The Grackles are ready for hot weather. They are growing new feathers and do the "show boat", puffing up to keep cool. And in between snacking, they go and take refreshing baths at the pond. All the while looking magnificent. Oh, to be a Grack... #birds #photography

In other nesting news, Wrennifer has now settled and laid three eggs as of this morning. Her guy was hard at work for a whole month until she finally decided to go for it and added her embellishments. I call the House Wrens puppies because they are so obsessed with sticks 😆 I hope the weather remains friendly so that they have a safe brood. #birds #nestwatch

They made it! Both the remaining Chickadee babies from the pump fledged from the makeshift box today! I am so happy that this worked out with the parents not abandoning despite me taking the box in over night. Getting up very early was worth it. The camera did not film them leaving but here you can see the second one shortly before. Lots of calling because there was a curious baby blue Jay around. Good luck out there, babies 💖 #birds

Red-winged Blackbirds are very beautiful in all the shapes and looks they come in. Some of them are starting to molt now, getting rid of old feathers and growing nice new ones while it is warm, exposing skin on bald parts where the feathers still need to grow back. It gives them the look of warriors, somehow. Number 2 is a female. #birds

Another little update on the pump Chickies. I put them in this old nestbox I had so that they would not be super exposed to the elements and predators, and put that in a bucket that I mounted on the pump, so the parents would find them. This has worked out great (they are not scared around me, thankfully, and when I put them in the box I showed the parent the inside so they knew where the babies are, and miraculously this has worked), even though I am putting the box in the sunroom over night to keep them safe from the curious raccoon. I cannot change the location of the box because I don't want to risk the parents abandoning them, so this will have to do. Hopefully they are soon big enough to fledge. #birds

It was very hot today, and the pond was busy. Here's a little compilation of photos and video of today's visitors, taken by the Ceyomur CY95. By the end of the day, I also cleaned the pond. I pour in bleach, cover it for a bit and then pump it out and refill until it does not smell like bleach. That seems to be the only way to get rid of the algae. #birds

A little update on the pump chickadees. Last night, one baby was on the ground and spent the night in a box in our sunroom. This morning when I brought him out, this feisty one was on the ground too. A raccoon has pulled nesting material out every night, but seemingly not gotten any babies, so I think they may feel an urgency to leave. There is alt least one still in the pump but they seem almost ready to go. I'll keep an eye on things but I think the parents got this. #birds

I've been putting out sky cams again because there's no moon. Still waiting for that perfect night with tons of glow bugs and an amazing sky but the pathway there is also fun. Last night, a lot of things were happening. Now is also the time to start looking for meteor showers. I hope to get to an area with less light pollution for more sky stuff but it is also always nice to see how it changes in my own yard. #timelapse #photography

The babies are learning how to live life, and it is always fun to see them exploring things up close. The Blue Jays are especially curious, as you can see here. And totally adorable. #birds

TW sneks… Apparently, there's an active chickadee nest in our old pump that we just have in the yard for deco. I put a camera there because I thought it was fun. Today, this - the Chickadee is making itself big and hissing at the perceived threat - a garter snake! By the end of the day, I could still hear the babies but man, I am invested now 😳 I hope they are close to fledging and all make it out safe. Nature is not for the faint of heart! #birds