Look! A bird!

[ohnoes]

There are three young swallows who have found our front porch.  They're young enough to still get an occasional meal from Mom and Dad but old enough to be out of the nest, so they have been spending the night fairly well sheltered.
They're very cute and very messy.

[Thursday's_Child]

Another Double-crested Cormorant appearance on the Coral City Camera livestream:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k

You'll need to scroll back to 11.46.26 camera time (use the clock in the lower left corner of the image) & bird comes in from the right, often partly hidden behind all the startled fish.  Also note that it's only available for 12 hours....

[mamselle]

I was just going through last year's photos to get them off my phone.

Many water birds on my walks, then.

Today, none. No swans, no cormorant, no ducks, no geese, and there haven't been any herons for awhile now.

There were robins, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, etc., but none of the bigger water birds.

I'm very concerned it's either the construction campaigns going on nearby, or avian flu, or both.

M.

[Puget]

I was just going through last year's photos to get them off my phone.

Many water birds on my walks, then.

Today, none. No swans, no cormorant, no ducks, no geese, and there haven't been any herons for awhile now.

There were robins, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, etc., but none of the bigger water birds.

I'm very concerned it's either the construction campaigns going on nearby, or avian flu, or both.

M.

We've got plenty up-stream-- yours probably just relocated until the neighborhood quiets down again.

[nebo113]

Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

[mamselle]

Finally, a heron--he flashed past so quickly I couldn't even get the camera up to get a shot, and I had a meeting so couldn't walk further upriver to catch him wherever he landed.

But at least he's there.

The small swan family has moved downriver slightly (someone left an updated note on the tree a bit away from their nest so as not to draw too much attention to it, or attract its readers too close by).

They do come back upriver to see us, thankfully, also; I got several good photos and a couple of short video clips: the babies are 3 weeks old now, and the four of them hang close in the water.

One of the nearby town's environmental officers had mentioned there were several swans down that direction, so there must be better pickings (or fewer visitors) in that direction.

M.

[Thursday's_Child]

Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

[nebo113]

Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

I thought it might be a wren's nest until I found examples online.  It was mostly sticks, not twigs, about 2 - 2.5 inches long, which, even though unfinished, does make me wonder if it was another bird.

[mamselle]

Got photos of the heron. Yea!

No swans, though, and still no geese or ducks.

The little duckling family I saw a week ago hasn't been back and the two-or-three geese families (4 or 6 adults, couldn't see in the brush on the opposite riverbank, at least 8-9 gosling visible) haven't been around, either.

We need rain, too, got a smattering last night, but I can see the bottom of the brook, which is usually well-filled.

M.

[Langue_doc]

Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

I thought it might be a wren's nest until I found examples online.  It was mostly sticks, not twigs, about 2 - 2.5 inches long, which, even though unfinished, does make me wonder if it was another bird.

Could it be a Northern mockingbird? Their nests look like an amateurish collection of sticks.

[mamselle]

We should have a bird-watching meet-up sometime...

M.

[Thursday's_Child]

Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

I thought it might be a wren's nest until I found examples online.  It was mostly sticks, not twigs, about 2 - 2.5 inches long, which, even though unfinished, does make me wonder if it was another bird.

Could it be a Northern mockingbird? Their nests look like an amateurish collection of sticks.

Yes, although the two mocker nests I can remember seeing included longer materials.  Mourning dove might also be a possibility, if there is room for them to easily enter & sit in the bag.

[nebo113]

Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

I thought it might be a wren's nest until I found examples online.  It was mostly sticks, not twigs, about 2 - 2.5 inches long, which, even though unfinished, does make me wonder if it was another bird.

Could it be a Northern mockingbird? Their nests look like an amateurish collection of sticks.

Yes, although the two mocker nests I can remember seeing included longer materials.  Mourning dove might also be a possibility, if there is room for them to easily enter & sit in the bag.

"Tis  a puzzle.  The angle of the bag seems to have been too small for a mocker or dove, but the size may have been why the nest was most likely abandoned.

[mamselle]

One lone duck, toiling upstream.

One beaver leaving another ve-ee -- -- behind him in the water.

One kingfisher--flash! Grab! Zoom! Wingaway! ...on the lam.

Bright sun, cool breeze, friendly people.

Nice walk.

M.

[Langue_doc]

Saw a Least sandpiper poking around in a mud flat during yesterday's walk; a goldfinch on the feeder during dinner. Saw grackles, red-bellied woodpeckers, bluejays, a cardinal, and other birds in the yard and trees across the street while having lunch on the patio the day before. Hope to see more birds today and tomorrow.