Thursday, May 29, 2008

I am so ridiculously behind...

Actually, it's not THAT bad. But still. :-P

I'll start off with the current news and move backwards I guess. Why?

No idea.

Today maintenance showed up to help us with our latest problem. We have a roommate, and a startling before 7am roommate that isn't exactly welcome...

Meet JO:
Jo is a European Starling who has decided to try and raise, what I'm guessing is her second, brood in my bathroom fan vent. Pleasant isn't it? She was named Jo because it's one of those delightful swing-both-ways names. You could be Josette or Josephine as a lady bird, or you could be Joseph, Josef, or... uhh - JOSE. There, lol. Of course that's "hoe-say" so we'd then need to call the bird Jo aka Ho. Not nearly as exciting.

Regardless, after trying to find out what type of bird Jo was I emailed my Gpa who owns a Stokes Field Guide to Birds and he looked it up from my three photos and dubbed Jo a European Starling. They were introduced in 1890 in New York from Europe. They change color in the winter and will nest just about anywhere that is a "cavity". They can even imitate other birds. Jo, YOUR SPECIES ROCKS.

I, after thanking my blessed stars that my grandparents exist (okay, well, technically they must exist for me to exist) ;) looked up online more information on my new bunk invader.

Jo, is in fact, a female - the males can begin the nest building before finding a mate and then show his new bundle of love where he's like to build a nest. However, Jo gets the last word. The females "approve" of the site and begin to build the real deal. It takes 2-3 days to complete the nest and the male partner will hover around, watching his mate build the nest to make sure she isn't coupled by any invading male Starlings.

This is normally done late February to early March -BUT- due to circumstances, weather being one, sometimes the couple's brood isn't successful and they will try again at a new batch of babes. Considering it snowed up until and through May 1st, my guess is that they weren't successful this season and have decided to try again.

Regardless, sad but part of life, she can't try again in my vent as that could cause huge problems and according to Hubbs may open into part of the heating closet. Last thing we need is Jo stuck in a closet or getting too hot. Today maintenance came and looked at the wrenched off vent cover and pushed it closed. He's going to look for a new cover and come back later.

While today is day 3 of nest building I am glad that we're not catching her laying her eggs. I don't know what I would do if I was responsible for her abandoning her nest because of peoplesmell.

Anywho, in memoriam of Jo. Who I have no doubt will continue to sit on my fence and throw every type of birdish call my way.


1 comments:

The Wagner's said...

Hey, we are feeding the birds over here with our bird feeder and I saw Jo yesterday... and Jo's friend, who also could have been Jo.

You should try it, you would get lots of different birds... yesterday I saw one with a really red beak. We also get a duck… he comes and eats all the spilled seeds from the birds… interesting!