"THE NEXT GENERATIONS"

Sora, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Belted Kingfisher, Merlin - 10 Photos

It's late summer & young birds have, for the most part, fledged. And it's a time to work out the intricacies of staying safe without constant supervision of parent(s), interacting with other species, competing with siblings, learning how to catch food and flying.

Photo #1 & Photo #2 are of Soras, most likely just newly fledged. The first photo is of a pair. Am not certain how many there were in the clutch but these two on the first day I saw them, were fairly attached to each other. The second photo was taken a day later and although where one went, the other followed eventually but not necessarily together.

Photo #3 & Photo #4 are of a young Great Blue Heron. He/she had had a run-in the day before with a Double Crested Cormorant. (See blog of August 10, 2026, "GAME OF THRONES".) The first stand off had resulted in the Heron retreating but on a second try, the Cormorant couldn't be bothered with the hassle & left.

Photo #5 & Photo #6 are of young Ospreys. Photo #5 is probably the oldest of the three siblings. He/she had flown from tree to tree with what remained of a fish dinner much to the dismay of the other two. Photo #6 is the oldest grooming while the youngest looked on.

Photo #7 & Photo #8 are of a young Belted Kingfisher. I never managed to catch his/her fishing attempts but who could resist a teenager with those spiky head feathers. 

Photo #9 & Photo #10 are of a young Merlin. Have seen him/her on subsequent days managing to catch dinner but on this day, the landing wasn't quite a 10 out of 10 on a dead fir tree. There definitely was a "whoopsie" (Photo #9) before a quick recovery (Photo #10).

These youngsters are already on their way to independence, most already having mastered fishing or hunting skills, while some such as the Ospreys, having gained the skill of flying, are now under the tutelage of their parents in learning how to dive & catch fish.

An intense school of learning to obtain full independence.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4

PHOTO #5

PHOTO #6

PHOTO #7

PHOTO #8

PHOTO #9

PHOTO #10