A fledgling in front of my mower

I was mowing my front yard last Saturday when Zachary, our 8-year-old neighbor, edged into my field of view and pointed to a spot a few feet ahead of my path. He had seen a bird. My grass is more brown than green at this time of year, so the bird was barely visible, but following his gaze, I soon saw it too. I turned off the mower, and he and I watched together.

Only the bird's motion gave it away. It was a young American Goldfinch. It must have just left its nest and was now hopping around, calling BEE-boo, BEE-boo. There are dozens of goldfinches in the neighborhood, so seeing a fledgling wasn't a surprise. My wife, observing from behind the screen door, asked if it was injured. As if to answer her question, the chick flew a few feet above the grass and settled into another place. 

As I'm sure you know, the experts always say the best thing to do in such a situation is nothing: Leave the bird alone; chances are, its parents are nearby. (You can read more about what to do if you find a baby bird on our website.)

So I did nothing. I went inside and watched from our picture window. And wouldn't you know it? After a few minutes, I noticed a bright yellow adult male goldfinch flying from branch to branch above the chick and nearby. My view was partially blocked, but I saw the adult drop down near the chick and then quickly fly off. I assumed that it fed the chick, which moments later flew to a pine tree and shut its eyes. I went back outside and took this photo, using a long telephoto lens from about 30 feet away. 

My wife, looking through binoculars, watched with delight as the chick snoozed in the 12-foot-tall tree. It was only a few inches high when we planted it many years ago. The sapling was part of an Earth Day promotion, included with a fast food lunch we bought for my grade-school-age son who has since fledged to college. Hopefully, the chick will elude predators and the hazards of our busy street and grow to join the rest of the goldfinch crowd as they feast on the plentiful sunflowers and feeders throughout the neighborhood. And for now, my lawn remains half-mowed.-- E.M.

Comments

[ride on]

Beautiful photos and a great story ! Maybe one might expect to find a nest or two when for instance trimming hedges but to spot a fledgling right in the middle of the grass was a great spot, great pic of the little bird snoozing away in the trees afterwards too.

[animtreebird]

Very beautiful young bird. Nice photo. :)))