Family portrait time
for the Grackles. As you can see, no one was able to stay still, but at least these photos capture the Grack spirit perfectly, and I loved how the baby was mimicking the parent.
Video: Cardinal siblings!
As you know, I saw a Cardi girl being fed by papa the other day, and then there was also a couple feeding a Cowbird baby. But yesterday, this adorable sibling couple showed up at the bird bath. First she comes in, then her brother joins. They are so very hard to take photos of because they are very skittish and so well camouflaged. I especially love the males with the red coming in in the most adventurous ways. Their beak color changes to the typical red when they are one year old. (Yes, the lens is dirty and they are out of focus but I still love this video, so I wanted to share.)
Some birds
are beginning to flock already but I still have lots and lots of Orioles. There are some males, but the majority are immatures. It always makes me extra happy to see how successful Orioles are at breeding. And that the youngsters are not camera shy at all.
Video: two young Blue Jays
These two came for an early breakfast in the morning sun. They are making an announcement call but then went about it pretty peacefully.
The Blue Jays
and their babies are all over the yard at the moment. The funny thing is that they really don’t care where I place a camera, they will come and explore it as soon as I turn my back. Here, we have a baby, an adult and a baby with adult.
Big day for the BB babies!
Yesterday and today were big days for the Bluebird babies! Two fledged yesterday, and the two remaining ones made the big leap this morning. I saw all of them fledge except for the second one. The video shows the last one leaving from box view. I will clean out the box later today, and then we will see if Lagertha goes for another round. And we can finally have a bonfire tonight :)
The penguin babies are here!
Well, technically, they are Blue Jays, but their face markings always remind me of penuins somehow :D They have started to come to the bird bath too, so the livestream should be fun today. I’ve had a lot of work and not enough time to go through the many photos I’ve taken but I will post some more this weekend. Have a wonderful Saturday!
Video: Rose-breasted Grosbeak family at the bath
This was so cute this morning. Papa Grosbeak is taking his son to the pool and feeding him. And then both bathe. I made a little platform area by the waterfall for the smaller birds, and the babies seem to like it to get a first feel for the pool. There are so many baby birds around at the moment, it should be fun to watch the livestream for the next couple of days. I promise I will try to keep up with wiping the splash shield.
Video: baby Robin getting fed by the pool
The pond is closed for maintenance today, but here is a scene from yesterday to hold you over. This Robin baby is fairly new, the residents around here recently have had another clutch. It reminded me of old times when we went to the public pool or lake and then, still cold from the swim, got wrapped into a towel and received a snack from mom. Fries were extra special but cookies were awesome too.
I have heard them for a couple of days now,
but here is the first official Blue Jay baby of the year!
There are so many Grackles right now,
and they are all in different stages of molting or age. I find it particularly interesting to see that the babies have different eye colors. I think it has to do with age, the one with the dark, rich brown looks younger than the one with the olive-grey eyes. And they are all the biggest goofballs.
And baby Oriole
also made it to the jelly feeder, following Dad. Such a cute little thing. We also spotted one in the potatoes and under a bush. They were really all over the yard, and they all look like fresh out of the nest.
Video: baby Oriole and Blue Jay
The yard is full of baby Orioles today, and like other bird parents, also theirs seem to love "parking" them at the bird bath. This one was brave, went in and stood it's ground against a big Blue Jay.
Grackle faces
I put the camera by the bushes on the ground yesterday. I wanted to get some Cardi pics but, alas, that didn’t work. However, here is a wonderfully typical Grack face and an absolutely adorable baby Grack.
Video: Grackle parent feeding baby
Grackles are very devoted parents. This Dad is making sure that the baby gets food that it can stomach, cracking seeds before he feeds it. The youngsters seem big enough to do it by themselves but right now, you can watch them running through the yard following the parents wherever they go with an open beak and fluttering wings. So cute. This was captured with the Birdsy cam. They are on Kickstarter now, and you can get one here: https://birdsy-ai-records-and-ids.kckb.st/190e5d15
Video: Wilhelm von Grack is back!
Wilhelm von Grack is back 😁 He has grown quite a bit since I saw him last, and here he watches a Redwinged Blackbird bathe. I was wondering why I only saw one Grackle baby and then none anymore, so I am happy to see him back. I hope this means more baby birds are in the pipeline now.
There are baby Robins
all over the yard right now, and they are so much fun to watch. They have a certain proud little man attitude that comes through in these photos too.
