Juveniles at Tinicum

The boisterous begging calls of juveniles continue to be very evident along the impoundment path at Tinicum.

A family of House Wrens (above) are still in residence in an old Red-bellied Woodpecker hole, and are keeping their parents very busy. The young can just be seen reaching up in search of food. Before a parent approaches the nest tree with food, it would land close by and flutter its wings, before flying to the hole. On one occasion I watched both parents do this six inches from each other and then one of them reached over and passed food to the other.

Eastern Kingbirds were regularly sighted, with at least two pairs feeding young out of the nest. Both pairs had three juveniles each to look after. One set has just left the nest and with their small tails were half the size of the adults. One of the three even left its siblings and flew strongly across the path to another perch. Maybe it figured it would have less competition for food if it was on its own. The other brood where the same size as the adults and looked as they should have been fending for themselves!

For a change, it was nice to see a Yellow Warbler actually feeding one of its own species, as opposed to a Brown-headed Cowbird! Though the same size as the adult, the color of the plumage is very different. The juvenile feathers are grey with patches of yellow coming in, making it look like a different warbler species.

Of note, southbound shorebird has begun with Least and Spotted Sandpipers feeding along the mitigation mudflats.