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Thursday, July 13, 2017

Feisty Flycatchers

I am thankful today for a pair of Cordillaren Flycatchers who have delighted me this summer. They have a nest under our deck, and the parents hang out either on the nest or on nearby branches. I watch them with great joy when I'm on the deck.


They're small birds but they call loudly to each other throughout the day and even into the night while nesting.

They literally are "flycatchers". They flit away from a branch and snag a bug in mid-air regularly. During nesting season, they don't just swallow the bug. They take it to their chicks when they think that I'm not looking. This parent has a fly in his beak.

They don't seem to ever hunt flies perched on flowers, which is surprising to me. They specialize in bugs that are flying. This bug would be fair game while flying from one flower to another.

We are nearing the end of their nesting season, and I am so grateful to have had another season of watching these incredible birds build a nest, lay eggs, feed their young, and finally lead their young away from the nest.
It seems miraculous to me every single year!

18 comments:

  1. they are wonderful little guests... we enjoy our swallows who try to help us against the flies... even when the recycled flies make a big mess ;o)

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  2. I always wondered...when a mated pair of birds nest, do they both sleep in the nest at night?

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  3. I'm astonished by your close-up photos. Amazing. What sweet little birds!

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  4. They are such cute little birdies!

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  5. Oh, my stars! Your Flycatcher shots are just beautiful! We don't have the Cordillerans here - they are lovely!!!
    KZK

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  6. Those birdies are good catchers. We have black and white ones here
    Lily & Edward

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  7. Oh my gosh, they are so adorable! We have Phoebes, also in the flycatcher family that nest around and have similar behaviors. We've also had chipping sparrows and robins nesting (our new pole barn has been a popular place for nests this year). It is so much fun to watch them all, especially when the noisy fledglings start moving out of the nests.
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

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  8. What a cute little birdie, so bright and cheery!

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  9. Such beautiful pictures. We feel the same way with our "regular" nesters and enjoy watching them feed their young too.

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  10. Yes, you are so lucky to have gotten to see them. Your photos are beautiful! I have been seeing flycatchers hunt here too. They are not as yellow as yours. I love the shape of their heads and their hunting antics.

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  11. Flycatchers, eh? We could use a couple around the boat. But I don't think I've ever seen them here in the East.

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  12. Such beautiful little birds...and catch flies...BONUS!

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  13. Beautiful shots! Watching nature is a pawfect way to spend time!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  14. OMD, they are sooooooo cute!!!!! We gots some here, butts they aren't as colorful. they are black and brown and white. They try and nest in all of Ma's planters, and have already killed two plants, and Ma wasn't too happy abouts that, butts what ya gonna do?? They are just too cute to be mad at! BOL (just like me, btw...☺)
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  15. What a treat to have your own family. We have a pair of wrens that build a nest in a box attached to our house. But every year they decide not to use it. I suspect the flying squirrels concern them. So glad you have the flycatchers to watch. It never grows old.

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  16. A real life miracle, that they live together, lay eggs, and then the babies hatch. Beauty close-ups.

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