Photo T. Hache
Male Eastern Bluebird after just feeding young

Adult birds sure are busy these days.  Everywhere I look, there's an adult bird of one species or another gathering food for its young.  Tree Swallows (thanks for your photos of the young ones, Jim!), Chipping Sparrows, Robins, Crows, and a pleasant surprise this week:  Eastern Bluebirds (thanks for the invite, Cheryl!)  Even Loons are very busy feeding their young now, as Maggie's recent photo from White Lake demonstrates (thanks so much for the photo, Maggie!)

I was very pleased this week to see Cheryl's photos on Facebook and be able to let her know that she is indeed hosting a family of Eastern Bluebirds in her backyard.  I was able to go over, watch and photograph them last week and what a treat that was.  By the sounds coming from the birdhouse, there are least 3 and maybe even 4 babies in there so the parents are working overtime to keep them all fed.  It won't be long before they are flitting around the yard.  I just hope Cheryl can keep her neighbour's cats away from the yard long enough so the youngsters stand a chance at life.  (People, there IS a law about roaming cats!!)  Cheryl's is only the second Bluebird family in someone's yard in town this year that I know of.  If you are lucky enough to be hosting Bluebirds this year, please let me know.

'My' first Tree Swallow family has fledged.  There were at least 4 babies in the garage-peak birdhouse and they all fledged last weekend.  The family in the backyard birdhouse is still going strong.  The babies in there are just getting big enough to peek out of the birdhouse opening.  They'll be fledging within the week, likely.  Still lots of Swallow activity in the neighbourhood, Tree and Cliff Swallows.
This week, I've had a single Mourning Dove coming around.  It's been in the backyard once or twice and on the roof of the porch.  This morning, I could hear it calling in the calm air.  There haven't been very many of them around this year.

Baby birds are all over the place now.  Grackles, Starlings, Crows, Tree Swallows, Hairy Woodpeckers, Loons, Chipping Sparrows .... all have young floating around, begging loudly to be fed.  My husband and I went for a short walk the other evening and were pleased to spot a female Hairy Woodpecker with a young one that looked to be another female.  They were quite noisy, trying to keep track of each other!  It's so entertaining to watch but the adult birds must be on the verge of exhaustion by now.  Some of them are starting to look pretty tattered around the edges. 
I have a male Ruby Throated Hummingbird coming to my front feeder regularly (thank you so much for the email, Mrs. Phippen!).  Last night, I was sitting on the step below the feeder when he swooped up, hovered and stared and chirped at me for a minute before he took off to the backyard.  They are so much fun to watch!  That reminds me, it's time to refresh the feeders for them.
Hope you all are enjoying baby bird season!

Happy Sightings .....
tammie@theecho.ca  
826-4561

Photo Maggie Kireef
Pair of Adult Loons with 2 very young babies

 

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