Friday, September 17, 2021

Last Full Week of Summer

Last week was pretty nice weather wise no real complaints for a change!  I can't seem to get the font the size I want so hope this one works for everyone...

Thru the viewfinder:
I went to my favorite cemetery nearby it's always good to find something alive....and this time I found one Loggerhead Shrike...




He found some high perches to hunt from and then he got tangled up with a couple of Mockingbirds, and they went into defense mode.


And chased him away...

From another perch not far away an Eastern Phoebe watched and made sure he wasn't going to be attacked next...


He was safe, then the Mockingbirds started to chase each other...lol so no one got to settle on the poke berries on the edges...


A Red Admiral hung onto this twig in the cedar tree I tried and tried to get him wings open but he would not co operate...just stuck h is nose up in the air!


The really small flowers on the ground attracted this Bee Fly, pretty good name for this fly that looks and acts like a Bee...


And I read that flies actually do a lot of pollination so I guess we need to think before we swat that fly! 

This flower is called Meadow Beauty...another awesome fall bloomer...


On my way out of the cemetery I heard a chip coming from the pines and found an immature Blue Grosbeak up top looking around 


Easy to see that big beak...he will eventually turn blue...

Moving to another location saw this field with a line of Canada Geese pulling the tops off this winter hay crop..



... on the way to my old stomps, of the Beaver Pond, looks very different now there is no pond to speak of since they trapped and killed the beaver...


 Im still bent about that...I did see this turtle with a garden growing on this back!

Pond Slider

And I found out from one of the locals the Eagle Nest tree has fallen down wondered why I couldn't spot it, hope they will find another tree in the area to build in come late December. 
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I made a stop at the vernal pool I have been watching for a couple years and lately this Great Egret has been fishing there, I believe there is still plenty of tadpole, frog, and small turtle in the pool...


a bit too deep for the Green Herons that I normally see here although earlier in the season they were around..

I went to Sandhills took a couple of short hikes, and had a lot of Pine Warbler scolding me along the way...


Hunting season is about to get going so I will have to be careful out and about from now till the end of Feb. 



Buck Eye 

Grasshopper with bonus spider(??) 

Meanwhile back at home look who is in the flower bed...


Writing Spider 3 inches across!!


I did find some seeds for my winter garden plans...But I had dig through the Halloween costumes, and Spooky yard decorations and push aside the boxes of "Christmas Garland" waiting to be unboxed...dear readers  we will starve to death if the Pandemic gets worse, every store is over stocked with useless junk from China and I had to dig through a disheveled box of seeds looking for some to plant....at the Dollar Store!   To me this is a real shame.  Every community should have a seed exchange in it...not talking GMO seeds either...The garden centers are full of Mums, Pansies, and decorative plants.  We can't eat that. 
What are your thoughts on this subject. 


PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.

12 comments:

  1. Hello,
    It is amazing the first day of Fall is next week. The summer flew by. Wonderful variety of birds and photos. The Loggerhead Shrike and Pine Warblers are favorites. I love the turtle, butterflies and the pretty blooms. My hubby is the gardener in the family and the only plant we have which provides food is our tomato plants. Some of our plants where grown from last year's tomatoes. It is a good idea to have the seed exchange. Have a happy day and a great weekend!

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    1. Hi Eileen, it was a short but brutal summer here the humidity was a key player for sure. I hope we have a real fall with beautiful leaf color and cool crisp days...that would be so nice. I do save seeds from year to year.
      Hope your weekend is a good one!!

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  2. You had a very busy but fun week. So many great pictures. I would love to grown some veggied but nowhere to do it here in this rock hard ground, I do have some pots so I might try a few things if I can find seeds somewhere. I feel this is important because things are going sideways these days. Wishing you a wonderful bounty in your winter garden.

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    1. Hi Jo, yes I grow all my veggies in pots now I had an inground for a few years but the predators got the best of me, so I now do the pots and I still don't get 100% success but I get enough to keep me wanting to try again. Hope your last summer weekend is easy peasy.

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    2. Oh, that is scary about the seeds. I didn't know there was a shortage, not being a gardener any longer. I will have to ask my son-in-law and daughter -- I know they save seeds, but they must have to buy some sometimes. I hope you (and all home and farm gardens everywhere) find enough for a decent harvest. .... your 'finding live things in the cemetery' made me smile. I know they are good places to see birds, but I never thouoght about it quite that way before. The live things you found there (and elsewhere) were fabulous.

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    3. Hi Sallie, thank you, I think most larger towns have real nursery's here we just don't have that I would like to see seeds on the shelf year round. There are online seed stores, I did that last year and honestly the seeds did not germinate I was disappointed and I had to rebuy all my seeds. I hope the ones I found will grow well some are already coming up!

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  3. Great photos Sondra! The Spider is a beauty! All the shops here fill with plastic Halloween and Christmas rubbish the minute the schools go back early September, we're having supply issues in general (Brexit was the worst idea!) so to see that appearing when food could become scarce, infuriating!

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    1. Hi Pam, totally agree....capitalism will be the destruction of the human race...When I heard that Space rocket engineer say YES cows will be sent to the Moon, I just about fell out of my chair. WHAT the heck will they eat up there?? So now they are looking at how to send people and product to the moon, and they can't even keep seeds on the shelf right here on Earth?

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  4. For some reason my comments haven't appeared, and I cant remember what I wrote the first time.
    Do you keep your own seeds Sondra, I used to keep beans and tomato seeds. they were fine as long as the original plants weren't hybrid.
    Were these pictures taken on your new camera?
    Its the spider season here with lots coming indoors to mate. I like it when the frost catches the webs strung between the bushes. All the best.

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    1. Hi Dave, sometimes I notice Blogger comments don't work right, Yes I used the new to me camera for these photos it did a good job no zoom issues which is great. I do keep seeds and the squash, and tomato, I grew from the seeds I collected...I love spiders as long as they are outside ;0) Have a great week.

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  5. Such a great variety of photographs.
    Amazing photograph of the spider and web, the webs are so intricate.

    All the best Jan

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