2008 Bird Chicks in my backyard

'Tis late July and I'm seeing more juvenile birds coming to the feeders and the water trough. It has me thinking about the chicks I've seen in my yard this year. Back in late April, early May I had the privilege of seeing a killdeer family - 2 adults and several miniatures, the chicks. So perfectly like the parents just much smaller. The family behaviors were interesting to watch as well. One of the parents would give the broken wing dance to lead us away from the chicks. And the adults and young would whistle to each other to bring the family back together again. I thought they would be around more than a couple of days, so as I was busy with some other tasks at the time I did not grab the camera to take photos. But it is sure a great memory.

One evening I came home and as I walked up the back porch I realized I had fledgling wrens - perhaps their first day out of the nest! I saw them over the next few days, but once again, I was occupied with other mundane events.

We had nesting swallows, but we were out of town when they would have been rearing their young.

I had a red tail hawk that built a nest somewhere in the neighbor's treeline. We've seen some hawks flying around that make me think we have juvenile hawks at this point.

There have been a group of mockingbirds with the tell tale marks on their breast that indicate that they are juveniles. I've been watching one that flies in circles up the trunk of the tree near the ground feeder. Sometimes I think it is trying to chase the other birds out of "its" tree. I've also seen several mockingbirds together that make me think they are a family group.

I've had a large flock of field sparrows that come in together. In the past, the field sparrows usually come in in one's and two's - which makes me think that some of this big group are this year's fledged chicks.

The cardinal chicks have also been visiting the feeder - they are almost adult sized, but not all of the feathers have come in yet.

There is a blue jay coming in that also has a downy appearance around its bright blue feathers - so I'm thinking juvenile for him as well.

I've even seen a couple of birds that I suspect are juvenile starlings from the markings on their breast that resemble the ones I photographed a year or so ago.

We put out owl boxes - so I'm hoping next year we will have owl chicks as well.

Yes, I enjoy watching the birds that visit my yard!