Osprey feeding her chick.

Osprey at Bowerman Basin feeding her chick

Killdeer Nest

Killdeer Nest I stumbled across at Belfair State Park.

Nesting in the Sun

I was driving through a neighborhood looking for something sweet or unusual. A bird flew out of the mouth of this clay sun sculpture. As I continued to watch, it flew into the eye with nesting material, then out of the mouth again.

Ducklings’ Treehouse

Mama, Come back!

Baby house sparrow is watching her mama fly away after having a bite to eat.

Feeding time in Bethlehem

Hummingbird nest over the Monocacy Creek

Not a chicken

Anhinga feeding

Calling of shift change

Carolina Chickadee Eggs

Hello World

Chickababies!

Our first chickadee brood this season.

Soon-to-be Bluebird Fledgling!

Tufty

I was making dinner when I noticed the babies from our nest hopping all over the backyard. Much to the nervous parents’ dismay, I had to get a few pictures.

Hungry babies

Wren nest in a box on the side of our house.

Big day

This was the first baby to leave the nest. This was just a few minutes after the first flight.

Calling for mom

This is a Red shouldered hawk nest in our yard. The pair nested here last year as well.

Gannet Nest Building

In June 2008 I was in a wood-framed blind photographing Northern Gannets as hundreds of them flew to and from their nests on the ground. On several occasions I spotted one bird that flew up over my end of the blind but did not show up on the other side. I went out to investigate, climbed a tree next to the blind, and found this pair building a nest on the blind’s slate roof. Although my position was very awkward for holding my camera, I got several nice shots, including this one of the pair working together to build their nest.

Tricolored heron coffee fix

Tri-colored heron juvenile staring down the camera looking like he has had too much coffee

Avocet Mother Teaching Four Young to Feed

My 11 year old son, Arrow, aspires to be an ornithologist; I’m a park ranger at nearby Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (Southern Colorado). We love birding together. This summer we’ve had the privilege of watching a family of avocets successfully nest in a wetland on our property. From the time the light green speckled eggs were laid on the open shore, the parents have loudly and aggressively defended their young. We quietly keep our distance behind some shrubs to capture scenes of their family life, including this image of the four young learning to feed as they follow their mother. The father was just outside this image, chasing away a killdeer from his family.

Black Vulture nest with 1st of 2 eggs

The nest site was on the ground within a hollow at the base of a large (living) red oak tree. This oak was located in deep mature woods at the edge of a sharp drop/cliff along a small river. The ‘nest’ contained no nesting material. This photo,taken on April 15, 2015, shows the first of two eggs (approximately 3.5-4 inches long; note the size of oak leaves in the photo). I carefully revisited the nest on June 29, 2015 and there were two chicken-sized black vulture chicks with dirty white down feathers. I could smell the stench of the nest site about 75 feet away from the nest. The adults were not present during either visit.

Nesting Hummer

While visiting the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum and their amazing Hummingbird House, I had a great time watch the various hummers buzz around. But it’s always fascinating to see these active birds when they stop. So glad for the Museum; so grateful for this shot.

Nesting House Wrens

This House Wren family was quite active for several days. Finally got my big gun lens for this shot. A day or so later and these guys had fledged. So very fun to watch!

Watchful Merganzers

Northern Cardinal Eggs

Eggs from our first Nest Watch!

Hurry up!!

Baby Bluebird waiting for food.

Lil Cardinals

Fledglings from our first nest watch!

chipping sparrow chick

A fledgling chipping sparrow seen at Bergen Community College Campus / Orchard Hills golf course.

4 cozy robin eggs

I see you!

Cute baby robin watching camera with a bright, wide eye. Notice the other chick in the back, with his beak in the air.

Sleepy Fledgling

Nap time

Carefully built nest

Beautiful Robin eggs

Peekaboo

A yellow warbler fledgling pondering about going for a dip in the river

Nearly time to go.

Mama chose a Bluebird home to build her nest. That is OK.

Coming in to check on babies

Three cheers for Mom!! Let’s eat! Let’s eat! Let’s eat!

Common Kestrel

This little guy was hanging out on our hotel balcony. I think he just fledged and Mom was on the balcony above us.

Eastern Kingbirds “Dock Birds”

Baby Loon testing wings and giving a display.

Not only were these two young practicing diving, but copying their parent’s displays.

Merganser Mother and two young.

The mother Merganser watched as the 2 babies slept on the shore for an hour. One baby joined its mother for a while, waiting for the other to take its time getting down to the shore for another fishing trip on Lac Mercier.

Swimming Takes it out of You

Two babies for the returning Common Loons on our cottage lake. They are about 3.5 weeks old here, and have been learning to dive. The parents are quite patient with us as we usually drift along in the canoe and they don’t call out any distress calls at all. They are more concerned with what appears to be a returning male from 2 years ago. (Their chicks died last year).

First encounter

A young yellow warbler joyfully perched atop a tree peak

I’m Sleepy

This GHO was sitting in the V of an old snag. Its mother was perched nearby watching over her baby.

What’s taking you so long?

I’m still waiting….

Watching for Mom!

Barn Swallow spotted on vacation.

Robin fledgling

Gray Catbird eggs

Massive Meal

A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk has a turn at the carcass of a young Eastern Cottontail rabbit – the first time its mother has captured mammalian prey during the nesting season.

A Shared Catch

An adult female Cooper’s Hawk (left) retrieves the remains of a bird that was delivered and dropped by her young fledglings. She nabbed the carcass in mid-air and returned it to their feeding perch.

Newly hatched catbirds

Coop in the Canopy

A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk explores the canopy surrounding its nest tree during its “fledge week.”

Robin eggs

Four beautiful blue eggs!

Cooper’s Hawk siblings on the lawn

Two juvenile Cooper’s Hawk take a break from play-hunting a squirrel to socialize in the lawn near their nest.

Hungry Robins!

Yellow warbler fledgling

A young yellow warbler bouncing about the trees intrigued by my presence

Beware pointy objects

Broad-tailed hummer babies have grown – and their beaks are sharper as well. Both mom and babies have to be careful. The nest is in a tall Blue Spruce tree.

Cliff Swallow in Nest

Eastern Phoebe on Nest

Sandhill Crane parents feeding baby

Western Bluebird mother and her three chicks

Insulating My Nest Box

Pygmy Nuthatches will use animal fur and feathers to insulate their nest box. This image shows the nuthatch filling one of the seams with fur.

Song Sparrow Feeding Cowbird

Song sparrow feeding a cowbird in my backyard.

Claiming Our Nest

Swallows claiming their nest. Nest found at the visitor’s center at Glacier National Park, MT.

Under Construction

Great Blue Herons building their nest. Male giving female stick to place in nest.

Baby Peregrine Falcon

“Cutie” The Baby Piping Plover

This was the first chick to be found on the Shores of Lake Ontario since 1984. July 25, 2015.

Common Tern Feeding Her Baby

Sandy Pond Inlet on Lake Ontario.

Yellow Warbler Feeding the Youngster

Rose-breasted Grosbeak Dinner Time

Snapped these Rose-breasted Grosbeak feeding at our backyard feeding station.

Broad-tailed hummer nest

Broad-tailed hummers hide their nests well. This one is in a large blue spruce – and the nest is hard to see even when knowing where it is. The two babies are about 20 days old in this photo.

I’m hungry and grumpy – where’s Mom?!

The nest is about 10 feet above ground in a 35′ Blue Spruce in Evergreen, CO at about 7500′ in elevation. The babies are about 15 days old (m/l) at this point in time. Canon 6D at 400mm.

Broadtails having fun growing up

Nest is about 10 feet above ground in a 35′ Blue Spruce in Evergreen CO at 7500′ in elevation. Babies were about 15 days old (m/l) at this point in time. Canon 6D at 400mm.

Broadtail Hummingbird feeding

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.

A Watchful Mother

Makin’ Groceries

This parent robin rounded up a nice array of food for the chicks!

Mother Barn Swallow

I didn’t do it

Nesting Swan

Mom & Chicks

Family Matters

Mourning dove nesting in cactus

Eggs and Rocks

The Killdeers put there nest in the middle of the old road leading to the lake.

Barn swallow nests in public bathroom

Mama is feeding baby in men’s bathroom

Mother in Waiting

I was walking down the road leading to the lake when I heard the alarm calls of two Killdeer. I immediately saw the male about 10 feet in front of me doing its broken wing act; I was having a difficult time locating the other one that was louder. I then looked down and I was only 3 feet from the female who was guarding the nest; she wasn’t happy. I backed off a bit and shot some photos. There were three eggs on that day but three days later there were four.

Laying the Foundation

I was out at the lake to get some photos when I saw the male Baltimore Oriole weaving this nest. This appears to be day one of construction and the nest was complete three days later.

Virginia Rail with chicks

Virginia Rail and chick

Virginia Rail feeding chicks

Virginia Rail feeding chick

Mother Cormorant Feeding One Of Her Chicks

With well over 80 Cormorant Nests built in 6 trees on the southwest corner of Great Captains Island 1 mile off the Greenwich shoreline, when the chicks starting hatching, all the mother and father cormorants were busy non-stop catching and bringing fish back to feed their young.

Mother Barn Swallow Feeding her chicks

This mother swallow kept flying out of the nest, snatching bugs mid-air and zipping back to feed her 4 chicks as fast as she could … over and over and over … and the chicks gobbled up every bug she brought back.

Common Tern mother with her two cute chicks

This is one of many common term mothers whose chicks hatched and were being feed and nurtured by both mommy and daddy tern. These two were so very cute as they climb in and out from under their mommy as they awaited daddy’s return with food.