Wood Thrush Notes: Birds to look for.

Coming Soon! Look for these birds at your feeders.

Within the next two weeks you should look for Rose breasted Grosbeaks (RBG) and Indigo Buntings to visit your seed feeders. At feeders RBG’s are the more common of the two migrants and show up in greater numbers, eat more, and maintain a longer presence, usually lasting until mid-May before moving northward to their summer breeding areas. RBG’s winter as far as northern Peru.

Adult male RBG’s are very easily identified with their black and white plumage and big red V on the chest which really stands out against the stark white underside. The head is hooded with black and the wings are black with two white patches, one at the shoulder and one closer to the wing tip. The beak is large enabling this bird to crack open all kinds of seeds and capture insects which are a significant part of their diet during the breeding season.

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Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

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Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Female RBG’s are primarily brown and white with a pale yellowish breast and belly, heavily streaked above and below, and have a prominent white eyebrow.

During their migration through TN, they will stop at feeding stations with sunflower, safflower, peanuts, and even suet.

RBG’s have a beautiful song but you may not get to hear them perform as they likely wait until they reach their summer destination.

Indigo Buntings may appear at feeders briefly in small numbers. Middle TN is part of their breeding range so it is possible to see a presence throughout the summer. They like a variety of seeds and seem to be most comfortable feeding on the ground. I have seen them on finch feeders.

Indigo Bunting

Indigo Bunting

We are hiring

We are looking for someone to fill a part-time position. Job requirements include customer service and sales, restocking seed which requires lifting up to 50 lbs., and general shop duties, 3 to 5 days a week with a maximum of 30 hrs. per week which includes 2 Saturdays per month. Starting wage is $15 per hour. Reliability, effort, and good work will be rewarded. It is a pleasant atmosphere to work in and customers are very nice. If you are interested, please email John with a resume if you have one, or thoughts as to why you would like to work here. woodthrushshopth@bellsouth.net

Hummingbirds, Box Turtles, and Hiring

As anticipated there has been a noticeable increase in hummingbird activity reported from quite a few customers this past week. Mid-June and mid-July are notable times when many hummingbirds will come off the nest which would translate to more hummingbirds being seen at feeders and around the yard visiting flowers. Lots of rainfall is contributing to wonderful results in our gardens producing an abundance of flowers. Often times these natural nectar sources are more attractive and more important than the sugar water in our feeders. We often tell people who are disappointed about not seeing hummers at their feeders that hummingbirds do not travel all the way from Central America for sugar water. They have all they need naturally and will come to the feeders with intensity when nesting concludes. Be patient. August and September are always the best hummer feeding months.

Most of us bird lovers appreciate many of the other creatures we encounter in our yards seasonally, from year to year. Most springs I encounter Box turtles methodically working their way through a flower bed, or some difficult terrain with obstacles. I wonder how they get anywhere as difficult as it seems for them to move. Many times I’ve discovered a female attempting to dig a hole with its hind legs with the intention of laying eggs. I’ve never encountered a baby Box turtle so it must be extremely rare to witness the emergence of the babies from the earth. Two days ago I encountered a beautifully marked female attempting to dig a nest hole with not much success before she moved along to a better spot. I rewarded her efforts with a couple of juicy earthworms. Enjoy the video. Females will lay between 3 and 8 eggs up to three times per year. This next bit of information is very interesting. Female Box turtles can store sperm from a single mating for up to 4 years and can produce a fertile clutch of eggs in each of those years without further mating.

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The Wood Thrush Shop is Hiring for 1 Part-time Position

Requirements:

Lifting heavy items is a must. Moving multiple bags of birdseed from 20 to 50 lbs. occurs with frequency on a daily basis. Once or twice a week large loads of seed are delivered and must be unloaded by hand.

Good people skills. You will communicate with people a lot to help them make choices to improve their backyard birding experience. Being able to listen and ask the right questions to better understand the customer’s backyard birding needs is critical.

We are looking for someone with enthusiasm and energy, manners, patience, and a sense of humor.

One will need to develop an ability to understand all of the bird feeding products and how they are best used.

We want someone to have a good working knowledge of common backyard birds, their habits, and behaviors.

Duties:

Registering sales

Unpacking, pricing, and displaying product

Sales floor and stockroom general maintenance: floor cleaning, vacuuming, and dusting.

Sales and customer service.

Hours per week and starting pay:

We need approximately, 25 hrs. per week, minimum two Saturdays per month.

Starting pay $12 per hour

Please email John at woodthrushshopth@bellsouth.net for inquiries and/or to set up an appointment to meet and fill out an application.