American Redstart with Food

The male at its nest, which is high above me (so the nestlings only occasionally poke their bills high enough to be visible (American redstarts are another species of warbler).  We're back again on Mt. Holyoke, and the Cerulean Warbler nestlings in the more visible nest are growing quickly.  The extra image  shows Dad feeding one of the four little ones (all the bills are visible). We first saw all four just two days ago.

We've been checking in on the Ceruleans daily for several days now (and posting extras). A group of four birders from the Boston area (ca. 100 miles east) were there as well--not the first who had come some distance to see these special birds.

Here's a repeat of my note on the Ceruleans from a few days ago: They're one of the smallest so-called "wood warblers" (4.75 inches/10 cm), distinctly threatened and uncommon. In the breeding season they migrate north to the U.S. from Latin America; but relatively few breed in New England, and in Massachusetts possibly only here.