This weekend I was out in the backyard with my camera, waiting for a hummingbird.  The Brown Thrashers were flitting around as usual.  We’ve had  more thrasher sightings this year than in previous years.  Then I figured out why.  You can imagine my surprise when I saw three fledgling Brown Thrashers pop out from under a bush!

The little thrashers have already learned the first rule of bird photography.  Never all look at the camera at the same time!

Now I understand why I see Mama and Papa Thrasher emptying out my feeders so quickly.  They have a lot of mouths to feed!   Does this parent look a little frazzled to you?

The fledgling Brown Thrashers look a lot like their parents already.  The only major distinguishing feature is that the juvies have blue eyes, instead of the yellow eyes of the parents.

I was hoping to find hummingbirds in my firebush that evening.  But it turned out to be a great bush for the juvie thrashers, too!  I guess it provides good shelter for them, conveniently located next to the birdbath.

So it didn’t take long for one to hop to the birdbath.  But I didn’t imagine that a second one would soon join him!  They were very cute as they splashed around together.

I spent a very happy hour in the backyard watching these guys.  They were fearless!  They could have cared less about the photographer sitting in the corner.  It just makes me want to get to work on my photography blind.  Then I’ll be able to get even closer! :)