Fledglings

As Ben got dressed for graduation, I made sure all his accessories were neatly arrayed. The blue gizmo represents the National Honor Society, he also received summa cum laude honors. Valery came all the way from California to share the excitement with us and we had a happy busy week as Ben wrapped up his high school career. Now we begin the countdown until he departs for California. He spends most of his time observing nature close at hand and researching what he has observed.
A nest of robins in our back yard has provided hours of entertainment and education.

These three babies have survived thus far. One of the siblings didn't make it. It fell from the nest three times and Ben put it back twice. The third time, it perished in the fall and became a part of the circle of life as it provided a snack to a large black snake.

 After eating the bird, the snake tried to climb to the nest, but couldn't make it up the posts, so it relaxed for a while before slithering off.

Mama bird waits till the coast is clear so she can feed her babies. Ben also fed an earthworm to the nestlings. 

This fledgling is from a different nest and is just a bit older than the birds under our deck. It seems to have left the nest a bit too soon and isn't able to fly well or high. It jumps along the ground and flutters a bit, but doesn't seem to gain enough altitude to clear the fence. It will no doubt become prey before long.

And finally, a ground beetle Ben found at a local gas station and relocated to our back yard. Ground beetles are generally a good thing, tending to be carnivorous, eating other critters that eat plants.

Ben took all these photos in our back yard and is seriously in need of a better camera, one that is easy to use but is good for close up photos of small things.