Tenth Morning
Weather - Cloudy, 78F, SSW winds 10mph
Sunrise - 5:49am
I can’t believe I just typed “Tenth Morning”. I originally thought this was going to be about two mornings, three at the most.
I decided to get there a little earlier this morning to give myself time if I had to go to plan B for transportation (if the road was flooded) and also to make sure I was well set up by the time she left the box. I set the alarm for 3:50am. I woke up a few minutes before the alarm.
I get to CBEC and find the road is not flooded and drive right in. Being a little earlier makes it a little darker when I get there. Not sure if I mentioned this, but I use a small headlamp on the red light setting. It’s my understanding the red light is less disturbing to wildlife. Of course it doesn’t shine as bright, but It’s good enough. Getting here earlier, it’s completely quiet. No birds are singing, not even the eastern wood-pewee who’s song I normally hear during my walk to the the nest box.
I arrive at the blind at 5:00am. It’s very warm and humid but the wind is helping make it bearable once I open the side flaps slightly. I struggle a bit to get the camera set up in the dark but finally get it on the tripod and take a couple of test shots with the shutter open longer so I can see what’s in frame. I decide to keep it on this setting rather than sport mode, considering it’s still too dark to get a shot at that setting. Realizing at the slower shutter speed my subject will be blurred if moving quickly, I have no choice.
Then at 5:48am she emerges from the nest box. Luckily I had it on that setting and she stopped long enough for me to get a picture that is not too blurry.
I didn’t notice there was an eastern kingbird there until I just looked at this picture (lower right).
Now I wait for her to come back and start calling the ducklings.
The first bird I heard this morning was a tern flying over the lake. It was followed by an eastern kingbird going into song. There was no bird drama this morning and their calls and songs were all slightly subdued, at least compared with other mornings. I expect the wind was a factor. Windy days are not usually good birding days.
As you saw in the picture showing this blind, it sits beneath a pine tree. The visitors I get in the tree have been interesting. One of the mornings I had a Carolina wren singing it’s heart out. He was going through a number of different sounds. I wish I could have recorded it, but I didn’t want to move. At one point he landed on the top of the blind. I wasn’t sure if he was going to end up in the blind.
I have also been visited by a single brown-headed nuthatch most mornings, including this one. He doesn’t stay long but hearing his cute squeaky toy call puts a smile on my face even when I’m feeling discouraged waiting and waiting.
Another morning I had a swarm of bees at the tree; they were all around me, but thank goodness did not come into the blind. They were going after small flowers that are growing from a vine on the tree. It was a constant buzzing for a couple of hours. Glad they didn’t come back in those numbers since then.
So, have now been waiting for about 1 1/2 hours. I’m waiting to hear her call. She did fly upwards, rather than down toward the canal when she left the box, but maybe she quietly flew back into the canal like she did yesterday. Then at 7:18am she flies back into the nest box. I don’t take that as a good sign.
I’m hoping she is just doing a quick check on the chicks and will exit and call them out.
I wait, and wait and wait.
No, she does not. I don’t know at this point what the situation is. I was convinced they were hatching yesterday and today was going to be the day. I don’t understand why she was calling from the canal yesterday. I don’t know if they are eggs, hatchlings, pipping, or if the eggs are bad. I’m at a loss. We are all at a loss.
I leave the site at 9:30am.
They are calling for bad rains and wind tonight. So far my apps are showing the rain will stop by 5:00am. We don’t expect the tides to be a problem for the road in the morning. If it is a heavy rain in the morning we don’t expect her to bring them out (if they are even ready then), but if it is a light rain she may. I guess I just have to play it by ear.
I was really hoping this was THE DAY.
She left the nest box at 5:48am and returned at 7:18am.
I stayed approximately 4 1/2 hours.
