Hungry Chicks

I've gone through almost 40 pounds of sunflower seed in about a week.  I was wondering where it was all going until I started looking around. . . and listening.  There are lots of hungry chicks in our trees.  Our most frequent visitors are Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis).  We have at least 6 pair that visit the bird feeders.

After the Cardinals the next most abundant species are Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata).  Their nests are high in the trees and very hard to photograph.

Below:  A hungry pair of fledgling Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia).

 Below:  A newborn Raven (Corvus corax).

 Below:  A newborn Robin (Turdus migratorius).

Below:  5 unidentified hungry chicks.

Below:  A couple of small cranes contemplating a big jump.

Below:  A Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) with a fledgling.  Formerly known as Louisiana Herons these birds prefer to breed in swamp colonies.  While our swamps are mostly dry they've found plenty of food, nonetheless.

 Below:  In the same family as the Cardinal. . . the Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) is a medium-sized seed-eating bird.  Here an adult feeds its baby.  Typically found in the Western USA these have become naturalized Floridians.

Above and Below:  Bluebird chicks (Sialia sialis).  This species is a small thrush found typically in open woodlands.

 Below:  A Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) that fell out of its nest.  It was carefully returned to its irate mother.

 Below:  Mockingbird chicks (Mimus polyglottos).

 Below:  A Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus) feeding baby.

Below:  Day-old Florida Scrub Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens).  This is the only species of bird endemic to Florida.  It is also one of the most endangered species of birds in the United States.  Currently it is listed as a threatened species by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.  There are thought to be fewer than 4,000 breeding pairs remaining in Florida.  Their decline is largely due to habitat destruction.