Update on my Bird ID question....she finally got off the nest!

[curious kat]

...went to check in the evening and the nest was finally empty...and there she was...zipping around catching flies & mosquitos, bless her heart! It was Cariboo who made the ID in my first post....so now the question is, is she a reg. "Willow fly catcher" or the rarer " Southwestern Willow fly catcher"?





.....and the days sunset.

 

[Cariboo5]

Nice pictures.........This little bird has an interesting history in your part of the world.. The following link states "In New Mexico, the Southwestern Willow fly catcher species is found primarily along the Gila River and Rio Grande drainages."

The link also has very good info about this rarer type and a email contact should you be interested in sending a picture to them for possible id...Good luck & let us know how it turns out...

Willow Flycatcher

 

[vpnavy]

Nice photograph! Thanks for sharing...

 

[curious kat]

Thanks Cariboo, that is a very good site! Do have some bad news though....yesterday it was super windy and when I went to check on the flycatcher the nest was gone. I looked around and found it on the ground, no signs of eggs or pieces... I suppose the bird will just rebuild & start over somewhere, maybe not to far away, will keep an eye out for her. Also we do have lot's of those "brown headed cow birds"...wonder if anything can be done to keep them from hanging around & messing with the other birds nest?


Interesting note: that black hair in the nest is from our horse.

 

[TJE]

Hey CK, excellent pics! ...sad to hear about the wind storm/ her nest. Reminds of a few years ago, taking my young nephew to see a mother Osprey in her nest (they have actually built platforms atop old disused powerpoles around swamps to aid in their nesting/successfully having young)...we walked up into/under her nest/platform...and lighting had struck it (was not 2 miles away working in that storm the day before), all the nest,eggs etc. were on the ground at the base. Still, whether mother nature or DDT that thinned their egg shells...they are making a comeback from almost extinction!

 

[Gold Maven]

shoot the cow birds.....free loaders. Their young always push the host birds young out of the nest. Shoot 'em.

 

[curious kat]

TJE....that's so great that the Osprey are making a comeback....got any pictures of them? We'd love to see.

Gold Maven.....Yes, that's awful that those cow birds do that...maybe I should play "Katness" and get my bow & arrows and..........practice?

 

[TJE]

These are not my pics CK, but they are the Rakin River Ospreys. We have them fly overhead at work with fish in their talons, awesome to see.

 

[curious kat]

Ooooohh Beautiful birds...you're very lucky to see them & so glad they're making a recovery, would hate to lose something so wonderful. Thanks for posting them TJE.