It’s the time of year for chicks and fledglings at Montana’s Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge.
1/800/ f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
In yesterday morning’s gloom and fog I found two Mountain Bluebird chicks in the deep grasses of the lower lake campground at the refuge. One was a day or two younger than the other and neither could fly though both had obviously left the nest so I’m not sure if I should call them chicks or fledglings. This is the slightly more mature of the two birds.
The parents were coming in to feed them and this slightly older youngster kept trying to hop/fly up to a fence railing less than a foot off the ground in an apparent effort to make itself more conspicuous to its food-bearing parents but it couldn’t even fly up that far. The younger bird stayed deeply buried in the grasses and barely moved in the few minutes I was there.
It’s a mediocre image because of the fog/low light and the out of focus vegetation in the foreground but I think it’s always interesting just to see young birds at this stage of development.
I couldn’t help but smile at their stubby little tails, huge gapes and curious expressions.
Ron
The bird looks so expectant!
I don’t know how you found them, but I think it’s a super image. Hope they make it.
Charlotte
This helps me visualize young thrushes very well. This one’s tail is SO short and the gape looks huge as does the eye. The breast is skinny and not round like older thrushes (maybe it deepens with flying capability). At this stage, the flight feathers still have a very long way to grow into their final juvenile lengths.
Thanks for your timely post. I’m doing citizen science on the Wisconsin breeding bird survey. Recognizing fledglings and even younger birds is part of their reporting code system concerning breeding status in WI.
Your posts teach me SO much. Thanks.
I can recognize “Bluebird” in the head and expression of this gangly baby, but what a transformation lies ahead! The beauty of the adult birds is heart stopping! Especially since I love blue….just some hints of it in the tail…(glad you posted. I was a little worried)…
Susan nailed it. Vulnerability. Fragility. Awe. And I love your story of it jumping up and down to be noticed. We are a lot more like other species than many of us will admit.
When I look at this image, what grabs me is the bird and its look of vulnerability. I hardly noticed the plant material. This is a beautiful portrait of this youngster.
Hi! love these beautiful colored birds! Yours are a lot bluer than here in Va. Have a great day!