Day 239: My friends have heard the phrase countless times, but I'm going to say it again: There is nothing...absolutely nothing!...cuter than baby birds. I had gone out to make another delivery of black-oil seed to the Porch Parrots and as I stepped slowly down the sidewalk, this little mosquito darted out from under the Hellebore with a parent right behind. The yellow gape told me he was barely fledged. The white tailfeather said, "I'm a Dark-eyed Junco." The streaks might have fooled me but for the presence of Mama and that glint of white. We engaged in social niceties for a few minutes even as the Parrots were getting testy (their young are now coming to the feeders with them) and then I shuffled cautiously forward. The little guy flew up, landed in the driveway where he was almost perfectly camouflaged against the rocks. I went back in the house via the kitchen and came out through the front door for the photo op. Then I wanted to be sure Freckles didn't head out toward the road, so I edged around until he flew to safety, first to the raspberries where he'd last seen mom and then into the protection of the contorted filbert. I'm sure mom was already in the thicket of trunks presently hidden by a full complement of leaves. Baby birds! Little Grosbeaks doing tremble-wingies, begging to be fed, a chorus of little bitty peeps and cheeps deep in the House of Chirp, and now a baby Junco. My life is so rich!
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