fledglings and fireflies

As fledglings emerge from the nest -- and the turn of the season is birthday time for many birds -- activity begins to increase noticeably. A flock of Tufted Titmice was made up, no doubt, of a busy family with the young birds buzzing away trying to get their parents' attention as their elders move quickly through the leaves and twigs looking for insects. Young Red-winged Blackbirds -- easy to identify because of their short tails and uncertain flying style -- have moved into the marsh and my arrival creates all kinds of anxiety among the adults as the young pop up and move away through the air as fast as they can scoot. I spotted at least one young Baltimore Oriole, repeatedly calling 'cheer-UP' as it flew from tree-top to tree-top to look for food; no adults in sight. The young Baltimores are recognizably orioles but, unlike their parents, they are quite yellow; the first time I saw them, I thought I had a new species. In the insect department, the fireflies are lighting their fires. Unlike fireflies in other places (that have been written up recently), ours do not synchronize their flashes; their brief lights are scattered across the landscape in a seemingly random fashion, diamonds sparkling in the semi-gloom of dusk.

Eric Salzman