The young Western Kingbirds at the CyFair campus are getting bigger and bolder every day. At least one of them has now left the nest and spends its time further along the ledge. The parents seem to reward this chick by feeding it first, before feeding the chicks still in the nest.

Yesterday one of the adults started perching on a beam several yards from the nest and calling to the chicks from there. Perhaps this is an attempt to encourage the other chicks to venture out of the nest.

While watching the Kingbirds at lunchtime yesterday, I noticed a hawk circling very high overhead. It was too high for me to ID without binoculars but the quick photo I snapped revealed it to be a Swainson's Hawk, a beautiful raptor and one that I don't often get to see. The dark flight feathers, brown bib and long tail make the Swainson's easy to distinguish from other hawks.