Birds and Nature

Summer is such fun with all the newly fledged youngsters that look so little like the adults of their species to add a lot of challenge to identification. Fortunately if one can locate the parent doing the feeding as I did for this recent fledgling the identification is obvious--these Yellow Warbler fledglings followed their dad from tree to shrub, begging to be fed. The male bird was very busy finding food for them and also getting them to follow him to a safer location off the main river trail of the Canon City Riverwalk (actually I stood guard for awhile to let these birds move across the trails to further from the trail as many walkers coming by had large dogs that could if nothing else step on one of the young birds). SeEtta

While I was looking (unsuccessfully) for the other Western Screech Owl siblings and any parent birds, the female Yellow Warbler in the top pic took great exception to my presence--she called loudly, flitted about in an agitated state and appeared to try to draw me away from her nest or fledglings which I never did see. Her very attractive male partner came in to help, providing me with the opportunity to get these bottom two pics. SeEtta

I found several Yellow Warbler parents feeding their fledgling offspring at Pathfinder Park near Florence,Colo. The bird in the middle pic is the same fledgling being fed in the top pic and is shown with wings out as it begs for food. The parent and fledgling in the bottom pic are a different pair of Yellow Warblers and I caught them in the act of transfering some green-colored insesct. SeEtta