There are bird babies
all over the yard right now. The Chickadees and Bluebirds have fledged (I have posted videos on all my social media platforms and Youtube and may make a separate post here soon too), and it is the most wonderful yet funny to listen to when outside. Most of them you can see at the pond livestream (babies of Orioles, Grosbeaks, Robins, Grackles, Starlings love to hang out there), and the others are starting to find the feeders. Today the first baby Blue Jay visited, along with a cute Grack. You can tell them by behavior and cuteness but also by their unusually colored gapes, the soft edges of the beaks. I love the color combinations of these youngsters! A funny Grosbeak and MoDo shot in the middle. Have a lovely 4th of July weekend and be easy on the fireworks - I cannot imagine all the young wildlife being super thrilled about it.
I am currently waiting
for a bird food delivery, so I had to stretch things a bit and only put very little out in the last couple of days. This also helps a bit with the feeder-hogging MoDo issue. However, they still have their lookouts and see me coming out or probably even recognize the sound of the door. And even the little ones know how to hog 🤣. This baby Dove tried everything to get the older bird to share. The new seed comes tomorrow, then hopefully things can mellow out here a bit. Have a great Saturday!
Backyard life
is still slow, variety is low, and many birds are using the remaining warmer days to grow new feathers. What you see on the MoDo’s head are the new feathers. I personally love it, "disheveled" is also my kind of pandemic style 😏 The Goldfinches have returned though, and the squeaky sounds of their adorable babies are filling the air. It is quite stormy today, which will help the migrants. And I hope some surprise visitors will pass through on their journey. Yesterday, I did see a Pine Warbler but it didn’t come to the cameras. Maybe today?
The weather
has turned from scorch and humidity to a pleasant warmth with a nice breeze. A good time to do some gardening and think about winter feeding options and the calendar for next year. There are Black Walnuts, Beech trees and oaks around, and I like to gather some foods “in the wild” to feed to the birds too. Here are the current regulars, minus House Finches and Sparrows, the occasional Oriole, and camera-shy Flickers and Cardinals. The MoDo came with a baby. Have a great Tuesday!
