Yesterday my new camera arrived, so I headed out hoping I'd have something to share today. I do!
I heard frantic Northern Cardinal chirping and noticed a grey cat leave the front area of a unit. The adult pair continued their alarm call while flitting from the ground to the roof line, as if intentionally distracting the cat. Papa cardinal was fearless.
The cat ran off. Then I found the nest and a fledgling. (May 22, 2021)
The adults together flew from the fence to the fledgling and then to the nest. Baby bird found its way back.
Next I saw a Great Crested Flycatcher.
A European Starling fledgling. There were two, here's one:
A Northern Mocking Bird fledgling.
A Wood Duck pair seemed to snuggle while their chicks played and bathed in a safe corner of the pond.
Two of the six ducklings, backlit by the rising eastern sun.
A male Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Every day I scan the Barred Owl's territory. This bird camouflages so I slowly moved my gaze along the Southern Live Oak branches. I was about to give up and then came its call that sounds like "who cooks for you?"
Sometimes, it's easy to spot the Barred Owl. Like this photo from Pat Larkin taken a few days ago (on May 9, 2021). Why hello.
Diet: 55.0% mammals, 23.1% invertebrates, 16.1% birds, 3.3% amphibians, 2.5% fish...Considered a seminocturnal to nocturnal hunter, although diurnal hunting observed. Hunts in a sit-and-wait fashion from an elevated perch scanning area for prey. Acute vision and hearing apparently used to locate prey. Takats (91) observed a female drop from a perch to capture a vole on the forest floor, as well as make several passes in attempt to capture a red squirrel (Tamiasciuris hudsonicus) in a tree during the day. Known to perch over water and drop to capture fish (92). Observed wading in shallow water to capture fish and crayfish (M. Gibson pers. comm.). Reported to hunt from the ground, running and pouncing on prey such as amphibians (93, 6, KMM)...Hunting activity highest immediately following sunset (6). Birds of the World
