A New Dawn
I have been photographing this family of Burrowing Owls for a couple of years, so the parents are quite tolerant of me. They go about hunting, feeding, and grooming their chicks totally oblivious of my presence. This is one of the first images I captured this season with the chicks about 2 weeks after emerging from the burrow. The sun had just peaked behind a distant mountains and produced a wonderfully warm red glow that bathed the owls and their natural habitat. The rising sun in the chick’s eyes promised a new dawn and a new life for the family.
American Kestrel–male near nest
The Other Royal Baby
Royal tern baby and mom. It was a joy to watch this baby grow up. Rockport Beach has a bird sanctuary.
Red-tailed Hawk Nest, Osprey landing in nest
Ma, Pa and their two chicks nesting on a shear face of Fall Creek gorge
Osprey lands in his Stewart Park nest
Mama Red-tail preens her chick’s head
Great Blue Heron nests
Food transfer and feeding time for three Peregrine Falcon chicks
For a few years now there has been a Peregrine Falcon nest in the spring at the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. We’ve been going over for about four or five years now. We’ve seen them bring in a meal but it’s always been hard to tell what it is. And this is the first time I’ve so clearly seen the transfer for the mother to bring in the food, this time clearly a Bonaparte’s Gull. We first noticed the pair hanging in the air over a cliff face just like kites on a string, then one by one they left to return in five to ten minutes and were loudly calling as they performed this meal transfer. There was what looked like one attempt before the actual transfer, then the female ‘regrouped’ and came up again. Not until she firmly had it did he release but that was in mere seconds.
Pileated Woodpecker – Nesting 2016
Adult Pileated Woodpecker, nesting in a live sycamore tree at Hollis Renewal Center (KS) – audible nestlings/fledglings heard a few days later. This nesting pair has been at Hollis, year-round, for 3 years.
Surprise
Robin Nest with 4 Blue Eggs
Northern Flicker – yellow-shafted form
Western Bluebird Nest
Its hard to get a decent photograph of the inside of a cavity nest, especially when its above my head level!
Baby Red Tailed Hawk Peeks Over Nest
Baby Red Tailed Hawk peers over the nest edge after mama left the nest upon my approach.
Red-shouldered on Nest
Red-shouldered on nest at Eagle Creek Park in Indianapolis, IN
Red bellied woodpeckers (second time around)
This is the down on their luck red bellied woodpeckers that had their first house stolen by a pair of starlings. This new house is one tree over so I hope they are able to keep it. If I had better aim I would have shot the starling. Good day!
Mama Prothonotary
A mother Prothonotary Warbler watching the outside of her nest hole.
Lucy, Desi and four fledglings
A pair of Canada Geese started a nest on an island in our pond, in view of the house on March 20, 2016.
I named them Lucy and Desi. Lucy lay 4 very large cream colored eggs and covered them with down. She stayed on the nest each day and only got off for about 45 minutes each day between 6-7 p.m. Desi always was close by watching for any trouble. He ran off two beavers, a blue heron, and several times had to run off other geese in the area, that may be related. Desi and Lucy had been a member of 5 geese checking out the area, they ran off the other 3. These same 3 came back several times only to be chased off.
On April 18th the eggs began to hatch and on April 19th, four little goslings fledged! They swam all around with Lucy and Desi. They come up on the lawn to eat. They are so cute. They seem to be staying here which suits me fine.
Lucy, Canada Goose and Desi, Gander March 20, 2016 – April 15, 2016
My first pair of Canada Geese to choose our little island in our pond for nesting. I named them Lucy and Desi. It has been a joy to watch them from the beginning in their building of the nest, laying of the eggs, guarding the nest, and tenderly sitting on the eggs and covering them with down. Today is the big day! I saw two little heads when Lucy stood up and she called Desi to come look. He is proudly standing on the island by her side. She is still sitting, so there must be more to hatch. They are so proud and I’m proud too! I am so fortunate to be able to see them clearly through my binoculars out my patio doors.
Killdeer on nest
We live on a lake here in Florida. This is the 2nd year the killdeer have nested right at the shore on rocks. In order to go boating we have to walk right by this nest and I think the birds are getting used to us being there every so often.
Flicker Baby
Parents spent days encouraging their three baby flickers to leave the nest. This guy just bleated at their calls!
nice color
just enjoy
Robin eggs
Momma robin is usually always present on the nest. Daddy robin was nearby and very vocal.
Killdeer Nest
This is a Killdeer nest I stumbled upon while walking my dog.
Chestnut shouldered petronia feeding chicks
chestnut shouldered petronia I saw one late afternoon when the cry of chicks drew my attention. The mother was feeding the two chicks (could be 3 but didnt see clearly, 2 was sure) feeding for 5 seconds and then gone for a minute or two to return back and proceed with ritual. the process continued for an hour. the chicks were crying so loud and trying to come out of hole in the tree. I think it is very easy for chicks to fall from nest asking for food.
Nuttals Woodpecker nestling
Pileated Woodpecker on the Nest
Pileated Woodpecker sitting on its nest.
Hooded Oriole Nest in the middle of San Diego neighborhooD!
Hooded orioles are thriving in our neighborhood. You can see them when you go on walks hanging out in the high palm trees. This nest is only about 6 feet from the ground, but is pretty safe from predators. These little guys are miracles. The palm leaf they are in broke down and I had to duck tape it back up to another leaf and the stalk of the tree to keep it going. And then it started to die so I had to create a wooden stake that I painted lime green like the leaf and put it under the leaf with an old oriole nest on the top of it and nestled it in right next to the nest. Working great so far!
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker feeding young.
This young yellow-bellied sapsucker was very vocal during feeding time, which helped me to locate the nest. After waiting at a comfortable distance away from the nest but yet be able to identify the species, both parents came alternately to feed its young. Several minutes passed between each feeding. There was no way of knowing how many young they were feeding, in only one shot did a young one show itself. I visited the area the next day and heard the young calling again for food but after that day it was quiet and I believe they had fledged. This was a unique experience for me and my son.
Hays Eaglets
Picture of all three eaglets waiting for Mom or Dad to bring lunch…This was taken on May 20, 2014. H3, the second hatched fledged one month later on June 20, 2014, two days later on June 22 H2, the 1st hatched fledged, and then our little one (the baby) H4 fledged on June 27, 2014…Was a beautiful year for the Hays Bald Eagle Nest in Pittsburgh, PA…We were so lucky and blessed to have this site to watch…learn… and grow with them…They had the best protective parents..They are all now soaring above as strong and majestic eagles…
Safe and Secure in a Cholla
Discovered this nest while walking my dog. The male and female were building this nest and a few days later I peeked in and discovered the eggs in this cholla cactus.
Pygmy Nuthatch Bringing a Grub to Its Chicks
Both parents constantly brought grubs and spiders to their hungry chicks in a cavity in an old dead tree (snag). Photographed at Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz, CA.
http://www.biophiliapress.com
Pygmy Nuthatch feeding nestling
Pygmy Nuthatch feeding hungry nestling at its nest cavity in a ponderosa pine snag.
Red-bellied woodpecker
Great crested flycatcher
Day of fledging, great crested flycatcher
Barred Owl Nestling
Barred Owl nestling in old Beech tree.
male Nuttall’s woodpecker feeding his son.
Nuttall’s woodpeckers in Pepper tree.
Mourning Dove
Baby doves in the gazebo.
Last year, I discovered a dove nest inside the rafters of my backyard gazebo. She had one baby who I got to watch grow up and she eventually flew away. Left the nest alone and to my delight, the doves returned to the nest this year and they are raising two new babies. The papa dove often can be seen on top of my storage building keeping watch for the feral cats who frequent my backyard.
Happy Birthday
Newborn babies.
2013 Eastern Phoebe Nest that fledged 5
The Phoebes were under our deck last summer and this summer returned to the same nest. Day and night one adult is on the nest and one is within 25 yards of the nest.
Common Grackles
New Born
Northern Cardinals nest in a shrub next to my office window. Three new born cardinals and one egg
Mama Bird
We found 2 eggs in this nest in our pine tree one afternoon. By early evening the mama bird had come home to sit on them……..
Mourning Bird Nest
Mourning Dove with two eggs in nest.
Dove
Young of Indian Robin(Saxicoloides fulicatus)
Indian Robin build nest in broken white ants mounds.
Nashville Flicker
Male Flicker in and on hollow tree, drumming and calling