hungry mouths

I am not your mamma, little sparrowlings! Yet they beg for food.

These four nestlings are Grasshopper Sparrows, one of the main species of "dinky bird" that nests in the Flint Hills. They weave a covered nest out of grass, but this isn't a typical Grasshopper Sparrow nest. This female nested in a pasture that had been burned earlier in the year, so there isn't much old plant growth to use as shelter for the nest. This was the best she could manage, and it worked! These nestlings successfully fledged (made it out of the nest), so the grasslands of Kansas have gained four little sparrows. Yay.

Taken during a large-scale research project on grassland birds by K-State University. Please don't harass wildlife or nesting birds.