(3/23/22) Wednesday It has taken 5 weeks to decide if the bluebirds are really going to nest in the back yard. Finally had to drag out the binoculars and get serious, because I want a timeline, if so. For 2 weeks they went back and forth between the old nest cavity in the clothesline post, and the new house nailed to the other post. As if they couldn't decide. Then they disappeared completely, like they decided to go somewhere else altogether. This can be explained they say (long story). Carolina chickadee going in and out of the new house a few times also. One day the female bluebird brings out a pile of gray stuff that looks just like what I threw in the yard from the vacuum cleaner (looking for the screw). She perched on top of the post and started shaking it, like one shakes the dust out of throw rugs in the spring. She made 3 trips doing this, but there was never anything left to take back after shaking. She looked angry. I think the chickadee put it in there. Bluebirds sometimes abandon a nest if predators and trespassers get too annoying. Rain again this morning. Late afternoon male bluebird lands on the deck with a juicy caterpillar, takes it to the new house, and leaves without it! The first real clue! . Just one trip. No more. This leads me to believe Female has recently starting "setting" (as my grandmother would say). Male will feed the female at that time, if she can't leave because of the weather/temperature. I'm going with that clue until something better comes along, and start counting days. I never really expected the new house would work the first season. Not sure I'm happy. It's something to worry about and make me want to get up a daylight and watch. At least this house is safer than the old one. No squirrels, or snakes, or larger birds can get in. Wish I had made one for the chickadees too. It is too late for them this season. Next year.
Update on 800-number calls (3/10) 1. Received a letter from the bank dated 3/21 saying the phone company already reimbursed next month's payment. That was only one business day. Should put an end to it. 2. Letter from SSA dated 3/18 with a breakdown of all the numbers used to calculate the amount they deposited in the bank. That letter, and My Social Security website, now both say I'm back on Medicare part B. Suppose I'll find out for sure at next Dr. visit. Hope I don't run into Robot Man again. 3. Second letter today dated 3/28 saying they were going to report the withheld benefits as income in 2022, instead of 2021. Strange. And that they are going to deduct all past due Part D adjustments from March check, which will be paid in April. I'm surprised they remembered the 1099. I was going to report it in 2021. Somewhere in all this I read you have to report a change of address to SSA within 10 days. Must put it on my calendar to check every 10 days to see if the address changes again. I should stop by the post office and check what kind of records they keep. Can't think of any other way my address could have gotten changed, twice, to an address that doesn't even exist. It's a puzzle.
I feel like Boo Radley Did some string trimming yesterday, then went around the yard turning over things that might have worms or other disgusting bird food critters underneath. Then made a chickadee or titmouse house. It's likely too late, but they can get used to it for next year. If anything moves in I might make another one. Put it up this morning. Blocked off the large hole where the bluebirds stayed last year. It's bound to be filled with dirty junk and the hole is way too big for anything but squirrels now. Guess who checked it out twice already – the male bluebird. The hole should be too small for him.
You could put up a birdhouse/nest box. It's not too late. Bluebirds have 2 broods per year, sometimes 3 in warmer climates. According to my calendar eggs should be hatching here any day now. There should be a noticeable change in behavior. From female missing most of the day sitting on eggs, while male keeps lookout....To both carrying lots of food to the nest box. Hope nothing goes wrong.
I also love our mourning doves who were 'getting busy' on our deck. They nest in a nearby pine tree and often the eggs roll off when the wind is high. You know how the boughs slope down. We keep being amazed at how 'dumb' they are but they persevere and actually do have chicks.
Mary, I was just thinking about doves this week. I don't think I've ever seen one trying to find food "in the wild." Those in town seem to lack the skills, or have adapted to searching for crumbs and seeds and parking lot trash people provide. If you put out seeds, more keep coming and they would eventually go through 5 lbs of bird seed a day. I've made obstacles so they are too big to get in the feeders. They just stand around looking dumbfounded, and I feel sorry for them. They are gentle beautiful birds. Which brings me to a "wouldn't you know it" moment. Guess who showed up this morning for the first time, as far as I know—a blue jay! Now those are mean birds. There are numerous videos to prove it. And just when the bluebirds are about to hatch. They are also too big for all the feeder obstacles. I hope it goes away. I've got to be more careful and not leave unprotected seeds around. And I mentioned squirrels don't like suet? Well they don't, but they like the nuts inside the suet. They will tear apart a suet block in a day to get the seeds and leave a pile of grease underneath.
I saw another fox in town this morning. Those young twins back in 2020, during the serious lockdown, never reappeared as far as I know. I guess I don't know much. Almost the entire time I watched it, this fox was scratching. Either it is shedding its winter hair or it has mange (or fleas), or both. Tail had hair and around the head looked fine. Just no hair on the rump and back. Caught some of it on video and posted it on YouTube, but took it down. No way I could even feed or treat it, without attracting every raccoon, squirrel and possum in town. {Sigh} Nope. I didn't see it.
Yesterday there was time to get a better look at the 5th tree removed (mentioned in post #2239). They have since repaired some of the fence and done some grading. GC's Bobcat is sitting in the woods and his trailer has been up at the house for 2 weeks. It seemed like it rained almost every day after they left, but it didn't really. Picture taken in 2004 right after the property was first fenced. This hill has always been the most difficult part to drive and it got worse over the years due to erosion. [There is one hill steeper, but you have to walk that one.] 2 yrs ago YESTERDAY The dam overflow spillway is at the lowest spot in this picture. Runs left to right, through the fence. Fence is repaired both where the tree fell and where it was washed out when the dam actually did overflow in 2020 (only twice in 40 years). I wonder if GC's brother is doing this work.
Sunday continued.... This is the first half of the place where you can only travel alongside the fence by walking. Last time I saw it, it was covered in leaves and weeds, and had 3 smaller trees down across the fence. (SEE BEFORE) . .It has now been graded smooth, trees removed, and fence repaired. I never mentioned these trees to GC. Just beyond the end of this road is a very steep hill that is solid rock and cannot be leveled into a road unless you blast out the rock. It looks smooth only because it is filled in with 18 years worth of leaves now. Fence Man graded a detour/bypass around this section years ago, so you could circle the entire property in the utility vehicle and always be within short walking distance of the fence. It joins the main road at the bottom of this hill. This is the beginning of the bypass. It used to be covered with sod and bushes. There was just a path to drive through, seldom used. GC did a lot of grading here and also down the bypass road, which has another steep hill. The problem ... I'm sure they thought they were doing good by making a smooth road to drive on. But they don't understand erosion. It took 18 years to build up enough ground cover to stop erosion on the road over some of these hills. All it takes is a few heavy rains to wash out a road. You can stop it using some humps/dips called Water Bars. I found it in an old forestry logging handbook years ago, and asked Fence Man to make some on the bypass hill. They worked well. Now that road is all graded smooth, ground cover scraped off, and the humps are gone. I figure I'm lucky to find anyone to do this job, and what's done is done, so I prefer not to mention it. But GC has done some grading in several spots half way around the property already. He may continue all the way around. I think I will ask him to go back and build me some humps! He said he enjoys this job and playing with that Bobcat. I'm not in a hurry, so maybe he could work it in. Suppose?
Sunday the EZGO was running well. I didn't have to touch the choke ever. And it was cooler weather. This is the only thing I could find on how far off the spark plug gap can be. Not sure how it figures in, but the difference (0.014) was slightly outside the upper limit. I'm thinking one cylinder was misfiring before, just by how rough the engine ran and sounded. Could it take a few days for an engine to get used to NOT misfiring? The guys helping GC have driven it a couple of times since. There is still a lack of response when the accelerator nears the floor on grass, but runs perfect on the driveway. Other things... It wasn't working well the last time I had it in for service, and it came back not much better ( but they washed it ). That was just before the men came out to repair the dam. It was January (2019), cold, and running especially bad one day. One man replaced the fuel filter and put some additive in the gas. Didn't help. Another said the tires were way over-inflated, dangerous to drive fast on rough roads, and let a lot of air out. It handled much better. Next time I will check the tires, inflate them temporarily to what it calls for in the manual, and see how it does. I remember reading somewhere that there is a speed limiter on this cart (16 mph). The engine would cut out at high speeds a few times when it was new. Apparently there are two kinds. One is there just for safety reasons. From what I've been able to read online, it just mechanically stops the accelerator pedal from working beyond a certain point. The other is electronic and monitors the rpms of the engine. I don't think it's that, or it wouldn't work so well on pavement. No? Bottom line, this thing may be running good enough now without messing up the carburetor. "If it ain't broke, don't keep fixing it until it is." .. I should wait to be happy until after it gets cold again, next December.
Good grief they're predicting frost tonight, low 34F. I think it got to 38 this morning. Just when I suspect (but not absolutely sure) we have new bluebird babies. The most vulnerable time:. the first 3 days. I hope she didn't lay more than 4 eggs. She's too little to cover more than 4 babies. How unlucky.