Western Flycatcher Fledglings In A Catalpa Tree

Western Kingbird Fledglings all photos by Larry Jordan

A fellow local birder led me to this Catalpa tree on the Shasta College campus where she spotted a Western Kingbird nest.  I discovered the parents and four fledglings in the tree a couple of days later.  Note the orange color of the bill where the mandibles meet (commissural point) below this fledgling’s eye.  Remnants of the nestlings yellow-orange bill.  Their tails are also shorter than the adult’s (see below).

Western Kingbird young leave the nest at around day 16, taking short flights to nearby branches.  They will perch and roost together for several days as the parents feed and watch over them for two or three weeks.  Here is a shot of one of the adults eyeballing me taking picutres.

The adult Western Kingbird vigorously defends its territory around the nest site from other songbirds and predators and will mob raptors flying nearby or perching in their territory.

I was hoping to capture the adults feeding the young but in the brief time I had to watch this family, I didn’t see any feeding activity.  I will go back in the next couple of days to try again.  I did take a picture of the nest however.

This pair of Western Kingbirds has had a successful breeding of four young and will hopefully return next year to breed again in this location.

Flycatchers are one of my most favorite birds to watch as they hawk insects in mid-air against the blue morning sky.  For more great sky photos, check out Skywatch Friday!