When That Time Of Year Comes
Dec 22, 2020 12:35:11 #
Molting Season: Small birds molt after the breeding season in late summer or early fall. Generally it's a slow process that take about five weeks and can almost go unnoticed to the observer. Occasionally, a bird will lose a lot of feathers at once making the molt really visible. This can be hard on the bird as it takes a lot of energy to grow new feathers. If the bird is left too bare it also needs energy to keep warm. Missing flight feathers also makes it more difficult to fly, requiring even more energy to survive. I had never seen a bird in this condition until this year in late August. I realize this isn't news to the bird watchers, but might be of interest to others. Thanks for viewing. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year. - John - (Recommend Downloading)
Male Cardinal experiencing a typical molt. It's visible but could easily go unnoticed.
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Female Cardinal losing many feathers at once. She was the queen of the yard. Elusive for weeks and difficult to photograph until one day she came in for a closeup (posted earlier). I saw her later in the fall after regaining her queenly attire.
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Dec 22, 2020 12:38:10 #
Wow! Kind of reminds me of what happened to me between 40-50...
Dec 22, 2020 14:06:01 #
John from gpwmi wrote:
Molting Season: Small birds molt after the breedi... (show quote)
Wow, talk about a bad hair day. Oops feather day.
Dec 22, 2020 14:22:45 #
Dec 22, 2020 14:58:10 #
joecichjr wrote:
Wow! Kind of reminds me of what happened to me between 40-50...
Thank you, Joe. Same with me, but ours doesn't grow back.
Dec 22, 2020 14:59:00 #
WDCash wrote:
Wow, talk about a bad hair day. Oops feather day.
Thanks, WDC. Have a Merry Christmas.
Dec 22, 2020 14:59:58 #
Dec 22, 2020 17:17:33 #
Dec 22, 2020 17:32:20 #
Thank you very much, Ken. It was a first I noticed, but I guess I've been watching birds a lot more lately. My first thought was she was sick. Anyway, have a Blessed Christmas and a New Year w/o hurricanes.
Dec 22, 2020 22:03:32 #
Very nice, John. Ducks and geese do that all the time. They are very vulnerable for a period of a few weeks after their eggs hatch when they can't fly at all. They regain their ability to fly just before migration time.
Dec 23, 2020 06:20:44 #
John, the downloads are fabulous. Thanks for the molting season narrative. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Dec 23, 2020 06:49:27 #
Dec 23, 2020 08:06:39 #
Great captures and informative narrative. Please stay safe over the Christmas period and enjoy the holidays safely. Have a cool Yule.
Dec 23, 2020 08:38:56 #
Dec 23, 2020 15:37:38 #
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