Many Mouths To Feed

At this time of year many birds will be starting on their second broods after having been busy raising and feeding their first family. As soon as they hatch the parents begin an endless round of food collection and feeding. When I was watching the woodpeckers raise their young I counted them flying in with food 31 times in an hour!

I sat on the river Wharfe recently and photographed some busy parents collecting a variety of insects for their offspring. This dipper was nesting under a tuft of grass halfway up the span of a bridge.

Close by a grey wagtail was also busy hoovering up the insects to feed the family.

And this pied wagtail was obviously trying to set a new record for the number of bugs it could fit in its beak!

All three were totally focussed on their job, as soon as they had enough they were away to the nest but were back almost straight away to begin the hunt again.