Comes out running

Killdeer chick

Hummy Mommy and baby.

Baby Canyon Wren

A pair of Canyon Wrens make our barn their home. They typically have 2 or 3 sets of babies each year. This baby just left the nest a day earlier.

Nothing to see here!

Decorating the Nursery

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.

House Wren

House Wren Eggs

Flycatcher eggs

Dove Chick

Cute Baby Carolina Wren.

I saw this cute baby Carolina Wren playing hide and seek with his six other brothers and sisters, but he never knew where to hide!

Mama I’m hungry!

Taken outside our kitchen window in our Locust Tree.

Time to Feed the Little One!

The adult gull feeds tiny pieces at first.

So happy to finally meet you!

The herring gull egg FINALLY hatched and momma (or daddy) is looking lovingly at the chick.

Red-naped Sapsucker

On a trip to Colorado, we spotted a Red-naped Sapsucker nest in an Aspen tree. The male came with food for the chicks every few minutes, allowing for great views. In this shot, he has food for the chicks.

Baby Magpie Robins

Oriental magpie robin babies in nest

Junco baby birds!

A ride, please!

This juvenile Eastern Bluebird had a sweet teasing expression and seemed to be appealing for someone to play and give it a ride in the wagon.

A Father’s Love

Daddy bluebird feeding one of his recently fledged young

Tight Squeeze

There were two days between all nestlings hatching, with the first hatched visibly larger. While fledging this jumbo fledgling hogged the entrance hole. A determined sibling, ready to fledge pushed and shoved, and finally squeezed underneath the entrance hog, making double decker fledglings. The smaller fledgling continued its mission and managed to shove the larger sibling out the hole with itself right under it. I’ve seen many birds fledge but this was the funniest, and one that I will always remember.

Decorative Touch

A single feather placed next to the single egg, gave it a sweet decorative touch.

Tiny Perfection

This tiny Hooded Merganser duckling is about one week old. It is one of a brood of a dozen. They have spent the first weeks of their life following and learning from their mama on a quiet beaver pond.

My turn, my turn!

Papa Pileated is feeding his female nestling while her brother squawks impatiently for his turn.
This Pileated Woodpecker nest was in one of many dead trees in the middle of a beaver pond. I took the photo from my pack boat.

Last Day in the Nest

Rufous hummer twins

Second chick hatched on May 18, 2017. Note you can still see some of the yolk in the shell. Momma removed the shell shortly after. Also note the nest is lined with white fur from my Australian shepherds.

Nest with a View

A Rufous Hummer’s cooperatively built her nest 2′ from our front window. We discovered the nest on April 30, 2017 with one egg. The second egg was laid the next day. The chicks hatched on May 17 & 18 and successfully fledged June 7-8.

Western Grebes Feeding

Having just arrived at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, I did a late afternoon drive and came upon a few Western Grebe families among a large group of their brethren and enjoyed the show. Whenever the male would bring in a small fish, the chicks on the female’s back would be anxious to be the one to get the treat.

Osprey Feeding Time

I spent several summers photographing an Osprey family from a scaffolding at a nearby farm. This allowed many intimate moments with the family as they totally ignored me. The male is watching over the feeding of his just presented fish.

Early Lessons Learned

I had spent two summers with an Osprey family on a nearby farm when I witnessed this fledgling just learning to fly and being repeatedly jumped on by this Red-winged Blackbird.

Kestrel and Robin

I had spent many hours in a hide near a Kestrel box at a nearby farm. Finally patience paid off and one late afternoon the female came in clearly exhausted, perching with one talon while barely hanging on to this headless robin with the other. After a few moments of rest, she took off for the nest only to return to the perch with her prey to partially dismember it presumably to get rid of non-essential portions of the carcass.

Deer-blind baby owls

Owl Parents

Gosling

One of the many Goslings at Esther Simplot Park.

Cute baby mallard explores lake wallenpaupack.

When I went out on lake wallenpaupack for a while, I met 4 female mallards and one had five little ones with her so I took lots of pics of the cuties!

Breakfast with Dad

I have been photographing this Oyster Catcher for numerous years and when I found out that finally after 10 unsuccessful years they had a successful hatch of 2 chicks this year! I had to see them. I waited about 1 week. I arrived before sunrise and stayed in one place on my belly and waited. As of today the 2 chicks have been banded A64 and A65 .

Dinosaur in the Trees

Caught this Pileated Woodpecker in my backyard this morning.

sparrow’s nest

Cardinal double-duty!

Cute babies

Father and Son

The Male Redbellied Woodecker and his son had just landed on the rose arbor a few feet from my bird feeder. He was very watchful and waited quite a while before leaving the youngster to get some seed. The next photo shows him feeding his son.

Father feeding his young son

We were birdwatching and my granddaughter pointed out this charming scene to me. I grabbed the camera and was lucky to record the male Redbellied Woodpecker feeding his son (I can see a bit of red on the youngster’s head)

Eastern Phoebe babies

These Eastern Phoebe babies were in a nest right above the front door of the building that I work in. It was so exciting to see the parents build the nest, care for the eggs and feed the little ones.

Chipping sparrow in hidden nest in pine tree.

This chipping sparrow made a nest in the pine tree outside my front door and this was the best photo I got of her incubating the eggs. Her nest is protected by all the branches, twigs and pine needles.

Bluebird chick caught napping

Our Nestwatch chapter helped a nearby professor in her bluebird banding project. This study included measuring and weighing the banded chicks. This particular chick dozed off while being weighed.

Western Bluebirds

Anna’s Hummingbird’s Morning Duty

This old house.

Flicker Feeding Time

It was mom’s turn to feed one of the three young flickers in their palm tree nest hole. I monitored the nest from a distance every few days and enjoyed watching both parents take turns feeding their young. It was fun watching them get their feathers and start looking like real little flickers!

Little Forest Dreamer

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.

Mouse Delivery

A nesting pair of American Kestrels had hatched out 5 nestlings and spent much of their time delivering food to the new birds. Most of the time the male was out hunting and there was a delivery ritual when he brought back food for the nest. Here the male is just arriving back to deliver a mouse to the female who will take to the nest in a kestrel box.

Northern Flicker Babies

I came across this nest hole and its three little residents in a dead palm tree while driving up a country road. I was amazed at how patiently the three young flickers were…they often waited a long time for one of their parents to arrive. This tree was also the home of European Starling babies and a young ground squirrel. I hope it doesn’t get cut down!

Follow the Leader.

I happened to have my camera ready when these babies struck this pose.

Choir Practice

Canyon Wrens live in barns and other open buildings in our area of the TX hill country. We have had a pair living around our farmyard, and have closely observed them for over 10 years. This nest box is in the “shop-cave” and is used every year at least once.

Fresh Lizard Delivery

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.

Sisterly Love

These two female American Kestrel fledglings had only ben out of the nesting box for less than 24 hours when this photo was taken. The sisters found comfort in each others company as they waited for the parent birds to bring food as they had not yet learned to hunt.

Choir Practice

Canyon Wrens live in barns and other open buildings in our area of the TX hill country. We have had a pair living with us, and have closely observed them for over 10 years. This box is in the “shop-cave” and is used every year at least once. I have a blind set up and can get great nest photos. Due to their rock-climbing abilities, the adults can do what we call “yoga” grips on things as this mom is doing.

Killdeer Family Home

Killdeer often select bad places to build nests. This couple built their nest in landscaping stones near a busy driveway. So far they have survived the full incubation period and the first egg has hatched. This is a point during the change of responsibility when one parent relieves the other sitting on the nest. At this point the parent that has been sitting on the nest has just stood up to leave and the arriving parent has not yet settled down over the eggs.

SQUEE!

Morning Light

I like fish too, Dad!

Osprey nest box in Lewes, Delaware, showing Dad pulling a fish apart and a juvenile osprey waiting for his meal.

Red-breasted nuthatch in woodpecker’s hole

This nuthatch took over a nest that was originally made by a woodpecker. It’s in an old, nearly-dead apricot tree and she cleaned it up a bit and had three chicks.

Feed me more!

Robin’s nest

Feed me!

bringing breakfast

There were two white-eyed vireos bringing grubs to a nest, they made the coolest buzzy sound every time they came in with more food.

I brought you something

These white-tailed kites built a nest in the top of a eucalyptus tree at the Hayward shoreline. By climbing up a small hill across the parking lot from the tree, I found that I could just see the male over the top of the tree each time he brought a fresh vole.

Golden-Fronted Woodpecker Keeping Watch

Golden-Fronted Woodpecker at Sabine Woods near Port Arthur, Texas.

Black-throated Trogon

A Black-throated Trogon near Guapiles, Costa Rica.

Metallic Starling Guarding the Nest

There was a huge colony of Metallic Starlings in Mossman, Queensland, making a great photo opportunity.

New in the Nest

A baby Egret in a large Texas Rookery. One of the first to hatch for the season.

Brown Booby and Chick

Brown Booby keeping watch at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef.

Testing the Wild

This young Green Heron just came out of the nest and was testing his new environment. He seemed very good on his feet but not so good with his wings.

Close to Mom

There was a light rain and these goslings found the shelter of their mother as I was watchinig from a distance.

Waiting On Food

When the baby swallows saw mom coming they all opened wide for feeding

Song sparrow eating

A song sparrow eating at the feeder.

Where’s Mama?

Feed me, Ma and Pa!

Eastern Bluebirds in Natural Cavity

I was lucky enough to discover this natural cavity with three nestlings while on vacation. I watched for several days as the male and female fed them. They all fledged successfully before I left.

Eastern Bluebird Juvenile Helping Feed Nestlings

This juvenile bluebird is from the first brood. He helped feed the second and third brood. They are on brood number four now so it will be interesting to see if he is allowed to help them too.

Eastern Bluebirds about to Fledge

I spotted this natural cavity with eastern bluebirds while on vacation. I was able to observe them for a few days. This photo was taken the day they fledged.

Eastern Bluebird Hatchling

Hatch day for this eastern bluebird. This female always has white eggs which occurs in about 4% of bluebirds. Take a peek inside this nestlings mouth and you will see insect antennae. I must have arrived for a nest check right after a feeding.

Mommy’s Here

While my mom was sitting outside, she realized that there was a female hummingbird building a nest in our backyard, up in a tree. The hummingbird started sitting in the nest and eventually, the eggs hatched. The baby hummingbirds continued to grow and the mother came to feed them. One day, while my mom and I were watching the hummingbirds, the mother came to feed them. At that moment, I realized that it was the perfect moment to get a photo of the mother feeding her babies. So I grabbed the camera and took a picture while the mother was still feeding and it turned out better then I thought it would!
Elly Drazic
12 years old

No Robins Zone

This robin thought it would be okay to take a break on a swallow’s nest box. The robin was mistaken.

Salad bar

Baby geese foraging

Natural Camouflage

A nest build on a service road in the park. I didn’t know anything was there until mom tried to lure me away.

Bluebird Tag

Baby Bluebird chasing dad from post to post.

Mirror Mirror

My mission this season was to capture images of Piping Plover chicks. During my search I happened to spy a family of Piping Plovers with 4 chicks. I was allowed by the adults to spend the day with this family in this little area that had an abundance of fly larva hatching. This image is of the chick picking a larva in the still pool. Shot with 600mm lens laying in the sand.

Baby Wren Feeding Time!!

These house wrens nest in the box on our front porch almost every year. We love watching and listening to them!

I Fledged Today

I had been observing this Northern Cardinal in his nest tucked away in a stand of bamboo. Watching him daily until the day he fledged. He landed a short distance on a crape myrtle tree near the stand of bamboo.

Patience Little One

Parent Bluebird working hard to feed the recently fledged Bluebird constantly begging for food.

Cute hungry babies of magpie robin

Magpie robin eggs

4 magpie robin eggs in nest box

Cute hunger

Common myan nesting

Nest and eggs of common myan in nest box

Anticipation

A pair of pileated woodpecker chicks eagerly await the arrival of a parent with a tasty meal of bugs. They were perfectly posed when I snapped this shot.

Day-old killdeer

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

Mom’s taxi service

A female pied-billed grebe gives her chicks a ride back to the nest after a hard day on the pond…

Feeding time

A female Anna’s hummingbird with two chicks waiting for lunch.

Summer Tanager Babies

This Summer Tanager nest was high in a oak tree in our yard. Their nests are not well hidden, and last year their nest was raided by a Raven that ate the eggs. I checked every day to make sure these babies were still there. I found one narrow sight line where I could see the nest clearly, and set up my pop-up blind to hide and get photos. The babies survived and fledged!

Sunbathing Lesson

This adult Black-capped Chickadee was either sunbathing or anting on this old snag. The young Black-capped Chickadee seemed to be observing this behavior. After the adult finished, the young bird assumed the same position on the snag, and replicated the adult’s behavior for a period of at least five minutes.