Breakfast delivery

We went by to check on the young kestrels the other day and arrived just in time to see one of the parents delivering breakfast. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Hawk, deer, and a haystack

There was something so amazing about seeing this hawk sitting peacefully on top of the hay bale as the deer looked on in the background. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Young red-tailed hawks

It's that time of year again. The fledglings are flying around and curious as toddlers. As long as I don't make too many sudden movements or make any noise, they don't seem to mind me taking pictures at all. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Dragonflies

So many wonderful colors! Click on pictures to enlarge.

Young Red-tailed hawk

I came upon this lovely hawk this morning. At first, I just assumed she was a red-tailed hawk, but looking at the pictures, I'm was not so sure. I asked the Kansas birding list for help and several folks confirmed that she is a juvenile red-tailed hawk. Click to enlarge.

Cardinalicious

She has a new nest in the yard, just a few feet from the old one. She was taking a break outside the thicket this afternoon when I got these pics. She told me she needs more cantaloupe seeds. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Nothing common about him

This little guy is a common yellowthroat warbler. He seemed to be zooming around the wetlands a few feet ahead of me on the trail the entire time I was there. Click on picture to enlarge.

More Kestrels

I stopped by to check on the young kestrels a few days ago and everyone seems to be doing well. These pics are of one of the parents watching over the young one still in the nestbox. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Young kestrels doing fine

We went back this morning to see how our young friend was doing and found him sitting on top of a pole near the same spot. His sister apparently fledged also. It was great to see them doing well. We also saw some activity at the other nest box. Notice the little face peeking out. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Baby Kestrel

I was on my way back from checking on one of the eagle nests last week when I saw a baby kestrel in the road. At first, I thought he was an injured adult. There are many big trucks that come down this road and I was afraid he was going to get run over. I called Operation Wildlife and the wonderful woman on the line said, "Is his tail about two inches long?" I realized she was asking because he was a baby and his parents were probably around feeding him. I asked her if she thought it would be OK for me to move him into the nearby field so he wouldn't get hit by a car. She said that would probably be a good idea. I really wanted to pick him up and give him a few pets while I was doing this, but of course, I knew no matter how cute he looked, I could lose a finger, not to mention, terrify him. I grabbed a canvas bag out of the car and used it to scoot him out of the road. He hissed at me a bit, but seemed very curious about what I was saying to him (I was telling him how beautiful he was and giving him a little lecture about staying out of the middle of the road). After I got him into the field, I heard the parents overhead giving me a scolding, so I figured everything would be OK. We went back to check on him over the next few days and realized that the reason he was hanging out in this area, so near the road, was there is a nest box nearby. Sure enough, another baby was sticking her head out watching. The nest box looked a bit like a phone box, so we hadn't noticed it before. When we checked on him the last time, he was in the same area, but seemed to be doing a bit more flying. We haven't been back in several days. I pray that he and his siblings are doing well. We hope to drive back by tomorrow and see if all is well. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Juvenile brown-headed cowbird?

I think he/she is a juvenile brown-headed cowbird. I did see a female in the yard a while back and since we have cardinals nesting in the yard, I wonder if they raised this one. Click on picture to enlarge.

Fledged!

We went to see the boys and the nest was empty (I don't know if they are boys, but I feel they are, so that's what I'm saying). We figured it was getting close to that time since the last time we were there one of them was sitting in a nearby tree. Here they are on top of some irrigation equipment in a corn field across from the nest. Notice the parent down the way keeping watch. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Growing fast

This morning I discovered one eaglet a few trees over from the nest, on the branch where the parents often sit. His/Her sibling was still hanging out at the nest. I imagine both are flying quite a bit now. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Triplets

The last time we visited this nest, we thought they were down to two eaglets. I was pleasantly surprised to discover last week that there are indeed triplets. Click on picture to enlarge.

Herons and egrets. Oh my!

At the wetlands last week, I discovered an area packed full of herons and egrets. I saw great egrets, great blue herons, little blue herons, green herons, and more. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Fledglings Everywhere!

Bluebirds certainly have cute babies. They look like little fluff balls. Click on pictures to enlarge.

Robins' Nest Update

I discovered the nest empty on June 1. This is the last picture I took on May 29. I have to assume the chicks fledged as the nest did not look disturbed and I have seen the parents around the yard quite a bit. I have seen a few young ones staying close to the thickets, coming out to get a few bites from parents. With so many around right now, it's impossible to tell if any are from this nest. :) Click on picture to enlarge.

Levitate

How I love watching her zoom about the yard. She is a bit of a daredevil. One day I watched her fly through a chain link fence without slowing down for a second, threading the needle at top speed. She has a pretty handsome partner, too. :) Click on pictures to enlarge.