Tufted Titmouse

I found a third nest. This one is also in a pipe. The only reason I knew there might be a nest is I saw a parent with food go down inside the pipe.

See the tail sticking out the top!

These pictures were taken on 4-8.

That pole sticking up in the air to the right of the water tank is it.

I started carrying my camera with me every time I fed and I am so glad I did as I got a special treat on the morning of April 17th.

Getting ready to go down in the pipe.

There she goes!

Now at first glance you might think this is the same bird with a different insect but watch....

It's Mom and Dad 😲!

I thought that was pretty darn cool!

Now I was really intrigued! I had to see if I could get a picture of the nest but how to get up there. Then I got the idea to drive my truck into the pasture and stand on the tool box! The day I did that was on April 18th! It was foggy that day as you can see.

Even standing on top of my tool box I wasn't quite high enough look into the pipe.

So I put my phone over the top and snapped a couple of pictures and was surprised at the result!

See how far down they are!

I enlarged the photo so you could see the babies better.

It looks like they are close to leaving the nest if they can!














On Saturday April 22nd when I went to feed that morning I found this little guy in Fancy's stall!

This answered my question about whether they could get out of the pipe! I gently shooed him out of the stall so he wouldn't get stepped on.

I got the horses eating and went to see if I could find him. I did. Hiding in the tall grass. This is the only one of the babies I saw. Hope he made it ok. So cute 😊

Well, all the babies have left their nests so no more baby bird watching until next spring!

Have a good one!

Found Another Wren's Nest

This nest is also in a pipe. This one is in the barn. In fact there was a bird nest in this one last year. It was a Tufted Titmouse. This one is a Wren. I only know that because I saw the mom. This pic was taken 4-13.

To get this picture I had to put my phone over the hole so I am surprised this turned out as well as it did! The opening is so close to the roof of the barn I couldn't look in.

Momma wasn't too happy about me being in the area. If you click on the picture to make it bigger you will see her squawking at me. The lighting wasn't very good in the mornings under the barn.
These pictures were taken on 4-17.

You can just barely see the beak of one of the babies.

This one was taken on 4-19.

Taken 4-20.

Momma bringing food. Taken 4-21

This was also taken on 4-21.

The babies are closer to leaving the nest than I thought. They were very vocal this morning (4-23) so I climbed the fence to see if I could get another picture. I couldn't seem to get the right angle to take a picture so I settled for this one.

When I went to feed tonight it was eerily quiet so I climbed the fence again only to discover the babies had flown the coop!

I was kind of sad but I enjoyed watching them!

Have a good one!

Robins and Babies

Last year I was given the wonderful opportunity to watch a dove nest and have babies. This year it is Robins!

The nest is perched up very high in a Pecan tree in our backyard. No I didn't climb the tree. My sweet husband pulled out a ladder for me to get high enough to get the following pics! I wasn't that close either. I used my zoom lens

As you can tell these are two different birds. I'm not sure...maybe you bird people out there can tell me which one is the female. I think its the one to the left. Anyway, both of them would get food to feed the babies.

At first I thought there were only 2 babies but I soon learned there were more!

I now see three little heads.

If you look close there are 4 mouths open waiting for something to eat!

I count it a real privilege to be able to photograph something like this in my own backyard!


Have a good one!

Birds Feeding

I've discovered a couple of bird nests in our backyard. One I can't see at all but hear the babies. It is under the patio roof. The other is too high to see into the nest but I have seen little beaks poking just above the rim. One is a sparrow nest the other is a Robin nest. I've had fun watching the momma's and daddies feeding their young.

This is how I knew there were two birds not just one coming to the nest to feed!

If you look close you can see a baby bird's beak just above the nest and under Mom/Dad's beak.

This one had just caught a bug.

Getting ready to take to the nest.




Have a good one!

Adventure Day

Kaidence and I were long overdue for an "adventure day". The weather today was as perfect as it can get. Sunny, 73 degrees with just a hint of breeze.

Clouds decoratively dotted the bright blue sky like a canvas painting. Just fabulous!

I follow our State Park's Facebook page and they have reported a bald eagle sighting. In fact, the eagle comes and goes. When it has been seen I wasn't able to go. I thought today would be perfect. The last report was that it had been seen a few days ago. I asked again at the gate and I was told it was still in the park. I was pumped!

I didn't bring Clyde this time. Thought that would be too much of a distraction plus the eagle was spotted on the other side of the lake which is not for equestrians.

I saw some Canadian Geese. I did use my zoom but I was surprised at how close they let me get especially since I had a dog in tow!

This group were in the designated swimming area. Out of the photo just beyond the beach is the parking lot!

Not sure what kind of birds these are but I am always looking for birds to photograph as I have a couple of friends who are avid bird watchers. Every year at Christmas I make them a calendar with photos I have taken.

Some Killdeers.

Some vultures....but no eagle :(

I decided to go on a hike and maybe I would see the eagle. I took Kaidence to the Equestrian side of the park.

We had this side of the park to ourselves. Not a vehicle or person in sight so I left Kaidence off the lease. She stays with me really good and comes the moment I call her. 

The sun was getting lower in the sky. I wanted to try one more time to see if the eagle was in the area that had been reported. We loaded up and drove back to the other side of the lake. Still no eagle :(

I decide to take Kaidence on the hiking trails that are on that side of the lake. They lead into what is known as Penitentiary Hollow. This place is well frequented by rock climbers. It's a really neat place. Today there was only one person there and we met them leaving as we were coming.

 

 

 

This is the view at the top before going down in the Hollow.

Down at lake level. I wanted to stay here for a while but we were losing daylight.

Here we are at the bottom. If you look close you can see the railing at the top were we started.

Kaidence leading the way back up.

I never did see the eagle but I had an awesome time. I'll go back and try again. I would love to not only see one but get a photo of one! On our way home I stop to feed Clyde. As I pull up to the barn I see a large hawk sitting in the top of a tree. I had already put my camera away so I was scrambling. I put my zoom leans on and was trying to focus when.....

This picture is blurry because the lighting was so dim and he was moving! I was bummed I didn't get a better shot. I seem to be loosing my touch of being ready for "the moment"! After feeding Clyde, we head home and driving down the drive way I spot him again. I tried one more time to get his portrait but he's one shy bird. Just as I got out of my truck, he took flight again! Oh well...maybe next time!

Have a good one...I sure did!