In Philadelphia this past week I saw this young Peregrine Falcon:
Peregrine Falcon
I was also surprised to see how common Gray Catbirds were in downtown Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, back at home, and in the back yard today, I saw a couple of regulars:
Northern Parula
Northern Cardinal (male, in molt)
To Westminster Woods with my better half (at least, that’s what the Coke Zero can said this morning) to see Gram. We saw a couple of birds:
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
To Westminster Woods to see Gram. Turtle shenanigans at the lake:
Late this afternoon I watched a male Northern Cardinal feed two youngsters in our back yard. Here he is with one of them:
Northern Cardinals
And here’s a juvenile by itself:
Northern Cardinal (juvenile)
To Westminster Woods to see Gram. There were half a dozen Eastern Bluebirds just outside her hall, on the lake side. Here’s a juvenile:
Eastern Bluebird (juvenile)
Across the lake, a Great Blue Heron was on the hunt for a meal.
Great Blue Heron
The back yard is brimming with juvenile birds. The family of four Carolina Wrens still mob the mixed-nut feeder together. Over the last few days I’ve watched a male Downy Woodpecker feed a juvenile male and a juvenile female. Today I watched the juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker land on the cage I’ve put around the mixed-nut feeder, and fly away empty-beaked. I just put the cage up yesterday to thwart the Common Grackles. One of the two male Northern Cardinals has figured out how to shimmy inside. Also today I saw at least three juvenile Tufted Titmice, all clamoring for food–at least one parent obligingly brought them mixed nut bits and seeds. Finally, I’ve seen a male American Redstart over the past two days. It appears fond of the oleander. I can’t wait for the oleander to grow back–our yard will get a lot more traffic, especially migratory birds looking for a drink from the bubbler.
To Westminster Woods to see Gram. When we took a spin around the lake, I saw several Eastern Bluebirds. Near the end of our walk, I spotted one sitting on the corner of a bench. I got Gram up close enough for her to see it. When it flew away, and she laughed. “Thank you,” she said.
Eastern Bluebird
To Westminster Woods to see Gram. We saw several Eastern Bluebirds, including this adult:
Eastern Bluebird (adult)
Eastern Bluebird (juvenile)
And the two juvenile Green Herons are still in residence:
Green Herons (juveniles)
To Westminster Woods to see Gram today. As we were sitting on the observation deck, we saw a couple of juvenile Green Herons (see below). After a while, Gram asked, “What’s that?” I listened. “It’s a cardinal,” I said. It was singing behind us, so I turned Gram around so that we could look at two trees behind the dam. The cardinal kept calling, “Birdie! Birdie! Birdie!” and then in a flash of red and feathers it burst out of one tree and alighted in the other.
Two juvenile Green Herons
Back at home, I took this portrait of a Gray Catbird:
Gray Catbird
Finally, in the herp report, I’m pleased to report that I spotted two Broad-headed Skinks in our back yard. Here’s one:
Broad-headed Skink
Migration season is in full swing. Today I saw in the woods behind my back yard four different types of warblers: Blackpoll, Cape May, Black and White, and Black-throated Blue. It’s the first time I’ve seen a Blackpoll or Cape May here. And it’s now family season, too. There’s a pair of Carolina Wrens with two juveniles in tow, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker with a juvenile.
And Ms. Pileated Woodpecker also made an appearance:
Pileated Woodpecker