views.

Above:  Nicotiana langsdorfii just beginning to bloom with Clematis 'Betty Corning' in the background.  This photo was taken earlier in the season.

The wonderful thing about this combination, besides its abundance, is how attractive it is to bees & hummingbirds.   It is always loaded with winged visitors.  :) 

 

 

Since we're already on the front patio, we might as well take a peek at few other containers there.

Aeonium 'Kiwi' Container

Begonia "lantern" hanging under the Bur Oak.

One afternoon, I looked outside and was very sorry I hadn't filled the birdbath (like I usually do every single morning)

Of all the days, a baby Blue Jay was trying hard to take a bath in just a tiny bit of water.  

You know I trotted right out after they were finished & filled it up.  I have not forgotten that job again either!

Lately, I've also been seeing Monarch butterflies more abundantly than I have the past few years.  Even more exciting, I've noticed them fluttering about the milkweed foliage (blooms long spent.)  I sure hope to find some caterpillars soon!

Earlier in the summer, Western Tiger Swallowtails enjoyed the blooms from that same plant.

I can't believe there's only five days left in August ~ where did the month go?  I'm feeling almost a little desperate about clinging onto what's left of summer.  As always, I wish for a gentle, graceful transition to fall as we close out this month & get ever closer to that new season...

 

 

 

Dahlia 'Cafe au Lait'

as July slips away.

How did that happen??

With the toes of August peeping under the door, thoughts of summers end start creeping in.

Wishing for a way to put time on "pause" and fling those thoughts far out into the universe.  

THESE are the days I want to "rest" in for awhile as long as possible.

Learning to live in the moment:  a constant work in progress.

Validating the direction of my thoughts tho ~ Mature Bullock's Orioles departed from the garden this week and started their long journey south.

This years young remain but even they will soon follow the path of their parents.  

Their three month residency, once again, over in the blink of an eye.

Clematis 'Purpurea Plena Elegans'

Tiny sweet blooms.

Majorly big impact.

Dahlia 'Big Brother'

Notice a theme??  

Salmony/yellow bloomers were on the brain when orders were placed this spring.  :)

 

Favorite Zinnia:  'Queen Red Lime'

Lilium 'Black Beauty'

Happy moment finding them blooming again.  

Last year, a late, late frost killed the new growth.  There was never any additional sign of life so obviously, no blooms.  I thought they were gone.  

Here's proof that one bad year does not mean the end....

Lemon Cypress & 'Cherry Star' Calibrachoa.  Another favorite combo.

Little Myrtle topiary

Lovely new annual:  Crazytunia 'Mandeville'

Water hyacinth ~ first year to bloom in my pond.  Not sure why but not asking questions!

The garden has changed since I last posted.

One of the Pinyon Pines (planted by the previous owner) along the driveway had to be cut down.  I knew the loss was inevitable ~ they are desert plants, not at all suited to the constant irrigation they receive from the neighbors sprinklers ~ consequently they've struggled the past several years.  At some point the other will have to go as well.  Their demise opens an opportunity for new landscaping.  Considerable thought will go into a plan during the upcoming months.

In the kitchen, I've been overcome by a cooking spree.  Fell in love with the above chicken/blueberry salad.  Recipe found here.  

Not necessarily the healthiest (i.e. dressing), but I'm making adaptations.  The flavors however, are fabulous.

I think the taste was enhanced because the salad was accompanied by my new April Cornell table napkins!!!  What do you think??!

Here's hoping August crawls by at a snails pace & that we remember to seize & savor every moment before the season truly is over...