Screech! We have owl!

 
owlh3-22-10.jpgAs I headed out to the driveway this dark early morning, I saw a dark flying shape land on the side of a tree nearby. I could tell by its outline that this was no dove or songbird, and after a few moments it flew off in the direction of one of our screech owl houses. Oh, I could scarcely stop myself from running after it! Alas, I had to go.

But I called my husband from the road, and he took a peek in the backyard. Sure enough, there was an owl watching him from the owlhouse near the front fence.

This afternoon I got home and rushed to grab the camera. But alas, I couldn’t find the owl in the owlhouse. That was because it had apparently selected our other owlhouse as its main choice of resting/nesting spot! I can’t believe we already have a resident in one of our owlhouses. We just put them up three weeks ago! And I’m excited that both houses have been found and tested out by one or more owls. ***Edit: See next post for updated occupancy info.

owli3-22-10.jpgI wonder whether the house has appealed quickly because it a) is cedar, b) was skillfully made my husband and the owl has very sophisticated tastes  :), c) had ideal dimensions (according to the Audubon site), d) happened to be put up just at the right time, or e) is paired with another owlhouse a few yards away. Somewhere I read that two houses are more likely to be attractive to owls, because males and females use separate cavities. At the very least, two houses doubled our chances!

I also wonder whether the owl my husband saw this morning is the same owl I took pictures of this afternoon. If so, it seems to like having two houses to choose from and use at will. ***Edit: See next post.

owlf3-22-10.jpgI rather prefer it in this location, in the back of our yard. It keeps it farther back from our birdfeeder. However, the titmouses and chickadees who nest in the back woods probably do not care to have the owl back there either.

In fact, while I was out there, a titmouse bravely landed on a branch right by the owlhouse and proceeded to squawk and threaten and otherwise fuss about the presence of said owl. It clearly was trying to do its best to warn that owl that it was not welcome in its social group or home at any time. Can you see it in the lower right corner of the picture below?

owlg3-22-10.jpgI look forward to monitoring owl activity over the next several weeks or months. Whooo’s happy? We are!

 

Spring Forward, Winter Back

Despite the Daylight Saving Time change last weekend and the first day of spring arriving yesterday, a bitter wet cold arrived in Austin this weekend, giving us another freeze to delay the planting of many veggies and the possible demise of newly budding trees, shrubs, and flowers.

It was so cold and wet yesterday that the Hill Country Water Gardens annual Garden Sale, usually having long lines of customers waiting to check out, was virtually empty, and doorbuster sales were being extended.

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hcwgb03-20-10.jpgBut today the sun is back, and though the wind is exceptionally gusty and cool, the plants look happier. I know my husband will be happy to stop having to move plants into the garage with more cold weather.

Our new birdfeeder is a hit with the birds. The dome is adjustable, so in theory I can set it to make it difficult for doves and squirrels to reach it.So far it’s been fairly successful.

— Carolina Chickadee 

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— House Finch couple

feederb03-21-10.jpg— Northern Cardinal couple

feederc03-21-10.jpgTitmouse

feederd03-21-10.jpgI’ve only seen one dove make it in, and it didn’t seem very comfortable. Mostly the doves have been content to search for extra seeds in the leaves below.

doves03-21-10.jpgThe pictures are dark and grainy because I’ve been using a zoom through my study window. My cats have been joining me at the window, hovering and staring and going through all the motions of tail twitching and stalking, probably wishing 600% that there wasn’t a big pane of glass between them and said birdies.

I’m not sure why the birds seem to love this feeder so much more than the other feeder, which still gets frequent visitors, just fewer. Maybe it’s the style of the tray feeder, protected by a dome. Maybe it’s because of its location near a birdbath, which also gets much more attention now. Maybe they like the tree it hangs from. Maybe they like that the doves can’t use it as easily. 

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A squirrel has been a little more ingenious, so I’ll tweak the height a little more after I enjoy the comedic activities of these larger seed-feasting gluttons.

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Hey, Bud

Spring is definitely here in Austin, even if the date hasn’t officially declared it so. Around town, peach, plum, pear, and dogwood trees are already gorgeously flowering. And buds of other trees and flowers are peeking out to see what’s around them, and soon there will be many more blooms and greenery to delight passersby. At home, I’m delighted to see that many of the trees and shrubs we planted in fall and winter made it through the freezes and are beginning to bud.

Goldenball Leadtree:

 
buda03-14-10.jpgChinquapin Oak:

budb03-14-10.jpgMexican Redbud:

budc03-14-10.jpgWe even have Salvia blooming. They, along with Gopher Plant and a variety of unknown plants (some might call them weeds), are the first official bloomers of the Great Stems garden.

salvia03-14-10.jpgYou can’t really count the hanging basket I planted a few days ago. It came with blooms. It’s my first real attempt at a container garden — I need to go check on the names of two of the plants, but the chartreuse one is sweet potato vine. I’ll enjoy watching what happens.

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Hey, cat — get off the birdbath!

catbirdbatha03-14-10.jpgLacey Oak:

budd03-14-10.jpgA plant I put in the ground on a whim during the fall thrived all through the winter despite freezes and snow. It’s growing at a very rapid pace, too, and I need to help it climb up instead of out: coral honeysuckle. I think its new growth is very beautiful.

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coralhoneysucklec03-14-10.jpgCat! Get out of that birdbath, too! Gah!

catbirdbathb03-14-10.jpgIt’s a good thing I bought a hanging birdbath on a whim, I guess — the cat won’t be able to use that one! It’s a grocery-store purchase, all of $14.95, so cute that I couldn’t resist. I added a twig as a perch (not visible in this picture).

birdbath03-14-10.jpgLooking out the study window (with the cat safely back inside), I see two birds at the mosaic birdbath and am happy to report that birds have also discovered the new feeder I put out there. Chickadees, finches, cardinals, and titmice so far… I’m taking pictures — I’ll share them in the next day or two.

In the back I’ve got an overgrown but wildly successful vegetable garden in one bed and weeds taking over the unused beds. Must get out there and get the new garden planted… In another area, I see a strawberry bloom… and wow, there’s a broccoli head forming! My first broccoli!

broccoli03-14-10.jpgRogue pumpkins are showing up where I left an old pumpkin out for too long. Now I’m going to have guilt when I pull them up and not let them take over the garden bed again… Maybe I’ll just move them to an open spot in the yard and let them shade out the bermuda…

pumpkinseedlings03-14-10.jpgOff in the wooded area, the wild yaupons are producing fantastic new growth.

yauponbud03-14-10.jpgIt looks like we lost two in-ground citrus trees, but the container lime and lemon trees are suddenly growing like crazy. I better give them some yummy organic fertilizer soon. Maybe I’ll see our first fruit this year. The two pomegranates we planted bare root are also starting to bud. Yay! Lime tree:

limetree03-14-10.jpgI planted several Rusty Blackhaw Viburnums this fall. Two came from a local reader who was so wonderful to contact me when she needed to thin out some of the babies below her mother tree. These “babies” were much bigger than most of the ones I purchased!  I’m happy to report that they survived their transplant and are budding right now.

Another Rusty Blackhaw that I purchased took some damage over the winter, and we thought it might not make it. I saw that its main trunk was split, presumably from dog damage. But I was shocked to discover after having left it in its container as is for a couple of months that it was budding. I quickly got it in the ground, and now look at it:

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Incomplete list of trees and shrubs we planted this fall and winter, all budding or leafing:

  • Anacua
  • Chinquapin Oak
  • Anacacho Orchid
  • Evergreen Sumac
  • Fragrant Sumac
  • Rusty Blackhaw Viburnum (several)
  • Mexican Plum
  • Carolina Buckthorn
  • Flowering Senna
  • Mexican Silk Tassel
  • Canyon Mock Orange
  • American Beautyberry
  • Wax myrtle
  • Pomegranate (two varieties)

Lost to freeze and/or dogs:

  • Lime tree
  • Possibly Satsuma Mandarin Orange
  • Kidneywood (one of two)
  • Barbados Cherry (one of two)

Jury’s still out on:

  • Mexican Anacacho Orchid, transplanted
  • Toothache Tree (very small)

All in all, that’s not a bad record, given the amount of damage my dogs did last year! I see that some of our perennials are coming up (among the weeds that went crazy). I’ll start assessing those soon.

Hey, bud. It makes my heart happy to see you!

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(Mexican Redbud)

Giving a Hoot

Just in time to meet our February goal, we finished making the screech owl house and even hung it up in the tree. It was also completed just in time for me to grab a picture before the sun completely went down, though it was a little too dark for a decent picture. I’m questioning whether it was done just in time for any owls to find it this season, but I’ll just cross my fingers.

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My husband is making a second one for our yard (I read somewhere that it’s good to hang two up), and he’s also making one for a silent auction at our school’s big fundraiser next weekend. And friends from our neighborhood put in a request as well when they saw him putting it together this afternoon. Ok, little owls, now it’s your turn!

The Velcro Plant, A Sticky Situation

As I begin to divide and conquer the mowing of my overgrown backyard, I’ve had ample opportunity to look at the variety of unknown plants that have cropped up all over. Are they friends or foe? Will they be banes of my existence or acceptable groundcover? Should I let them duke it out with some of the other plants I know I don’t want there, like Bermuda, just to find a more acceptable alternative to the turf grass I long to have disappear?

Some plants I suspect will soon become officially part of the “Banes of My Existence” list, along with Bermuda and Nutsedge. One is the Velcro Plant. It goes by other names, many equally appropriate for the incredible ability of the plant to stick to everything — Catchweed Bedstraw, Stickywilly, etc.

velcroa02-28-10.jpgI want to admire this plant, I really do. It’s not unattractive, and evolutionally speaking it is a master of distribution, with all those little hooks that allow it to attach to anything and everything that attempts to move past it. It’s even managed to become a plant that can outdo the oak sprouts under the oak trees. But it’s clear that it’s found a new home in my yard that it finds most acceptable. So I’ll enjoy my admiration for a few moments, and then go pluck it out wherever I can.

velcrob02-28-10.jpgAnd what do I do about the wild onion that has also found a home it likes — the edge of the wooded areas in the back? It’s actually quite pretty, and we enjoy the onion smell that spreads through the air when we run through it or mow it.

wildonion02-28-10.jpgBut it’s spreading rapidly, too. Do I let it? I think occasionally it makes my dogs sick, so perhaps that’s reason enough to try to keep it cut down.

henbit02-28-10.jpgHenbit is everywhere. This is a plant I really don’t find that attractive.

And these other little tiny flowers, all very adorable, are still ones I admire with caution. I don’t know what they are. I just think they’re pretty. Probably they are counting on that, and as they get a little bigger and sneak some seeds past me, they know that they’ll have an in on spreading through my yard. If anyone knows the actual names for these plants, please let me know.

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***This next one I think is a Ten-Petal Anemone, Anemone berlandieri, native to the Edwards Plateau. I think it’s a keeper, although it’s toxic. Everything else in my yard seems to be, too.

weedflowerc02-28-10.jpgI’m not crazy about mowing. It’s one reason why I hope to someday fill in my yard with enough “stuff” that I won’t have to mow anymore. But obviously I’ll be dealing with transitional stages for awhile. I do have to say that I love my electric mower, even though the cord can be a pain. Maybe someday I’ll get to progress to a simple old-fashioned reel mower, once the area I have to deal with is smaller.

And it’s nice to be back working on the yard and garden. Spring approaches. 🙂

Muddy Snowmen (Central Texas-Style)

Snow!

snow02-23-10.jpgAnd lots of it! Well, lots for us here in Austin. Finally, after years of waiting, we had enough stick long enough and be the right packing consistency to make decent-sized snowmen. The problem is that, as usual, we didn’t get enough to make white snowmen. And what snowmen were made usually used up all the snow in the yard.

But without further ado, I give you a parade of snowmen, complete with mud, leaves, twigs, and grass. ‘Cause that’s how we do it here in Austin!

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snowmanc02-23-10.jpg
snowmand02-23-10.jpg
snowmanb02-23-10.jpgYou can tell which ones got made earlier in the day, before the snow started melting.

It seems that once again, the only way to get a white snowman in Austin is to stick with the ones less than a foot tall.

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What do you think, Ernie? Winner?

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Hmmm, that judge didn’t seem to happy with any of the selection. Let’s ask his twin, Grover.grover02-23-10.jpg
Clearly, our judges have better things to do than look at muddy snowmen. How ’bout frisky-time in the snow?!!

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We rescued our husky some 3.5 years ago, and this is the first time we’ve ever seen him in snow. He loved it.

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So did our beautiful Sheba.

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Something about the snow today really brought the birds to the birdfeeder. I guess they don’t care for the snow covering up the food plants. Here’s a cardinal and chickadee.

 
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And a blue jay. Yep, he fussed at other birds nearby. Didn’t care much for the photographer, either!

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And here’s a tufted titmouse and a new beauty.

titmouseandother02-23-10.jpgI feel I should recognize this cutie. Can anyone identify it for me?  Turns out it’s an American goldfinch in its winter plumage (thanks, Caroline!).

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I love those golden feathers around its face.

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Sadly our snow is mostly gone already, but it was fun while it lasted. I’m happy the schools let our kids go out and play in it, and there was enough after school that my boys got to make their own muddy snowman. I’ll let you figure out which one it was. Shouldn’t be too hard…   🙂

Cedar Waxwings, A True Pleasure

cedarwaxwinga02-22-10.jpgI’ve heard all about the wonderful Cedar Waxwings, but until today I hadn’t seen them in my own yard. We’ve had a giant Yaupon in front of our house since we moved here, so I figured this had more to do with me not being around when the birds were migrating, rather than their actual absence from our property each year.

cedarwaxwingb02-22-10.jpgcedarwaxwingi02-22-10.jpgThis afternoon, I was on my way out the door when I saw them. And I dropped everything and ran back into the house for the camera. For the next 20 minutes I delighted in capturing picture after picture of these gorgeous birds, and I enjoyed watching their antics.

cedarwaxwingc02-22-10.jpgFor one thing, they truly are birds of voracious appetites. When one talks about someone who eats like a bird, most likely they aren’t referring to these gluttons. They feasted on berry after berry as a group, flew off to a nearby oak to sing and digest a bit, and then flew right back to the yaupon for more fruity treats.

cedarwaxwinge02-22-10.jpgA few would gather on a berry-laden branch all together, hanging upside-down and enjoying the branch swing until it slowed enough that more berries could be wolfed down.

cedarwaxwingf02-22-10.jpgcedarwaxwingo02-22-10.jpgcedarwaxwingn02-22-10.jpgI’m truly amazed out how gorgeous these birds are. I had no idea. The yellow belly and yellow-tipped tail blend beautifully with their graceful tan, brown, and black feathers, and that mischievous black mask made us tease them about stealing our berries.

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cedarwaxwingg02-22-10.jpgcedarwaxwingh02-22-10.jpgThey didn’t mind us around at all, and they completely ignored the cat, who had slipped outside when I rushed in for the camera. In fact, they seemed a very curious, gregarious bunch. I read that these bold birds will even grab a bit of human hair while building nests in the north. Sometimes they get so intoxicated on the sugary berries that they’ll fly drunk and do a bit of a stagger walk — I was watching, but my birds apparently held their own quite well.

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cedarwaxwingp02-22-10.jpgBy the time I returned home today, the birds were gone. I hope another flock will pass through soon!

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Urban Forest Steward Training

My husband and I completed an Urban Forest Steward training program this past weekend here in Austin. Going into the first class three months ago, I have to say I really didn’t know what to expect. After all, I’d learned so much already about trees, so I thought. But without a doubt, I’m glad that I took the class with my husband, because we learned a tremendous amount. Most of the class was held indoors, but we occasionally ventured out for hands-on demonstrations on pruning, planting, etc.

urbanforesta02-20-10.jpgHere are several of the many facts and tips we learned:

Planting

When planting trees from containers, you really need to look deeper into the soil (pulling the tree out of the container) and look for girdling roots around the stem/trunk and encircling roots around the root mass. There’s a method to cutting, but the main thing is that you want to cut girdling and encircling roots and redirect as many roots as you can to radiate out from the center, before you backfill with dirt. Don’t be afraid to move aside some dirt to seek out those roots wrapping around the stem and main roots.

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encircling02-20-10.jpgDon’t amend the soil. This goes against what many old-school methods teach, but when you amend the soil in the planting hole, you discourage roots from venturing into the existing soil, and your roots will start to girdle and strangle each other, trying to stay in the “better soil.”

Dig a hole twice as wide and no deeper than the height of the root flare — it’s better to plant high than low — that root flare of the tree needs to stay visible. Sides of the bowl should be sloping and not smooth like ceramic (typically found when digging in clay soil).

Plant wisely — learn the height and requirements of a tree before you plant it. Planting large trees under electrical wires or trees in other poor locations only leads to heartache later, not to mention time and money wasted. 

Pruning

Every cut is a wound. Only prune when absolutely necessary. Always cut outside the branch collar, not flush against the tree.

There are methods to helping a wound heal better — not necessarily “sealing” it — so research this before you harm your tree. One method includes cleaning up the jagged edges of a wound with a sharp knife.

Prune from the outside, NOT from the inside of the canopy — these inner branches are most critical to the tree’s health. In other words, raising the canopy of a tree might be nice for humans, but it is an ill-fated practice in regard to the tree itself. And don’t top the tree.

It’s best do any pruning and shaping in the first year, and then leave the tree alone as best you can. Prune off suckers and secondary leaders as appropriate for the long-term shape and stability of the tree.

Mulch should extend as wide as the branches of the tree extend — the root system often extends as far as twice as wide as the canopy of the tree, depending on the species. 

Grass and trees don’t mix. One affects the health of the other. Grass affects whether the roots of the tree can obtain oxygen and water, and it’s the smaller roots farther away from the tree that do this work.

Oak Wilt

Oak wilt spreads via root systems in red oaks and live oaks, but it spreads by fungal spores as well for red oaks. This is why you find major live oak/oak wilt centers with infected trees surrounding them, but it’s the red oak that can create the situations to spread out and create new oak wilt centers.

Looking at Trees in the Urban Environment

As a result of this class, our eyes have been opened to the great harm an urban environment causes trees. The way developers place asphalt, sidewalks, curbs, and raised beds shockingly cuts off the root systems of many urban trees, leading to the premature demise of these trees. Damage from lawnmowers and construction vehicles also severely wound trees. And then there’s mulch. All around town right now, I’m seeing huge mounds of mulch at the base of trees, smothering the root flare and going several inches up the trunk, and this will lead to weakness and potential rotting of the tree base. Think about the costs involved in dealing with weakening trees, dying trees, and the replacement of once-old and massive trees. Urban development with thought and care might have let those beautiful trees remain healthy and standing for decades to hundreds of years to come.

 

Graduation and Leaf for a Leaf

urbanforestb02-20-10.jpgAfter the last class, in conjunction with the Leaf for a Leaf program at the city libraries, we helped plant trees at the Carver Library in Austin. With the planting of about 30 of a variety of trees, we helped turn what was once an open, high maintenance grass lawn into what will one day become a shade-offering “Growth Potential Grove,” as the program calls it. Our son got involved and helped.

leafforaleaf02-20-10.jpgWe really are grateful for the knowledge we gained during this class, which was taught by several different foresters and arborists from Austin Parks and Rec, UT, Austin Urban forestry Board, Texas Forest Service, and other groups. It sure opened our eyes to look at trees in the city, forest, and home environments in a whole new way. And this weekend, we planted five more trees in our own yard. Mmmmm, oxygen.

The Habitat Mom

It seems I became a Habitat Steward and hit the ground running. My approach to our elementary school to become a Schoolyard Habitat, a simple enough task in that we already qualified except for needing a birdbath, turned into quite the endeavor. Soon I was leading a Habitat Team, working on a new butterfly-hummingbird garden design, creating guidelines for a new Legacy of Giving environmental project for two of our grades related to habitats, starting a new school garden blog, and, oh, what seems like a thousand other tasks. I have to say that, while it as been hard and non-stop work, I am loving it. The rewards as a parent, a community member, and a Habitat Steward have been simply so many that I can’t count them, and all of them make this little green heart swell.

The past 3 days I’ve been speaking to all the 3rd- and 4th-graders about habitats in central Texas. I’ve been giving PowerPoint presentations to back-to-back classes — today’s last and final class will make nine total. I think I know this slide show pretty well now! The kids have all been interactive and fascinated and loving all the photos. But it’s no surprise that the biggest reactions come from the giant swallowtail caterpillar that looks like bird poop!

ppt02-19-10.jpgI want to thank all my fellow Austin Garden Bloggers who generously sent me photographs of wildlife in their garden so that I could put together a very unique and special presentation. As I go through the slide show each time, I know where each photograph came from, and I feel as though all these wonderful people are right there with me helping our students love and appreciate nature. Thank you, my friends!