End of June 2019 Heron Cove June Events

                                                           Brown Thrasher on Nest


061619

1040-1222/74-80 F/mostly-variable clouds/W-6/85-77% RH/29.92-2990 Hg and steady

All young Green Herons have fledged, with four hanging in the common near south nest tree from prior years/the blind has paid off with close sightings/parent is still not on Green Heron nest two with no sign of young, possibly due to diminutive size.

Green Thrasher nest never showed its young.  Perhaps eggs were not viable, a predator consumed them or the young.

                                                     Brown Thrasher, Right Side of Nest

                                                         Two Youngest Green Herons,
                                                                         Clutch 1

061919

0706-0750/71-72 F/partly cloudy/W-5/79% RH/29.85-29.82 Hg and steady

Green Heron clutch one totaled 5 young with all seen, plus both adults, possibly two tiny nestling heads seen in nest 2.

                                                        Next-to-Youngest Green Heron

                                                              Eldest Green Heron of three    

                                                              Middle Green Heron of 5

                                                                      Youngest of 5

                                                      Eldest of Younger 3 Green Herons

                                                               Youngest Green Heron

                                                                       Ditto, Pose 2

                                                          Green Heron On Nest 3



062019

0705-0834/74-79 F/clear/S-7/81-76% RH/29.82 Hg and rising to 29.79 Hg and steady

Three fledges from clutch 1 rapt in attentiveness.  Nest 3 well observed with its Green Heron adult occupant atop it, as viewed above.  Two House Finches, possibly a pair seen observing a predator in area of blind, but suspect not found causing same fracas.  Blue-gray Gnatcatcher heard on west side of Heron Cove among clump of trees where last fall's Palm Warbler and migrating Clay-colored Sparrows have always been found around western soapberry and Bradford (callery) pears.

                                                       Mallard Hen and Ducklings



062219

0818-0922/84-85 F (90 to skin)/variable clouds/S-12/74-73% RH/29.86-29.90 Hg and rising

                                                    Second View, Green Heron On Nest 3

062319

1218-1254/75-77/variable clouds/SE-8/84-81% RH/29.87-29.85 Hg and steady (after earlier rain)

                                                             Youngest Green Heron



062419

0712-0759/66-68 F/clear/W-8/86-84% RH/29.94-29.95 H and rising

                                                      Fledgling Red-winged Blackbird



062519

0716-0820/71-75 F/clear to partly cloudy/S-10/81-80% RH/30.01 Hg and steady to rising

                                                                   Male Bell's Vireo

                                                                     Ditto, View 2



062619

0726-0814/77-79 F/clear/SE-10/81-79% RH/30.13 Hg and rising

                                                                 Youngest Green Heron



062719

0705-0759/79 F/clear/S-9/78% RH/30.18 Hg and rising

Potpourri for the Birding Soul

                                                                       Green Heron

                                                 Recently Fledged Red-winged Blackbird

                                                                    Eastern Kingbird

                                                        Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon hispidis)

                                                                    Great Blue Heron

                                                             Great Crested Flycatcher

                                                                   Male Bell's Vireo

                                                                     Green Heron


0650-1030 hrs./64-80 degrees F/partly cloudy/10 mph NNW winds

These shots were taken over the past couple of days, but I was unable to post them until today.
As of now, all photos are caught up and on line.  The weather appears to be settling down, and
perhaps there will be more bird activity that I can record.

As a matter of record, the Neotropic Cormorants are still in the area and I finally observed a
Double-crested Cormorant after not seeing one for a good ten days.  Also, a couple of male
Bell's Vireos have returned to the lake early last month, has been singing in search of a mate for
over 7 days, and I am pleased to report that he has a possible mate today.  It was the first time that
I have seen her this year.  The male birds are very aggressive, but the females are not as very passive birds.  They are not dimorphic(unable to distinguish the sexes).

There are two singing males on the east side of the lake, #3 did not yet return this year.  Male 2(M2) has the larger territory, approximately one acre, and will be observed going from the top of one
average sized tree to another.

There are now two Northern Flicker families on Boomer Creek, one still not yet fledged.  The
recently fledglings have been out in the open and can be observed from the grassy field near the riparian forest edge.

After several tries, Lady Luck and the Great Crested Flycatcher permitted a photo shoot yesterday.
There are a couple of Yellow-billed Cuckoos (AKA rain crows or storm crows, as the Southern rumor is that their presence precedes rain), but neither has been too co-operative with pictures.

Today was the first day that I observed three Green Herons at the lake, and I have high hopes for
breeding again this year.  We'll just have to see what nature holds.

There are at least one hundred assorted babies out and about this season, so do be wary and watch
where you step.  They are still learning the ways of the world and don't pay much attention to people yet.

Today, a Sharp-shinned Hawk was driven out of the area by a raucous band of protection, that
included Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, Great-tailed Grackles, and Red-winged Blackbirds.  It had
something in its clutches, possibly a bird, and if so, I am assuming that it could have been a baby
bird.  The entourage flew right over my head before 0800, and I never saw any of those in pursuit
return.  I was also told that the group flew at least as far as Boomer Creek, so it was a long distance chase.  If anyone is aware of this, or saw any of it, contact me through this medium.

Babies and a Bird's Circle of Life

                                                      Juvenile(juvenal) American Robin

                                                Recently Fledged Red-winged Blackbird

                                                          Immature Great-tailed Grackle

                                                                     Bell's Vireo

                                                                  Eastern Meadowlark


67-82 degrees F/0738-1018 hrs./12-15 mph wind gusts/partly cloudy


The weather has not been very co-operative over the past couple of weeks, for there has been
heavy cloud cover in the early morning or rain.  The sun poked through the clouds relatively early,
so I ran out the door in hopes of getting a few photos.

As luck would have it, several of my first-seen of the day were young birds, which I have been
hoping for.  For those of you that have never seen a young American Robin, this is a good example
of the spotted breast, which clearly shows that it is in the thrush family.

This recently fledged(not long out of the nest) Red-winged Blackbird was seen hiding in the weeds,
waiting for a parent to return with food.

This Great-tailed Grackle is an immature bird with feathers that denote it still as a young bird, but it still doesn't have the feathers of an adult.  Note the bill, which is a good clue on the fact that this is
a bird in the grackle family.  The tail is still a little short for an adult, the gape(mouth) still shows some yellow, and it is out in the open awaiting a parent to provide food.  This bird is old enough not to draw attention to itself in order to attract a predator, like a hawk.

This lovely example of a Bell's Vireo is a singing male.  Normally these birds remain in a dense shrub
or in the leaves of a tree, which tells me that this bird is actively seeking a mate or doesn't yet have
any offspring.  This vireo was observed at the tops of trees at three different short-spaced occasions
on this morning.

This Eastern Meadowlark has been singing in the vicinity for quite some time.  He had attracted a female several weeks ago, but the field where he and his mate had been trying to nest had been mowed once already.  Either something happened to her, or she simply disappeared for whatever
reason, so he is still trying to find a female to mate with.

This is the time to be aware of young birds on the ground, so do watch where you step, even if on a
sidewalk.  Also be aware that an adult bird is watching the young bird, so please don't take it away
thinking that it has been abandoned.  Unless you are certain that this bird has been unattended for several hours, do NOT intervene.  If you see the young bird covered with ants, DO take action and seek the help of a licensed rehabilitator.  The ants will eat that bird alive.

For assistance in locating a rehabilitation, contact your local veterinarian or a warden.

Some Recently Fledged and Nestlings

                                                              Juvenile Mourning Dove

                                                        Fledgling Red-winged Blackbird

                                                                 Blue-winged Teal

                                                                 Northern Cardinal
                                                                     "I See You..."

                                                      American Robin Feeding Nestlings

                                                            Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

The weather is still misbehaving, as such, so it can be a little hard to get out to photograph.
However, when it is possible, the sights and sounds are excellent pickings.

Pre-Summer Fun in the Sun

                                                       Immature Red-winged Blackbird

                                                              Mallard Family

                                                            Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

                                                                      Bald Eagle

                                                             White-breasted Nuthatch

                                                 Recently Fledged Red-winged Blackbird

                                                          Female Orchard Oriole

There's a lot of activity on the lake as we get closer to official summer.  Even though the weather
has been out of sorts and we have to bear with it,  there are still plenty of wonders to see,
especially, shortly after the rain.