All About Pocket Knives

Wood peckers and Kites, really cool.

A House Finch showed up for lunch. The first I've seen in over a year.

As I was recently applying some spring/summer lawn fertilizer on the grass, two Hummingbirds were continuously performing flybys within inches of my head. Not that I am afraid of the worlds smallest bird, however they do have protruding peckers and a miscalculated flight path could cause severe eye damage.
First let me clarify "Worlds smallest bird" which would be correctly called "The Bee Hummingbird", which is found only in Cuba, is an absolute miniature, even among hummingbirds. It measures a mere two and a quarter inches long. Bee Hummingbirds are often mistaken for bees. They weigh less than two grams — less than a dime. That’s half the weight of our backyard hummers, like the Ruby-throated or Rufous. The female builds a nest barely an inch across. Her eggs are about the size of a coffee bean.
Our California Hummingbirds are not the "Bee" variation but they are still very tiny with brains the size of a grain of rice.

I later advised my wife of my life threatening experience from these Flying Pterodactyl Dinosaurs that I had just recently encountered. Her love of nature and animals immediately sent her outside to my prior battle grounds. A few minutes later she returned and told me to put my cell phone away that a 911 call would not be necessary, and to accompany her outside and not to worry, that she would protect me. As she pointed inside her "San Diego Red Bougainvillea" flowering vine, Anna showed me a very tiny bird nest. I estimated it to be about 1 1/2" wide with two baby birds inside.


Anna said that the nest was too tiny and not sufficient enough to accommodate the both of them as the baby birds grew larger as time progresses. Mama bird must have missed a couple days of 101 nest building class? Anna immediately went to work and made a larger nest from a "Dannon Yogurt Container", she than transmitted the current undersized miniature nest with its two occupants into their new roomy, custom made comfy mansion.



Mama bird was not seen for many hours to feed her babies. I have read in the past that if one tampers with bird nests, at times the parents will desert them?
Once again, Anna went to work with her Motherly instincts, she asked me for a couple of my "Syringes" that I use to oil my knives and that I use to apply glue to my "Marquetry" inlay wood projects.


She did some scientific research on Hummingbird food, mixed up her potion #9 and fed our new adopted family members.
It was a very fascinating and rememberable experience to witness this. I wish I had taken videos of it.
Two days had gone by, no Mama bird. Than... on the third day, (after many feedings from Mama Anna) two Hummingbirds began to visit often and began feeding their babies. The babies got bigger, and stronger. They started standing on the edge of their nest, perhaps in great thought of their first flight?



And fly they did! They would return to their nest on occasion. Now, the nest is empty, the babies are independent and enjoying a beautiful California spring bird paradise.


We now have two Hummingbird feeders that are frequented daily. Perhaps from the original family?


Below is a very interesting article on Hummingbirds.
https://www.hummingbirdcentral.com/humm ... 20-map.htm

Excellent post, Dan. I enjoyed every bit of it.

Ray

Thanks Dan, great post. You answered a question that I had directed your way, in the "what do y'all look like" thread. I mistook the white fluffy substance in the Dannon nest, for soap suds. I thought you were cleaning oil or some foreign substance from the birds. Now, I know.

Paladin wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2020 7:11 pm Excellent post, Dan. I enjoyed every bit of it.

Ray

Thank you Ray .

Waukonda wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2020 8:02 pm Thanks Dan, great post. You answered a question that I had directed your way, in the "what do y'all look like" thread. I mistook the white fluffy substance in the Dannon nest, for soap suds. I thought you were cleaning oil or some foreign substance from the birds. Now, I know.

Thanks Ike.
Yes...I can see that now also. However, it would not surprise me if she did not give them a bird bath Perhaps to include a little Bird Beak Manicure?

I just sneaked in a walk today in between rain showers.
I interrupted this birds hunt for food.

Wonderful story and post. A great effort and save by your talented wife.

Dan, that is just SO cool.
Thanks for sharing a wonderful story.

FRJ wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:40 pm I just sneaked in a walk today in between rain showers.
I interrupted this birds hunt for food.

Good one, Joe!

Thank you, Ike.

Dan, great post about the little "bees".

Great pics/stories fellers, and the kids are growing up fast. Momma and poppa are doing a great job .
Willy

Old Folder,
That is a very interesting account along with great pictures! Thanks for sharing it with us.
How often did your wife feed the young birds with the syringe?
Treefarmer

Thanks for all your compliments guys.

treefarmer wrote: ↑Wed Apr 22, 2020 3:04 am Old Folder,
That is a very interesting account along with great pictures! Thanks for sharing it with us.
How often did your wife feed the young birds with the syringe?
Treefarmer

Your welcome Tf.
Anna fed her baby birds around 3-4 times a day for close to 3 days. Than Mama bird decided it was safe to return and continue her Motherly instincts.
All ended well.

Species that have apparently decided to spend the nesting season on the property: Several pair of Robins; one pair of Titmice, Multiple Red-Wing Blackbirds; one pair of Cardinals; House Sparrows, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow and White-Crowned Sparrow.

Speaking of sparrows, a White Thoated Sparrow this morning.

Old Folder wrote: ↑Wed Apr 22, 2020 6:02 am

treefarmer wrote: ↑Wed Apr 22, 2020 3:04 am Old Folder,
That is a very interesting account along with great pictures! Thanks for sharing it with us.
How often did your wife feed the young birds with the syringe?
Treefarmer

Your welcome Tf.
Anna fed her baby birds around 3-4 times a day for close to 3 days. Than Mama bird decided it was safe to return and continue her Motherly instincts.
All ended well.

That's awesome to here Mr. Dan . You let her know from all of us that we think she's awesome. You are a lucky dude to be married to such a gracious lady, treasure and keep her, because, like the scriptures say (paraphrasing from memory), a good wife is to be treasured above rubies.
Willy

Need some help identifying this bird that was in the flower bed today here in north Texas. It kept perching on the flower stalk of a red yucca. The bird was about the size of a cardinal but plain medium grey-brown on the back, and light brown on its breast. Long tail, and it could hover in mid-air which makes me think it’s some member of the flycatcher family. When I’d try to get closer to take its picture it flew to a nearby red oak but then when I got farther away it would return to its perch on the yucca stalk.

Perhaps a Western Kingbird? Any ideas?

Ken

Ken, Google images of the brown thrasher and the long-billed thrasher. Both are native to your area.

Steve Warden wrote: ↑Fri Apr 24, 2020 12:10 pm Ken, Google images of the brown thrasher and the long-billed thrasher. Both are native to your area.

Thanks. Possibly a thrasher, I’m not ruling it out for sure. I looked at those when trying to identify it, but decided it probably wasn’t one of them because it’s bill was too short, and it didn’t have any speckles on its breast that I could see. But it was a darker color on its back than most pictures I found of the Western Kingbird.

I’m watching today to see if it returns.

Ken

I'm thinking it is a thrush. Hermit, Swainsons, or Wood. Did you hear any vocalization.