How to Flip a Grasshopper -- Indigo Bunting Style

I'd never seen a bird, much less a baby bird, flip an insect into the air and eat it. Hope you enjoy these pix as much as I enjoyed watching and photographing the scene.

Ok, I got it... Now what? It wiggles!

It was so much easier when Mom just fed me!

So much to remember...
No talking with my mouth full and
don't let lunch run away.

 

Hey! Is it supposed to do this? Hold still.

 

Here goes... and a ONE...

and a TWO...

Alley Oop!

Gulp!

OK! That was fun.
Is there anything ELSE to eat?

Where's Dad?  Dad?  Mom?
I'm hungry!

It's times like these when 8 frames per second is a very good thing.
End of the Indigo Bunting Saga
Thanks for stopping by.

Tattered Dad

Having just delivered lunch to the fledgling,
Dad waits patiently.

Here's the Indigo Bunting Dad. He's not looking too dapper as he has begun to mold. The Mama Bunting was about 20 feet away in the direction his beak is pointing. She was definitely calling the shots.

Look closely to the right of the Dad. In the background you can see the fledgling with a grasshopper in it's mouth. Dad just finished delivering the groceries. Just a minute after I took this shot, the baby figured out how to flip the grasshopper up in the air, catch it and swallow. A nifty skill if you don't want your lunch to wiggle away in the brush.

Mama Indigo Bunting

Mama keeps a watchful eye out for pesky photographers.

Back to blogging finally! Work's been killer lately.

Here's the fledgling Indigo Bunting's Mom who stayed very close and definitely gave me the evil eye for being near her family even though I really wasn't that close.

The fledgling was in a shrubby tree near the river bank probably 20 feet in front of me. Between us was a thicket of 5 foot tall shrubs, brambles, wild flowers and sticks. There was no way I could get any closer than I was. Besides I KNOW there were snakes in that patch and I really didn't want to find one the hard way. Don't guess the Mama knew that though. The Dad was perched in a low branch about half way between the baby and me. Mom was hanging out to my right about 15 feet away.

I heard and saw the Mama first. She called to the Dad and I found him when he answered. The baby, mouth stuffed with grasshopper from Dad, gave out a little peep and I found him too. It all happened pretty fast. I sure wish the Nikon 80-400mm didn't hunt so much. Focus was very difficult but I'm really glad I had the longer lens with me.