Happy Mother's Day

In the bird backyard, Mother's Day takes a special meaning.  I have a bluebird hen on her second nest, and I see her prior  fledglings at the mealworm feeder and getting suet.  Three of them were there with Dad.  They were begging, he said," PFFFFTTTTT!"  He took a mouthful of worms and flew off.  You can lead a fledgling bluebird to mealworms AND make them eat.  The funny thing was that when Dad left and the red-bellied woodpecker showed up, one of the fledglings was begging.  The RBW was having none of that. When he left, they all got in the dish and ate. 

Also spied is a female red-bellied woodpecker sitting in her lovely nest hole that she and her partner excavated.  It's a largish hole, in a dead outcrop of a healthy white oak.  It was fun to watch them work away at it early in the Spring.  I could just see her poking her head out the other day.  I had not seen much activity otherwise.

The barred owls a the Cornell Lab of Ornithiology fledged.  The first owlet gracefully pushed and flapped his way off the branch affixed to the nestbox.  the second (1 day younger owlet) was on the branch by itself, when it lost footing and was hanging upside down like a bat.  It valiently hung on until it didn't.  Hopefully it had a graceful landing.  There was a picture of an owlet on the ground (unhurt) the next day.   Watching them go from egg to fledging was a treat...but not for the squemish and there was a steady procession of "stuff" brough to the nest for current consumption or for the "pantry". 

I noticed my Eastern PeeWee is here.  It was on a brush pile outside the back window (dense woods just outside a small grassy plot.  He was there for almost 2 hours perching and then flitting skillfully in the air to catch an insect on the wing.  A little aerial twirl and back to the perch.  I was surprised how long he was there. 

And then there is the squirrel family.  They raid my suet.  I put food out for them, but the crack suet attractly everyone.  I bring it in at night to avoid attracting other creatures...though the squirrels try to ensure that there is none.


My fledglings (adult children) are bringing dinner over.  I made a chocolate cake for us to enjoy for dessert.

Happy Mother's Day.