Ducks, ducks ducks, update on songbirds, and invasive plants.

Sally's babies are big now. Very big. They sometimes come without Sally and eat a bit of duck chow and corn I put out. I only put a bit out with water, then take it back up when they leave so as not to attract song birds who need to social distance.

The babies are quite independent but still huddle together and usually hang out with the mom. Sally flew in later, after this video, to keep an eye on them.  I can start to see the differences in male and female. Or I think I can.  A few of them are bigger, have larger heads and greener beaks. This fall the colors will come .

No one quacks yet. So because they're all close to Sally's size, quacking is the only way I can tell the difference between Sally and the others. Sally quacks. These babies chirp. Also, Sally's beak has more black than her babies. 

 They fly now and  will line up in the yard with Sally, quietly count to three, then together fly off. I don't know if they are counting to three, I just feel they do.

There are only eight now, down from ten. So hawks or owls or coyotes snatched a few. I can only imagine the danger out there. I am glad they have a place to come to feel safe, drink good water, eat some treats. They are such fascinating creatures. I wonder if they like it better now that the birds are gone and it's quiet. I suspect they wonder why I am not feeding the birds anymore. Maybe they don't care, but I do know they notice. Everyone has noticed. The blue jays stayed around and yelled at me for days. I tossed some peanuts to them to quiet them. But they eventually flew away. 

Of course we do have hawks flying around with their juevies now. The squirrels have scattered too. 

As far as updates go on the songbird situation. I've read nothing new. I do believe they have found a few sick birds in Ct. That was expected and now we are trying to prevent its spread. I have not read any toxicology reports. Seems like it is taking centuries to test for pesticides. There has been a reduction in reported sick birds. In Virginia, reported sick birds have fallen over 50% since June, so that is good news. In the meantime we shall hope they find lots of insects and flourish. 

There is another issue I stumbled upon recently I wanted to share. Invasive plants.

If you're starting your gardens, it's important to plant native plants. That's particularly a priority when searching for new trees to plant. Always look for native trees. Native trees fit into our ecosystem, providing healthy nourishment and protection. Invasive species of plants or trees can lead to complications. They can take over a land. They can be more vulnerable to disease. They are not a healthy contribution to our ecosystem. 

An example of damage done by an invasive species is the poison hemlock.(tap the goldfinch for an article on it). This plant was native to Europe but managed to find its way here. Maybe someone liked the flowers and brought it home, got sick of it and tossed it and all its seeds outside. Who knows? It has arrived and it kills anything that ingests it. It can also cause health problems if one simply touches it. And I mean touches it anywhere. Stem, seeds, flowers.  

The poison hemlock can create 30,000 seeds and has no real predator, so it spreads fast. It is a big problem in Indiana and parts of Ohio, but is probably in other states, too. It particularly spreads fast  during wet seasons.

If you seen one, protect yourself, call someone to remove it, or remove it yourself.  
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If you click on the goldfinch below (from a few months back, before we had to take up feeders. So sad!) you will be taken to the article on poison hemlock. Thank you!