So What If It's Raining?

Said the back yard birds...

Tuesday was the first time I'd seen fledgling bluebirds in our yard.

Three more bluebirds

Perhaps they were looking for worms.

I should put some meal worms out for them.

These two were huddled together during a break in the rain.

Aren't they cute?

Shake it off!

Here Comes the Rain Again...

A young cardinal gets a taste of wet suet from its mama.

I doubt there were any dry spots to be found that day

The Juvenile Cardinals Have Arrived!

While recuperating from back surgery done last week, I've been sitting on my back porch a few minutes each day, observing the newcomers. I've been expecting them and knew they would arrive sooner or later. 

I've observed several juvenile cardinals at the bird feeders.  One group of them appear older than the others.  Additionally, it appears there are more females than males; however, it's not uncommon to err at this young age because immature males may be mistaken for females.  

Juveniles are fun to watch- their flight skills need further development and they're sometimes clumsy. They also fight frequently over the feeders- they don't like to share.  

They remind me of human behavior observed in own our children and grandchildren.  

Thank you for dropping in.  Have a beautiful Sunday!

First Juvenile Cardinals of 2015

It's nesting season again and some of the local Northern Cardinals have already produced their first broods.  I counted six young Cardinals at the bird feeders yesterday (all present at the same time). They're rather unattractive right now with their splotchy patches of red feathers and dusky beaks. However, it won't take long for them to mature into their beautiful red plumage and red-orange beaks. I enjoy seeing the changes occur as they mature.

I also enjoy watching these inexperienced youngsters in flight.  Their clumsiness sometimes finds them in the weirdest positions, like the one in the first photo- ouch, what a rough landing!  

Being the youngsters they are, they fight a lot at the feeders.  I rarely see two juveniles eating from the same feeder.  This behavior was probably learned from the nest as they had to assure they received their share of food brought in by their parents.

I wish you all a great weekend and to those of you who reside in the U.S., 

I wish you a wonderful Independence Day!

Short, Sweet Moment

I caught a quick glimpse of something moving near a brush pile in our back yard. When I turned around to look, I saw wings flapping wildly.  Initially I thought it was one of the birds in distress, as if it were being attacked.  But as I got closer, I realized it was a young mourning dove and it was begging for food from its parent.  

The photos aren't that great, but it was a sweet moment.  

I hope you're all experiencing some sweet moments this week :)

Last Year's Cardinals

While searching through some of my photo files, I came across these images which were taken last Spring/Summer.  I was fortunate to have numerous opportunities to photograph these lovely Cardinals last year.  Hopefully, I'll have the same opportunities this year!    

I hope your week has been a good one thus far...

thanks for dropping in!

Juvenile Northern Cardinals

The dozen or so juvenile Northern Cardinals are growing and maturing.  Although there are still a couple of fledglings that are being fed by their parents, the juveniles feed themselves at our bird feeders. 

I've observed that they're quite sassy with others at the feeders...

like a group of children fighting over a few pieces of candy.

It seems they watch and wait for fresh bird seed- each time I put fresh seed out,

they all suddenly appear, within just a few minutes.

Silly birds...they're so often entertaining.

I hope everyone has a great start to this new week!