07:05
White sky

Birds:
1. mrgo (Mr. Go)
2. mwbw (Checkers)
3. mlbob (Mrs. Go)
4. unbanded (Shopper)
5. mlbrg (Trapper) chased by mwbw
6. morlb (Red Eye)
7. mwrg (Wringer) missing middle tail feather
8. lbpmp (Princesa)
9. mpbw (Mrs. Red Eye)
10. mgrr (Droopy)
11. unbanded
12. mwlblb (Tame Bird)

07/20/07
07:32
Cloudy mixed with blue sky

Birds:
1. mwrlb (Red Eye)
2. mpbw (Mrs. Red)
3. mrgo (Mr. Go)
4. mlbrg (Trapper)
5. Shopper
6. mlbob (Mrs. Go)
7. lbpmp (Princesa)
8. mwrg (Wringer)
9. plump juvenile
10. mgrr (Droopy)
11. mwbw (Checkers)


07/19/07
06:13
White sky

Birds:
1. mrgo (Mr. Go)
2. mlbob (Mrs. Go)
3. mgrr (Droopy)
4. unbanded juvenile (begs to Droopy)
5. mwlblb (Tame Bird)
6. lbpmp (Princesa)
7. mlbrg (Trapper)
8. Shopper (Chopper)
9. morlb (Red Esye)
10. mwrg (Wringer)
11. mwbw (Checkers)

07/18/07
06:57
Blue sky with clouds—trees drenched with water after a summer rain.

Birds:
1. mlbob (Resident Female)
2. Mrgo (Resident Male)
3. unbanded juvenile
4. Shopper

Notes:
After an absence of a week, my birds have fallen out of the peanut routine. Only Mrs. Go answers my morning greeting. She sits, perched in the tree, camouflaged, waiting quietly without calling or moving. She swoops in quickly, grabs a nut, not taking time to do her usual cross-over, two peanut pick-up. She appears cautious. Her legs are the most swollen ever—in particular the left. She favors it, lifting it as she hops in a lop-sided gait. She is wet and rumpled, a feather on her back sticking up; molting has begun.

Mr. Go arrives with a squa, squa call—only 11 minutes past the time I began watching. He looks particularly sleek, and confident, standing tall, in an alert posture, hop, hop, hopping off a flat surface into a strong, flying take-off.

An unbanded juvenile sits, perched on a branch quietly. Its wings flutter rapidly, quietly, in a begging posture, as Mr. Go arrives. The bird has aged since I last saw it, the pink around its gape has filled in some, and the downy quality of its feathers has matured. It appears taller, leaner, the circumference of its neck narrowed, not so round and plump—more adolescent in its attitude. It perches, calls, squa, squa, squa and then tchoo choo choo TCHU choo choo, TCHU. It sounds immature, tentative. It wipes its bill back and forth on a tree branch, and tap taps. I wonder if this is a way of marking territory, leaving behind a scent, a bill-cleaning ritual, or has some other significance I’m unaware of. The three birds are casual, taking their time to collect peanuts, as if they have no competition and all the time in the world to feed. An hour later, only the nuclear family has come to feed, lots of peanuts are left.

Chopper is the first to arrive outside the family group. He does his usual pick up/put down routine before selecting. Mr. Go cheep cheeps, calls chooka, chooka, chooka and begins feeding on sunflower seeds. A second juvenile arrives and begs, bill open, wings fluttering, standing next to Mr. Go on the bench.