On the water again

 

A nice holiday weekend lies behind us. The weather was mild, but not hot, and we took the kayaks to the Green Island Wetland Preserve for some paddling and exploring new routes in this backwater area of the Mississippi. The water level in the river was still way above normal, which is not necessarily bad for paddling in the backwaters.

Many birds take care for their offspring and you may not see them much out in the open water. It is always a challenge to take the camera with the long lens into the boat but if everything comes together the results can be very rewarding. Shooting on eye level with a bird that swims or just sits along the shore leads to a more interesting perspective than shooting from an elevated road along the shore.

This pelican didn’t seem to be bothered by my presence as I approached it carefully and with very slow paddle strokes. I really wanted this photo because of the nice background with the blooming bushes and the story it tells about the fact that every island and peninsula is flooded.

Ready to leave the nest

 

Today the young House Wrens left their nest, at least at one of the two bird boxes we have installed for them in our front yard. Early in the morning one little wren was already outside of the box, sitting on a branch, but he may have returned later. There was a lot of calling going on by the adult wrens during the day and this happens usually when they try to lure the offspring out of the nest. This evening I saw one juvenile wren leaving the nest box and finally flying into the trees around. The mother still continued to feed the rest of the gang at least a few more times. I left home for half an hour and after my return it was quiet in the nest box. The first brood in 2014 had left the nest.

When I made the first two images this morning during a thunderstorm I had already the feeling that the young wrens were about to leave the nest soon. Didn’t know it would happen that fast. The parents will probably take care for the offspring for a few more days and than hopefully get ready for another brood. A few days ago I saw one of the males already building another nest in one of the other boxes we have in the yard and he was calling for a female’s attention like crazy…

Looking for a new generation

 

It became kinda quiet here in the woods around. We don’t see so many bird activities as just a month ago. Many species moved further north where they will spend the summer and those that are here sit either on their eggs or feed already their offspring. Maybe it just seems that there are less activities because of the lush vegetation we have here that covers the birds a lot better than in early May.

It takes sometimes a little effort to make a photo of the young birds but sometimes they just show up when you don’t expect it. In any case, approaching the offspring has to be done with utmost caution in order not to disturb them or the parents that feed the young ones.

When I was working with the Cliff Swallows a few days ago I suddenly heard something chirping right beside me. It was this young House Sparrow and I was clearly too close to the bird. I took quickly a couple shots and moved away so that the parents were able to feed the young sparrow again.

This young Red-winged Blackbird wasn’t even aware of me. I was well hidden in my car and used the long lens for this shot. Shooting out of a blind, and you know I consider the car my “mobile blind”, has the disadvantage that sometimes you can’t really change the shooting angle but in this matter I found the gap between leaves, flowers, and grass. This photo was made when the mother approached the little guy with an insect in her bill. She called it but the young blackbird just opened its bill and didn’t move.

The last one was made in the grass of an empty campsite. Two of these birds just landed in front of me while I was walking and looking for birds in the trees. I just laid down and made this eye level shot. Unfortunately I still haven’t figured out what kind of bird this is. I thought it was a young robin but back home and after looking at other pictures of juvenile robins my doubts grew. I still work on it… :-)

Déjà-vu

 

If you have a Déjà-vu while looking at this image and read these lines I can’t blame you. My Déjà-vu comes before I make the first image of the House Wren every year. It is exactly the morning after their arrival when the male House Wren starts his chatter and singing right in front of the bedroom window. I say it probably every year that this is one of the most wonderful sounds and signs of spring. I love it! As always, we hope the little guy will find a mate and we can watch them again how they raise their offspring.