Cornelia the Colorado potato beetle

This morning I showed our potato beetle to oma and opa ... the same one we found in Switzerland 45 days ago while on vacation! Stijn and I were hiking the Etzel Kulm when this beetle crossed our path. Of course I couldn't resist picking her up! She's been with us ever since. She survived vacationing in southern France (that was rough!) and now living in Belgium. Guess she likes the taste of the Belgische spuds.

Reason I started this post was I thought she'd passed away. When I got the cage to show oma and opa, she didn't move an inch. Not even after poking and prodding. I thought that was the end of that, but was kinda sad because she's really CUTE! Was thinking of pinning her for the collection. Boy am I glad I didn't! Can you imagine the horror on the kids faces as they opened the box to see her legs wiggling around while stuck on a pin?

Now I'm wondering HOW LONG this beetle's gonna live! Been thinking about adding some soil because apparently they overwinter as adults underground. It's worth a try, don't you think?

Juvies all around

... was taking a walk in the park today, when all of a sudden I heard a winterkoning, or Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) calling like a machine gun near the Vossemvijver. Decided I'd check this guy out, so I walked over to a thicket near the Spaanshuis, and squatted down to peer through the bushes. There in the middle perched a juvenile wren, at least that's what it looked like to me, calling its heart out. It just wouldn't quit. It kept calling and calling and calling, as if waiting for some parent to come along and do something, which probably meant feeding it.

At just about the same time, in the distance across the lake, came the crying wail of another juvenile, but this one wasn't a bird. It was a human infant. And it kept carrying on and on and on ... just like the wren chick ... they both wouldn't quit!

Both the wren and the baby ... needing, needing, needing ... when would they be satisfied?

It's not very different in these two different worlds, is it?

Then another cry, but this time by two Great Crested Grebe chicks. They wanted just one thing and they wouldn't stop crying til they got it ... FOOD!

Chicks crying all around ... nature's so full of life this time of year ... my ears are bursting!

guess where on Earth this came from!

making room for nature

Last Sunday I helped Mario, who works w the French Bird Commission (COWB), with a house martin project in Watermael Bosfoort, a commune on the SE side of Brussels. House martins are declining, so any project like this is worth the effort.

Over ten years ago, he put artificial nest houses on a French primary school nearby and he's been banding the birds that nested there ever since.

The banding data show that the house martins are steadily increasing in this area and that juveniles are now returning to breed. So these artificial nests can really make a difference!

All pumped up from that morning session, I left with BIG DREAMS! Like putting nest structures on my own kids' school (and neighboring schools!) ... building up more populations of house martins ... teaching kids about birds and conservation ... and about the importance of MAKING ROOM FOR NATURE. But as I knew and would soon rediscover, this wouldn't be as easy as it seemed.

Disappointment #1 - my kids school wasn't good for house martins. The current building has no overhang so the birds probably wouldn't find it suitable. BUT with plans to build a new school, there could still be hope ...

Hope #1 - discovering that the city of Tervuren is offering to put up artificial house martin nests, along with poop collection platforms underneath, which the city would clean every year! How simple could it get! I'd just have to find homeowners that would agree and have them sign on the x!

Hope #2 - within 2 blocks of our home I found 5 natural nests (though some were old or had fallen down) and 1 artificial nest! With house martins already nesting in the area, it could be possible to attract even more birds w the artificial nests and to build up the population.

Disappointment #2 - None of the neighbors with natural martin nests and "suitable" overhangs would have ANYTHING to do w helping house martins. Even though I pointed out the fact that the martins had previously built nests on their home, these people flatly said NO, even to the poop platform, which made no sense. If the martins nested there already, why not minimize the fouling by having a platform underneath? Unless they take matters into their own hands by knocking down the nests, which might explain why the homes with meticulous gardens only had remnants of nests still remaining. One thing's for sure, next year I'll be keeping a VERY close eye on the martins in our neighborhood and making sure there's no foul play.

LAST HOPE - Although our home isn't perfect, we're going to try putting up a false overhang, which involves attaching the nest structure to a piece of wood that hangs overhead. The kids would be so excited to have the birds nesting over their bedroom window. And at least we could set an example for the neighborhood by being good stewards for nature.

Sometimes you gotta start small ...

Dudley did it!

witness the breakthrough moment as Dudley rolls a ball of horse dung!

missing summer

watching sunsets
kids run free
drinking up the nature
takes me home

be an armchair activist today

www.rspb.org.uk/safeguardoursealife

If you have the time please do have a look at the link above and
think about supporting this RSPB campaign. Populations of seabirds are suffering, and we need to do what we can to reverse the trend, even if that means just sending an email! YOU can make a difference!

Little Grebe takes the plunge

Went to photograph a Little Grebe nest (Tachybaptus ruficollis, Dodaars in Dutch) this morning during a ringing session at COWB (Commission Ornithologique Watermael Bosvoorde), and got a pleasant surprise. One of the chicks had hatched and was still on the nest, but barely. Apparently it didn't like the looks of us and decided to scoot off the nest. At first there was some anxiety (also w Christopher and Deloi), but after remembering that this bird is precocial (can swim soon after hatching), we all took a deep breath and relaxed.
To the left of the nest, which still had one egg remaining, you can see the grebelet. It began vocalizing and we started to wonder when an adult would make an appearance.
Now the grebelet ventured farther and farther from the nest ... still vocalizing ... still no adult. Began to imagine the thoughts going through the little chick's brain, like in the children's book by P.D. Eastman, "Where's my mommy?", which has to be one of my favorite books of all time. If you haven't read it, it's never too late!
... finally the caregiver shows up, but it doesn't stick around for long. It's apparent from the behavior (frantically swimming in circles) that the parent is falling behind schedule, and this newest little bundle of protoplasm isn't going to slow it down.
Can you see the tiny black dot on the right side of the parent? That's the chick, and it's attempting to climb aboard. But as I mentioned, the parent showed little patience, because nanoseconds after I snapped this foto, they both disappeared in a flash. Was this the grebelets first dive, I wondered. And did it even get to take a breath before it took the plunge?

thijs is jarig!

Thijs was greeted this morning by 3 of his little friends: Caroline the Colorado Beetle, Sushi the Snail and Dudley the dung beetle. After breakfast, he opened a few presents and was thrilled to find THORON, a platinum armor dragon, and Sunblott, an equinox dragon. Good thing he had his sword at the breakfast table because he was going to need it w all those winged creatures flying around!
Then it was off to school, where Stijn made a talk about Thijs and shared fotos from his childhood, along with some stories, like the time he dropped "bear bear" in a lake and a fisherman rescued him!
As you can see here, Thijs did not mind being the center of attention, and he was glad to pipe in now and again w his own version of a story. He was also happy to let the kids touch the Harry Potter-sized scar on his forehead, which he got from falling in the creek!
Showing his collection of insects is something Thijs takes great pride in doing. He also enjoyed telling how he knew the ichneumon wasp is a female. The kids thought this was really cool.

gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag

Proficiat Sophie - je bent 3! Proficiat Thijs - je bent 5!

If we could get you two together on your birthdays, there would be lots of pirates chasing doodlebops - it would be a scream, literally!

It's so fun watching you grow and listening to the things you say. Thijs, you cracked us up with your reaction when your dad and I were complaining about a bottle of wine being too DRY. You asked to take a sip, and then stated with confidence, "no it's not, it's WET!" Well, that proves you're completely honest and ethical - you should run for president!

Happy Birthday BIG boy!

vakantie is voorbij!

Exactly 3 h ago the kids began school, and I began REHAB! Had a fantastic summer - maybe too fantastic - with 4 weeks of travel to the states, Switzerland and southern France - being with the kids 24/7 - it's left me completely filled up, but also completely drained. I could use 3 days stranded on the beach with nothing more than a beach towel, a book and a bottle of rum. Jack Sparrow wouldn't be bad either, come to think of it! Captain Jack Sparrow, that is. Better yet, give me Johnny - straight up!

Now I KNOW there are moms out there who feel the same. What are your tricks?!!! How do you survive 8+ weeks of captivity? Wouldn't it be great if there was a SUMMER CAMP for moms? Where you could do everything you dreamed of and not have to worry about the hubbie/kids. I take it this is why female vacations are on the rise. Sometimes the girls just gotta get away! Well girlfriends, whoever is up for a trip next summer, just let me know. Iceland sound good? The birding is great there, I hear!

48 h later

... Dudley had decimated the sample to shreds - much more than foto shows - and he resumed his wall-climbing behavior, which seemed to say "that's it, folks". Even after another day had passed, there was no indication that he was even remotely interested in making a ball and rolling it. I'm afraid it's just not gonna happen. At least not with this guy! He's convinced me that all he cares about is eating. Even with a fresh new pony potatoe (and even after I ripped off a little bit and rolled it into a ball to give him a head start), he showed absolutely no interest in it. He gave the big bit a few half-hearted nudges and then it was off-to-the-races with chowing down. You must admit this guy has an appetite. Wish my kids ate half as good as he does!