Y is for youngsters

 

small yellow bird on branch with partial nest underneath the bird

Tis the season for babies! We found this yellow robin working on the nest. We know it was a nest because they brought over twigs and then sat and wriggled on it to get it shaped. I was going through the photos and was very puzzled on why we took pictures of an esoteric looking branch. Once I get to the ones with the bird on it, it made more sense!

We have our own yellow robin nest at the farm. Early days, yet, when we left.

blue egg in nest

In the instance below, I didn't realize we had babies in the tree hollow until I got back and magnified the shot. This means you have to use your imagination goggles to interpret the blob as a sulfur-crested cockatoo chick. Or maybe not. I am choosing to believe. 

sulfur crested cockatoo with head in tree hollow, small white blob within holllow

I am also choosing to believe this was a platypus head swimming down the river:

head of something swimming, large white arrow pointing toward it

The river does have platypus in it; not impossible to believe and it is the season!

Less imagination is required for these little willie wagtails! When I first saw the nest, they were huddled up and not distinctly birds. 

nest of chicks
If you look at this on a larger screen, you can see one is awake and peeking out on the right. 
But then the parent wagtail came to yell at me. 
willie wagtail yelling

That also worked to wake up the other babies. 
chicks in nest are awake and peeking over edge

I will say that this is the most harried looking wagtail I have come across. 
parent wagtail feeding chicks


The wagtails and cockatoo were at Wonga wetlands; the yellow robin along the Myrtleford Mosaic Trail. So many cute (and often tiny and hidden) mosaics along the trail. It made the walk a lot of fun. You will likely see more of these in future posts once I can figure out how to do little "easter eggs". But here is a tiny santa for now:

small mosaic in a rock; santa looking out a door


Many of the other youngsters are out of the nest but not yet into their adult plumage. This red-rumped parrot (arrow) has next to no tail!

family of parrots on fence

This little friarbird is regular sized but still has down on his neck and doesn't have the bluish eye patches yet. 
gray bird with fuzzy neck

However, this poor fellow tops them all in the "ugly duckling" competition. It is a crimson rosella but is not quite there yet!

parrot with down, looking like patchwork quilt

It has gotten very warm here (97-102F). We went to the hardware store and purchased a couple of fans yesterday. Even the cat is enjoying the breeze (or maybe he just likes to have the windblown look)

cat lying in front of fan

Earlier in the sit, Doug the rottweiler was pouncing on and around Pickles the cat. The cat got done with this and Doug got put in his place later in the week. 
cat yelling at dog

Since Doug had been minding his own business at the time, I am not sure he connected the dots but he obviously knows he is not the boss right now. 

The good news with the weather is the laundry dries very quickly!

We should finish here on the 9th  (S marks the spot) and then will head south toward Melbourne and the Yarra Valley (historic wine making region)


Two sits in that area and then back home to see if any of the trees are 1) still alive and 2) have any fruit after the crimson rosellas had free rein for the month.  Plus to see if we have any yellow robin chicks of our own!

yellow robin on tree stump



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