[TN-Bird] Baby towhee, sunbathers + more (a bit long)

Good morning Birders,

At my home in the Charlotte Park area of West Nashville, a few blocks from 
the Cumberland River in Davidson County, a "Papa" towhee brought one brand new 
baby to my deck where I got pictures of the little thing quivering its wings 
while begging for food AND of "Daddy" dutifully feeding it.  The baby was a 
little brown bundle of feathers which was only about 3/4 the size of the adult. 
 
Something spooked all the birds on the deck, "Papa" and "Baby" flew off into 
the grape vines, and I haven't seen them again since around 7 AM.  It IS rare 
for the towhees to feed on the deck, so this was a real treat!

A mourning dove was here earlier that had the "scaled" look to its plumage 
reminiscent of the Inca dove, so I THINK MAYBE it was a "youngster" also.

The grape vine has a bumper crop again this year, and my cardinals have 
already started dining on the GREEN grapes just as they did in previous years.  
Hope green grapes do not have the same effect on them as green apples did on me 
once when I was visiting relatives in Alabama during my childhood.  I am still 
not fond of eating apples after THAT experience!  Unfortunately, I HAVE NOT 
SEEN even one baby cardinal this season, and I have seven pair(s) of adults 
here 
every day.  My male adults are in such total molt that they are a mottled 
red, black & gray with feathers dangling from their bodies all over the place.  
It seems more "serious" than usual because they really look "scantily dressed."

Tons of chickadees and titmice with babies are all over the place as are my 
downy woodpeckers.  The mockers are downing peanut butter daily and have been 
joined in that behavior by titmice (including one which now "begs"--possibly 
"mocking" the mockingbird's begging behavior), chickadees, cardinals AND, just 
recently, house finches.  Of course, I have to fight the greedy starlings off 
from everything that is put out in the feeding areas.

My deck has become a sunbathing spa for birds as well as the location for 
Dee's "Smorgabird."  It seems that every time the Sun comes out between the 
showers we've been having lately, it is not unusual to see blue jays, 
cardinals, 
rock pigeons or mourning doves splayed out with wings and tails aspread on the 
warm boards of the deck.  It was such fun to watch a blue jay lay on the deck 
with one side to the boards, then, after a few minutes, switch sides.  In both 
positions, the bird had wings and tail all spread out for full "enjoyment" of 
the Sun's rays.  Yesterday, one of the mockingbirds took a VERY wetting bath, 
the flew up on the deck rail where it perched with wings outstretched 
"anhinga-style."  A Carolina wren also bathed and flew into a sunny spot in a 
tree 
where it started preening away.

No hummingbirds yet!  I was hoping for them to return for my birthday on 
Wednesday, but no such luck!

Happy birding, cheers, prayers & blessings,

Dee Thompson
Nashville, TN

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