Birthday Birding

Today is my birthday and my son and I celebrated by spending much of the day together. He and I stopped at a couple of my usual birding spots on the way back to Tacoma from Puyallup and he had fun seeing how close he could get to this juvenile Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater.

It seemed very oblivious and he was actually able to touch it before it flushed. He thought it might not be able to fly, but I think it was just so young it didn't recognize potential danger.

While at the same stop we were able to sneak up on a Green Heron Butorides virescens for close looks too.

Here the heron has a tidbit of food almost within reach:

And here is the heron about to eat the small crustacean it grabbed with a lightening quick plunge of its dagger-like bill:

Overall a very nice birthday celebration. I didn't take a photo of the cake.

Good birding. Steem on!