Buster Is Back! The OTHER Crane Nest, a Decorah Eaglets Update, and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak Interlude

 As I hadn't seen Buster the Black-chinned Hummingbird for several days, I thought he'd traveled on but to my surprise this evening about 6:30PM there he was in the little mulberry tree next to the magnolia and its feeder.

Remember I'd found another Sandhill Crane on a nest while I was watching the one in the middle of the pond? 

 The "Just Try It" Crane?  The grass very soon obscured this nest so my main focus switched to the nest in the pond.  Though I still attempted to see this one periodically, and each time  I stopped, instead of seeing the crane, on the opposite side of the pond a goose head popped up above the grass each time.

It was 7:15PM, so the light was already fading but today when I stopped...

Instead of the goose head popping up, two crane heads popped up instead.

Then the right head disappeared, but the left remained.

Then she stood and looked down.

And the male stood and suddenly the female's  head goes down as a Red-winged Blackbird goes for it.

An Aside:  Red-winged Blackbirds appear to be a situational hazard for any creature who frequents wetlands at this time of year.  Yesterday I  watched two cranes walking across a marshy area and every ten feet or so as they passed from one Red-wing's territory to the next, the previous bird would ease the attack, while the next attacked afresh.

The female begins to browse and the male stands guard...and remember the goose head I kept seeing previously when I stopped?  Look at the left side of the photo.  There she is.

Goose withdraws slightly.  The female eyes her and the male continues to stare at the Red-wing.  Then the light fails enough to make even a weak focus possible.

I do hope there is a colt or colts in that long grass.  I'll keep checking.

A pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks also stare.  A disagreement?
The finale of a discussion about nest placement?

And last but not least...

 The Decorah Eaglets
Just in from Jackie of Tulsa-
I'm glad to know that after the 2 electrocution incidents last year, there was a huge effort to retrofit all the hazards before this season rolled around.