Bird Watching: Daily Pics Vol. 326, 1 by Elphaba

Elphaba wrote:
The Cowbird in the Cardinal family made me laugh this morning. Cardinals get up before dawn and start looking for food before the other birds do. The Cardinal fledgling was totally in line with the program. Dad was finding tons of soft-bodied dragonflies by the pond that had just emerged from their nymph bodies and was feeding them to the begging Cardinal baby. The cowbird was sitting on the roof with the rest of the family not moving, sullen, like a teenager roused before noon. You could tell he was wondering what the heck they were doing up at that hour.

Oh and Lily, yes, cowbird is not only bigger than his sibling but also bigger than Dad. I didn't think they were that big but I guess they are.

While I was typing this, this Green Heron showed up again. He came by this morning and I was very excited to add a bird to my backyard list, but he's after the koi in one of my little ponds. I went out shopping for something for the koi to hide under. I think I may have only made the situtation worse since the heron can now perch on the addition and wait for the koi. I guess my koi's days are numbered. On the plus side, I won't have to worry about what to do with my fish when I go on vacation.