Renewal

It’s the breeding season once again and many birds are building new nests or refurbishing old ones. Some birds are still passing through to breeding grounds further north, while others are already caring for new families. The Great Horned Owl in the photo above was sheltering small chicks under her wings a month ago.

Meanwhile, her mate kept a watchful eye on me:

Great Horned Owls are among the earliest breeding birds in North America.

Another owl nest, about thirty miles from the first one, was brimming over with well grown owlets:

Bald Eagles also get started before most migrants return. This huge nest has been used continuously for decades:

The Great Blue Herons in our neighborhood took up housekeeping before the middle of April:

I spotted this nest in a small tree growing on a wooded hillside and found an American Robin peeking over the rim:

This Northern Flicker was improving the entrance to her nest hole in an old cottonwood tree:

In the same cottonwood grove, a Red-tailed Hawk looked out from her nest while her mate flew off to hunt:

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