Yard Birds

Some of the nesting birds in and near by my 1/2 acer yard, within the city limits of Gardner, have been American Crow, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow, House Sparrow and House Wren. I'll have coffee on the patio and sometimes count the number of visits the House Wren makes in a short period of time (15-20 minutes).

House Wren and....house.

Below is a list of dates, duration, # of feeding visits and a visit per hour rate:

7/3......11:00 AM........20 Minutes...........13 ............ 39VPH
7/3......12:00 PM........15 Minutes.............7..............28VPH
7/4.......9:00 AM.........20 Minutes.........14..............42 VPH
7/4......12:30 PM.........20 Minutes........16...............48 VPH
7/6.......7:00 AM.........15 Mintues.........17...............68 VPH (removed 4 fecal removed)
7/7.......5:00 PM.........20 Minutes..........7................21 VPH (2 Fecal sacs removed)

Just the presence of a house cat will cause a major disruption, taking valuable time and missed feeding visits. Yet another reason to keep the cat inside.

House Wren removing fecal sac from nest
Off to find more food

Some food items have been centi or millipedes, Cabbage White (Butter fly), skipper type butterfly and various insect larvae.