Sunday, July 26, 2009

Summer time is here

Summer is here and so were lots of baby birds. The tree swallows are out of the nest and trying out their new talents for flying. This poor guy was worn out and needed a quick break on the roof of the house. Later when he tried to find his way back into the box, he smacked it pretty hard and fell to the ground. After about a half hour, Chuck picked him up and put him in the nest. All was well after that.This is one of the flycatchers we have around here. I believe it is a Western Wood Pewee.
Of course the deer had to show off her little ones too.

The plant with the red flowers is in full bloom and so the rufous hummingbird is very excited and sticks around in the backyard. It is fun to watch them and I get "buzzed" quite often.


The Common Yellowthroat - it is a common bird, but this is the first time I have seen one in our yard. He likes the same plant as the hummingbird. We will have to add him as a new bird to our list of birds seen at the house. We saw the female later in the day too.







The other exciting bird sighting we had yesterday we did not get a picture. We were in the backyard and a Great Horned Owl landed on the tree next to the house. We always assumed the owls we saw here were barn owls. It was too dark for a picture, but once we looked with the binoculars, we realized it was a Great Horned Owl. How Exciting!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Ridgefield Wildlife - more than just birds


Ruddy Duck with a blue bill
Ruddy duck
Osprey - I think they should change the state bird
Yellow headed blackbird - this is the first time I have seen one on this side of the Cascades
Cute little ducklings