Nest Watch in New Orleans, LA
Today was all about moving and shaking, with the strongest of the babies getting – literally – head and shoulders above the rest.
An otherwise busy and distracted day resulted in only a few pictures with semi-decent light, but in the time I was observing them, it was amazing how much difference a day makes.
On Day 3, I was seeing a few heads get pretty clear of the nest, but today, the biggest baby was pulling most of its body up out of the nest, as you can see in the featured photo at the top.
Winging It
Today’s video starts with a feeding, and then shows how much more the babies are moving around the nest, ending with a slow-motion shot of a full wing extension, showing some lovely pin feathers with big gaps that still need to grow in.
Woodland Ruckus
One of the reasons I didn’t have as many baby shots today is that the adults were fixated on one spot in the woods near the house, on the other side of the property from the nest. They sat low in the trees, yelling at the ground, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out what was the problem. The red-shouldered hawk in the next territory over was also beside itself, calling wildly in sync with the crows.
My husband and I both stood in the woods for long stretches, hoping to figure it out. Maybe it’s just buffer territory where everyone goes to get their scream on, but it sure seemed like a specific threat.
We were also hearing calls that sounded a lot like baby barred owls. Our afternoon prowl through the back woods did turn up one of the barred owl pair (I’m still searching for their nest).
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