First Swallow-tailed Kite

While I was out mowing this afternoon, the first Swallow-tailed Kite of the season flew overhead. He flew in really low and then climbed in altitude until he flew off to the east. I know that they aren't all that rare in the area anymore, but they are so beautiful to watch. They just seem to effortlessly fly through the air. It's always a treat to see them!

Purple Martin Hatching Day!!!

Knowing the Purple Martin eggs were to hatch this weekend, I went out this morning and hoped I'd see some chicks in the nest. I wasn't disappointed! Below are pictures from my first ever Purple Martin hatching in housing I provided for them.




Needless to say, I'm very excited about this! I'm looking forward to watching them grow and fledge successfully. If all the eggs hatch today and tomorrow, we are looking at a fledging date of of June 16 or 17.

In other news, the Eastern Bluebirds haven't started their second nest yet. It shouldn't be too long. I have seen the parent bluebirds busy catching insects, but haven't located the juveniles yet. I have an idea of where they are, but haven't actually seen them. It won't be long before they're coming to the water in my birdbath in my backyard.

A Swallow-tailed Kite flew over yesterday giving me some great looks at him. I ran inside to get a video camera, but by the time I found it and got outside again, he was just going behind the trees across the street. When will I learn this time of year to have a video camera handy so I can get some shots of him?

First Day Of Summer

I decided to celebrate the first day of summer by mowing. Real fun! But, it needed to be done. I was just about to finish up when I looked up and a Swallow-tailed Kite flew by. He was low, just over the treetops. I saw him for about five seconds and he disappeared. Then he came back and flew closer to me just over the treetops. He gave me several seconds of great looks at him this time. What a beautiful bird!

There isn't much to report. I haven't had time to go birding on the property. The baby bluebirds continue to grow. I will post some pictures soon. They are 13 days old today. They should fledge today or tomorrow. If they all make it, we'll have six new bluebirds in the world out of that box. I still see the young from the first brood flying around occasionally.

More Bluebirds Hatch

The kids and I checked the box this afternoon and two more of the eggs had hatched. I hope the other two hatch soon and aren't infertile. If they don't hatch by Tuesday, I'll consider removing them from the nest. Here is a picture of the three that have hatched. The one on the top left is the newest. The downy feathers were still wet.

The Swallow-tailed Kite made a brief appearance today. I grabbed the camera, but by the time I got outside, he was too far away to get a picture. He couldn't have stayed around for 10 minutes like he did on Friday! I'll have to have the camera ready for future appearances.

An Exciting Bird

I didn't get to do any birding this weekend. I finished a fence for our dogs on Saturday, and then felt absolutely horrible on Sunday and slept most of the afternoon. But, there was a bit of birding excitement around here on Saturday. I had just finished with the fence and was doing some of the clean-up when I looked to the north and caught a glimpse of a Swallow-tailed Kite flying from west to east. A little later, I saw him again flying west. He went behind the trees, and I figured that was it. But, he came back to the east and really put on a show for us. My sister, Paige, and my daughter, Amberlyn, were out there and got some really good looks at him. What an absolutely beautiful bird!