Some Pictures from the yard mostly taken this spring. Winter dragged on some and the weather has been cooler, rainier, and overcast. But never-the-less: Spring has come to the western edge of the Adirondacks! The bird is a female Eastern Phoebe. She and her mate used a lot of moss to bring last year’s nest– situated on top of an outdoor light underneath the soffit, a very, very safe place away from cats, rain, hail, or wind — back to life. It will not be long until the eggs will hatch.
It is like our God to bring life where, for a while, there was none.
The first Eastern Phoebe picture, in the top row, shows the Mother-to-be incubating the eggs. And she is in the larger photo, on the left, at the bottom. To her right, the Male is at the nest. This was witnessed only two times and both were to feed the fledglings by stuffing a bug into a mouth — one bug, one chick, one feeding. Then go find another bug.
Note the differences between the adults. The male’s chest and belly are more rounded than the female. This was more distinct after all the eggs were laid. Also, the markings on her underside are more subtle and fewer in number.
Everyone “flew the coop” either late on Sunday evening (Father’s Day) or before 7:30 Monday morning — it is hard to say just when. After a thunderstorm Sunday evening, as the sun was beyond the horizon (in was fairly dark out and it is shaded where the nest is), I could not tell if anyone was in the nest. We have not seen or heard their calls since.
And, presently, Summer is here!
Jeff
