This morning I swung by the neighborhood owl nest area, and sure enough the young owls have fledged. I had a couple of minutes and was listening and scanning for other birds in the area when I saw another woman who was obviously looking in the same area. In a quick chat she confirmed that the birds had been around since leaving the nest, and that she had seen them as recently as two days before. I spotted the young bird above shortly after, clicked a few frames and waved the woman back over. As she was approaching I saw the adult I had missed sitting on a branch a couple of feet and directly above the younger bird. A few moments later I found another young bird several trees over in a more exposed spot.
I am aware that these birds are still pulling a lot of human attention. I imagine, but haven't confirmed, that this is a rough time for owls if mobbing by other species occurs so I kept my looks brief and then focused my attention on the reservoir. Since Redhead Ducks and Yellow-headed Blackbirds are self explanatory I'll use the rest of this post to share a handful of my non-photographed recent observations.
On Wednesday evening, heading home from work, I was able to watch the leucistic Red-tailed Hawk (blogged here, and again here,) circling above the intersection I was stopped at. No chance for photos, but an impressive sight nonetheless.
While doing a bit of tuning up the backyard for the annual Memorial Day BBQ/party I have added a couple of birds to my limited yard list. Wednesday evening a flight of three American White Pelicans flew low overhead, and last night while I cleaned up an old brush pile I had one each of both Red-winged Blackbird and Blue Jay. The trees in the neighborhood are continuing to mature, so there is a bit better chance for more diversity this year. I have moved the thistle feeder from the front porch to the back yard, which has made the American Goldfinches more visible this year as well.
Now I just need to rig up a few spots for the Wingscapes cam so I can multi-task my birding! I also need to figure out a good spot for the hummingbird feeder I used in Estes Park last spring but have never hung at home.
