Thursday's Bird Watch

This is an exciting time of year to be watching Osprey nests. This pair of juveniles were photographed in the nest at Riverview Park in Independence next to the Independence Hotel. The parents no longer spend time on the nest; they simply drop off fish for the young to eat on their own. The juveniles are growing rapidly and are getting ready to start flying. They can be seen stretching their wings getting ready for the big day they take flight, which is close at hand. In the coming weeks the parents will encourage their young to fly and fish for themselves. It's worth a trip to Independence to have a look.
 

DUMP TRUMP

 Jeanette and I attended a protest today in Dallas. It's been going on every Saturday for six months. It's a protest against Donald Trump and the terrible reign of terror and lawlessness that he has brought down upon our country.  Has our protest accomplished anything? Probably not, but it seems important to stand up and be counted. To say, this is not right to destroy an America that we grew up in that was concerned about the future of the world, that wanted to do something about climate change, that believed in free press, and that believed in truth and honesty. 

Thursday's Bird Watch!

 

Occasionally I am asked here at Dallas Retirement Village, "What kind of doves do we hear here calling all the time". The answer is that they are Eurasian Collared-Doves, a non-native species.  Eurasian Collared-Dove are much more common than our native Mourning Doves, in fact probably by 90%. One reason for their larger numbers is that they able to breed year-around, so it's possible for them to have 6 broods a year.  Also, the Eurasian Collared-Doves do well in urban settings, whereas the Mourning Doves prefer a more natural setting of field and woods.  This photo is of a pair of Eurasian Collared-Dove taken recently atop the roof above the Central Courtyard of The Lodge here at DRV. 
 

Thursday's Bird Watch

The Wild Turkeys are back!!! Saturday morning, Mary Ransier, affectionately known as "front desk Mary", reported seeing Wild Turkeys at Dallas Retirement Village. I got lucky and spotted them in the afternoon.  Ten turkeys in all, the one mother and seven juveniles shown here, plus two juveniles on the other side of the fence.  The deer in the background was accidently in the photo.  These are the first Wild Turkeys of this season. They will be hanging around here at Dallas Retirement Village through the winter until the middle of April when they always disappear to some hidden location to have their babies, and then once again in July a mother will be back with her new brood.

Mark O. Hatfield Park

We went to check-out Dallas' newest city park, Mark O. Hatfield Park this afternoon.  It was just dedicated last Wednesday, and in my research, I found that it was formerly known as Birch Street Park. It's a small park with a lot of playground equipment, so we did not have very high hopes for a birding location.  We were pleasantly surprised, and even with a very short visit we had 10 different species of birds. Here is our bird list. Another surprise is we found a half dozen comfortable and conveniently located benches.  This is definitely a winner, and we will be returning.

 

Thursday's Bird Watch

The busiest place to see birds at Dallas Retirement Village is in the Central Courtyard of The Lodge.  We have had nesting going on of Anna's Hummingbirds, Dark-eyed Juncos, European Starling, Eurasian Collared-doves, Violet-green Swallows, and now, White-crowned Sparrows.  This is by far the most successful year we have ever had, and the most vocal of all these birds is the White-crowned Sparrow, show here.  His high-pitched trill puts a smile on my face daily.  This is actually the first year for them to nest in the Central Courtyard. In past years they have nested in the rose bushes at the East-end of The Lodge around the Jasper Street Entrance.  Take a stroll through the Central Courtyard some time and enjoy the sights and sounds.
 

Thursday's Bird Watch!

 In taking a short bird walk here at Dallas Retirement Village on Sunday June 29th, Jeanett and I noticed some American Crows making a lot of noise.  I have learned over the years that when crows are making a fuss about something it's a good idea to take a closer look at what is going on. That is when we found this Cooper's Hawk seeking sanctuary in a small tree outside the Village Apartments. The American Crows had good reason to be concerned with the Cooper's Hawk because Cooper's Hawks main diet is other birds! The next time you hear some crows making a big commotion, take a closer look, you might be in for a surprise.