Birds and Nature

This is the time of year when baby birds are everywhere--in nests, learning to fly and falling on the ground. These pics are of a Western Kingbird nestling that left it's nest prematurely, whether by falling out or being pushed out of the nest. It was an older nestling that is fully feathered (it even looks like a W Kingbird) but check out the very short tail. I spotted it as I drove down a country road and stopped to put it in a less hazardess location. Though it was just mostly a ball of fluff, it had a good size beak that it used to protect itself with quite well. I had to get an old sweatshirt out of my car to pick it up in so as to avoid being pinched. Both pics are of good quality, especially the bottom pic which has excellent resolution, so do double-cick on them for a great super close-ups. SeEtta

Today I found a Western Kingbird nesting above an old oriole nest. This pair of kingbirds lost a prior nest a few weeks ago when it was blown off a utility pole, a common location for their nests in this area. They apparently built their new nest on top of the old oriole nest that has not been occupied by Bullock Orioles this year. This may be a good strategy since the old nest has survived a year in good condition. The top pic shows the full oriole nest made with some colorful string, a common thing with Bullock Oriole nests. I think the kingbirds may have enlarged the top of the oriole nest to better accommodate their nest. The kingbird's bill is prominent in the pics. Her white throat and her left eye can also be seen. And her tail is visible sticking out of the nest to the left side. Very innovative birds. SeEtta