Hopes of the young . . .

I have had the pleasure of a pair of Red Shouldered hawks nesting in my yard this spring. I posted a few photos of them earlier this spring, so consider this post an update on there progress. The currently have 2 young in the nest and the parents are quite attentive, as it seems that at least one of them is always on nest protecting, while the other is out hunting for food. The one hunting brings food back to the nest, and starts to feed the young while the other takes their turn at hunting. It's been wonderful to see this from the start. Here's a picture I took this last weekend:

Red Shouldered Hawks:

Mother Goose . . .

So as promised, here is a photo of Geese & Goslings . . . although it did take me a bit longer than expected to get this photo posted. :)

Just a quick visit . . .

So I needed to drive up near Carlos Avery last night, so I thought on the way back from my errand I would just make a quick drive through a small part of the WMA. I figured about 30-45 minutes. Well 2 1/2 hours later, the sun was going down and I was still shooting pictures with a smile on my face. How is it that every time I go into Carlos Avery I see something new and exciting? Last night, the Sandhill Cranes were putting on a show, and were close enough that I was able to get a few shots. I also, had the opportunity to add the Eastern Kingbird to my life list for photographs! It was a truly wonderful night, I only wish I had gotten there a bit earlier so I would have had more time . . .

Eastern Kingbird:


Sandhill Cranes:

Muddy and Rainy . . . but still good!

Today was a bit rainy and muddy in Carlos Avery, but it still managed to show me a good time. I saw a decent variety of birds today and even got a few good shots off. Most days I hope to get 1, maybe 2 good shots, well today I had 4 that I wanted to share! I'd say that's a pretty good day! I also have a few shots of Geese and Goslings that I'll probably post sometime over the next few days, so check back for those.

American Goldfinch:


Tree Swallow:


Yellow Warbler (this isn't the greatest shot, but it's such pretty bird . . .):


Red Winged Blackbird (female):

Unknown Birds . . . are now known!

I can't thank everyone enough who replied with answers to these once unknown birds! The Thrush seemed to be the hardest to identify but Swainsons was by far the most popular answer.

Swainsons Thrush (Back Yard):


Ruby Crowned Kinglet (Carlos Avery):


Red Tailed Hawk (Imm) (Carlos Avery):

Abundant but quick . . .

There are a lot of Tree Swallows in Carlos Avery but they are very difficult to get a decent picture of because you almost always see them flying and not perched. There flight is usually quick and erratic and many times over water at a distance which complicates it even more. This little fellow though was quite considerate and sat atop a sign post for about 5 minutes and allowed me the time to get into a good position to take a shot of him.

Tree Swallow:

Never Disappointed

Carlos Avery seems to always lift my spirits, and allows me great opportunities to see birds. I added two more to my photography life list! I hope you enjoy these:

Northern Flickers:


Palm Warbler:

A little help for my friends . . .

Last weekend, when it was raining so hard and my Dad and I couldn't get out, I decided to build a couple bird houses to put up in the yard in hopes of having a few spring time visitors. Here are couple pictures of the bird houses, and if anyone wants the plans for these they are quite simple to build. I think it took less than an hour to build both.

Oh the rain . . .

Well it's been raining for almost 3 straight days now. My Dad and I were planning on going out this weekend to do a little birding but the weather just didn't cooperate. We were hopeful and kept our plans for Sunday morning, all the way up to the end. It just wouldn't stop raining so we postponed our plans and will probably go later this week if we get the chance. So for now I'll post some more photos from my last outing. Red Winged Blackbirds are abundant in Carlos Avery and so they almost always present opportunities for photographs, but I have never had a good shot of a female. . . until this last time out. So here is a pair of Red Wings:

Male:


Female: