Squirrel – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Squirrels

While not having much luck with birds this particular day,

these two young squirrels were just too cute to pass up.

Too nice an afternoon not to get out for a walk, so I made my way to Reifel. First up I checked the back of the house pond, but there were only a couple of yellowlegs. Next I headed out the middle trail to the outside fields. The Green Heron was present again in the southwest field, but not in great spot for photos.

I was then accompanied by another gentleman who was looking for some assistance in locating the Stilt Sandpiper that had been reported in the west field. We checked the entire west field and then made our way back to the house pond without success.

That was the end of his day and I then carried on to check some of the inside trails for songbirds. The only thing of interest I came across,

… was this squirrel working on a chestnut. On my way back I decided to give the back of the house pond one last look.

Good thing I did as there was now a Stilt Sandpiper present along with the yellowlegs and a few dowitchers.

In addition to foraging in the pond, it took time out for a little preening.

What a great end to what had been a fairly uneventful walk to this point.

Cooper’s & Swallow Nest

The day got better as it progressed and this afternoon’s walk was back to the North 40. No sign of the Bullock’s Oriole today, but while checking for them a familiar “pek pek” got my attention. It was coming from a tree behind me, one frequently used as a staging area by the Cooper’s Hawk pair.

The adult male Cooper’s Hawk was on a branch inside the tree with prey in its talons. I could not make out what it had before he flew off towards the nesting area.

With nest on the mind, I made my way to an area where I had previously seen some Tree Swallow activity and suspected there was a nest.

It did not take long after arriving before I could see the adults arriving and feeding the young in the nest.

While you can only see two here, I could make out at least three at one time. They look to be a good size and crowded in there, so it will probably not be long before they fledge.

One other fun shot from this afternoon,

… was this Squirrel stretched down the trunk of a tree eating leaves.