Kestrels 2

Today I visited the kestrels again.
I received a phonecall the kestrels were sitting in the windows now...
so great to see again.
I posted myself under the nestpole.
hidden a little under the apple trees.
soon they got used to me,
All were focused on mother or father kestrel when they would come with their lunch.
After a while one of the kestrels started screaming...
he had spotted his parent way earlier then me.

Great sight...so eager to get that mouse!
One of the kestrels inside was the happy lucky one.

Inspection

This week I took inspection in some of the birdhouses.
I had seen that in 2 nestboxes, 2 pair of coaltits were building a nest.
Then there is after the building a period of silence.
You hardly see the birds, the female does not come from the nest..the male mostly feeds her, so that the breeding can continue.

I don't know what happened,
When it became time to feed the young, nothing happened.
no bird to be seen, coming to and fro, with worms and insects.

so after some more weeks I decided to have a look in the nest.
Having not seen the parents for some weeks.
Here is what I found.
2 beautiful nests woven with all kind of soft fluffy dog and or cathair.
in the middle those tiny little beautiful eggs.
in both nests were laying 7 white speckled eggs.
I wonder what happened.

cocoon

Some days ago, 3 caterpillars were climbing the wall of my house.
I wanted to take a photo, but forgot.
The next day there were 2 caterpillars sitting on that same spot.
the third one had climbed a little higher, and is nowhere to be seen.

I think they are caterpillars/cocoon of Cabage White.(Koolwitje)

Kestrels 1

I went for another look at the kestrels,(torenvalkjes)
From a distance could see them sitting in front of the house.

You can see they have grown well since last week.
Not much fluff-feathers anymore.
the redish-brown feathers are coming through.
They look like real kestrels!

starling breakfast

There was also a starling too busy with his family.
Instead of cherries, I saw him having lots of ceepy crawling insects in his beak, for his young.
You can almost determine what is the menu.

cherryparty

In a cherry tree lots and lots of starlings were having a party.
feasting on the cherries that begin to color.

There were more stones than cherries left in the tree.
lots of tweeting & twittering like no' twitter' can compete.

4 Little, little owls

This morning I had an opportunity to come along
and see Little Owls, (Steenuil),(Athene noctua) ringed.
Back in 2007 I had done this too at the same adress.

Now there were 4 beautiful healthy chicks.
Because they live in a dark, birdhouse they had to get used to the bright morninglight.
which they had never seen before.
closing the eyes a bit because of the bright light
4 lovely little little owls.
I love to see them going on the wing.

Flycatchers babys

Flycatchers babies are almost done.
Almost time to go out.
Regulary I see the little heads of the babyflycatchers peeking out the hole of the nestbox.
Peeking out to see a new world,
though more interested and very alert when mother or father appears within view,
beak full of flies, and even butterflies, grasshoppers...and beetles.
Its great to see how eager the babies...are begging for food.
Little beaks wide open!

White Wagtail

Young baby Wagtail

Mother? Wagtail

Father? Wagtail

What I have never seen in my garden is a White Wagtail, (Witte Kwikstaart), (Motacilla Alba)
In the neighbourhood I sometimes see them on the street.
But never in my garden, till today!

I saw mother Wagtail feeding one of her young.(I guess it was the mother)
and the other parent...(which one is the father and which one the mother)
also roaming around, seeking food for his young.

glass sea

Picture a bright clearblue sky and a calm peaceful sea.
Hardly no waves, mirroring the bright blue sky above.
Peaceful atmosphere in the air.

Sometimes our hearts not like that, more are like restless waves of the sea.
no calm no rest ...no peace. ...running and flying here and there.
driven forth by never ending tasks and piles of work-to-do.
difficult circumstances demanding action to solve immediately.

Calming down, becoming peace...is going to The Lord of Peace Himself.
God/Jesus, who says: Come to Me: My burden is light, My yoke is easy.

Coming to Him, laying down our own burdens at His feet,
He then makes your heart like the sea of glass.

Yellow Wagtail

On my way home, driving slowly because the surroundings are so beautiful now,
I saw a bird I never saw before!
Of course I had passed him, so slowly driving backwards, I could get a better glimpse.
A Yellow Wagtail, (Gele kwikstaart), (Motacilla flava).
I just had time to make a photo...of this, for me, rare yellow bird.
before he jumped down, to seek hiding.

Baby common kestrels

Today I had an opportunity to come along and see how babykestrels were getting their ring
I had done this some years ago...same place (2007).
The parent kestrel, (Falco tinnunculus) (torenvalk,) sat on the house when we arived, but left when we came closer.
You could clearly see there were lots of babys in the house.
I was told there were 6 eggs.
A huge ladder was placed against the pole and birdhouse



As soon as the big bag came down, containing 6 babykestrels,
you could see, they were all healthy big wellfed babies of 3 weeks old.

They all got a ring, were measured and weighed,



Later on all the fluff on the grass for a familyphoto
....lots of fluff and eyes...
and as soon as possible back to their domain.