Ostdrossel™

There has been less hummer action recently but I am thinking it will start ramping up soon. The feeders are ready, and in the meantime, sugar addicts anonymous has regular meetings there - the Grosbeaks and Oriole babies will check them out even if no beak fits in. It is always a good reminder to check if anybody needs a refill. This is a camera that uses AI to identify birds and record them. The footage itself is not AI.

I promise this is all in my backyard, and I am not using AI to create or generate any photos or videos or text. Nature is amazing enough, it does not need artificial anything. The only AI happening is when one of the smart cams uses it to record a bird. In general, I am very much not a fan of AI, especially the generative kind. My own profession as a translator and subtitler is also threatened by it, so when people accuse me of using it, it feels nasty. But maybe that is the whole point of people being aholes to others online, to make them feel bad. Fuck AI, and the horse it rode in on.

Pretty much all the babies! I am particularly fond of the Grosbeaks this summer, somehow. I think if i could choose to have a wild bird as a pet, I would go for them. They are so chill and inquisitive and cute!

Ah, this was so cool to watch - the chrysalis-making. I sped the video up a bit but the whole process was quick, about five minutes. It reminds me of the baby in Eraserhead but also looks like an adorable dancing snot 😆 It is so crazy how much it moved! There are three chrysalises now (the two new ones also on leaves, so they will have to be moved as well once they are properly dried), and lots more eggs and mini cats. 🦋

The first Monarch caterpillar made a chrysalis on a leaf, which is not ideal since it can wilt. I have read up on things and carefully detached it from the leaf by the silk and then tied some floss around the black stem, the cremaster, and rehung it in a better spot. Before, I admired its absolutely stunning beauty. It is amazing to me what nature is capable of. There is gold on there 😍 This is like jewelry.

These guys are dominating in the sound department right now, the Northern House Wrens. I see them foraging for insects everywhere, from the bushes to the roof and the garden. I believe the first one is a youngster. They have also made a nest in the other nestbox, and from the amount of feathers I see I think it is safe to say it is the same female from earlier. She is sitting on five eggs. (No Bluebirds in sight this year, so I decided to let the Wrens have their way.)

A little timelapse of one of the Monarch cats having the munchies last night 🐛 This is the biggest one, and I think it is not far away from cocooning.

One could say that Cardinals were my spark bird. They were the first bird I saw over here that made me look twice. I was in disbelief that this was a wild bird. In Germany, I lived in the city my whole life, and something that vibrant is just not existent in the wild. I love them in every season, and I am always happy to see them breeding successfully. Smol boy eventually cooperated too 😄

More babies! Here are a Rosebreasted Grosbeak, a MoDo, a RWBB, a Blue Jay and a Grackle. All youngsters, with their unique coloring and patterns, the soft skin around the beak and the cuteness. I think it the color combos are really nice, especially with the insides of the beak. The RWBB is a favorite with the pink contrasting the brown and black. Bluebirds have a yolky yellow inside the beak, btw. Nature is so creative.

Not much going on but here is one of the Monarch cats doing its thing. I am so excited to see them this year, and I love watching them womp around 🙂 I hope it all goes well and I get to see the full process. 🦋

The yard is full of young birds and animals, and it is so much fun to watch them. I like the baby appearance almost a bit more than the adult one but I guess it is mostly because I like the diversity. It feels like an honor that their parents decided that this is a safe spot for them to learn how to live. Bonus-tree clip - the Redbellied youngster was not on the ground. And a teensy opossum ❤️ (MoDo, Cardi, Blue Jay, Oriole, RWBB, Grosbeak, Blue Jay, Grackle, Woodpecker)

That is great to hear, and thank you. Hugs!!

The air is a lot better today, but the heat is back. And there are new creatures around that are exciting - some Milkweed popped up in my garden this year (I tried forever!), and I found caterpillars and eggs on it. Also some ear wigs, and because I want to see it at least once, I brought some cats and eggs into the enclosure to watch the whole process. Sky timelapse was fun because the clouds prevented stars, so you can see the glow bugs better. ❤️🦋

It's been a rough week, and these Redwinged Blackbirds perfectly illustrate the mood. (Second one is molting.) I am so thankful for birds.

The extreme heat and the smoke made for little activity in the yard. There are Wren nests in the making, one of them almost done, and I feel terrible for these tiny creatures that have to be outside in this mess, and I hope they all make it and this will be short-term. There were a lot of fireflies last night, and I made another stacked image. Nature is so beautiful, and humans just seem bent to destroy it. Good night, may tomorrow be a better day for the world ❤️

Also, it is my fault for planting stuff that pretty much shoves itself into their mouth 😌

More stuff is happening at the little "bee hotel". Today, a wasp came and closed the hole in the one tube that a Sweat Bee opened. I am not sure what this wasp is. And now there are two working on one of the tubes I got from Bee Cups. I am also not sure what these are, bug people, speak up! Can anyone identify for me? (I slowed things down a bit for better viewing.)