Grandson's First Bird Pictures

Our Grandson Andrew, who is in middle school, and I went on an adventure today finding birds and taking their pictures. His first subject was a Cormorant perched on a limb with his wings spread drying out.


A secretive Clapper Rail walked from the grass right in front of us offering a great photo opportunity.


An immature White Ibis happened to be sitting atop a gate and posed long enough for Andrew to focus and capture his picture.


THE FISHERMAN. This Clapper Rail was perched at the end of a culvert as the water ran through waiting to snatch up a shrimp or small fish that passed by.

Andrew was delighted with the birds he experienced and the pictures that he managed to get. Most important of all, we had fun.

Dave's Pond at Peveto

Hard working Dave Patton added a new dimension to Peveto with the advent of his pond last year. The birds love the water structure and love to hang out there, especially during dry times.

This first ever for me Nothern Waterthrush perused the edge of Dave's Pond bobbing its tail up and down as it looked for food. Occasionally, he would hop up on some of the larger branches providing for a better photo opportunity.


The Northern Waterthrush's lightly streaked brown throat continuing onto its breast and flanks separates it from the Louisiana Waterthrush which tends to have a more white throat with less streaking than the Northern Waterthrush.


Another first for me, the Louisiana Waterthrush with its white throat was entertaining to watch plowing right through the middle of Dave's Pond in quest of sustinence. On one occasion he dipped his head down and came up with an earthworm. These two species are strikingly similar.


This wet Kentucky Warbler just finished his bath thanks to Dave. He hopped onto a limb to air dry since towels are not provided.


An exhausted Great Crested Flycatcher flew into Peveto and landed on a limb in Dave's Pond. He was a real crowd pleaser as he perched motionless a short distance from a host of birding enthusiasts.


One day early in May my Son-in-Law and I approached Dave's Pond to see what was up. He glanced up in the tree behind Dave's Pond and saw something that didn't look right. Lo and behold a Review List Lesser Nighthawk happened to be resting motionless on a horizontal limb overlooking the water structure. What a great way to start a day of birding.


Nashville Warblers also enjoy Dave's Pond as this one perched in the bushes close to the drip preparing for a bath.


These remaining pictures were not taken at Dave's Pond but are birds found at Peveto similar to the Waterthrushes.

The inconspicuous Ovenbird is hard to see on the forest floor. The white ring around its eye coupled with its orange and black crown distinguishes it from the Waterthrushes with the broad whitish eyestripes.


The Wood Thrush with its white eye ring, brown back and white chest with dark spots on its breast, side and flanks greatly resembles the above Waterthrushes and Ovenbird.


Robby Bacon quickly pointed out this Veery as we silently skulked through the woodlot at Peveto birdwatching one day this spring. It is more reddish lacking the distinct spots on its chest from the other Thrushes.


This Gray-Cheeked Thrush popped out of nowhere. It was the first and only one that I have been lucky enough to witness.


Every birding trip is an adventure. It is exciting and you never know what you will find. Birdwatchers are some of the friendliest, helpful people that I know. Dave Patton was the first person I ran into at my first visit to Peveto. Weeks later, Gary Broussard motioned to me and my Son-In-Law (his second birding trip ever) at Peveto to come see, pointing to a Yellow-Green Vireo up in a Live Oak Tree. My Son-in-Law remarked, "There is nothing much to this birding." The knowledge of these birders along with others that I have been fortunate to meet such as Steve Cardiff, Donna Ditmann, Robby Bacon, Mac Meyers, Matt Pontiff, Jim Johnson, Paul Conover, Jeff Harris, Jay Huner and others are impressive.

I'm glad that I have the opportunity to meet such friendly people, to see amazing birds, to take pictures and to share these treasures with others.

The Flyweight Division

After weigh in, it is time for Round One of the 'Mini Flyweight Divison' for rights to the sugar water feeder. They forgot their little boxing gloves. :)


The Guardian of the feeder goes face to face against an oncomer. They charged each other creating a blurred whirling vortex of green as they spiraled to the ground. After reaching the ground the loser beat a hasty retreat as the winner gave chase then returned to feeder.


This feeder is mine, so S-C-R-A-M !!

As these little guys whirr by you with their needle-like beak only inches from your head it really gets your attention. :)


Like Michael Jackson used to say, "BEAT IT !!"


I see you, so just wait your turn.


No Vacancy!


A little too much sugar water?

Grooovy Bird

This was the strangest looking blackbird I had ever seen hunkered down in the bushes. It had an exceptionally long tail and a large, curved beak. When I got close, I realized it was a Groove-Billed Ani, a bird that I had never seen. (Left click to enlarge)



The grooves in its upper mandible were remarkable. The two Anis stuck close by each other and disappeared in the dense bushes if you got too close. You never can tell what you will find at Peveto Bird Sanctuary. (Left click to enlarge)

Hummer Happiness :)

Wingbeats up to 80 times per second give this male juvenile Ruby Throated Hummingbird incredible hovering and maneuvering abllity. Hummers can reach speeds up to 60 mph rocketing around stopping on a dime. They hover briefly and are gone in the wink of an eye. They are certainly intriguing birds to watch and have a way of putting a smile on your face.


Their aerial acrobatics are amusing and amazing to watch as their body twists, turns and contorts. Interestingly enough, they are the only birds that can fly backwards. How can one grow tired of watching these little guys?


These speedy little guys love dining on nectar from various bushes. They don't miss a flower as they float about collecting nectar.

Bluebirds

Our Bluebirds are on their second go around this year. The babies will fledge in a few days. Mom and Dad are busy supplying them with food.

(Left click on pictures to enlarge).

The Bluebirds go into the box to feed the baby Bluebirds. After that, it is out of the box to retrieve some more food for the continually hungry youngsters.

The Bluebirds are good housekeepers removing fecal sacs in order to keep the nestbox clean.

Mom and Dad Bluebird dispose of the fecal sacs far away.

Blue Jays, Cardinals and Woodpeckers

The Blue Jay is one of my favorite birds. I love the inquisitive expression on this Blue Jay's face.

(Left Click on all images to enlarge)

Blue Jays are colorful birds with their blue, white and black plumage. Its crest is usually in the down positon unless it gets excited. Their unmistakeable calls carry quite a distance. They always seem to be around in groups.

This stunning, crested, brilliant red male Cardinal with its black mask is one of my favorite birds. This gorgeous bird was named after the Cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church who wore red robes and caps. It is the state bird for seven states.

This juvenile Red-Bellied Woodpecker has a firm grip on the Live Oak Tree. Once you learn its rolling call you will never forget it.

A close up picture of the same juvenile Red-Bellied Woodpecker.

The brilliant colored adult Red-Bellied Woodpecker seems as if it should be called a Red-Headed Woodpecker which is a somewhat rarer species. Their black and white backs contrasting to their red head make them an unforgettable bird.

A few In-Flight Shorebirds

The Least Tern is a small, cute and dainty Tern. This one hovered above the water, plunged in head first and came up with a little fishy.

(Left-Click to enlarge images.)


This baby Least Tern will be up in the air with its parents in no time.

A Black-Necked Stilt with its long legs trailing behind him.

A Black Skimmer skims the water with its lower mandible submerged in hopes of coming up with a little fish.

This Black Skimmer's beak is a bit muddy.

A Willet fly by.

Our Little Bluebird Family

The rainy winter days provide time to build a house for the delightful Bluebirds coming this spring. They can surely use our help.

The Peterson's Bluebird Nest Box consists of seven pieces of wood as seen in the picture. I use cedar and cypress as these woods are lightweight, dimensionally stable and bacterial/fungi resistant. These woods are safe for Bluebirds as they are not chemically treated. The Bluebird House will be around for years to come.

I cut the pieces, assembled them and mounted the nestbox on a pole hoping for a pair of Bluebirds to appear.

Left-click on images to enlarge.


Four days later a brilliant red, white and electric blue Mr. Bluebird appeared and lit on top of the nestbox pole.


Mrs. Bluebird accompanied her soul mate and peeked into the nestbox. She checked it out carefully and the two of them flew away.

I had almost given up on them when a couple of weeks later I was treated to a delightful sight!

They returned! Mrs. Bluebird wasted no time collecting nesting material as she began building a nest for their future family. She was tireless with her numerous trips back and forth to the box constructing her nest.

Several days later the action slowed and it was time to see what was in the box. What do you suppose we found when the door was opened?

It was thrilling to find a completed nest with four little blue eggs settled in the bottom not visible in this picture.

The Bluebirds hung around our back yard and could be seen going in and out of the box on occasions. Three weeks later we opened the nestbox door to see what was up. We were rewarded with ....


Three baby Bluebirds in the nest! A mirror was used to take this picture in order not to disturb the babies. Unfortunately, there was an infertile blue egg at the bottom of the nest that did not hatch but fortunately, there were three baby Bluebirds alive and doing well.

It wasn't long before we saw some little heads peeking from the nestbox.

On occasions the entrance got crowded.

The chicks were happy when they spotted Mom or Dad returning. The Bluebirds were amazing parents attending to their babies. They brought them grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches and beetles to eat.

Mr. Bluebird skillfully placed insects in the youngster's beak while flying in mid-air. He closed his nictane membrane in case the young one got a bit wreckless with his beak, accidentally poking him in the eye.

Mrs. Bluebird's aerial skills were equally as accomplished delivering food to her babies. For such small baby Bluebirds they surely have large mouths.

An occasional green caterpillar was a treat for the babies.

The parents were immaculate housekeepers removing fecal sacs from the nest as needed.

What is different about this picture? This baby was a bit further out the nestbox. His feet were underneath him resting on the bottom of the entry hole. He set there for quite a while looking at the new world in front of him. It made me wonder what was going through his mind. Without warning and without hesitation, he took his leap of faith and flew away to join his parents.

The photos above give us a glimpse of how three Bluebirds developed and started their journey into the world thanks to two attentive and loving parents. It was a euphoric feeling for me watching the magic of Mother Nature unfold and being part of this great nature experience. I hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them. Thanks for stopping by.