Birding!

Shelby keeping a watchful eye..for wherever I move!

Knox looking big an brave until another Mockingbird approaches..

Just about daybreak, I will head out to my chair in the yard to watch the world come to life. The birds seem to start the process with their chirping that after a few minutes evolves into full-blown singing. I have been watching the birds a lot lately if for no other reason than to keep the neighborhood adult Mockingbirds from totally mangling the two juveniles that were in my foster care. I released them this week only to watch them be smacked about a good bit by the locals. It seems that the Mockingbirds are the only ones that are this territorial. I know that this is only because there are three nests of young birds that have just flown. Bugs are scarce so the adults do not want the competition of two more hungry mouths. Knox and Shelby, the two fostered birds, don't have enough "street smarts" as of yet so they seem to ask for trouble from their neighbors. And trouble has no problem finding them. If any bird of any species happens to fly near, they begin to chirp and their mouths fly open like they were babes. More often than not, the bird ignores the two and go on its merry way. There is one pair of Cardinals that will actually poke a bug in the gaping mouths of the two young Mockingbirds. I think the Cardinals just do this to get them to shut their mouths!

Baby Red-headed Woodpecker leery to come to the feeder.

Like I said, I have been watching the birds a lot. Today, there was a newbie at the feeder. I wish Hubby would have been here as it was a baby Red-headed Woodpecker. He loves the Red-heads! This is actually the first time that I have witnessed a baby Red-head come to the feeder. This one still had its "baby feathers" and did not have its red head. There were just a few red feathers that made it identifiable! If it had not been for the ever-present parent birds, I might not have been able to recognize this as a Red-head. It seems that we have more Red-Headed Woodpeckers this year than ever before. Just a few years back, I can remember that I would go all summer without viewing a single one and now there are four pairs that visit the feeders. Yes, there is the usual squabbling about who gets what feeder but usually they resolve their differences and get along pretty well. The little one was a bit leery about coming so close to me but finally it was convinced that I was not a threat and it made a beeline for the feeder with the peanuts. It would carefully take one out and then fly to the ground to eat the nut. The Red-headed was in competition for the feeder with the young Red-bellied Woodpecker. Both seemed to want the peanuts! The Red-bellied would take its peanut to a hole in the driftwood post, insert it in the hole and then proceed to crack it open. This went on for about twenty minutes before both obviously got their fill. The Red-bellied headed to the birdbath while the Red-headed went back to its perch in the dead pine tree.

He finally made it!

This evening, I watched the little rail as she puddled around on the mud flats and in the tidal pools hunting for bull minnows. She would dart this way and that way chasing whatever would wiggle. Finally after a bit, she plopped down in the water and sent up a shower of droplets. Ezzy, the dog, and I sat watching her splash about in the water for a few minutes before we headed to the end of the pier to check the crab traps.

A rail fishing for her supper!