Birding with Baby

     My last post was on 5/5/2020, and that was my due date. I birded, saw some wonderful, much needed birds and went home. Throughly expecting that I'd maybe have at least another week before things got real. At 9pm, we sat down to watch some standup on Netflix with some of my homemade lemon bars. 5 minutes in and halfway through a lemon bar,* my water broke and then it's all history from there.
      * Please note, I did in fact finish my lemon bar before walking out the door.
Our daughter Kestrel was born on the afternoon of May 6th and life has not been the same. First, it feels like it flies. Second, I have had to surrender to the constant state of mess. Third, I never thought I would ever love a human baby so flippin' much. I love the heck out of this kid, she is the only one that matters. And lastly, being on the move is best for Kestrel and myself - so birding is 100% compatible for us both. She even wakes up at 4am, if we really wanted we could get out for sunrise birding, but lately sleep is precious.
     Since we got a bassinet fixture for the stroller, as long as there are semi decent paths, we can get out there and see the world and it allows me to bring my camera too. So here are some of our first birds together...

Our little family ventured to Green-Wood Cemetery a little ways back, I honestly cannot remember what day it was.
Tim strapped the baby to him, and we all looked at birds together. This magnolia warbler was very cute, even if its face is partly blocked by leaves.

A spotted sandpiper was feeding in the Dell Water.

One thing I need to get batter at, is ear birding, because with the baby I don't keep still for too long, I would be able to get more birds if I could better identify by song or call. I am always improving in this way of birding.

A female Baltimore oriole, feeding on the oak flowers.

I was so happy to see a nice close, still scarlet tanager. They are just outstanding against the fresh green leaves.

Happy to see the Great Egret back at the Crescent water

Back and fishing up a storm. I wonder how many of those tiny fish it has to eat to feel satisfied.
Birding with the baby in a sling, strapped to your body is do able. But it put limits on photographing, unless you have a willing partner to carry the baby. Our very first outing was at Marine Park, but I did not photo because I had Kestrel strapped to me.

When the bassinet component for our stroller arrived, I was ready!
The kiddo and I... well, really, just I, walked to Marine Park from our home. We strolled the Salt Marsh and were greeted by some diamondback terrapins in the water.

We saw an heard plenty of red-winged blackbirds. We heard a few clapper rails, but they eluded us.
It was warm out and with no shade, we kept moving along/

A (secret) snowy egret among the marsh grasses.

The tide was low(ish) and the fiddler crabs were out, waving their claws, (I presume) yelling at their neighbors. Which only meant that someone else had to also be out...

A snacker of fiddler crabs, a yellow-crowned night heron.

The crunch is just 100% satisfying!

Like a muppet with its large, open-and-close only mouth, it positioned the crab juuuuuust right...

And then one big gulp.

Down the hatch, with a blink of the nictitating membrane, the crab, likely squirms the whole way down.

With a look like that, you know that crab is kicking a screaming the whole way down.

Then it's ready for more.

The heron nearly walked right over to us, I can't wait for Kestrel to be old enough to actually see the wildlife around us. but I know the sounds and smells are filtering through her brain, enriching her, and getting her familiar with some of the best things this world has to offer.