Summer officially arrived on Memorial Day, 5-25-20

Before 6:30 one morning, I saw this gawky little fledgling in an elm by the driveway. Okay, kids, what is this bird of the day? It has a face "only a mother could love", eh? Its parent later took a splash in the dripper bath. Answer at the end of the post!

5-25-20 Northern Cardinal fledgling

We've been seeing Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the feeders and at the flowers. When the lighting is just right, the bird really flashes its gorget.

5-27-20 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5-27-20 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5-27-20 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

The native Copper Iris (Iris fulva) is pollinated by the hummingbirds, but I have never caught one in the act. It's good to have something on the 'to do' list! The dark iris is a hybrid of two natives and it is called Black Gamecock. These blooms are eagerly anticipated and last just a few days.

5-21-20 Copper Iris (Iris fulva) 5-23-20 Copper Iris (Iris fulva) 6-1-20 Native hybrid iris Black Gamecock 6-2-20 Native hybrid iris Black Gamecock

This has been a great year for plants that love moisture. The hydrangeas are the size of small elephants, and Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) is blooming quite nicely.The red and yellow blooms of Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) also appreciate consistent moisture. It's another hummingbird favorite. One was literally buzzing next to my ear when I took these photos, staking claim to the patch!

6-4-20 Goat's Beard (Aruncus dioicus) 6-1-20 Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica) 6-4-20 Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica)

Our water features are spread around the property so the birds never have to go far to get a drink of water or take a quick splash bath. We have two ponds, two dripper baths and two fountains. This spring, we added inline timers to the dripper baths. In this way, water is conserved, which protects the trees from over-saturation. The timers we chose can be set to come on at 4 different times a day for the same interval, say for an hour or hour and a half. So, Dan set them up to alternate and the birds are using them regularly.

5-24-20 Inline timer for dripper 5-29-20 North Dripper Bath

5-5-20 East inline timer for dripper 5-29-20 East Dripper Bath

Now, what about that bird of the day? Did you recognize the baby Northern Cardinal? By fall, it will look like one of its parents. The male, bright red, is followed by the female in muted tawny plumage. 

6-4-20 Northern Cardinal

5-22-20 Northern Cardinal

5-24-20 Northern Cardinal female
 

For those of you who may be new to the idea of adding water to your gardens to attract birds, here are older

blog posts that have all the information you need to get our take on the subject!

Simple Ways to Add Moving Water

Bubbler Water Features - Part One - Bubbler Pond and Basin

Bubbler Water Features - Part Two - Pondless Bubbler 

Bubbler Water Features - Part Three - Perches!

Email us from the Contact page if you would like a pdf of our Bubbler Maintenance Guide.

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