A Time For New Life
May 11th, 2010
Yesterday at Mud Lake, something I'd never witnessed before: Red-Winged Blackbirds mating! In my years as a birder it's one of the most charming things I've ever seen.
I found the female perched on a small tree on the ridge. Her posture gave away that something unusual was afoot, as did the way she quivered her wings, and called repeatedly in a soft, high-pitched voice. After awhile of this the male flew over and sidled up next to her.
His wings puffed out, his tail fanned--he seemed a giant by comparison.
And he mounted.
Then they parted and he flew off to another branch. Very soon, the female made clear that she would like that to happen again. He obliged :-)
For others, there's already new life.
Specifically, two very yellow, very fluffy, and very newborn Canada Goose goslings. I don't know if they've even been in the water yet--that bit of wetness on his down may be from hatching. The parents are still very protective, hissing if I get too close. (Later on, they'll warm to humans again and even teach their young how to solicit handouts.)
Elsewhere around Mud Lake, patient mothers continue to brood. Once all the goslings are hatched, the parents will gather them together into a creche for communal protection.
A very few are further along still. Ravens lay their eggs as early as February. The raven's nest at Mud Lake already has fledged young. The teenage ravens are flying around in the canopy near the nest, calling back and forth to each other and generally making an ungodly racket any time of day.
May 11th, 2010
Yesterday at Mud Lake, something I'd never witnessed before: Red-Winged Blackbirds mating! In my years as a birder it's one of the most charming things I've ever seen.
I found the female perched on a small tree on the ridge. Her posture gave away that something unusual was afoot, as did the way she quivered her wings, and called repeatedly in a soft, high-pitched voice. After awhile of this the male flew over and sidled up next to her.
His wings puffed out, his tail fanned--he seemed a giant by comparison.
And he mounted.
Then they parted and he flew off to another branch. Very soon, the female made clear that she would like that to happen again. He obliged :-)
For others, there's already new life.
Specifically, two very yellow, very fluffy, and very newborn Canada Goose goslings. I don't know if they've even been in the water yet--that bit of wetness on his down may be from hatching. The parents are still very protective, hissing if I get too close. (Later on, they'll warm to humans again and even teach their young how to solicit handouts.)
Elsewhere around Mud Lake, patient mothers continue to brood. Once all the goslings are hatched, the parents will gather them together into a creche for communal protection.
A very few are further along still. Ravens lay their eggs as early as February. The raven's nest at Mud Lake already has fledged young. The teenage ravens are flying around in the canopy near the nest, calling back and forth to each other and generally making an ungodly racket any time of day.
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