It's kind of bittersweet, in a way, but this morning I noted that mom and dad Western Bluebird were out hunting, though carrying their prey somewhere other than the nest cavity. As near as I can tell there are two, now fledgling, youngsters. I knew we were getting close and, if didn't look like the sky was going to open up any minute, I would probably try and get some video of them being fed. Having said that, they are also staying pretty high up in a pine not far from the nest tree and, as would be expected on their first day out and about, not spending much time out in the open. All things considered, getting good clips would ultimately be a rather difficult, and possibly frustrating, assignment..

Totally unrelated, but interesting in the "unusual avian behavior" category, while I was looking for the bluebirds I saw a swallow (probably Violet-green) circling near the top of a Ponderosa Pine. Used to seeing that, of course, but then I noticed a hummingbird began chasing it until it flew off. Not sure what that was all about though, as we know, hummers are quite territorial and I suppose it is also possible the hummer has a nest in that tree.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I fully expected (shows you what I know . . .) that the young bluebirds would be out and about by now. The ol' still camera, even with a 500mm lens + a teleconverter, doesn't quite give me enough firepower to shoot them as tight as I would like, so this one is cropped a bit on the heavy side. But I'd only shot video of them and decided to give this a try anyway. So there you have it; one "almost ready to fledge" juvenile Western Bluebird.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every once in a while I just have to throw an evil twist into the weekly quiz, like way back when the subject wasn't even a bird at all. This week is one of those weeks. All you get is this feather. If you know the eastern and western variants of this species, it may not be that hard. Or not.

Last week's bird was one you will find only in southern Arizona or Northern Mexico, the Arizona Woodpecker (Picoides arizonae). Have fun with this week's quiz and, as always, good luck and great birding!

P.S. - A quick check of the bluebird nest this morning found the adults still bringing food, so we'll have to wait another day or two to find them out and about (if it's tomorrow, I'm working an "astro" schedule - giving me a free morning - and might be able to catch them on fledging day . . . )

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Checked on the Western Bluebirds this morning, though at the time it wasn't really my intention to shoot any more video of them . . .

Except I couldn't help myself when I noticed the occasional little head peeking out of the nest cavity. This short sequence begins with the adult male coming in to grab the fecal sac, then you see one of the youngsters having a look at the big old world outside the only home it's known so far. You can hear 'em chirping, too, once you get past the road noise and somebody tossing glass bottles into the recycling bin.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I took a back road to take Roxy over to the reservoir for a swim this morning and, along the way, photographed a new butterfly and a few wildflowers. Pretty certain that this is a Great Basin Wood-nymph and there were a lot of them about. In addition I shot a Checkered White - another species that is abundant right now - and also saw 3 or 4 other species while I was wandering the meadows. Don't know what it is, but it sure seems like the butterflies around here are harder to get close enough to in order to get a shot than I have experienced elsewhere. Might have to work on it some more tomorrow if the weather cooperates since the season here is bound to be short.

While chasing butterflies I happened upon this pair of mating grasshoppers (?). I have no idea what they are and spent a fair amount of time looking on an online field guide trying to figure it out.

With good light I also shot some video of the Western Bluebirds again this morning, too - this time working from a different angle than the video I posted a few days ago. In the first clip the female brings some food, then disappears into the nest before coming out with a fecal sac. The second clip has the female first, followed almost immediately by the male. There's also a pair of short clips: the first is a Pronghorn buck lying down and chewing his cud, as well as a Raven perched in a tree not far from the bluebird nest. Whit the volume up on the second clip (if you don't mind hearing the motor noise from the camera) you can hear just hear a calling Plumbeous Vireo in the background.

I also shot some video late in the day of a couple of Mule Deer fawns, but the camera was set in the 4:3 aspect ratio and couldn't include it here. Maybe tomorrow.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)