Summer time in NC brings hot weather and a lot of humidity, some days it seems as if even the wind is hot. Trees are green and thick with leaves that provide shade and a break from the heat. Wildlife is busy nurturing the new borns of nature.
Pictured above are two baby turkeys, called poults.
The world must seem so large, run amuck with mystery and adventure, danger and joy. All the sights, sounds, and smells are new and strange. The world is in awe of and manipulated by the grand display of the sun rising and the moon falling.
Instincts are innate but nothing can ever replace the guidance of a mother. Walking in her foot steps, learning when she's cautious and why. Studying to read the signs of the wilderness and what they mean. Soaking every bit of detail she has to offer, that is survival and the key to living another day.
From high on a perch the world can be seen in fine detail for all that it has to offer. Yet confined to that perch without a means to travel, a top predator to-be (Osprey) must rely solely on its mother and father to feed them and keep them warm. Until its time to learn to fly, and what a daunting first flight it will be over water, the only means of survival is from the talons and beak of the parents.
A Bob White quail chick scurries quickly toward a thick patch of switch grass. When in doubt, covey up and hunker down in thick vegetation is the motto of the quail. They blend in perfectly with their surroundings when they do so. It's an invaluable lesson to this young chick.
Fledgling Red Shouldered Hawks are loud and impatient in their first weeks of leaving the nest. They chase each other and fly erratically while constantly screeching at one another. It's not hard to imagine young siblings play fighting. Between their playful bouts and abnormal wing beats, they learn to hunt from their parents. Their success rate is low at first but in order to survive they must learn, and fast.
Of course life isn't always hanging in the balance as displayed by this Yellow bellied slider turtle. Sun bathing always does the soul good.
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Austin
The Belted Kingisher is one of my favorite predatory birds that has long eluded my camera and I. I do see them quite often but they are mischievously sneaky, only letting me know I've unknowingly ventured into their territory by flying away while sending a sharp rattle of a call through the air that startles me every single encounter. I have long thought them a beautiful bird but, admittedly, have always had trouble getting close to them. Despite their Rock n Roll hairdo and agile nature they are extremely shy. Females are signified by their powdery blue feathers and a chestnut band across the breast mixed with a pearly white pattern, which also helps them to blend well with their water-world surroundings (shorelines, rivers, and lakes). Razor sharp vision and a beak to envy help round off this bodacious predator. They normally burrow in earthen banks and find that high perches help them to catch their mostly aquatic prey. Since taking these pictures I have found a location where two of these flighty subjects reside and hope to soon provide more photos of these interesting creatures.
