May?

Summer is trying to break into spring, as the daytime humidity creeps up but the over nights are still nice and cool...as we used to and still do say "good sleeping weather."  

Do you realize this year is NEARLY half over???

The Iris in the my yard are giving me lots of bloom...

Wish I had something for scale, the Rhododendron is huge this year each flower is easily 8 inches across...

The Dutch Iris's are also blooming in the ponds and even ditches that have water...

I checked the nest of the Gnatcatcher pair that I videoed the nest building of and they have added what looks to be some fluff from cattails maybe, but I didn't see any activity...I was not able to get a shot down into the nest...

But I did find a different nest across the road with a bird sitting in it...no cattail fluff...

So could be a second pair or the same pair with a second brood...they hatch in only 10 days and it's been 10 days easily since I was there...

Not much else was happening at the Newsome Mill Pond...So I went down to the second area about 3/4 Mile down the road where I heard the loud ruckus of Prothonotary Warblers!  Three darted back n forth across the bridge to both sides of the little creek there...

Then one went to hopping around on the lily pads looking for an getting little worms 

There was an Eastern Kingbird hunting from this creek also...

At Bramblewood more Painted Bunting are around...I've yet to see a female come out in the open but I can hear more than one bird calling, they are very tough to spot with their lime green coloring...the males are however pretty easy to spot with all the blue, red, and orange..

And a little Downy Woodpecker at Goodale park had some luck  finding a snack...

This photo below is a freshly fledged Eastern Phoebe...

And I also got an open shot of the Great Crested Flycatcher...

Around home the yard birds are busy....

Tufted Titmouse...

And in the back the Black and White Warbler snakes his way along looking for insects..

And the Prairie Warbler leans down so I can see him or he can see me not sure which...

And to end this post a video of the Prothonotary Warbler hopping around on the lily pads hunting...I hope  you enjoy! 

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See you next week! 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Happy Earth Day

As Promised the Bald Eagle video, it's a little shaky hand held and at a distance but the vocalizations to me is the special part.  

             

It was great fun watching them first they soared above then landed across the river...I saw an immature flying as well probably their chick for this year?

Saturday I went to Bramblewood again, it had rained in the morning so by noon time I was stir crazy and needed dog food so I decided to check it out again once the chore was out of the way before heading home...I could hear lots of birds but finding them is getting harder with the trees now fully leafed out.  

                   

A Cedar Waxwing snags a ripe berry off this bush..I like catching wildlife going about their business...Like the Eagles speaking to each other and having that moment, seeing this Waxwing enjoy that berry...that is what makes being out in Nature so special...

This is another video...from last week when I saw the Bachman's Sparrow...notice how he is singing so low he is actually not opening his beak to sing...lol he was interacting with me sort of..

Im trying out Instagram as a photo & video storage and sharing media...It's a little bit large but it seems to work, 

The Painted Bunting arrived this week...Such a brilliant bird every color of the rainbow is on this delicate bird...

Even from the back they are amazing...

One of the challenge birds from Badgerland Birders this month is the Yellow Rump Warbler...I see them all the time but getting a photo is not as easy as you would think...

 this one came out for viewing...

Another of the challenge birds for April is the White Throated Sparrow...I thought I had missed the chance although I heard one in my yard, I was not able to get him out in the open ...but today I went to the River Park, and I found 4 of the little tweeters but SHY they were so I got this sort of shot of a Female...Lots of leafy stuff in the way.  

And I  have no chance of seeing the Blue Winged Teal, our 3rd challenge bird for April, in my area this time of year...I have till the 30th to try to find one. Lately Im not really into the long drives.  

I found this cocoon, it could be a Polyphemus  Moth, but I am no expert...I didn't check to see if it's empty or in use...some hatch in early spring and some in late summer, so I would guess it's hatched maybe even last fall.

This is a Polyphemus Moth I found in my yard in May of 2019 

Such a beautiful creature...they only live in this stage about one week...

Got a chance to see a Belted Kingfisher sitting still for a few minutes...

Amazing the Carolina Wrens have already fledged their first batch of chicks...this one was trying to guide her brood to cover from me..

Time for Wildflowers 

A Grey Catbird shows me his red under tail! 

* * *

Remembering 
JOHN💓 April 22

and 

 CASEY💗 2 yrs
 4/17/2020

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

X'D off Another Week.

I think the weather is about to normalize, it's been whacky tho...Heat in the morning open the doors mid day then run the fan in the late afternoon, windows shut and heavy blanket at night!

Been mostly local this week...spotted this unbothered Gr Blue Heron catching a Sunfish..

He swallowed it whole...



In  one gulp

Then he climbed up out of the water onto the shore...he stood 5 feet tall if he was in inch!! That railing is waist high on me, 

I crept down along the creek's edge to spy on this Louisiana Waterthrush  singing  in a tree...I love to catch a video of a bird singing,  so here he is...

Normally I only see them on the ground so this was a rare treat. 

I have at least 50 bird song videos...so catch a listen sometime when you got nothing to do!

The Eastern Bluebirds are getting SO BLUE it's stings my eyes to look  at them! Just Gorgeous!

They are not camera shy this is why I have a shot of one every week pretty much...

And on this day I got a shot of the elusive Female Common Yellowthroat...I showed you a male last week with his black mask...

Caught some interaction between a pair of adult Bald Eagles, they landed across the river, and I made a video of them interacting and calling to each other...I will share that video next week...its taking too long to upload for todays post.  

Wednesday I was able to get out to Sandhills, and had several First of  Year birds...like the Prairie Warbler, 

The Eastern Kingbird, and I found one on a nest as well...

The Orchard Oriole...

AND the Bachman's Sparrow..

Still considered rare, but I am finding them every year in about the same area of the refuge. There was two of them one singing by the road this one, and then another answering off in the not too far distance. 

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Meanwhile back at the homestead...the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds have arrived, I didn't catch him in the right light to get  his ruby throat to display but I will keep trying...

And my Doe Friend Tulip, paid a visit she is going into her 2nd summer. 

She has a malformed or healed injury to oft hindleg, but she has managed just fine, a little limp always but she can run jump and do anything the other deer can do.  And she is sooo lovely. She will probably have her first fawn next May...Because she does not appear to be with Fawn, but she could be.  Females chase away their male offspring after the spots are faded, but female fawns sometimes stay in a family group up to two years....Tulip was with 2 others on this day one was a young yearling female and an older doe, maybe that was her mother and sister. 

See ya next week! 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Nest Season

The past week was a mixed bag of weather cold nights warm days some sunny some windy some stormy..

A small flock of  American Goldfinch stopped to refresh themselves at my feeders while on their Northward Migration. 

I visited Lee County on one of the windy but warm days...One of my new favorite spots is on Newsome road, its only a short cut-through road and gets little traffic....so I can do roadside birding of the wetlands there,

without fear of being run over...

There is two different places on the road where I stop about 3/4 mile apart...

The newly migrated Common Yellowthroat is always good to react to my phishing and comes out to scold me...

Another Migrant who loves to share his call is the White Eyed Vireo.  They have a rather harsh loud call...

The white eye is striking...

Have you ever seen this kind of thing growing on the forest floor?  It's a Fungi, and it's called Stinkhorn Mushroom...

Here it is with a fly on it because it stinks like rotten flesh!! This is how it gets pollinated...it's a striking red color and grows close to the ground...but it's pretty disgusting otherwise!

Saw another Banded Water Snake, he was moving so fast I almost missed him...

A late to leave  White Throated Sparrow was seen...hiding in the Yellow Jasmine...

And I enjoyed watching a pair of Blue Grey Gnatcatchers work on a nest..

They both participate in the building, protection and care of the young, This is the male, wallowing in the nest to make it fit well and...

This is the female below giving it her touch...

Looks like a good fit! 

Below is a video I put together with little editing of the pair at work...and there's some nesting facts in the description so best to watch it on YOUTUBE I think you will find that info interesting!!

 
I plan to check in with them when Im in the area...see how it's going

Im trying a new idea to discourage squirrels....a man I  met in the bird seed section told me to use the Cayenne Pepper birds don't mind it and squirrels wont bother it...so I got some cayenne pepper suet...Im giving it a try.  But I will say don't handle it then rub your face like I did!! AND def don't rub your eyes. 

This was short but hopefully you found something to make you smile. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.