July 3: Baby birds are bustin' out all over

As I stand here at my desk, three young crows are whining in the driveway, begging one of their parents for food. They're full size and look almost exactly like the adult bird, except their gapes--the insides of their bills--are bright red, and the gape flanges along the edges of their bills are still obvious, giving them a lingering hint of that baby bird look. The parent bird shoves something into the mouth of one of the whiners, and they all shut up for a few minutes. Left on their own, they spread out across the lawn to graze quietly. Two of them peck at unripe blueberry plants. At that age, why not try everything?

Begging young crows--
I'm wondering,
does appetite ever cease?

July 2: Blue Jay crisis

Blue Jays built a nest on our front porch and hatched out one nestling, now half-grown. Unfortunately today it prematurely bailed out of the nest, and then did it again and again each time Paul replaced it. We can't tell if it hurt itself in the fall or is just weak because its parents are too busy dive-bombing everything in the yard to look after it. But after consulting Avian Haven, the bird rehabilitation place in Freedom, Paul put it in a basket with some soft rags and hung it up by the nest in hopes that the parents will resume tending to it. We have been trying not to care too much, because you just can't get attached to a baby bird, but the vulnerable little thing did hatch on our porch...

This won't end well--
I wish the struggling jay
hadn't clung to my finger.

July 3 update: The baby jay, in rough shape but still alive this morning, was transferred to Avian Haven.

May 10: Owlets

Took the boat shuttle across the harbor to Vinalhaven this foggy afternoon to meet up with our friend Kirk, who took us deep into the mossy woods on private property to see a Great Horned Owl nest with two fuzzy owlets in it. We also glimpsed both adults keeping a close eye on us, making sure we didn't get too close.

As if covered with lichen--

fuzzy owl nestlings

waiting in the fog.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

May 3: Fox kits at Schoodic Point

I've lost my heart--

a litter of fox kits

has run away with it.

 

Posted with Blogsy