Welcome to Bird Photos, June 2017

We came here from last month's thread
The thread "Bird Photos, May 2017" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

after starving my birds for about a week because our local squirrel has 3 baby squirrels that were just driving me nuts,
digging in all my pots and beds even killing a few seedlings.
I broke down and hung some suet for the downy woodpecker and a woodpecker seed block.
(But still chasing any squirrel away I see.)
only thing I got a shot of though was a blue jay and it's mini me ,
not the best shot so I kept it kind of small.

Love that shot, Kurt!!

There was all kinds of critters moving around in the grass and on the ground today. I found this little cardinal to be extra cute.


I only had a moment to snap this picture of a bird gathering dog hair. Must be making a nice cozy nest with it.


And a Mourning Dove


Off in the distance was Mr. Rabbit

Loved that story, Joanna!

@krobra Kurt, thanks for the new thread for June! Can you believe it's June already??? Gee, my mom always told us kids that the older you get, the faster time seems to fly and boy was she right! I turned 69 this past March and wonder where in the world the past ten years went!

Love those two Blue Jays, it does appear to be an adult and a juvenile.

@wildflowers Christine, such a cute little Cardinal and adorable seeing the bird collecting dog fur for it's nesting material ... sure to have the softest nest in the neighborhood! Mr. Rabbit looks like a big bunny ... I've only seen small ones around here.

It definitely does not seem like June to me either.

I have not been able to find many nests this year. It makes me sad. Some years I am much luckier than others.

The time is flying by, my mom said the same thing about time moving faster the older you get!! I recently had a birthday and woke up asking, "How did I get this old?".

On another note, we are having a very mild summer so far, yesterday's high was 86F! I cannot remember the last time we had temps in the 80's in June (usually 90's or higher) and this week forecast looks like 80's all week. I'll be spending more time outside.

Yes, Lin, the rabbit is actually a big hare, I think its a Jackrabbit. Here it is sitting in the briars... blackberry bramble. I had to zoom quite a way to get the picture, it looks more like a painting.

Christine, yep with those ears it definitely looks like a Jack Rabbit ... they are big! We only see small rabbits around here.

My husband went out to pick up the newspaper from the driveway this morning and came back telling me there was a hawk in the neighbors palm tree and I'm wondering if it's the same bird as yesterday because it was the same exact tree and it was going from the tree to the ground, as though it spotted something interesting; an exact replica of his actions yesterday. I did see it eating something yesterday but I couldn't tell if it was a snake or a frog or what. Anyway, I walked over to the edge of their property and stood in the street to get a few pictures before he flew off.

Red-shouldered Hawk



He decided to jump to the ground just as I snapped this one:

Love the painterly rabbit photo, Christine!

And the amazing detail on your hawk, Lin. It's almost as if he was deliberately doing celebrity poses for you!

Thanks Mika!

Third fledgling of the year!! A baby jay! I see Blue Jays in my yard a few times a day, but today was different. There were a few of them just hanging out and talking. Probably because of this little guy! So far we have had a northern cardinal, american robin, and a blue jay!










Here is one of the parents. They have been keeping an eye on him. I just read they can be very aggressive to humans who get near, so I will be watching from inside! Haha! :D

Great shots Jenny, that baby Jay is so adorable!

I so agree - totally ADORABLE baby blue jay. Wonderful captures, Jenny.

During last Friday's Little Lehigh stroll, I did spot a few land based feathered friends. First,a female and a male Oriole:

Next, the Barn Swallows were very active around the barn near the covered bridge. One male perched and posed on a post for a couple of minutes:


After he flew off, I spotted another male under the barn's overhang and then a female:

And, of course, there is the ever present Robin.

Robert, some of those Barn Swallow shots look like paintings!

The only pictures I got today were of the same hawk; at least I think it's the same one since I'm seeing it in the same general area every day. About an hour ago he/she was perched on a Fire Hydrant at the end of our driveway, in the pouring rain ... and I'm not complaining about the rain because it's been so dry here with brush fires in some areas ... the rain is much needed and appreciated!

Red-shouldered Hawk

Went to town the other day and saw so many Barn Swallows flying around where the overpass bridge is. They really like those for nesting.

I think I saw the same bird from the other day that was gathering up dog hair by the big oak tree (where I knock the dust off my push broom). Thinking it's a Great Crested Flycatcher.




A couple of hummingbirds...

How long does it take for a fledgling to learn how to fly? I have read they are not fully independent for a couple weeks after they are out of the nest. Our yard is fully fenced and I don't see the little baby jay or his parents. I was just wondering if maybe he figured out how to fly enough to leave...

I guess it depends on the type of bird, some learn to fly out of the nest. Sometimes they leave too soon but it's usually just a day or two before they fly.

Here's some info about Blue Jays. It looks like fledglings are flying in 1-3 days after leaving the nest. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/...

Many small birds will fledge in up to two weeks after hatching. Maybe that's what you were reading? Fledge means they have developed their wings for flight.

Thank you! What I was reading was that they stay near and were not entirely independent. However, it never said they couldn't fly, so I was looking for information about that. Thank you. This gives me hope he is ok!

I know I'm like a mama bird too, always worrying about them.

Wednesday, I caught some images of a Mama Merganser and her brood in the Little Lehigh:

After a bit, she gave them a little "white water" training:

Then she rounded them up and continued downstream a bit:

But soon it was time for practicing how to go back up the step:

They can really swim fast!
And then there was time for a final family portrait.
By the way, the little guys have already learned how to dive!