Birds of July 2010

July... time for more baby birds... everywhere!
Images taken around the north shore at some of my favorite haunts.

Four of the Kestrels were attracted to the male with a large prey item. The young female and male can be seen in the
brief clip below. The female managed to fly off with the prize.

Two of the 4 American Kestrels that recently fledged in the Industrial Park in Newburyport can be seen hunting from this light pole.

The young Least Tern above and the adult on the left were roosting at the southern tip of Plum Island at high tide today. I've seen several adults hunting over the many pools on the island but don't think they chose to nest on the limited space available to them on Sandy Point this year.

The brief video below shows the young tern preening.

A stop at lot #1 on the Parker River NWR for a look at the Purple martins found the two adults, above, perching on the crank that raises and lowers the nest boxes. A closer look nearby found the young bird on the right
awaiting it's next meal.

The 1st juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird of the
summer was found in the yard on July 12, 2010,
one day earlier than last year.

There were many Piping Plovers on Sandy Point at high tide today, most young of the year like the bird to the right.

A stop in the industrial park in Newburyport this Sunday, 7/11/10, found a family of American Kestrels hanging around the nest box
The young female kestrel watches as her male sibling comes in for a landing on the right below.

"Click" on any image for a larger photo...

A brief video showing 3 young American Kestrel preening at the nest box in the Industrial Park, Newburyport, MA

A chance encounter with an adult Bald Eagle, very cool! - Newburyport, MA

A family of Belted Kingfisher set up shop at a small marsh in Salisbury

An adult Common Grackle can be seen both bringing food and carrying out the waste in the brief video below - Salisbury, MA

Common Yellowthroat - Salisbury, MA

Great Blue Herons on the nest - Salisbury, MA

The young Herons get quite excited at the arrival of the adult and again show how they "coax" the adult to drop the food.

Great Blue Herons on the nest - Salisbury, MA

Turkey Vulture - Newbury, MA

The two young Turkey Vultures seen to the left and above are approximately 1/2 way to being full grown. Their flight feathers are just starting to come in and will be on the nest for another few weeks.

American Kestrel - juvenile female - Newburyport, MA

American Kestrel - adult male - Newburyport, MA

American Kestrel - juvenile female - Newburyport, MA

I've placed several Kestrel nest boxes around Essex County in hopes of helping them successfully continue to raise their young in the area. This is the 1st young Kestrel I've seen since starting the program 3 years ago with the help of the Essex County Ornithological Club.

This young bird was raised somewhere near one of the boxes placed in the Industrial Park in Newburyport. A Northern Flicker inhabited the box this season.

I'm very happy to see the Kestrels found a suitable location to raise their young.

The brief video below shows a hatch year female Kestrel as she hunts from a guide wire quite close to where I parked.

.American Kestrel - juvenile female - Newburyport, MA

American Kestrel - juvenile female - Newburyport, MA

A second video, below, shows the same young Kestrel as she hunts from a guide wire quite close to where I parked.

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