[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his week, just four subjects: Owl, Paulownia, blue eggs, and NestWatch app.
Laura Craig stopped by to see one of the Screech Owls frequenting the ledge of our Owl Shack. RonTom and I know we have “two” because one is a red morph. Look! Laura captured a pesky squirrel harassing the owl.
Cliff Shackelford, maker of the Owl Shack, tells me we have a “Screech Owl mixed breeding pair”. A gray and a red morph.
Paulownia: If you don’t know the paulownia tree, let me introduce you to ours. She sits just past our mailbox, near the street, at the Live Oak Drive cul-de-sac. For weeks, we’ve watched people stop for a photograph. Rebecca Perucca asked about her on Sunday.
The “Chinese Empress” is stunning, dripping with immense pink flowers, and pink flowers blanket the ground. Fast growing, at about 12 years old, I estimate she’s 30-feet tall.
Still, I would not recommend this tree because it is, in Texas, an invasive alien. A paulownia is a perfect choice for those living in eastern Asia.
Blue Eggs: Eastern Bluebird eggs are (usually) blue – a breathtaking blue. The four Eastern Bluebird eggs in a Texas Bluebird Society nestbox in our yard should hatch before next week’s column. She laid the first of four eggs, one a day, on February 23rd. Incubation, about 16 days, started with the last egg. So, they should hatch this weekend.
Sometimes, rarely, bluebird eggs are white. They produce the same nestlings as the blue eggs. Bluebirds become red, white, and blue with their first molt, losing the speckled breast with which they “fledge” (leave the nest.)
Only my sole nesting of Eastern Bluebirds has been reported to NestWatch.org. When you go to the map room at the website, select the year 2017 and the species “Eastern Bluebird”. One pink dot appears right on Mountain City, indicating the reported nesting. In fact, so far, there are no other reported Eastern Bluebird nestings this year in the entire area to which this newspaper is delivered.
Any avian nesting can be reported to NestWatch. And, starting last week, it became easier with the NestWatch app. It’s available for Apple and Android smartphones.
Here’s what you’ll do:
1. Tag the exact location of a nest you want to monitor.
2. Name your nest
3. Determine the bird species.
4. Observe if there are any eggs or young.
5. Move away from the nest to enter nest details.
6. Visit the nest every few days until the nesting attempt is completed.
Here’s what you do to submit a tidbit: Send an email to [email protected] or leave a message at 512-268-5678. Thanks! Love, Pauline
Correction: Chloe Garza took the photo of “Kitty Hulk /Mr. Muffin“ that showed up with Montage last week.
