Darling Junior Scrub Jay

It's a bumper crop of scrubber babes this year; on a recent day I counted at least eight of them, in various stages of development, in the trees & on the ground outside the bathroom window. They are very loud young birds.

Black-Crested Titmouse

This enterprising junior black-crested titmouse is enjoying the oriole & hummingbird feeders, too.

Junior Scrub Jay Siblings

They're hot and hungry.

Woodie: A New Guy

I did something in Photoshop called "equalizing" to turn a couple of crap photos into these interesting, yet sort of still crap, specimens. This bird is one of this year's golden-fronted woodpecker babies on his way to the hummingbird & oriole feeders that hang from our porch.

Junior Scott's Oriole

Woodlets 2010

This little guy and his nestmates are coming out any day now. We first heard the woodlets (presumably more than one, based on noise level) on May 1, Saturday, which was 29 days ago; previous years tell us that they come out after about 30 days, and here they are showing their little heads in the last week, right on schedule. So exciting! I somehow can't remember if I took these photos Thursday or Friday evening.


Dad arriving with food


Dad hopping into the hole with food


Headind up to the top of the tree, post-feeding


Junior looking out, post-feeding


Dad hanging out up top

Junior Scrub Jay 2010, Friday Afternoon

I saw two of them at the feeders on Friday—or rather, in the trees by the feeders, impatiently waiting for their parent bird to give them some food. These are photos of just one junior.

Yes, Virginia, There IS a Third Owlet!

No photos, but we saw it emerge briefly on Thursday evening around 8 p.m. or so. It wa just a tiny little thing, seeming even smaller than the bad photo from the other day. Also, we figured out that the window of the box is about 8 inches high, in case anyone has been just dying to know so they could figure out about how big the owlets are. Seems as though last night's little guy didn't even come up to the halfway mark.

My Mother's Owl, 2010: A Third Owlet?

This quite terrible photo was taken this evening as the light was fading and I was very tired. I present it nonetheless because we believe this to be a third owlet! See how much shorter than the others it is. I think it would be even if it were standing up on its little legs; it had a smaller aspect overall. No owlets had been seen at all today until this one climbed up out of the depths of the box.

My Mother's Owl, 2010: Owlets!

Owls nested in my mother's owl nest box for the first time (that we know of or saw) last year; you can see one of them here. But this year, we have seen the owlets! I present to you Castor and Pollux. We hope she will forgive me for momentarily forgetting which is which, but you can tell them apart by their eyes. These photos are from last Thursday, 5.6.2010, the first day they were spotted.

Feeding Frenzy

It's what the parent woodpeckers are now doing all day, every day. Here we have a beakful of madrone berries.

In Town: Starlets and Flags

I spotted this starling and her (his?) little starlets in a tree in a parking lot near my office. Their two little heads were poking out, just looking around, and then the parent showed up with food.






I love this store. Can you tell that they sell flags there?

Woodie. Dad. 2010.

While sitting on the patio Saturday evening with friends, the static-y sound of woodlets was heard for the first time in 2010! There are babes in the nesting tree (I predict 3, or maybe 5) and the parents are working full-time feeding them. Here's Dad just emerging from the hole; you can see his tongue just barely poking out.

A sad note: the cardinal nest outside the kitchen window lost its 2 or 3 eggs last night. I'd just implemented the keeping-in of the cats for the next 3-4 weeks while birds nest, so we know it wasn't them, and besides, there is no trace of the eggs. They are gone—not knocked to the ground, but GONE. Snakes? Um, raccoons? What else takes bird eggs from nests? I feel terrible for the parents, but hope they'll try again soon.

The Sweetest Thing I've Ever Seen: Baby Peacocks at Green Pastures

Hope this translates decently to the big screen...

Town Jays and Country Jays

A quartet of junior blue jays showed up at the feeder on Sunday morning. Already present were the quartet of junior scrub jays whom we know so well, and there was some fractiousness, with the scrub jays dominating the feeder and the little town jays sitting around looking hungry and making unfruitful forays to the feeders. It didn't take long for them to sort it out and all to eat together in harmony.




Junior blue jay on the left; junior scrub jay on the right

Junior Scrub Jay

When he is older, his little gray head will be blue on top.

Junior Black-Crested Titmouse

When he's older, his little gray crest will darken to black.

Junior Cardinal Scout

I am simply unable to edit myself or show any restraint with certain subjects!