[EBB Sightings] fresh from the nest, direct to you

EBBers,
  I have been running into fledges everywhere in the
past few days. They have been appearing in our garden,
and along my favorite EB trail, and I delight in
watching them learn about their world.

No doubt, the closely-scutinized pair of mourning
doves, that I wrote about last year, were also
responsible for the two, brand-spanking-new dove
fledges near our house for the past two days. My
husband discovered them while watering; he
inadvertantly flushed them from their refuge beneath
the vegetation. Like all fledges, they were an
adorable mixture of cute and dumb. This may stay my
charmed human hand, but cuts them no slack in the
slathering predator pool.

Speaking of easy prey, I got my best look ever at a
band-tail pigeon yesterday, perched close, and in
clear view, at Huckleberry Preserve. Although I could
see it well enough to ID without binocs, I wanted to
bring those handsome, band-tail details in closer.
After several minutes of playing freeze-frame while
the bird scrutinized its surroundings (I could only
move when his beak was pointed directly at me), I
finally crept my binocs up to my face. As I had
anticipated, it had gorgeous coloration, but unlike as
illustrated in Sibley, the irridescent nape markings
were more of a bronze than a green; regional
differences, or (gasp!) a mistake? The rose-purple
breast, and yellow feet and bill, were captured in
their full glory by both my binocs and Sibley's
paintbrush. When it finally flew, contrary to its
National Geographic description, its flight was slow
and laborious, and I noticed that it was missing about
half of its tail feathers; a near miss with a local
predator, no doubt, and easy pickings for another,
'til his feathers grow out. My money's on the hawk.

Farther along the trail, and ratcheting up the cute
factor, was a freshly-fledged thrush. He not only
perched nearby, at eye level, but moved progressively
closer, as curious about me as I was about him. The
buffy eye-ring, rusty tail, softly scalloped,
buffy-brown breast feathers, and overall badly-preened
plumage, proclaimed it to be a Swainson's fledge. This
is no doubt a breeding location for these birds, as
this is the second, fresh fledge that I've seen here
at Huck, over the span of the past several years; I
have heard Swainson's singing and calling here
countless times. 

Yesterday morning in the backyard, we had what looked
to be a hooded oriole fledge. He was perched along our
white ginger, closely attended by Dad. The orioles
have been residents in our neighborhood for years, and
make our ripening fig tree part of their daily rounds.
Since I dislike 'em myself (the figs, not the birds),
I am delighted to share. The jays, racoons, and the
odd, begging human take care of those figs that the
orioles miss. 

>From other, recent postings to this list, it sounds
like there is a dovetail (sic) between late breeding
and early arrivals. 

Observe, enjoy, share,
Debbie Viess