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You are here: Home / Wildlife / Backyard Wildlife Summer 2016

Updated on July 22, 2016

Backyard Wildlife Summer 2016

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This summer has been full of weird and wonderful backyard wildlife. From a nest of barred owls to frogs to snakes and turtles, I’ve seen a lot in my garden and backyard. Watching wildlife is one of the things I enjoy so much about my garden and yard. It’s why I work hard to create suitable habitat for wildlife.

This spring started out unseasonably warm and this summer has only gotten hotter. This week in particular, my state of Mississippi has had a large portion under a heat advisory many days. As a result, I’m not seeing as many butterflies or hummingbirds as usual, but I anticipate more of them coming back to my yard in late August/early September. The hummingbirds just started returning two weeks ago and now I have placed a total of 4 feeders in my garden for them.

Barred Owl Nest

Probably the most exciting wildlife of this summer was the baby owlets in my backyard. Back behind my lawn is a very thin wooded area that surrounds an intermittent stream.  A few blocks down the road it connects to a larger wooded area. You might be surprised at the wildlife that comes through via this path.

Baby barred owl
Baby barred owl with a fuzzy head checking me out
Baby barred owl
Barred owlet – check out that beak!

There is a barred owl pair that has lived in the neighborhood for several years. This year, they graced my  back yard with their nest. I heard the owlets for a couple of weeks before I finally saw them. If you click on the video, you’ll hear a very high-pitched whistling noise. Surprisingly, that’s the sound of a barred owlet begging for food. It took me a while to realize what the sound was. At first I thought it was bats – but it continued for several nights and wasn’t moving around. It wasn’t until I saw the culprit, that I learned it was an owlet. Very cool!

Pollinators and other insects

I always include plants that will attract pollinators – either as food sources or host plants. This year was no exception, and I am enjoying the bees, wasps, hummingbirds, and butterflies in my garden.

Spider wasp feeding on cutleaf coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata)

Pearl crescent butterflies mating in the butterfly garden
Pearl crescent butterflies mating in the butterfly garden

Frogs, Turtles, and Other Reptiles & Amphibians

I love the calls of frogs and toads that I hear at night. From spring peepers to the sheep-like call of the eastern narrow-mouthed toad (which always makes me giggle), it’s part of what makes Mississippi nights so special.

I often see different lizards and frogs or toads in my garden. This year, these amazingly cute little guys came to greet me at the side door.  They are squirrel tree frogs and they are very tiny!

 

Squirrel tree frog
Squirrel tree frog at my side door

Box turtles are pretty common in Mississippi, During mating season, you’ll find box turtles, snapping turtles, and even soft-shell turtles crossing roads. Apparently, the grass is always greener….

It becomes a past time of mine to stop and remove turtles from the road before they get run over. The snapping turtles I usually leave to their own devices. Those things have a nasty temperament and can get pretty darn big.

This box turtle was ambling through my backyard. I saw him from the window so I got the camera and tripod out. He apparently didn’t like the attention and stood perfectly still for 16 minutes!!! This is the most patient turtle in the world. I finally left the video camera running and went back inside. He finally stuck his neck back out and ambled back the way he came. Goodness!

Eastern box turtle
Eastern box turtle waiting for me to leave him alone

Feathered Visitors – Migrating Songbirds

I enjoyed seeing a variety of colorful birds during spring migration. Blue grosbeaks and rose-breasted grosbeaks, indigo buntings, and goldfinches. To see photos of these birds at my feeders, visit the post about my feathered friends.

Indigo bunting at the globe feeder
Indigo bunting at the globe feeder

Well that’s just a few of my garden visitors. I hope you can see why it’s so much fun to watch backyard wildlife.

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Article by Garden Experiments / Wildlife / amphibians, backyard habitat, bees, birds, butterflies, frogs, reptiles, turtles, wildlife

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Welcome! My name is Kathy and I live in Mississippi Zone 7B. Gardening has always relaxed and rooted me (literally!). It's my happy place. With over 25 years of gardening, I am far from an expert, but I learn from all my experiments. This blog talks about the plants, backyard critters, and more that have made my garden special. Read More

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