Lots of late babies….

The summer sun continues, perhaps that is why we seem to have quite a batch of late babies around right now, but first we’ll start at the water…

where levels continue to drop, in fact since this picture was taken on Friday, the first part of this pathway is now dry – well not ‘dry’ it is muddy, but it isn’t covered in water…we’re getting there!

also on Friday I spotted this Wood Duck out on the water, the only duck of any sort I’d seen for ages.  Ernie had seen a pair of Wood Ducks over by the log bay the other evening so it appears that we have been lucky enough to have Wood Duck’s nest in the area again.  There are a lot of Canada Geese out on the water right now, but still going through their molt so being very quiet and sticking to the back areas.  Ernie also saw a Grebe the other evening, at first he thought it was a Red-neck in non-breeding colours but later questioned if it could have been a Western, the bird hasn’t been seen since.  A Red-neck would be more likely than a Western, but Western Grebe have been spotted here in the past, so not impossible.

In the yard and at the feeders a continual supply of young birds, lots of Pine Siskin like these guys…. I’ve seen some really young White-crowned Sparrows again, obviously a second or even third hatch, Dark-eyed Junco as well – saw one today with an all white tail.  There are more very young Black-headed Grosbeak out there as well.  House and Purple Finch are showing up but not as often as before, the Goldfinch continue to come, some with very young fledgling, still begging for food.  Towhee show up periodically, usually young ones, and there seem to be a few more young Rufous Hummingbirds again, I’ve given up on feeders but they love my Monarda and Honeysuckle plants.

and the Chickadees continue to be constant visitors, especially the Black-capped.  I think I’ve mentioned before that I’d never fed peanuts in the summer before – definitely worthwhile as the feeder has got more attention in the summer than it normally does in the winter.  Something else I’ve never fed in summer is suet.  I have been amazed by the number of people on the Backyard birding Face book group site that feed suet all year, even down where they’ve had extreme heat for it seems like months and the birds feeding on that suet are amazing.  I might try it next year but I fear that it will just get devoured by Steller’s Jay – none of the people feeding it with great success seem to be in ‘Jay’ country!