A young American Oystercatcher seeks the safety and comfort of his parent. Jr. is getting too big to fit but mom does her best to comfort him.

These three baby Western Screech-Owls were looking out of their nest cavity and wondering what human passers-by were doing along Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail in Lafayette, California. They fledged the next day.

The loon family was having a peaceful morning in a quiet bay when another loon decided to land on the lake about fifty meters away. Goodbye peace and quiet. Both parents decided the visitor was too close to their chick. This is the female ‘walking’ on water, creating lots of splash and hopefully chasing the intruder off.

A pair of Northern Mockingbirds built this lovely nest in my neighbor’s rose bush. I’m not sure if they placed the petals in the nest or if they just fell in, but they coordinated beautifully with the pink string that the birds had woven in.

This sweet young Northern Spotted Owl is listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. This baby is about 6 – 8 weeks old and was resting peacefully on a late July afternoon. Since they sometimes land on the ground, it is important to keep unleashed dogs out of any areas where these owls are nesting, as well as to refrain from using any rodenticides that will indirectly poison these and other birds of prey. Exact locations of nesting threatened birds should not be posted publically.

A pair of American Kestrels had nested in a kestrel box on the edge of the Boise foothills and hatched out 5 eggs. All nestlings were females and they had big appetites that kept the parents shuffling food in all day long. Here the female parent delivers a fresh lizard to one of the nestlings at the opening in the kestrel box.

A killdeer chick, less than 24 hours old, is already able to run about and forage for itself.

I was laying in the sand photographing least tern chicks when this pair started their dance. The male will hold the fish and walk around flicking it showing that he has his gift, the female will follow laying down and continue doing so until he mounts her and gives her the fish..

This Wood Thrush nest, built with plenty of trash, was down low in a young birch right in my back yard. I watched this family from nest-building to successful fledging.

These babies were about 24 days old. Unwilling to leave their nest. Mom was getting anxious and making attempts to encourage them to test out their new flying gears! It was very fun to watch them for 27 days! Sweet experiences and memories for me.

A Chestnut-backed Chickadee Fledgling receives some food from one of its parents.

Swallows being fed

I’ve been here in Korea for 2 years due to the army/social service in Korea and was lucky enough to be a wildlife technician for a year to work with several ornithologists. One of the works that I did was doing nesting surveys for Kentish Plovers and Little Terns in South Korea. You will find their nests and eggs usually in May and June. Populations of these two species has been decreasing due to anthropogenic disturbances and predators such as raccoons.. Now I have less than 2 weeks left until going back to Minnesota. Just want to share a pic of cute Kentish Plover chicks.

Taken while photographing from a blind and watching these two cardinals tending to a fledgling, when they started to dance and display, reinforcing their bonds . I was lucky to capture them in this very expressive moment

Of the five fledglings, this one demanded to be fed constantly. (S)he used every tactic possible–feet stomping, tweeting, stretching its mouth open, chasing its parent, and lifting its backside as high as it could go. (S)he wouldn’t take, “No”, for an answer!

I have been watching a nesting pair of Loggerhead Shrikes for the past 4 years. They nest in virtually the same area each year, so I have been able to photograph some interesting nesting shots! In this photo these hungry hatchlings are being feed. When hatched they are blind and featherless. Fact: Though classified as a songbird this bird has a bird of preys attitude, it is the only bird that impales it’s prey!