For Yellow Warblers, keeping their youngsters fat and sassy is a full-time job.
1/3200, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Three days ago in the mountains I had a devil of a time getting this recently fledged Yellow Warbler in my crosshairs because it spent most of its time frantically following its male parent through the bushes and begging for food. Finally, it took a short break and rested briefly in this fairly open spot for long enough for me to get focus locked and take quite a few shots.
This frontal view provides a good look at the messy looking patches of gray natal down that remain on young Yellow Warblers at this age. Within a very short time the patchwork of gray down feathers will have been shed and the juvenile bird will be mostly yellow and look much more like its parents.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
As we see here, some of the crown feathers still haven’t emerged from their sheaths but the wing feathers have developed to the point that the youngster can fly at this tender age. Which it did with enthusiasm as it followed its parent around in the bushes, looking to be fed.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
But for the moment the youngster was content to remain here and call out to its parent for food.
1/2500, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
And this is the poor overworked male parent taking a break of his own. I had a few brief glimpses of his presumed mate but for the time being it seemed to be the male that was providing all the food to the youngster I photographed and at least one other sibling.
After fledging, juvenile Yellow Warblers stay with their parents for as long as three weeks so I hope to get more chances with this family in the coming days. If they stick around, which is far from guaranteed.
Ron
I bet the parents were even more relieved than you were when the young “took a break.” Nice series with lots of verbal and visual details. Thanks!
Thank you, Nancy.
As a non parent I suspect that ALL parenting is hard work. And our species doesn’t need to eat as often as birds do…
I love this glimpse of this youngster in his/her camo gear waiting to put on adult finery.
EC, as a parent I can pretty much guarantee that it’s hard work. Work I’m too damn old for, that’s for sure. But it’s sure fun to observe in birds.
So neat to see the “end product” after your posts in June of the yellow warbler nest construction! Was this baby in the vicinity of those nests, by any chance? It’s wonderful to see the detail of the developing feathers. And to see how tightly it is holding on to the branch – a precarious time for this tiny creature!
Thank you, Carolyn. No, this family was several miles away from both of the nests I’ve been following this summer.
Nothing better than a sunny yellow adorbler fledgling on a sunny Sunday morning. (Well, a Red-tailed Hawk fledgling would give it a good run for the money…but I digress.) Such beautiful, detailed images of this little one, so glad “fat & sassy” decided to take a break. I’m sure Dad appreciated it as much as you did! 😎
I’m sure glad they take little “breaks” occasionally, Chris. Otherwise, I wouldn’t get many photos of them.
Pretty cute! Now can you imagine a few hundred hungry mouths in a rehab setting needing food every 15-45 minutes for 10-12 hours a day, depending on species and age? I don’t know how some of the volunteers and staff have done it for 20 years! I couldn’t.
I’ve imagined it before, April. As you know I have great admiration for folks who do that day in and day out.
Pretty remarkable that you found the and got the shots of these fast an flighty birds. I am constantly in awe of how some of the smallest birds in this world manage to survive and reproduce in conditions that range from freezing to extreme heat. A lesson here; they do so much with so little. Thanks for the peek.
I’m glad you enjoyed the peek, Michael. Thanks.
It’s gives one hope to see another Yellow Warbler starting out in the world. Or any bird for that matter. I do like the way the foliage (Golden Currant?) frames the little charmer. Nice detail of the feather sheaths.
Thanks, Lyle. I’m not enough of a botanist to ID the foliage confidently so I won’t even try.
Can’t get much cuter than that. Excellent shots Ron. Thanks for posting. Almost from the moment they are hatched they have their mouths open waiting for food.
They sure do. Thanks, Everett.
Scruffy and all it’s a cutie! 🙂 They sure can have at it for grub – guess they have to and parents are “programmed” to respond! Parents of all sorts busy here now including 2nd hatch of Robins – working on the millers but don’t seem to be putting much of a dent in them…. 😉
Judy, when millers are out it’s dang near impossible to put much of a dent in their numbers. But I like that your robins are giving it the old college try.
What are millers?
https://www.cpr.org/2022/06/04/colorados-moth-invasion-has-begun-how-long-will-miller-moths-stick-around/
Thanks Ron
Good info – much I didn’t know about them even after living with them all my life! 🙂 The brown “ooze” on the walls is a PITA……
Your characterization of both young and parent bring smiles to my Sunday morning. I’ll bet the enactment of this sweet domestic scene also brought smiles to your day too along with triggering many related family memories. The close ups also give me a lot of identification detail that will keep me interested for the rest of the day.
Granny Pat, actually when I was with these warblers they didn’t give me time to do much of anything but frantically try to get one of them in my viewfinder. I did most of my smiling when I got home and looked at my photos.
I love your depiction of the hatchling as “fat and sassy”! After all, you’re the one who heard this youngster squawking for breakfast, and if anybody can testify towards its being sassy as well as fat, it’s you! Have a great day…
It was both, Alison. And I’d throw in “cheeky” to boot.
Nice. Thank you.
Thanks, William.