It's not always all about the babies.....

 .....or is it!  It is, when it is their season and this season the babies seem to keep on keeping on!  I go with intentions of celebrating all birds, but those babies have a way with me, I am hooked on celebrating their season and I cannot deny that!  

Being "out & about" on three occasions recently for birding, I covered just shy of 30 kms which brought me across the finish line of the Amsterdam Pacer Virtual Challenge and to 75 kms remaining on the Camino de Santiago Conqueror Virtual Challenge.  The push is on now to finish that one.  

🌞ON this outing, with the city being under an extreme heat warning, I kept my activity level low, spent as much time in the trees as possible, even still, how I felt is described to a "T" by the look of this young Cedar Waxwing!   I'm not sure what is going on with it, but maybe the heat got to it too!

the young Yellow Warblers are thriving

I heard calling back and forth coming from within the thickest of the trees, I knew it was a bird of prey but not sure which species.  I followed the call and came upon this Cooper's Hawk part way up a tree.  It watched me intently and the calls became more urgent.  I looked around to see where the other call was coming from and saw this......

.....baby Cooper's Hawk on the ground below!  

I got out of there quickly after securing a photograph! 

a baby Barrow's Goldeneye

🌞THE sun shone brightly and the heat hit hard on my second of these three outings.  I have been paying more attention to capturing shots of the birds with a background of something other than a plain blue sky.  At times when it was a backdrop of pure blue, I passed on by.  I like this kind of background!  The dad House Finch has three babies to keep happy!   

When my hair gets hot and sweaty, it clumps together.  

I wonder if that is what is going on with the head feathers on this Lincoln's Sparrow?

I watched this Common Grackle primp its feathers! 

Maybe it felt it has too many so pulled one out!

In fact, it pulled a few out!

Yes those babies keep coming!  These are two European Starlings waiting for a snack!  While watching them, they moved about and I could see a third Starling in behind trying to stick its head out.  

🌞FOR the third outing, there was no improvement, the extreme heat warning remained in place.  Even with this weather, I cannot remain in place, I need to go, but like I said before, I keep the go low key. Yes, the more you tilt your head the cuter you become.  This male House Finch, I believe is new this season.  

The yellow on this young Yellow Warbler is more defined! 

Oh they grow so quickly! 

an Eastern Kingbird

snack time for this House Sparrow

male Downy Woodpecker

Duck!  Here she comes!  I went to the location where the Juvenile Bald Eagle perches but she was no where in sight.  Then just like that out of the blue, she swoops in.  I was camera ready but I was startled, this was the best I could do.  

Once she settled and I settled, I zoomed in as far as I could to get this great shot of her baby face.

Am I hopeless in my celebrations of all these babies?