Trip to Tommy Thompson Park: Eastern Kingbirds
Another bird that is common in Tommy Thompson park are Eastern Kingbirds, though most of the ones I saw were either too distant or flighty to get a good shot of.
Then, as I was making my way out of the park I spotted several in an adjacent tree, none of which seemed inclined to move from their perches. So I dug out the camera from my backpack and started taking shots. As you can see the light was going as the sky was beginning to get more overcast, but I did what I could with what I had. Here’s one such shot:
Eastern Kingbird on a Leafy Branch
Then I saw the reason why all of these birds were staying put: they were waiting for a parent to come and feed them. While best-known for eating insects, the parent bird I saw had some nice, fresh-looking red berries for its youngsters, as you can see in the following couple of shots:
Eastern Kingbird Feeding its Young 1
Eastern Kingbird Feeding its Young 2
This parent bird (mother? father?) then took a berry each to the other young birds perched in other locations in the small tree.
What helped clinch the identification for me is when I saw two of these birds chase after a much larger seagull that had wandered into their territory, a behaviour Eastern Kingbirds are well known for.
Tags: Bird, Eastern Kingbird, Tommy Thompson Park
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