Porch rail bird-box.

Had a family of black-capped chickadees on our front porch railings. They came and went while were sitting on the porch. Mom & Dad, brought a lot of lime-green caterpillars back to the nest!

Sandhill crane on nest

First time, sandhills nesting on a local pond. Sitting on two eggs. Later, one successful hatch.

Feeding time

Just taking pic’s of my bluebirds feeding and got lucky on this shot.

Waiting for room service!

House wren nest

I typically get 7 house wren eggs in this nest box which was specifically designed for wrens. It’s very small.

We’re hungry!

Home Tweet Home

Double Duty

Spending our last anniversary on the Central Coast of California was a treat for all the senses. While in Morro Bay, my husband mentioned that he’d read about a heron or egret rookery in the area. We did a lot of driving around before we found what we think was the rookery. We’d been in another town the day before that had an egret rookery that locals told us had been ‘taken over’ by the cormorants. And, that the cormorant’s excrement was killing the trees. This is what we’d noticed in this spot, too. There were dozens of cormorants sitting on or near nests; others coming and going…but, while shooting the two larger cormorants in this photo suddenly, 2 small heads popped up. Dinnertime!

Eggs make nice pillows

American Kestrel nestlings from the nest box we built.

Kestrel Kids

Our first two baby American Kestrels from the nest box we built.

In Mama’s View

Visiting my brother in Florida, he noticed my camera and thought to take me to visit Wakulla Springs to photograph the animals. I was new to photography, but instantly fell in love with this magical place. Best yet, it was breeding season and many of these beautiful birds were sitting on eggs or feeding their ‘new additions.’ As our boat came around a bend, I spotted this beautiful Great Egret with her 3 (visible) babies.

Killdeer nest

A pair of Killdeer made this nest on a gravel pathway in a busy garden center.

Killdeer, newlyhatched

This tiny Killdeer hatched just hours before this picture was taken. It was almost impossible to see among the rocks and gravel.

Tree swallow

Tree swallows begging for a meal

Broadtail Hummingbird ready to feed

Nest is about 10 feet above ground in a 35′ Blue Spruce in Evergreen CO at 7500′ in elevation. Babies were about 7-10 days old at this point in time. Canon 6D at 400mm.

Who’s hungry

Out for a stroll

Home sweet home

Waiting to fly.

Lunchtime

The juveniles are two weeks out of the nest and have had some success hunting but are still relying on their parents for food.

Two adorable Ruby-throated Hummingbird chicks.

Two Beautiful Hummingbird eggs.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird Nest

Amazing Ruby-throated Hummingbird nesting right outside our bedroom window.

Black-bellied whistling duck family

The Rookery

There is an island at Kensington Metropark with several large trees that house a Great Blue Heron and Egret Rookery. This image shows about 8 Egret nests. I believe these are Great Egrets. I am guessing there were approximately 40 or so nests total in these trees.

Eight…Yup they are all there

Mama mute swan checks and turns her eggs before settling in for another day of incubation.

So Stinking Cute

Taken at Kensington Metropark in May 2015. This sandhill crane chick looks like he is checking out his reflection, just like the ugly duckling. In fact, his mother had just dropped a seed kernel in the water for him. How can you not love this sandy colored ball of fuzz with those amazingly flexible legs!

Grocery Run

With three hungry mouths to feed (you can see two of the three in this image) the male and female American Robins were kept very busy. Papa came back with an oversize load on this run! I don’t know how he could have possibly fit another worm in his beak!

Nest Mates

Three of the four nestlings two of which you can barely see, one is directly below the one standing and the third is just to the left preening.

Mother and Chick

Have been watching this Cooper’s hawk nest since late spring, these young birds grow very rapidly as about a week after this picture was taken the young hawks already had lost their down and were sporting juvenile plumage. It is located in the W.E. Burton conservation area in Russell. The parents ended up with four healthy fledglings. Only two weeks after leaving the nest this young birds are skilled hunters.

Number Two

Chick #1 was born around 5pm. Chick #2 was born about 1 1/2 hours later.

Just a Few Minutes Old

This is the first of three Carolina Wren babies, all born within a few hours of each other on 7/19/15. It is only a few minutes old and hungry already! It had just been born, and Mama had gone off to find it some food.

Bad Feather Day

Robin’s nest was in a bush right outside the door and work and we watch these babies grown until they all left the next.

Feeding Time

I was sitting in my recliner watching birds right outside my bedroom window. I took pictures through a window.

Robin Mother cleanin the nest

I was sitting in my recliner taking pictures of the nest through a window.

Proud momma…

When I actually realized what was happening and who was responsible 🙂

Waiting for papa…

Saw their little heads peeking out and papa came with their treat…

Celebrating life 3xs..

First babies…

First family…

We had our tree planted by Tree Philly in 2012. This is our first family for out lovely tree.

Unconditional

These are some very odd looking chicks!

Dainty diner.

Amazing that they are so capable within days of hatching.

Who, me?

Quail babies, really just too cute.

Yum!

My first season of quail babies in Arizona and I’m hooked. They are incredible little creatures.

Male Cardinal Fledgling

One of three Cardinal fledglings visiting my backyard feeders

Cowbird and Chipping Sparrow

Backyard observation of fledgling Cowbird being fed by Chipping Sparrow “parent”

Hidden Treasure

We accidentally flushed this turkey off her nest while walking in the woods. She was so well hidden under a bush we never would have seen her if she hadn’t flushed. We were able to quickly take a picture of the eggs and move on. Fortunately the sun was just right – diffused by the foliage and dabbling the eggs with splashes of light.

Mom’s back!

Down the hatch!

9 in a box

This mom laid 9 eggs and they all hatched and fledged! Then she started a new nest and laid 6 more that eventually fledged – She gets my vote for “super-mom”. Of course dad was busy feeding this crew as well – it took a lot of bugs to keep them all full.

Wren Opportunity Knocks…

A Carolina Wren pair decided our tucked away front door and artificial wreath were too perfect to pass up.

Five Part Harmony 🎶

Acrobatics

Peregrine Falcon

A young peregrine falcon the day before she fledged.

Hungry Flicker

The adult flicker arriving back at the nest with a hungry baby in the back ground.

Fledgling Barn Swallows

Robin Feeding time

Momma Robin feeding fledgling

Cliff Swallow

These birds have been building a nest on this house since we bought it in 1999. As long as they come a little later then the House sparrows nesting time.

Hanging out with my brother, he’s still an egg.

Newly hatched Least Tern chick keeps his brother warm while his mother keeps a watchful eye on the surroundings.

Hooded Oriole

This nest was reported to me by a neighbor that hoped I could get photos. It is the first record of Hooded Oriole nesting in Nevada County, CA. Their woven nests are so unique, being created by the threads from the palm itself and then attached to the underside of the weatherproof palm frond.

Nuttall’s Woodpecker feeding baby

While caring for my brother after his hip surgery, I got to explore his neighborhood while he napped. Found this Nuttall’s Woodpecker nest with adults feeding babies. The chicks would not stick their head out until the adult would call from a nearby tree, then quickly descend with large grubs. Observed these interesting birds several days in a row.

Western Grebes on nest

I was assisting a local biologist by taking him out to Lake Davis, CA for a grebe survey in my boat….I never go without my camera, so got to see lots of Western, Eared and Pied-billed Grebe nests! This nest was among a group of 28 nests in one area of the lake.

Piping plovers under wing & one out

Multiple piping plover legs showing under parents wings but one is out and about they are 4 days old.

Bunk Beds

And the journey begins…

When a egg hatched it has a long life to live, hard winters, finding a mate, then having and feeding eggs.

The local watering hole

Juvenile blue jays enjoying the bird bath.

Horsing around at the water park

Juvenile blue jays enjoying the bird bath.

Sleepyheads

Two baby barn swallows at the parking garage for the Denver Botanic Garden in downtown Denver.

Huddle up

Two baby barn swallows at the parking garage for the Denver Botanic Garden in downtown Denver.

Cardinals Eggs

Mockingbird feeding the baby chick

Baby mockingbird playing hide-and seek

Big Mouths to Feed

Hungry Great Egret chicks keeping their parents busy at Smith Oaks Rookery, High Island, Texas

Mourning Dove and her chicks

Mourning Doves nesting in my backyard

Devoted Parent

Tufted Titmouse busy taking care of its five hungry babies

Exploring My New Surroundings

Baby Red-bellied Woodpecker calling out for its parent on a nearby branch

Time to Fly

This was the first year that Tufted Titmice built in our bluebird box. It was so much fun to watch and photograph them. We knew the babies wouldn’t be in the box much longer when they started coming to the opening asking for food.

Happy Family

This happy family of Least Terns is nesting on the beach in NJ this summer.

Recently hatched hummingbirds

This hummingbird nest is attached to a mandevilla vine just above the sliding glass door to our patio. It was discovered when the mother bird’s fierce humming as she attacked a larger bird that had perched near the nest drew my attention. It was very special to be able to watch the nestlings being fed, grow, test their wings and finally fly–all able to be easily observed through the window without disturbing the birds!

Canada goose gosling

Canada goose gosling near a pond. Mom wasn’t too far. They are very protective of their young.

Mallard duckling

Mallard duckling. This little one and its brothers/sisters came right up to me to say hi. Their mom wasn’t even concerned.

Surveying the nesting grounds

One of two osprey building their nest on a telephone pole with no wires on it anymore.

Robin’s nest

Robin and chicks in her nest in the top of a pergola in my yard.
Appropriately, this was taken on Mother’s day.

Feeding time for juvenile Common grackle

Feeding time for juvenile Common grackle. Even at this age, they still like to be fed by mom.

Look at these!

Gosling

Baby Blue Birds

Blue birds built a nest in the bird house next to our deck. It was so fun watching them grow.

Adorable

Gosling

Hey, Wait Up!

Gosling

Northern Mockingbird nest in Cholla Cactus

I watched the mockingbirds make this nest carefully from the very first twig. They had four speckled blue eggs and four babies. The cactus is 15 feet from the house and 5 feet from the carport. We made sure to make noise as we left the house to go to the car. Parents flew up to trees where they could keep a close on on the fledglings. Photo taken with a Nikon Coolpix L830 with zoom from the landing of our porch (over 20 feet away from the nest and about 4 feet above it).
On the morning after a heavy thunderstorm with 3 inches of rain falling – the nest was empty. We have seen the fledglings feeding nearby with their parents.

Nest Weaver

In February 2012 I was casually walking near camp in the morning before a day on safari when I spotted this Sparrow-Weaver building its nest. I looked closely, saw that the bird had a piece of material in its beak and was weaving it into the nest.

Red-Shouldered Hawk on Nest

This nest used to be an old round, leafy squirrel nest until the hawks took it over a few years ago. They have successfully raised a few clutches of chicks in that time. This year they only raised one chick. But, it was a cold rainy spring. Most buteo raptor nests I watched had fewer young this year. The Coops, which nest later in the spring, seemed to have more chicks per nest.

Great Horned Owl Fledgling

Hummer Guardian

Hummingbird (haven’t identified the species yet) took up residence under the protection of the Patio roof and a hovering protector. Two eggs in the nest today.

Baby bird 2

Mother and Baby 2

Ducky Day-Care!

Mother and Baby

Baby tree swallows

Tree swallows waiting for food.

Baby bird 1

male oriole feeding young catapillars.

Hatching Interuptus

At Bacardi Bottling Corporation, we have 22 acres of native warm season grass and wildflowers, a perfect haven for bluebird nesting boxes. We have eight boxes that we monitor through the breeding season and this nest box, the Mango Mansion, is very popular with the resident Eastern Bluebirds! Every week we check to see what activity is happening and this particular week, we saw three hatchlings and two eggs in the box. The little limb at the bottom of the picture speaks of the vulnerability of the species at this stage of life. The vision of environmental corporate responsibility at an industrial site is reality at Bacardi Bottling Corporation!