LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Monday, August 24, 2015

The Last One


We have been treated to the sight of new fledglings all summer.  We have several pairs of Red-bellied Woodpeckers who come to our feeders.  And now we have what is almost certainly the last baby Red-bellied Woodpecker of the season.  Fortunately, these birds will winter in our woods so we can watch them all year.

The fledgling is well camouflaged against the tree while the parent holds the food on a branch.
Its head is gray rather than the bright red of the parent.




 Early in the feeding process, the parent brings the food directly to the fledgling.
But now the parent sits and waits for the baby to come to him.






 Another sign that the feeding will soon end is that the parent has the baby take the food from above.
Early in the process the parent drops the food directly into the baby's mouth.





 Soon we will be watching the baby make its clumsy way to the feeder all by itself.


It's not likely that we will see any more baby birds this season and we will miss them.  But we are really looking forward to some of our visitors who will drop by on their way further South.  It's always thrilling to see those migrating birds that we glimpse only twice a year.  Most of them will have somewhat duller coats than they sported in the Spring.  But we welcome them and admire them just the same.



13 comments:

Carolina Linthead said...

Love them!

Mary Lee said...

This is ironic. Jus this morning I was outside working in my flowers and came upon what looked like a polka-dotted feather--grey with cream circles. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what kind of bird. I think you just told me.

I hope it was a stray feather rather than the leavings of a hawk.

Arkansas Patti said...

Lucky you getting to watch the whole cycle. I have never seen baby woodpeckers. Really nice shots of the feeding.I do have a woodpecker that raids my hummingbird feeder. It is so weird seeing the giant bird hanging on and slurping.

Ms. A said...

Our main and the largest group of visitors are still doves, with a few other varieties on occasion. I sure wish we had more variety!

Barbara Rogers said...

Wild birds giving you a demonstration of their lives...how great to capture them on camera!

Anonymous said...

Such wonderful photos of these beautiful birds. You really caught the transitioning moments. It's so lovely that you get to watch the seasonal cycles so closely like this. Beautiful.

troutbirder said...

What a fun cycle these migratory birds provide....:)

KB said...

I've never noticed the change in feeding technique with time (above vs. below). I'll have to watch for that in our woodpeckers. It is sad when the last fledglings start growing up... For us, that's in July and I enjoy seeing them for longer on your blog!

Vicki Lane said...

You have gotten some great pictures over the season!

Lowcarb team member said...

Thank you for sharing these lovely photo's. I never knew about the change in feeding ...

All the best Jan

Tara said...

You are a friend to birds, and I love seeing your photos of them. When in your state a couple of years ago, I was delighted by the variety of birds I saw. I sat on the deck of my friend's house outside of Chapel Hill watching the woods around me, filled with birds and song. Fabulous.

Ginnie said...

Isn't it wonderful that you could get such close-ups? I, too, look forward to the migrating birds. My biggest thrill was many years ago when a huge flock of Cedar Waxwings covered a small tree in my backyard. They ate all the small berries and were gone in less than two minutes. A "once in a lifetime" experience.

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Ginnie - In WI we had a pussy willow tree and every year it would be full of Cedar Waxwings. What a treat.