Busy Parents #2

Lately I saw more infant birds in my backyard.

European Starling young ones just flew in, but still they liked to be fed with worms the mother/father just found on the lawn.

A male House Finch is a good father.  He often brought in a young one for a flight training lesson and gave a treat on the branch.

This morning's hot news!  I saw the second batch of House Sparrow babies just left the nest box.  Just below the box, one of them was just asking for food.

"Give me that bug!"

Not on the Top of the Tree

Band-tail Pigeons usually like to stay up high on the top of a tall tree.

In the early morning sun, they like to clean their feathers thoroughly.

But this morning was different.  One came all the way down to my backyard.  And unexpectedly it found me standing on patio.

"Are you trustworthy?"

"Well, just to be on the safe side, I'll 

return when you are inside."

Hidden in the Shade

A little yellow chunk just shot across in front of me.  Who?

It was a male Wilson's Warbler,  a summer visitor.

"I just don't want to be seen."

"I have to check every nook and cranny for 

a bug.  I am a bug-loving bird."

"Swiftly onto another branch.  If you see a very bright 

yellow color in the bush, it could be me."

Buzzing Loudly

In summer, I have two kinds of hummingbirds here.  One is Rufous Hummingbird, a summer bird who stays here from March till September.   I planted many flowers for them.  Here is the red Columbine with a female Rufous.

"I'm buzzing to the nectar."

And the other one is Anna's Hummingbird who stays here all the year around.  Here she is with summer time favorites.

With Texas sage:  "I've waited for a whole year for this nectar delicacy."

With Lobella:  "This little blue one is delicious, too."

"Early in the morning when bugs are half 

awake, I can swallow them in the air."

"Most importantly,  I have to learn to share food around here."

Bright Yellow

American Goldfinches now have bright yellow summer coats.  When spring and summer flowers are in bloom, their bright colors can blend in with their surroundings for safety.

Today a couple of them flew in and perched on a hummingbird feeder for me to snap a shot.  Say "cheese"!

"Ok.  A big smile from me."

Busy Parents

Sometime ago, I have seen a House Sparrow flying in the air, twisting its body in catching a bug.  It's the busy season for them trying to feed the babies chirping inside the nest box.

                                                                         
The bug #1

"I'm good at catching in the air."

The bug #2

"Me, too."

With the mouthful of bugs, they fly right into the nest box to feed their young.  They've been busy all day for a few weeks.  Almost ready for the young to peek out.

Summer Visitors

For the last few days I've been hearing the soft, rhythmic chorus of Evening Grosbeaks.  It was coming from the top of  tall trees in the neighborhood.  So I hoped they would come down to my backyard soon.

This morning they landed here while it was nice and sunny before the big rain shower.

"We are a big family and like to sing in chorus,
so you may hear us up in the tall tree."

"I'm the head of the family.  We
appreciate roasted sunflower seeds."

A Newcomer

Still cold, but spring flowers begin to bloom one after another.  Here is a rhoddy.

I spotted a new bird yesterday.  It took me a while to find who it was in a bird book, but this bird is fairly common in summer in the Pacific Northwest up to western Alaska.

"I am a male MacGillivray's Warbler 

with bold white broken eye ring, 

gray head/throat with yellow belly."

Bath Time

An Orange-crowned Warbler stayed here for a while on its way to the north.

"I like to slurp the blueberry nectar.  It's so - - - o delicious."

"Today was so warm after a week of cold temperature 

that I decided to take a bath for the first time here.  Yahoo!!!  Splash, splash..."

"I'll stop over in the fall if I can."

New Visitors

The wisteria flowers in the backyard are in full bloom with its sweet scent attracting bees.

The other day, early in the morning, I was surprised to find a Mallard Duck walking on my patio roof and later on the lawn.  

"I just flew in."

The next day a female duck followed.

"The ponds at city parks get boring sometimes, 

so it's nice to look around on the neighborhood yard."