May 30, 2012 Verdin

This spring a sweet couple of Verdin made a nest in one of my planters. It is what sparked my photographing of the birds. It was while I was outside photographing the verdin that one of the parrots landed in my tree. My frist thought was that they had flown away from someone. I had no idea at the time that Lovebirds had been living and flourishing in Arizona since the late 80's. They day before I had seen a bright yellow bird, but just a flash, and had thought that was also someone's pet. Needless to say once I discovered they were living here wild..i went on a search for them. Once I found where they were nesting (which was very close to my home) I put out feeders. Slowly they came. each day a few more. This morning (6-8-12) we had 16+. That was my best count. They move so fast around they are hard to keep count. Each day I discover something new with them.

Back to the verdin...

This little couple are amazing. Not fearful of humans, we got to watch them raise their babies. From the time they hatched (we could hear their little crys in the nest) to their first flight we have got to watch them grow. Each night, after they left the nest, the parents would call them back... flying to the babies to the nest, and back and forth for sometimes an hour just to get one little guy back to the nest.

Here are the photographs..

5-21-12 learning to fly.. kept coming back to this window right next to the nest

5-22-12 This guy hit a window while trying to learn to fly...he is okay though.. he was just a little stunned.

The nest half way built.

Feeding time 5-14-12

5-15-12 see the little orange open mouths...they are so so tiny.

Parent Verdin - they are about the size of a hummingbird

5-25-12 another picture of adult verdin

5-27-12 Baby Verdin - the Verdin lay two nestings close to eachother..so they have babies of different age

5-27-12 baby verdin coming home for the night

WILL ADD MORE TO THIS AS I FIND THE PHOTOGRAPHS.