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.
With these Blue Jays
I want to wish everybody a nice and safe 4th of July. Don’t use hand sanitizer right before you light up the grill or fireworks ;)
(The one on the left is still either molting or fighting some kind of mites. The one on the right was taking a sunbath at the feeder. You might have seen birds do that, they spread the wings flat on the ground and turn towards the sun. Often, the beak is open and they look like they might have an issue or are paralyzed. In reality, they are just taking care of their feathers. Getting rid of parasites and such.)
