wildflowers

In the woods today, Solomon's Seal, Rue, Violets, and Trout Lily.  After the very cold wet months of April and May, native wildflowers seem happy to be emerging from the leaf litter. 

 

 

 

more migrants

Another wave of migrants stopped here for refueling:
Tennessee Warbler, Yellow Warbler
and Indigo Bunting.
 
  
They gorged on suet at the bird feeders, hunted insects
in the grass, and picked bugs hiding among tree
buds and blossoms.

first hatched

The post on 4/23/2014 was about a nest containing two eggs.  If you guessed it was a Northern Cardinal nest, you were correct.  Today the first egg hatched, after at least 14 days of incubation.  (Usually the eggs hatch after being kept warm and turned frequently by the female for 12 or 13 days, but we've had cool wet weather this Spring.)

In the photo at left, we see the hatchling's back side with sparse tufts of grayish down where more feathers will grow.  Other than these tufts, the baby bird is naked.

In the photo below, we see the front belly-side of this same baby bird. It already has the distinctive thick bill typical of Northern Cardinals. Note the amazing detail of its feet and claws!  Belly is transparent enough to show internal organs.  Eyes are not yet open, and it will be very clumsy for a few days but will flail around trying to reach food as a parent approaches.

migrants

Migrating birds stopped at the edge of the wild wild woods this week.  On Friday, one Yellow-rumped Warbler Setophaga coronata hopped around among the finches below the seed feeder.  On Saturday and Sunday, several more appeared.  A flock of 30 or so have been sharing the suet with our resident finches and sparrows. 
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/yellow-rumped_warbler/lifehistory these warblers are able to winter farther north than other warblers, sometimes as far north as Newfoundland, because they can digest the waxes found in bayberries.  There are some bayberry bushes around here, but this is the first time we've hosted traveling Yellow-rumped Warblers.