The first round of fledgling songbirds have hit the woods, and they are everywhere! So far, I have seen fledgling cardinals, chickadees, doves, woodpeckers, and these cute tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) babies. They are at various stages of development and independence. Some are still mostly being fed by their parents, while others are mainly taking care of themselves. This little titmouse is one of the more independent fledglings. He’s the same size as the parents and fully feathered out. The only physical features that distinguishes him from an adult are the yellow around the corner of his mouth and his lack of the rusty color to the feathers under his wings. His behavior also shows that he is young. He is not as sure of himself as the adults and was pretty shy about approaching the feeding station. It was also pretty easy to spot one of the parent birds up in a nearby tree making sure he stayed safe. At one point, the fledgling did approach the adult and beg for food, but the adult just turned away. Watching these youngsters learn their way and watching the adults teach them is just incredible and extremely interesting.