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Not quite sure who this is in my grass.  In flight I thought young catbird, but looking at the pics the beak seems too wide at the base.

Looks like a female Brown-headed Cowbird to me.

My bird book shows a browner bird, but I've never seen one before...

Dad on duty

Last week Momma Robin was giving me what-for as I mowed the lawn...finally found the nest...



Mom on the ground and Dad in the tree both with a mouth full of worms trying to lure me away from the nest

   

While I took Dad's picture, Mom snuck into the nest and fed at least 3 babies-I saw the beaks in the viewfinder
just before I hit the shutter button-



obviously I missed! 

My yard is mostly a mess...the lilac caper this spring opened up the "canopy"  and now the poison ivy is absolutely flourishing!  I don't like to do it, but I'm on my second gallon of Roundup...as soon as the tops die another crop sprouts up from the roots...they say eventually it will all actually die.



Anyway, my Japanese Iris is actually doing well (after a hired lawn guy mowed them all last year...looked like grass to me!) and started blooming this week.

I found one too!   

   

Not quite sure who this is in my grass.  In flight I thought young catbird, but looking at the pics the beak seems too wide at the base.

I was just zipping through some of my photos and I spotted this one...one of my favorites from banding day 2008...

Yes, I see you have pretty tail feathers coming in! 

Looks like quite a size difference developing

One thing I never expected with live sound is that their voices are so different.  One of the eyases has a more high pitched cry than the other.

I noticed that for the first time this morning. I think their voices are changing. Maybe they'll both have adult voices by tomorrow.

They're also louder today than they were yesterday

Another video from that day...I LOVE the slo-mo at the end...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OIgLt5G0DU

Synchronized preening

One thing I never expected with live sound is that their voices are so different.  One of the eyases has a more high pitched cry than the other.  It's hard to tell, but I think the lower pitch is the one in the middle of the box above (paler, larger feet-a girl?).