Here are some new kids on the block who came to visit yesterday while I was planting petunias. I was in the dabbling mallard pose under the honey locust, grubbing out fox tail grass and grubbing in fluffy-ruffled double pink petunias, when I heard urgent chink-chinking calls right above my head. A much harassed and nearly de-feathered mother downy woodpecker was feeding a pair of chicklings, (which were nearly as fluffy as the flowers,) suet and then sneaking away trying to get them to fend for themselves. She is already pretty tame and they don't know any better, so even with 3X zoom, I could get some fairly close shots. The big fluffy birds are the kids; the small scrawny one is the mama.
Mama is the little beleaguered bird on the bottom
Baby is the big one
Should I fly away from the fool shoving that little camera at me?
She looks sort of dangerous...
Na, this stuff is pretty good....
MAAAAAA...come over here and chip some more of this out for me, will ya?
Wonderful photos and amusing captions! I always wonder at how the baby birds seem larger than the parents.
ReplyDeleteGreat capture, threecollie.
ReplyDeleteMy goats eat up all the locust trees except the big ones here. Not that I mind terribly...the thorns will blow out your tires. Wish we had the honey locust...ours are the black.
Thanks so much for stopping by the SMB. I'm thrilled to have some of your shares on B$...have liked your blog for a while.
So sorry the whipporwills are gone from your neck of the woods. They do seem to favor bits of rough in the pastures. They are the second sign of spring here...coming about a month after the frogs sing.
NW, thanks, the place was full of babies today, the woodpeckers, chipping sparrows, a silly young blue jay that kept going into the roof of the heifer barn. it was fun.
ReplyDeleteI have read that they look bigger because they still have down feathers under the regular ones..don't know if it is true.
Rosie, thanks for visiting! I stop by your blog quite often. Your template and layout are very special.
The lady who runs the local Christmas bird count said that she thought that the loss of farm ground might be the reason for the decline...I know I miss them.
Cute photos and great captions. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laurie
ReplyDeleteI've been busy with my new foster brother, and didn't realize how much I missed you until I came back. Thanks for being there! I love the birds - photos and video!
ReplyDeleteHi cubby, glad to have you visit when you get a chance. I haven't been able to visit as many blogs as I'd like lately either. It is such a busy time of year. I admire you and your moms for taking in such an interesting little dog. He makes quite a nice "boxer" and friend for you.
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