Well, I had looked earlier this summer for Gray Kingbirds on Tybee with no success. Then today a birder from North Carolina alerted Audubon web mistress Jaynne Reichert that he had seen a single Gray Kingbird near the Ocean Plaza Resort on 14th Street. He said he could hear it calling from the beach!
I went over this evening and found two adult Gray Kingbirds actively feeding two large fledglings. I kept hearing a persistent call and finally peered into an oleander bush next to the building where we have all our meetings for GOS winter meetings to find the young birds plaintively begging.
The first adult I found was preening - seemed to have recently bathed - and was perched on the metal railing of one of the hotel rooms. The adults flew about actively fly-catching and perching on wires and atop telephone poles.
I was lucky to see and photograph an adult coming into the oleander to feed a juvenile. The young ones were flighted, as before I left, they flew to a palmetto near the pool, still begging.
Also begging in the area were several young mockingbirds.
What excitement!
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| Gray Kingbird on the hotel railing |
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| Gray Kingbird preening after a bath. |
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| Gray Kingbird Adult on the Wire |
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| Two young Gray Kingbirds in the Oleander |
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| Juvenile Gray Kingbird #1 |
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| Juvenile Gray Kingbird #2 |
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| Adult Gray Kingbird feeding Junior |
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