Eastern Kingbird Nest – Part 3

birds, Nesting Birds of Missouri, wildlife, wildlife photography

A few of my favorites of the Eastern Kingbird nest photographed at Logger’s Lake.

This first batch consists of the begging brood with a parent sitting nearby, usually just after delivering an insect. These guys never stopped their food response. If a parent was in sight, they were begging.

Immediately after dropping off a meal.
I was surprised to find that the parents would sometimes bring in berries to feed the brood. I do not know which species the berries came from.
Just as automatic as the begging response, nearly every instance of a parent bringing a food item, one of the young would present the adult with a fecal pellet. The parent would usually wait and watch for this event and be ready to grab it as it was being eliminated. It then would take it away from the nest to be disposed, assumedly as part of a predator defense strategy.
A parent decided to meet the other parent on its perch to take the prey item back to the nest itself.
One of the chicks exercising its wings.
Here the chicks are gaping, not as a begging response to a parent bringing in food, but as a cooling method as the sun is in position to shine down directly on the nest.

One thought on “Eastern Kingbird Nest – Part 3”

  1. Love this series, Bill! Such an intimate portrait of this growing family. Thanks for sharing!

    Diane

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