I’ve been somewhat remiss lately in posting to this blog. Part of the reason is that the main spring migration influx seems to be over so, although i still continue to take photographs, i’m not seeing that many really interesting birds. However I had a somewhat interesting day on June 7, 2024, and that is what I’m sharing with you today.
My interest at this time of year turns to the young birds fledged during this masting season. Our first batch of California quail chicks appeared in the yard on June 6. At this point I can’t ascertain how many chicks there are but I would estimate at least a dozen. Yesterday (June 7) two raccoons ambushed the covey and both predators and prey were racing through the bushes that we refer to as our yard I tried to chase off the raccoons but it was apparent that my actions were also dispersing the quail. Whether or not either of the raccoons caught a quail, I couldn’t tell.
The chicks are extremely small, not much bigger than my thumb but considerably more nimble!
This is a young Spotted towhee that has been elusive concerning photographs. It’s apparently one of two. This year’s breeding efforts were apparently successful… the last few years have often resulted in a single Brown-headed cowbird offspring.
A pair of Chestnut-backed chickadees successfully produced young, one of which is seen here attempting to attract food from a parent.
There are many questions I have about the avian world, and my next illustrations touch on a question that remains a mystery to me. In the almost 25 years we’ve lived in Washington State I can never remember seeing a Bushtit taking a bath in one of our water features. The birds usually visit the yard several times a day,,, a pair in the breeding season and flocks of 15-20 during the rest of the year. But I never remember having seen one bathing! This day a pair appeared in our yard, apparently with only a single chick, and both parents took extensive baths, giving me many opportunities for photos. Can you identify which is the male and which is the female of the pair? (I’ve covered this in prior posts.)
