Survival

There are so many baby birds at Green Cay that I feel like we're overflowing with them. This Red-winged Blackbird nest had 5 babies hatch over the weekend. After days of storms in the afternoon their little nest is almost completely turned on its side and just three little ones are left.


Even if the nest is turned the wrong way the supporting Pickerelweed stems are somehow holding it in place, for now. And when the mother bird approaches, all three stick their necks out and mouths open to receive her gift. It's a beauty to watch any bird but I love watching the parents feed their young. My favorite are the Limpkins who hunt giant Apple Snails and then break them open to feed their young small pieces. Those little black baby Limpkins are something else!


Other animals are also hatching at Green Cay such as the many turtle species that we have here. This nest didn't fair so well and was found today predated. All 27 eggs were torn open and left exposed for me to find this morning. The likely culprit is probably the nearby nesting Fish Crows. They just love turtle eggs and have the reputation for finding the nest and eating every single egg that's to be found.