It’s that special time of year, when fledglings start to explore the world — under their parents’ strict supervision, of course. Ducklings and goslings are more visible, and their parents more obnoxious, but if you pay attention you may be rewarded with some glimpses of family life from our smaller birb friends.
Case in point: these white-crowns nesting in the hedges along George Wainborn Park. I happened to see two chicks and one parent, foraging a bit and begging for food.
This one has a little bit of stuff in its beak, so I’m assuming it can forage for itself, at least somewhat?
You can barely see their head patterns, it’s all drowned out by this speckling that a lot of fledglings seem to have, from grebes to shorebirds to songbirds.
Okay now I’m wondering if this kid can in fact forage for itself, because it ended up leaving the ant alone. There’s good eatin’ on those things! Or maybe it had only been eating grasses and seeds, not bugs?
It’s super cute!
FEED ME, MOTHER AND / OR FATHER
And the money shot! First time I managed to capture this exact moment.
This is a big part of why I started birding in the first place! Not just to learn, but to connect. To experience all the life that’s around us, doing their thing, is an absolute joy. Little moments that pull me out of my own head and expand my world just a little bit more.