Sunday, August 02, 2020

Butterflies, Bunnies and Birds




     We, (well, Miriam really) have had another successful year raising Black Swallowtails (Papilio polyxenes) and Giant Swallowtails (Papilio cresphontes) indoors and it has been fascinating, as always, to watch the development of these wonders of nature from tiny egg to resplendent butterfly. There are some things that never get old and this is one of them.




     When you look at the exuvia above it is hard to believe that this huge Giant Swallowtail (83 - 133 mm) emerged from it.



     It has been a very successful breeding season for Eastern Cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) but they have not ravaged Miriam's garden too drastically and have even permitted the coneflowers (Asteraceae compositae) out front to prosper, so I think that her antagonism towards them has moderated significantly.



     The breeding season has ended for the Green Herons (Butorides virescens) at SpruceHaven but the adults find rich feeding on the pond.


     This time of year is notable for the number of recently fledged birds beginning the difficult task of making their own way in life, no longer able to count on parents to provide food, shelter and protection. This young Grey Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) seems to have made a good start.


     A family of recently fledged Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata) were still flocking together; perhaps it's a good thing to have your siblings watch out for you.


     On our nightly walks at Hillside Park we have been seeing Northern Flickers (Colaptes auratus) with great regularity, and have been keeping an eye on several likely breeding locations.

     The snag on the left above attracted our attention several times, and often we saw flickers in the area.  Finally we noticed movement and you can see a young bird poking up from the hole.
     We watched a male perch atop the snag.....


     .....and it was not long before we witnessed nestlings being fed.


     From what we could observe from our position on the ground far below the nest, it was apparent that these young woodpeckers were close to fledging.



     What a pleasure to watch all this activity!



     A couple of nights later the nest was silent, but just before leaving to make our way home, we saw the entire family perched together on another dead tree - father, mother and three healthy children.
     All is well with the world!

     
David M. Gascoigne,
David M. Gascoigne,

I'm a life long birder. My interests are birds, nature, reading, books, outdoors, travel, food and wine.

71 comments:

  1. Oh, I really love the Swallowtail butterfly. I have only seen it here once. It's incredible that you can breed them indoors!

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  2. It must be fantastic to raise your own Swallowtails. And watching those woodpeckers is so wonderful.

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  3. Hi David, well done on breeding those lovely swallowtails, they look huge. Good for Miriam! And I'm glad the bunny has not been annoying her too much and at least allowing some flowers to survive. You saw some wonderful birds again, it must be wonderful to observe them so close in their natural habitat.
    It's bedtime here, so I'll wish you a goodnight! Hugs, Valerie

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  4. Huge thanks for this hope and beauty packed post. To you, and to Miriam.

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  5. Le machaon noir est très joli. C'est super d'avoir des lapins aux jardins si en plus ils ne font pas trop de dégâts au jardin :D
    Une belle famille de pics.
    Bonne soirée

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  6. I would be really interested to know more about how you manage to raise the butterflies indoors and where you get the eggs, chrysalis or the caterpillars from? The swallowtails you have reared are stunning.
    I understand Miriam's antagonism - here the deer have completely defoliated my geranium flowers that were making a colourful show. Now there are just lots of bare stalks left sticking up in the air.

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    1. Send me an email Rosemary and I will reply giving you all the details.

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    2. I intended to add too that we are now raising Monarchs.

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    3. May be you would consider doing a post David? from several other comments, I have the impression, that I am not the only blogger who would be interested.

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    4. Let me think about it Rosemary. I doubt we have enough pictures to cover the whole sequence, but I will check with Miriam to see what she has.

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  7. I agree with Marit and Rosemary..Never heard of breeding them indoors!Wow!
    I have seen them in Bergen Aquarium and they need alot of heat right?
    Also the Green Heron is so beautiful..My favourite!
    Very nice photoes all of them.Great post😊

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    1. They do not heat at all, Anita. Perhaps the ones you have seen were species from the tropics requiring elevated heat and humidity.

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  8. "What a pleasure to watch all this activity"
    ... and what a pleasure to see all of these photographs.
    Thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  9. How beautiful to have seen this young family! We have Northern Flickers in our area, but in the summer they tend to be out near the lake, but in the winter they are often seen around where I live. I like them very much. Every summer we have Hooded Orioles nesting close to our home and raising their family. It is lovely when the parents bring their young ones to my feeders. They're filling up for the journey to the South (which means I'm constantly refilling grape jelly).
    I would like to learn more how to recognize birds by their call. Do you have a recommendation for that?

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    1. The best way to learn bird calls and song is to spend time in the field every day, hearing them and connecting them with the bird and its habitat. There are several on line sites to help, Xeno Canto is very good, and I like the Sibley Birds of North America installed on a phone or iPad, which covers descriptive details, has a range map and has call notes and songs too.

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  10. This is wonderful. You seem to be caring for a great deal of nature.

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  11. Ay! such an inspirational post, i love it!! i already believe that everything is well with the world, how much beauty around you, lucky!
    Butterflies have triumphed in the fairy realm, and rabbits and birds are like true living angels. This faerie post has amazed me then now happily return to my little house in the forest, where i live in the company of one rabbit, bambi and a fluffy pomeranian.
    It´s a pleasure to observe so much beauty..
    Many kisses and warm greetings to you and Mrs Miriam, congratulations on making the world a better place. Greetings to Ontario!! 🌸🙋🏻‍♀️🌷💙🤗😘

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  12. Watching butterflies hatching and young birds leaving the nest are activities I never get tired of. Lovely post, thanks :)

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  13. Wonderful photos! I can agree with you to say that seeing butterflies emerge and baby birds fed gives you a lot of joy!
    Greetings, Jonny.

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  14. The Giant Swallowtail is a lovely butterfly and I see Miriam is also going to raise the Monarchs as well. I presume you do much the same as we do. I do love the bird life you have over there.

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  15. Que maravilla amigo David, poder contemplar todo el proceso de transformación y nacimiento de esas mariposas, ¡Que gran placer amigo! Y como no, esas maravillosas crías de pájaros carpinteros y de otros.
    Un precioso reportaje lleno de vida.
    Un fuerte abrazo de tu siempre amigo español Juan.

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  16. Hari Om
    A post filled with joy and natural love - can't be beat! YAM xx

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  17. A wonderful BBB post, David. :)
    It's really a pleasure to see these luminous photos. The birds are beautiful... and cute, and the African Pygmy Kingfisher has such a smart look in his eyes. :)
    Take care!!

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  18. Beautiful photos, butterflies are like jewels.

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  19. Hi David.

    Beautiful butterflies.
    Beautiful that Green Heron, I've never seen it.
    Super the nest with the Woodpeckers.

    Greetings from Patricia

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  20. Hello David,

    Kudos for raising the butterflies.. They are beautiful. Great captures of the birds, I love the Green Heron and the Northern Flicker. The bunny is adorable. Great collection of photos. Enjoy your day, have a happy new week!

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  21. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment on Travelnwrite as it led me to your wonderful blog!

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  22. How interesting seeing those butterflies within the house developing.
    Those bunnies look large and different looking to ours, ours appear to be smaller and fluffier.
    The birds are always amazing.

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  23. I dazed out for a bit. When you showed the swallowtails, I was thinking you were the local people who help out the monarchs. Then when you mentioned Hillside park which is not local, I came to as it were. :)

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    1. But we do have about a dozen Monarch eggs and caterpillars in the house right now. More excitement to come.

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  24. Hi David,

    What a fantastic result from Miriam's 'breeding' butterflies, they are wonderful. It strange when you see the tiny excuvia and to know that the butterfly will be that big. I think it's the same with dragonflies, it always surprises me.
    The green heron is a wonderful bird, which I (of course) never have seen.
    What a handsome bird is the Northern flicker and how lovely that you saw the family sane and sound perched on a tree. That are beautiful moments to witness.

    Kindest regards,
    Marianne

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  25. Hi David wow what a wonderful post ,those butterflies are so beautiful and that bunny is so cute,thoroughly enjoyed reading today's post David,thankyou.

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  26. What patience Miriam has and what a wonderful result in such a beautiful butterfly. I assume you release them, or do you keep them and breed again? Lovely to see the birds hatching and rearing their fledglings. One of the owners of Towne Bowl breeds exotic birds - seen pix, they are lovely. Bunnies are always cute, especially the baby ones. We rescued one once but someone told us that it would die anyway.

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    1. We release them, Jo, within about an hour of them emerging. As soon as their wings have dried out they are good to go.

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  27. That is super cool David! It's very nice to hear that you are helping farm and breed butterflies! That is amazing. And the bunny looks very curious and cute!

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  28. swallowtails are really gorgeous butterflies :)
    Bunnies and birds are also gorgeous :)

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  29. Beautiful and varied images... Happy week

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  30. Great variety in this post. Raising the butterflies must be so interesting. Great post.

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    1. It is very interesting indeed, and fun too. In the past we have used our activities to help educate some of the neighbourhood children, but that has been impossible during Covid restrictions.

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  31. Between butterflies and rabbits, I prefer rabbits. The one in the photos is a vigorous one.

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  32. I've loved every photo and the beautiful flickers and that last post with the little mouth peeking out. But my brain is still back in your house with the butterflies. So you raise the butterflies IN the house. They fly around in the house? How beautiful and remarkable is that! I definitely sent Miriam the wrong bookmark!

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    1. We bring in the eggs from outside and keep the caterpillars stocked with fresh vegetation after they have hatched. They then pupate and when they emerge from the chrysalis we release them. They do not fly around the house! As for the wrong bookmark, nothing as beautiful as you sent, Jeanie, could ever be wrong. They were beautiful bookmarks from a beautiful person, and we were thrilled.

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  33. Breeding butterflies indoors must be amazing and rewarding. Nice captures of the birds and bunnies, they are always a pleasure to see.

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  34. A fantastic summary of nature's cycle of life, David! The miracle of the butterfly's metamorphosis, a cottontail who has perhaps learned positive behavior is better, new bird families - all accompanied by gorgeous photographs and brilliant narration!

    An uplifting post. Thank you.

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  35. One year when we lived in Va, we "hatched" eastern yellow swallowtails in an indoor house and it was truly exciting to watch them develop and then to set them free. Glad that Miriam's did so well. I have never seen a grouping of young bluejays, only adults. How nice that you not only saw the flickers being feed, but later on their own with parents. Maybe you or Miriam will get a future family capture to share. Glad to read that the cottontails have been behaving better.

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  36. This is a very nice post. I especially enjoyed the swallowtails and the flickers, but each photo is a work of art.

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  37. I've never tried to rear butterflies indoors. Kudos to Miriam for her efforts. I love the bunny and bird pictures, especially those of the Northern Flickers, a lovely bird that I almost never see here anymore.

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  38. It gives me such joy to see these fabulous photos.

    Kudos for raising the butterflies! You are awesome, David!

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  39. It's good to see lots of new life :) and great for you to be able to watch the Flickers!

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  40. Hello David, Amazing these butterflies and what great job to have the whole process so closeby. Are te butterflies released once they are ready to fly? The Green Heron is indeed a most wonderful bird. We do not have them on this side of the globe. Than those Woodpeckers, you were so lucky to have been able to see them in the nest and afterwards when they fledged. I agree with you that in this case 'all is well in the world'.
    Take care and warm regards,
    Roos

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    1. As soon as their wings are dry, Roos, about an hour after emerging, we set their cage outside and they fly away.

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  41. Kudos to Marian for maintaining such an interesting, fascinating really, hobby. What excitement it must be to see the stages move along as they should.
    I love northern flickers...here they are a little shy but I've managed a few good shots over the years.
    David, I wonder could you take a gander at my rare visitor in my last post. I would like your expert eye to perhaps properly identify the critter. I think it is female is as far as I've gotten.

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    1. I did comment earlier both on the hawk and on Bel Canto, but for some reason it did not appear on your blog. I just did it again so I hope it works this time around.

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  42. Hi Both,
    So interesting to be able to watch the Black Swallowtails metamorphosis and to see the Cotton tails behaved and without destroying the garden. Again some super images Miriam, the Woodpecker is so good to see and the young looking out, I can certainly understand the pleasure of watching all the activity.
    You both stay safe.
    John

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  43. All is well with the world. How many times can we say that lately?

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  44. I'm now slightly concerned, David, that if you keep showing us those wonderful butterflies that Miriam is rearing in your home, you'll set me back doing this myself - as I used to about 40 years or more ago!

    That's a delightful series of images of Northern Flicker.

    As an aside, are you finding the new Blogger user interface as frustrating as I am? It seems that they've taken away some of the more useful controls - such as being able to specify 'original size' for images, and that the text size controls just don't work properly.

    My very best wishes to you and Miriam - stay safe!

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    1. The new blogger does seem to be a little idiosyncratic but by and large I have not found it so bad as some seem to have done. We're stuck with it anyway!

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  45. Reading your post was a delight, thank you. I'm in awe that you raise butterflies, and indoors, too! They are very stately gorgeous.

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  46. I´ve always loved their colour combinations! It´s so pretty to see and so soft ♥ ❤

    Blog de la Licorne * Instagram * We♥It

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  47. Hi David,
    To observe the day-by-day development of the butterfies must be very interesting. It really is an enormous metamorphosis. Rabbits in you garden. I can imagine many gardeners will be shocked to see them eating their carefully cultivated plants. You seem to be lucky this year. Following a pair of woodpeckers during the breeding season is also a great experience. As I noticed before there is a lot of interesting nature in your environment.
    Greetings, Kees

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  48. Belleza de mariposas David. Me encantan.
    Toda la entrada es una maravilla. Como bien dices es un placer ver toda esta actividad.
    Muy guapo el pájaro que has puesto en la cabecera.
    Buen miércoles. Cuidaros.
    Un abrazo

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  49. So wonderful to be able to observe the little birds being fed and flying their nest.
    I had never heard of anyone raising butterflies, quite interesting :)
    Lovely photos as usual. Keep well David

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  50. Nunca he criado en casa mariposas, pero si Mantis religiosas y ahora el jardín esta lleno de ellas. Las fotografías son todas preciosas. Besos y abrazos.

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  51. Hi David
    it must be really fascinating to see those beautiful giant butterflies developing. Wonderful pictures of it.
    I also like very much the images and your story about the northern flickers.

    Best regards, Corrie

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  52. Hi David,
    It is a miracle how the butterflies comes out the exuvia! Wonderful that you are able to follow this proces! The woodpecker is stunning. The Dutch name is Gouden Grondspecht...(Golden Ground-Woodpecker...thats is funny..) but we will never meet this fellow here ;-)
    Great Post!
    Stay safe and healthy both of you!
    Warm Greetings,
    Maria

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  53. Lovely that your wife's view, of Cotton Tails has softened. Not so with me. I still consider them a menace, cute, but still, a menace. ~Grumble~grumble~grumble~

    "Beside a babbling brook" blog
    'Miss BB'🐝🐝

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  54. Ale piękny dzięcioł! To gatunek, którego w Polsce nie ma! Gratuluje obserwacji i zdjęć!

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  55. hello David
    A nice hobby of breeding butterflies is definitely interesting to watch, I haven't been able to observe anything like this myself, it's at the top of my list ...
    Greetings Frank

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  56. These butterflies are very beautiful, we have very similar ones here. The rabbits are very cute, but what I liked the most is seeing those woodpeckers perched on that old tree trunk

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