Bird Behavior

Our backyard fountain is a source of a wildlife activity, especially during the summer months.  Birds visit it daily and the raccoons visit it nightly.  I haven't managed to capture a photo of the racoons but I routinely find evidence of their visits.  The top tier of the fountain is filled with sea shells to give the birds a solid footing.  The raccoons remove the sea shells and drop them into the lower tiers of the fountain or scatter them about the garden EVERY DAY.

Most of the birds come to drink or take a dip.  Last week, I caught the Hooded Oriole thoroughly enjoying a bath in the fountain.  He's usually quite elusive, flying off the moment I get close to the window with my camera.  I've only managed to get a few shots of him.  Here's a photo, taken in June, of him looking his usual sleek self.

And here he was last week when he thought no one was looking.

After a brief mid-air tussle, which I failed to capture, the second bird took off

 

He celebrated having the fountain to himself

And surfaced looking a bit scruffy

When he flew off, he wasn't well-coiffed but his joy at the dip in the fountain was evident

In contrast, every evening, after the fountain is turned off, a Mourning Dove appears and simply sits at the edge of the fountain.  It remains there, alone, for long periods, just staring out across the garden.

Summer Solstice Pool Party

It's probably my imagination but the birds seemed particularly active in the backyard on the afternoon of the summer solstice.  There was a lot of activity at the fountain, although that didn't seem to make it much easier to get good photos.  As soon as I approached the living room window, the little devils would fly off and my attempts to patiently lie in wait holding my camera didn't yield results.  Here are the best of my pictures of the avian pool party.

This Hooded Oriole was especially camera shy

I think this assembly is comprised of House Finches and a Lesser Goldfinch, although the yellow bird on the top tier appears larger than a female Lesser Goldfinch should be

This male House Finch spent a lot of time enjoying the fountain by himself

I hope your summer solstice was as enjoyable.