Over the weekend, I noticed that the orb spiders that built their webs higher in the trees were gone. It wasn't just one here or there; they were all gone. It's a little early for this to happen, but I'm thinking I might have seen the curlprit.
I caught a glimpse of something bright yellow in a large oak tree. I turned and focused on the spot and found a small yellow bird, which I'm guessing is some kind of finch. I'm, also, guessing it's migratory and this is a food stop on the way further south. From the way it flew between the trees, I think it was looking for another meal before moving on. I don't know, but it was all too coincidental.
Any bird what eats spiders is a great bird to have around, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteWasps usually keep the smaller spiders down, but the big orb spiders turn them into lunch.
ReplyDeleteI'd been thinking Purple Martins and bats were eating the spiders in the late summer. Now I'm beginning to think it's a migrating bird, since there are always bats and Martins during the summer. The sudden disappearance doesn't fit, what I would consider normal attrition from a local species.