Another Season of Wrens and Apples (and Squirrels)

Right now, on the cusp of July, birdsong is heard once again in my yard.

Apples (Margo D. Beller)

That's because the young that had been protected in their nests by their parents are now flying around after them, begging for food. The parents, in turn, send out contact calls to make sure everyone stays together. Now, about a month after the northbound migrants moved through and the nesting birds went silent, I am hearing songs or calls again: catbird, song sparrow, titmouse, house finch, white-breasted nuthatch, cardinal, assorted woodpeckers. Some of these birds may have second broods, but for now the emphasis is on teaching the first brood to take care of itself.

The house wrens in my yard have also been on the move. Once again I did not see the moment when the young, no doubt cramped in such a small space in hot, humid weather, took off after their parents. On Friday morning, June 23, the parents were busy feeding the young, hanging outside the box except for when one would go inside to clean out the poop. I could see the heads of the young as they came to the opening and looked out. They seemed very agitated.

On Saturday morning, June 24, we had a deluge for the first time in weeks. I stayed inside. When it was over I went outside to pull out stubborn weeds from my front walkway (stubborn because of long taproots, which gave easily in the soggy soil). When I walked to my compost pile to dump them I heard the scolding of a house wren, then the dry, rattle-like calls of young. Sure enough, as I sat to rest on my porch, I watched the nest box and saw no activity. Once again, these birds had flown. 

Empty nest (Margo D. Beller)

My guess is they flew Friday afternoon. Since then they have been moving between my yew hedge and the shrubby area near my compost pile. In fact, today, when I went to that shrubby area to pull out a tree branch to add to my brush pile, five wrens jumped out! A parent and four young? Two parents and three young? All young? I don't know. I quickly left the area and they settled down.

Here is a video I found that shows five wrens fledging. (The video lasts about five minutes. The site is not associated with mine.)  

Meanwhile, the apple tree has brought forth a prodigious amount of fruit, right on time. I am usually busy picking apples from late June into early July. People I know with their own apple trees think it odd that my apples are not ready for harvest in the fall. However, doing a bit of searching, I found that there are many types of early apple varieties. I'm not sure which of them is mine.

Starting last week, I was knocking apples down with an extension pole because thanks to the tree pruning in January the lower, more easily reached branches are gone. I've managed to fill a bucket with enough apples for me to make apple sauce, when I get around to it. For now, the fruit is stored in my cellar.

(Margo D. Beller)

The squirrels always seem to know when the apples are ripe and they have been eating the fruit regularly. I am also making regular visits, but to dispose of what they've eaten and dropped before the deer (or bear?) can get to it. Sometimes there is even fruit for me. I cut into one of the apples I picked up today and it doesn't taste particularly sweet - almost all the apples are on the green side - but for a hungry or thirsty squirrel they will do.

I have taken down what large fruit I can reach. I must now depend on squirrels, or one of the many intense thunderstorms we've been suffering through this week, to knock down any other apples. Then I must get them before the deer.

Treed squirrel (Margo D. Beller)

It is gratifying to me that, after all these years, the apple tree continues to produce despite heavy pruning (and whacking at the branches by me). I'm sure the squirrels are happy about it, too. We'll all enjoy it while it lasts.

Growing Concern

I like trees. I've written about my despair when they are cut down, including by me. But after a recent walk I had to wonder about the unintended consequences of planting some trees in a particular area.

Saplings, May 2023
(Margo D. Beller)

In the Central Park of Morris County not far from me a field was planted with tree saplings a number of years ago. All you could see were rows of protective tubing. In autumn 2021 I went for a walk in that area after a long absence and noticed the saplings had grown tall enough to be seen above the tubing.

The other week I went back and the saplings were even taller. I could now identify many of the trees including tulip poplars, maples, even at least one sweetgum. What happens when they all grow up, I wondered. Tulip poplars alone can grow 70 to 90 feet tall and have a 35- to 50-foot spread. It is also a fast-growing hardwood tree, which might explain why it was planted here.

Saplings, November 2021
(Margo D. Beller)

I can't remember exactly when Morris County put in the saplings. It could've been after hurricane Sandy blew through in 2012 and toppled trees in this field, once part of a working farm associated with the old Greystone hospital. The saplings could've been planted as part of the work the county did when it took over the land to turn it into a multi-use park.

The field in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012,
which might be the reason more trees
were planted. (Margo D. Beller)

During that time, the old hospital buildings including the wards, the farm and the Kirkbride administration building came down. Old or damaged trees came down with them. (Many other trees that came down in a different area were neither sick nor damaged. They were in the way of a very large planned soccer field.) 

This old farm field usually draws a lot of birds depending on the season. In past years I've found different types of sparrows, warblers, vireos and thrushes. But now I have to wonder what will happen when the trees grow to their full height. The area is already changing. The grasses around the saplings have not been cut and have become very long and weedy. This is good for some birds but not for others. 

Once the trees have grown and darken the area it will change even more. Will there be more forest dwellers? Bird that look for insects or build nests in treetops? I fear the sparrows and other grassland birds that prefer wood edges to deep woods will go elsewhere. 

I'll just have to see what happens when those trees throw shade.

Catching Up in the Garden

Last week, New York City had the dubious distinction of having the dirtiest air in the world because of the smoke blown on winds out of the north from wildfires that continue to rage throughout Canada. At its worst, the smoke made the sun look deep orange, kept the temperature to the mid-60s (F) and turned the sky brownish-yellow. The smell of burning wood was thick.

Stargazer lilies, supported by a tomato
cage, protected by deer fencing.
(Margo D. Beller)

Living as I do 35 miles or so due west of the Big Apple, I could not avoid this manifestation of the continuing harm of what is now called "climate change," but I still refer to as global warming. (I know there are differences between the two terms but the overall destructive effect is the same.) There has been very little rain anywhere in my area, and apparently the same is true of Canada.

This is not the first time smoke has filled the skies over my part of New Jersey. Usually the smoke comes from wildfires in the southern part of the state, such as in the Pine Barrens, during extremely dry periods during the summer. The smoke is blown north on hot winds from the south. This year will likely be no exception because with the lack of rain those fires continue, unfortunately.

But this thick yellow smoke from Canada was unprecedented. A persistent low off the eastern coast kept pulling the smoke into my region until the air was toxic to breathe for those of us in "vulnerable" groups, who were urged to stay inside with the windows closed. I was under house arrest, for the most part. If I absolutely had to go outside, I kept it short and wore a mask. 

Blooming viburnum (Margo D. Beller)

The world continued on without me, of course. People were urged to limit their pets' time outside but the wild animals - including birds - were still out there foraging for food, both for themselves and for their young. Somehow they managed, but I have to wonder about the effect of that poisonous air.

When the smoke finally cleared, literally, it was with relief I could go back outside. I walked around the yard and found some flowers had faded - the rhododendron, irises and the peony - while others were blooming (viburnum, salvia and stargazer lilies) or growing to the point where they would soon bloom (butterfly weed).

Meanwhile, what I thought were peppers growing from the seeds I'd planted a few months ago are not peppers. I'm not sure what they are. I've moved those pots to make more room for the pots of marigolds and zinnias that are definitely growing from seed. 

I don't know what this is but it isn't
a pepper. (Margo D. Beller)

The apple tree is filled with growing fruit that has been getting knocked to the ground, still too raw to be usable. I'm not sure if the squirrels are searching for ripe apples to slack their thirst of if the tree is dropping apples to save energy because of this drought. Maybe both. 

I also took note of the birds. One of my few trips outdoors was to make sure the water dish was full. It drew a pair of goldfinches, a song sparrow and a jay. (I'm sure there were others, including squirrels, but I didn't see them.) Every so often I would see the resident cardinals and catbirds hunting around the yard. Overhead I heard cedar waxwings and chimney swifts, hunting for seeds or insects. 

Apples in tree (Margo D. Beller)

And, of course, I was able to see what was happening with the house wrens. Based on their activity the eggs had hatched but the young were still small enough for either parent to go inside to feed them. When the young get bigger they will jostle for position and the parent will only be able to feed the one or ones that can push to the nest box opening. Right now the parents go in with food and come out, sometimes with chick poop, which must be removed to keep bacteria out of the nest. I estimate two or three young are in the nest.

As I watch the wrens following their instincts to feed their young so they will one day (soon?) fledge, feed themselves and continue the cycle, I have to wonder why it is that humans, the top of the food chain and the only creatures capable of creating weapons - and now weather conditions - to destroy themselves, are considered to be so damned superior.

This cropped picture was taken through my porch screen. if you look
carefully you will see the parent wren over the box. Less
obvious is the wren looking out from inside.
(Margo D. Beller)