WjColdWater
Senior Member
Plenty of time to kill here in IL. virus cases still rising here. Thought I would share some nature observations on a walk today. Birds are going crazy here with nesting pairs and migratory birds stoping by in numbers. Carol and I spend each morning coffee clutching and enjoying the show to brighten our day. We are blessed to be retired and have a wonderful place to be sequestered in place. I may have to get serious about purchasing a nice camera for better pics. Now a iPhone 11 is the only tool I have to capture images. Hope you all enjoy a midwest version of nature in motion.
Basement ground water and water softener are discharged to this riser in our waterway. Whitetail deer love the salt residue. Wasps, bees, amphibians, birds use the mud and water for their use as well.
Youg of the year bunnies hanging out.
These guys are very special to see.
Slate Colored Junco chicks are growing quickly.
Rose-breasted grosbeaks are here in numbers along with White capped sparrows.
Two species of orioles Baltimore and Orchard are on there way north. Some will stay but, most keep traveling all the way to Canada.
Male Rudy throats are here no females yet.
Nesting birds are busy. Brown Thrasher or Wood Thrush in a spruce.
This is the first for me, I’ve read about this but, have never witnessed it. This is a House Finch nest (small blue eggs) with a single Brown Headed Cowbird egg in the nest. It’s larger and white with brown speckles in color. Cowbirds are “predatory nesters” they use other birds nests to lay their eggs in. The host nesters incubate and raise the chick as their own. The Cowbird chick will eventually eject the host chicks from the nest. Nature is efficient and can be cruel. I hope you all are finding some activities to keep your spirits up in these trying times.
Wayne, Carol and Paige
Basement ground water and water softener are discharged to this riser in our waterway. Whitetail deer love the salt residue. Wasps, bees, amphibians, birds use the mud and water for their use as well.
Youg of the year bunnies hanging out.
These guys are very special to see.
Slate Colored Junco chicks are growing quickly.
Rose-breasted grosbeaks are here in numbers along with White capped sparrows.
Two species of orioles Baltimore and Orchard are on there way north. Some will stay but, most keep traveling all the way to Canada.
Male Rudy throats are here no females yet.
Nesting birds are busy. Brown Thrasher or Wood Thrush in a spruce.
This is the first for me, I’ve read about this but, have never witnessed it. This is a House Finch nest (small blue eggs) with a single Brown Headed Cowbird egg in the nest. It’s larger and white with brown speckles in color. Cowbirds are “predatory nesters” they use other birds nests to lay their eggs in. The host nesters incubate and raise the chick as their own. The Cowbird chick will eventually eject the host chicks from the nest. Nature is efficient and can be cruel. I hope you all are finding some activities to keep your spirits up in these trying times.
Wayne, Carol and Paige
