Oh my, how quickly the lovely season of Spring disappears here in the southeast.
The sweet pansies and violas who brought color to the freezing days
of Winter, then stood tall through springtime in both pots and flower beds,
(mine actually self-seeded into the beds like magic this year), are just about over
now the days are hot and often very humid.
Carolina chickadee with spider.
Bird life in the garden has been extremely busy this Spring.
Amazing goings on in this hanging Boston fern where the pair of House finches
raised their offspring with the help of a Carolina chickadee, had us glued to the
dining room window, and me on a step stool every day with a camera!
The three together - can't believe I actually caught a photo of this visit - parent
finches and the chickadee.
Only two of the four eggs hatched - this was the last baby to leave the nest,
several hours after the first one fledged. The chickadee persuaded it to go,
enticing it out with juicy snacks while the parents were apparently minding the
other one. The chickadee actually returned for several days afterward as if
checking on the remaining unhatched eggs, very unusual.
Finch nest in the hanging Boston fern on front porch.
Brown thrasher watching its nest.
The baby cardinals left their nest in the back garden last week, and I did see one
fly off with its mother but didn't have a camera handy.
We still have another nest with hatchlings in the garden - a Brown thrasher pair built
a twiggy home in the large privet for their family. They are both busy now bringing
tasty morsels but because it's just too high - and I don't want to disturb them by putting
up a ladder - I can't see into the nest so don't know how many babes there are.
Summer will be here all too soon for me.
Hot now, much hotter then.
Baby birds will hopefully be sturdy and healthy to deal with the blazing sun.
We'll be traveling north soon where hopefully it will still be much cooler.
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Does it happen very often that a "stray" bird will help out other bird parents like this? So interesting!
ReplyDeletePansies are so pretty, aren't they!
ReplyDeleteBirds and baby birds - your garden is like a sanctuary or paradise for them, because you know what they need and take care of them without disturbing them.
Your garden is a real bird sanctuary. How lovely to have so many babies successfully fledged.
ReplyDeleteMary, your photos are wonderful. How lucky are you to be able to look right inside the nest and watch the comings and goings. I love the wee one in it's nest. It is beautiful here for awhile yet and then like you I will be complaining about the humidity.
ReplyDeleteWhat a busy bird nursery you have in your garden. I would love watching them. We only have baby squirrels all over our yard. Yesterday morning as I walked in the garden quite early I heard grunting and looked up. They were telling me they didn't like me disturbing their play time. Well I told them I didn't like that they ate my cherries.
ReplyDeleteYou are able to get such wonderful shots of the birds in your garden. We hear bird song all of the time in the forest around us, but we don't see many birds. We are not able to put out feeders because of the bears. But is seems the birds here prefer the forest.
ReplyDeleteYou are able to catch so many beautiful shots of the variety of birds you have around you. What a wonderful feeling that must be! And I enjoy seeing your pics!
ReplyDeleteJane xxxx
Great capture with the spider. How interesting that the Chickadee was helping with the Finch babies. Too hot here to do much outside during the day. I'm not a fan of summer in the desert.
ReplyDeleteWe have a great deal of bird activity in our garden at the moment Mary ..... they are all busy, busy, flying back and forth with all sorts of things in their beaks !!! I think there are quite a few nests in our trees but they are well hidden unlike yours .... what amazing photographs you have managed to get. I was dead heading the roses this morning and a cheeky fox just strolled by !!!!! XXXX
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos Mary.
ReplyDelete