Did You See It?

I missed it. Didn't wait long enough yesterday morning.

Hoku fledged at 8:03 AM, Pacific time, on June 2nd. You can watch it on video if you like.




This little bird has been trying hard for a few days. We watched it perch on the edge of the nest, beating its wings.







Then finally, with a blur of wings.....









And now - an empty nest.

Nesting season in California is ended for this year.
We will be able to return in October to see it all once again.

......................................................

All three of the eaglets have fledged. They can still be seen on the branches near their nest. Sometimes very interesting, moving from branch to branch.


The redtailed hawks have not yet left the nest. They do explore the ledge, and are quite large. They are sometimes hard to see, since they are nearly the same color as the nest. They will be leaving soon.

Music on PBS

It's pledge time again on PBS, so they are presenting some of their great concerts. I'm definitely a supporter of PBS and NPR. I think every penny you can scrape up to help them is worthwhile.
We are fortunate enough to receive three of their stations in South Jersey - one from Delaware, one New Jersey and one Pennsylvania.

Two of these aired two great concerts last night. BUT - somewhere between our receivers and where they were coming from, there must have been a really big storm, and when I played back the DVR's, I wasn't able to see or hear much of the first one. It was my favorite a capella group, Straight No Chaser. I only got to hear two complete numbers of that. I'm hoping the third station will be airing it soon.

The second concert was Carole King and James Taylor. The beginning didn't look promising when I played it back, but then the storm must have ended, and the rest of the hour and a half was a real pleasure. Great music! They are quite a pair! I hope that many of you got to hear it.

It looks as if today it's going to be our turn for the storms. Hot, hot, HOT, and humid. We'll be seeing thunder and lightning later.

Hoku

I don't know who names these birds but the one remaining in the hummer's nest is being called Hoku. He's really big now - almost too big for the nest.






But as you see, Phoebe is still feeding him. Here he is, begging for food.







And here she is, feeding him again.









A moment after she had finished, and left him on his own again, he was stretching, and beating his little wings a hard as he could. He will fledge very soon for sure. He stands up on the edge of the nest, and keeps trying.

On the Lighter Side

Time for more chicken jokes.

About Hummers

I've been checking out the hummingbird site (see sidebar). The "Photos and Videos" link at the top is fun. Today I watched a video from last January of Phoebe actually laying her eggs. It was taken at 6:44 AM. Still rather dark. But you can see her clearly enough. I find it so amazing that this takes place in a nest about the size of a golf ball. When the chicks begin to grow, two of them are really crowded in the tiny nest.

Singing Bear asked me about the fact that there is the sound of running water in the background today. I can't imagine why, but it is there. Wasn't there yesterday. The nest is located in California, so will be blacked out depending on your time zone, early in the morning.

I hope many of you enjoy watching this as much as I do.

Hummer's Nest

I am posting another hummingbird nest webcam on my sidebar. This is Phoebe, an Allen's hummingbird. She is non-migratory, and lives in Orange County, CA, where she builds her nests in a rose bush.

Nesting season out there is from October through May or early June, and she lays four or five clutches per season, so we should be able to watch this happen over and over if we start each fall. This year I guess we will see only one. The web site will tell you lots of facts about hummers.