Flickers

It seems to me that many of the birds here are now finished their nesting and are busy raising the young that have emerged.  I watched two young flickers leave the nest 2 days ago and the parents are actively feeding them and caring for them where ever they may be.  Thanks to all the wonderful bird sites on the internet I could gain a little more understanding as to the habits of some of these birds and have found my knowledge to be more than lacking.  There are so many birds here.......chickadees, flickers, bluebirds, house finch, grosbeaks, wood ducks, swallows, great horned owls, sandhill cranes, mallards, canada geese, cedar waxwings, robins, cowbirds, yellow headed blackbirds, coots, red winged blackbirds, kestrels, all kinds of hawks and the list goes on!!!!!  The sounds of young birds in the nest, young birds in the trees fills the forest with song during the long daylight hours we so enjoy at this time of the year!

There is one bird I have failed to mention who makes its presence known all through the day.  The raven.  The young were flighted quite early in the spring and spent most of their time making sure the parents knew where they were and that they were hungry!  Now they make their rounds throughout the forest and farm learning all there is to learn and keeping us on our toes with their antics.  I have observed the parents placing their young in the field near a small creek for the day. (daycare, I suppose)  From here they come and go, feeding them throughout the day.  While the parents are gone the young play with each other, toss sticks and pick through the piles of horse manure.  Most of their activity seems to be more for entertainment value than anything else.  They are able to fly and can fly to the nearest tree for safety but spend most of their time on the ground waiting for Mom and Dad to bring lunch.  So interesting to watch.

I have always been observant of my surroundings and now taking the time to really observe has been so rewarding.  I haven't had to go far as I am so blessed to live close to all of this, a walk through the woods, a quick canoe ride in the swamp meadow, and a horse back ride to the farther reaches of my home.

Taking time, breathing deep, watching the cycle of rain and sun, listening to the myriad of sounds around me and laughing along with the whatever strikes me as funny.

As species specific as some of these bird's behavior is, there is still an element of individuality.  They seem to be able to judge what is right for them and it doesn't always match what is "normal" for them.  They function within the parameters of their instincts, with a twist.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it is a disaster.  Like the young flickers that built their nest only 5 feet from the ground and all the young were later found pulled out and dead on the ground below.  Or the young flickers that built their nest here by the tent, same distance above the ground, and all the young fledged out and flew away.

Why?  Life is like that.