outmybackdoor

Out My Backdoor: This Backyard Predator is a Scary One

By Terry W. Johnson

Whenever I walk out my backdoor I step into a world where countless life and death struggles are played out every day. However, unless I actually see something like a robin pull a wiggling worm out of the ground or a fly struggling in a spider web, most acts of predation go unnoticed.

During summer, a bevy of predators inhabit a typical Georgia yard. The more familiar ones include birds, snakes, toads, frogs, spiders, dragonflies, cats and dogs. Yet, one of the deadliest predators that hunt our yards is an animal known as the robber fly.

Out My Backdoor: Bluebird Nesting – A True-life Drama

To me, having a pair of bluebirds nest in my backyard is a really big deal. It means that I provided the birds with a much-needed place for them to lay their eggs. It also guarantees that I will be regularly seeing one of our most colorful birds for weeks to come.

Let’s take a quick glimpse at the compelling story of bluebird nesting. I am convinced that once you get a feel for what goes on in and around a nesting structure, you will better appreciate why bluebirds nesting in your yard is such a special event.

Out My Backdoor: Harbingers of Spring

By Terry W. Johnson

The first signs of spring have been seen and heard in the Peach State. They were not borne on the wings of robins or bluebirds. They were not emblazoned in the fresh vibrant colors of a crocus. They didn’t fill the still night air like the chorus of the chorus frog. Instead, the pending arrival of spring was announced from on high by birds whose ancestors winged their way over the continent some 2.5 million years ago.

The messengers were northward-bound sandhill cranes.