Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Good news and not so good news

Lola on nest - 4/23/07
photo courtesy of http://www.palemale.com
The good news -- warm weather brought in a treasure-trove of birds yesterday Photos below.

No news--- and hope just about gone-- at the Fifth Avenue nest. There are plans being made for an earlier retrieval of eggs this year. Microscopic tissue analysis, not done last year, should indicate whether, in fact, the eggs were fertilized. If they were,then it is likely that something about the new structure on the ledge is preventing the eggs from developing properly. Otherwise the answer may simply be Pale Male's age. Without such evidence we can't take steps to change anything that might be standing in the way of nest success for Pale Male and Lola.


Yellow-throated Warbler - 4/24/07
Photo Lloyd Spitalnik
[Note: At first glance I thought Lloyd had sent me the photo upside-down and asked him to re-send it. I had failed to notice that the pine-cone is right side up. Obviously, it's the bird feeding upside-down. Great photo.]


Blue-headed Vireo [once known as Solitary Vireo] - 4/24/07
Photo by David Speiser

Black-and-white Warbler 4/24/07
Photo by David Speiser


Summer Tanager at Tanner Springs - 4/24/07
Photo by Lloyd Spitalnik http://www.lloydspitalnikphotos.com


Blue-gray Gnatcatcher -- 4/23/07
Photo by Bruce Yolton http://www.urbanhawks.blogs.com
[Note: this tiny bird with a long tail and white outer-tail coverts looks a bit like a miniature mockingbird.]