Every bird in the flight pen from the past couple of weeks has now been released! That’s two barn swallows, two cowbirds, four house finches, a blue jay, a red bellied woodpecker, and the adult brown thrasher—all back in the wild where they belong!
Of course, my job doesn’t end with their release, most of the time, since I continue to provide supplemental feedings for one to two weeks after release, until the birds gradually stop coming down to me. For example, the flycatchers, released several weeks ago, have just this past week slowly stopped coming down. I have one who still shows up a couple of times a day, and I hear the other two but they don’t come down any more. And of course, the blue jays will continue to panhandle for weeks to come—remember, they’re “slow to independence,” i.e., shameless little beggars!
Below are a few shots of some of the recent releases, some in the flight pen and some outside. When you’re getting mobbed by over a dozen birds demanding a handout, it’s a bit difficult to snap photos, too!
Of course, my job doesn’t end with their release, most of the time, since I continue to provide supplemental feedings for one to two weeks after release, until the birds gradually stop coming down to me. For example, the flycatchers, released several weeks ago, have just this past week slowly stopped coming down. I have one who still shows up a couple of times a day, and I hear the other two but they don’t come down any more. And of course, the blue jays will continue to panhandle for weeks to come—remember, they’re “slow to independence,” i.e., shameless little beggars!
Below are a few shots of some of the recent releases, some in the flight pen and some outside. When you’re getting mobbed by over a dozen birds demanding a handout, it’s a bit difficult to snap photos, too!
Barn swallow
Mockingbird
Red bellied woodpecker
The hummer who came in week before last still can’t fly, and the reason remains a mystery. Her wings are still fluttering evenly, but there’s no lift, no matter how hard she tries. She’s totally self-feeding, though, and is doing her best to fly, so we’ll give her more time.
She’s also molting—how neat is that, to be able to see a hummer molt?!
This gorgeous young red shoulder was found unnested, with no sign of the nest or parents. A typical loudmouthed red shoulder, he announced his displeasure at being in human hands with ear-piercing shrieks. Honestly, red shoulder shrieks are at levels OSHA would consider a workplace hazard!
You can see from this closeup of his left wing that most of his feathers are still partially keratin-encased.
Songbird “baby season” is winding to a close, although there should still be a trickle of juveniles coming in over the next few weeks—and having said that, I’ll probably be slammed now with late babies…It’s happened before!
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