This Titmouse Prefers Wool

This woolen wren house is one of four nesting cavities that I have on my back deck. The real purpose is to attract Carolina Wrens, which have nested on the deck before. This nest was given to us at Christmas, and we just put it out a few days ago.

Of course, nature has other ideas. What you are seeing here is a tufted titmouse stealing wool from the side of the nest to carry off to its own nesting project. I shot the photo through a window -- that's why it is a little fuzzy. I understand that these birds will actually steal the hair off a dog due to their preference for soft nesting materials. I have not seen this in action, but I am sure my dog would not tolerate such a taking.

Look at that little fuzz-puller. The tufted titmouse is a very friendly bird who typically coexists in feeding groups with birds of other species quite well. The "alliance" birds I am most familiar with in my neck of the woods are the titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch (see previous post), downy woodpecker, house finch and the red-bellied woodpecker. Throw a cardinal in there, too, for good measure. All of these birds like the kind of habitat we have: the edge of a wooded area.

I might have helped to breed this bird on the photo. Last year, after putting up about 13 bluebird houses at Don Roberts Elementary, I put another house up across the street from my house in an empty lot. Within days it became nested by a family of tufted titmice (Titmouses? Titmeeces?). Plus, the titmouse usually spends its entire life not far from the place where they were born. Because I was checking my bluebird nests every week (you can do that with bluebirds right up until the babies hatch) I found the titmouse eggs, which are cream-colored with spots of purple or brown. I learned today that on occassion, one of the birds born the year before will hang around to help its parents raise the new young.

It's a real joy to watch young birds feed that you helped nurture. I have seen first-hand how the variety and number of birds you see in your yard grows not only by the amount of food you put out, but by the opportunities you give them to raise their young.

The titmouse is extremely gregarious, like the nuthatch. I can stand two feet away from my feeder and get a close-up view of the bird in action while he eats. They have even been known to perch on a window and look into the house to watch what humans are doing.

Although the titmouse doesn't particularly freak out around other birds, they are very careful on their approach to the feeder. You can watch them fly to a branch within 20 feet or so, scout the feeder, then fly in. Then they will usually fly back into cover to eat the morsel.

The tufted titmouse needs rain, and the species is most common in areas where at least 32 inches of rain falls per year. And finally, the fact you have all been waiting for: A group if titmice are referred to as a "banditry" or a "dissimulation."

Our Friend the Fence Lizard

The Fence Lizard, or Prairie Lizard, or Fence Runner. My neighborhood in Little Rock is "tore up" with these animals. They love to rustle through leaves, and see particularly fond of man-made concrete curbs where they can bask and run in and out of the weeds and leaves. I spotted this one this morning in my garden at the same time I was photographing the rabbits.

Here is another angle on the fence lizard. I have seen them run in and out of a downspout that comes off the gutters in my house. I caught this one very easily and held him awhile. When I set him gently back down, he stayed in the same spot as if he had been slightly intimidated. A good place to find out more about this creatures is at Herps of Arkansas, see http://www.herpsofarkansas.com/Lizard/SceloporusConsobrinus#Gallery



One of my favorite behaviors of this and other lizards is the "push-up." You will see them basking on a warm rock basically doing push-ups. I have read that the males do this for the same reason that male humans do: to impress girls. I have also seen hawks in our neighborhood swoop down and catch these lizards so apparently they make a nice meal. I'd say of all these animals in my yard, the fence lizard is the most prolific. Always happy to see them when I garden.

Underground Rabbits

You haven't heard a lot from me in a while for a good reason: we've had our own little nature project in my 12-week-old son, Parker. Due to the newborn's presence, not a lot has happened in my garden spaces lately. But this weekend I finally started cleaning up the yard, and that's typically when magical encounters with nature begin.

I was pulling weeks from a perrenial bed I have out front when I spotted movement to my left. Take a look at these photos and notice, in particular, the eye...

Yep, that's a baby cotton-tailed rabbit. I noticed him when his sibling, on the left, turned around and buried his nose in the dirt to hide. I think there might actually be a third one in there, too, laying in front of big-eye's nose. I continued to weed as close as four inches from them, and they did not stir. They sat still for many photos.

I have seen the mother of these babies running through my yard in the morning. Finding these creatures was particularly fun this morning because I was able to show them to my neighbor, Tu. He had to look very close, but he did finally see the eye and was pretty excited.

The cool thing is that I stirred a rabbit out of this very same bed at the same time last year when I was weeding the perennials. This isn't the best kept bed in the world, but it is organic. And because I haven't used any chemicals or smelly weed killer, I am able to enjoy little nature treats like this.

This shot is from the front of the rabbit who has his eye open, so you can see their two bodies distinctly. If you see something like this first thing in the morning, I promise you, all your cares melt away. It is a magical, beautiful world we live in.