Life at Boomer Lake with Deb, Sunday June 30, 2013

There are numerous baby birds in our midst, a joyous season. Parent birds are madly trying to feed those hungry mouths, as well as themselves. If one keeps a sharp ear, they will tell you right where they are, and I have located numerous youngsters in various stages of growth. I’d have to say that my favorite time of year is that madcap time of baby birds.

When I was doing volunteer work with wild birds back in Delaware, I’d look forward to the babies, which was a rather stressful time. Newborns would have to be fed every fifteen minutes, and ones about to be housed outside would be fed every two and a half hours. Sometimes the newborns didn’t want to eat, and other newborns couldn’t get enough. Robins and Blue Jays had to be carefully monitored, as they would eat for the sake of eating, and that could lead to a damaged crop. Luckily, parent birds know exactly what they are doing for those youngsters that have them. I am pleased to report that all the babies that I have found at Boomer Lake are healthy and well. One of the original group of three flycatchers didn’t make it, but not all of them will survive. The numbers are very high for birds under the age of a year that will not survive.

Bell’s Vireos are doing rather well and have their nest well hidden. I know right where it is, and at least one parent is always nearby. This prohibits me from taking a peek, and I really would like to do so, but it just wouldn’t be right. Being watchful, I’ll do my best to see if I can get shots of the fledglings, which should be happening soon. Both parents are getting used to me, and I am no longer a concern to them, so that should be in our favor.

The Eastern Kingbirds have a nest of their own, staying very close to their tree. They have regularly been performing acrobatics for each other, as well as for me. It should be about time for them to begin fledging their young ones, too. It is all just a matter of waiting and watching right now.

There is a fledgling Purple Martin that I was able to capture in a photo, and there are several others. Most of them tend to stay under the watchful eye of the parents. Mother and offspring were in the same tree, but I wasn’t able to get close enough to give you a shot of them together, but I hope this one of the youngster alone will make do.

The Barn Swallows are more plentiful than usual around the lake. I believe that I saw a youngster today, but I’m not positive. The group on the southeast side of the lake near the Southern Cove doesn’t get a lot of human traffic around them, so they are on the skittish side. Spending a little time around them today, here is a picture that you might like.

The Downy Woodpeckers were visiting yesterday, so here are a couple of shots. They didn’t make a sound, but their movement caught my eye. They were out and about searching for bugs, making a number of circular motions around a couple of trees.

Just in case you’re not aware, the Baltimore Oriole will sometimes drink nectar from trumpet flowers. Yesterday morning I found this handsome male atop a cluster, and managed to be fortunate enough to grab this shot. Not being in an ideal position, this was the best that I could do, and it is fairly respectable.

There are a few American Goldfinches around, and the Dickcissel has made a few appearances over the weekend, but I’ll be darned if I can spot him this time. The meadow grass is rather high, and I have heard the sounds of numerous Eastern Meadowlarks, but they have kept out of sight.

There are some very young nestling Scissor-tailed Flycatchers that have been born very recently. Take a look at this photo and see how close they are to naked with just a little down on the heads. I have never seen any this young before. The parents that have been giving me all the wonderful photo opportunities don’t seem to mind me around the nest. Evidently, it helps if you know someone that is connected.

It is cooling down in the area this week, so there is a good possibility that we may see other birds out in the open. The dark birds have been having a hard time with the 100-plus degree weather, as I have. With a dark camera in front of my face it reflects a lot of heat, which makes seeing through the sweat a little hard.

This is the end of this week’s report. Do stay hydrated this week and let me know about all your wonderful nature finds, as you have been doing. Keep your eyes on the ground and your head in the clouds. Happy birding, and I will see you again next week.