Over the last several days, I’ve seen a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers darting in and out of one of the nesting boxes – the “Country Store” that my Dad made us awhile back. The problem is, they’ve either been so fast that I didn’t have time to focus, or they showed up when I didn’t have my camera in hand.

Well, yesterday evening, when hubby and I were eating dinner on the back deck, a youngster peeked out of the opening…

…and then popped out…

…and proceeded to pose.

You could tell this one was a juvenile, probably just on the verge of independence, mostly by its mannerisms. It was a bit awkward and quite curious. It also had white wing bars, which Google tells me is true of the young ones.

It would seem he (or she) was discovering his instincts for insect catching as he kept tilting his head and scanning the area.

At one point, my female Labramutt startled him when she barked and he flew up a few feet to an overhead branch.

But before long, he made a beeline back to the nesting box and once safely inside, popped his head back out to continue discovering the world around him.

I just love watching baby birds!