Why are there birds the nursery??
Why are there birds in the nursery? Plants draw in bugs, bad ones as well as good ones. Bugs draw in birds. Since there are many, many plants and trees in our yard, the birds often make their nests here as well. Nesting close to the food supply, pretty smart if you ask me.
Our first new youngin’s hatched the other day in the rain I believe. Mother robin has been a constant flight fright for the past couple of weeks. They built their nest right next to the edge of the nursery.
Neither of them are the best nesting engineers. The nest is only about 5 1/2 feet off the ground. Perhaps they are afraid of heights. The nest also sits at an angle. Maybe they broke their level or lost it.
Even with us passing within a few feet several times a day she has tried to maintain her vigil with her eggs. Some of the countless customers have walked past and been startled by the sudden take-off of a robin in close proximity. Through all of this, there are now 3 hungry mouths to feed.
Fresh arrivals
Sunday we had our first Baltimore Oriole spotted by a customer. Many customers took a pause in their shopping so they could see his colors really standing out against the green leaves of the cherry tree branch he was sitting on. They make some colorful additions around here. I’ll have to prep the Oriole feeder soon.
While Song Sparrows have been heard for the past couple of weeks, there was a new singer in the mix on Sunday. The House Wrens are showing off for their mate and house hunting as well. Both of these nest somewhere around or in the nursery.
The regulars
Cardinals, Grackles, Starlings, Finches, and Sparrows are all common visitors around here all spring and summer. Throwing in the occasional Red Squirrel or two and there is always something around the nursery to be seen. Hearing them is always possible, if not seeing them. I do believe some customers come here to see and hear the birds instead of to buy plants.
It is still a bit early yet for our aerial swordsters. The hummingbirds should be here in the next week or two, if the weather cooperates. It’s not uncommon to see one zip through the nursery area, going from flower to flower at 100 mph. It may stop occasionally to give someone a squeaky preference for a particular plant.
Watch out for the kids
All of this leads to another part of the aviary kingdom. There are oftentimes juvenile birds wandering around waiting to be fed. Sometimes they even approach customers for food. I do not train these. Unfortunately, a couple have been neglected by their parents when they spent too much time with us humans.
So a word of caution. If you are here shopping for some new plants for your yard and you are approached by a seemingly harmless young bird, please ignore it. It is better for the bird to just buy the plants.
