Fall Equinox

FINALLY FALL 

So we had a rainy week...followed up by a cold front...So welcoming is the cold front! On the last day of rain I had six visitors to my plot of land..

                           A small herd of Does with some yearlings mixed  in...

They are either eating acorns or ripe Persimmon that fell on the ground 

Then finally the SUN...

I ran into a Long Tailed Skipper this is the time of year I look for them.  This one was in super fine condition..

Cute Carolina Chickadee eating some seed up in a tree...

Some good Camouflage going on here...

Green Anole

These Geese look as if they are floating in grass, but there is water down under the grass, deep enough for them to swim in 

Fall Color is quickly taking over....

Here's a young Chipping Sparrow 

I always enjoy the color of the Sassafras Leaves in Fall they turn a brilliant pumpkin orange..

It's been a good year for Eastern Wood Pewee...

And this Poke Berry Bush has been pretty much stripped clean of the berries, Lovely Chartreuse color!!

I headed to the WLR to relax and enjoy the sunshine and I forgot to grab any food...something I havent done in a while....got gas station food!! Not vegan but I found a slice of Veggie Pizza and an Orange Soda with SUGAR! 

On the way up there I stopped at a cemetery and photo'd two headstones, and there was some Nuttal's Sensitive Briar in there...

If you touch the frilly leaves, they fold up! It has something to do with tugour of the cells...it's cool to watch I tried to make a video can you see how the leaves fold up when I touch it?

It's a little tough to see the plant is very close to the ground and it has sharp briars on the stems...so I was touched gingerly...

And normally I see crows swooping and attacking hawks, but this one was chasing one of the regular crows that hang out around my homestead...he looked pretty serious! The photos were taken thru the glass so the focus is a little soft...

Yellow eye, well defined streaks, flat head...

As far as I can tell it's a Coopers Hawk, she was after the cardinals in a bush yesterday...so my feeder birds better beware.  
We are supposed to have some awesome weather for the next 4 or 5 days, Im really happy about that. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Unravel my week...

Last Wednesday

was a low humidity day for me, so I took the bike and rode a trail in Sandhills refuge...to see what I could find.  The trail I picked is one I've shown you before it ends up at the back side of Pool D...it's only half mile round trip but it's thru a mature pine forest and it's not all flat it has an up/down hill section also.  The Trial in red, 

and I heard way more than I saw...The trees and bushes are so overgrown it's hard to find birds if they are trying to hide which most do,

BUT not all, these young Barn Swallows were in harsh light but at least right out in the open..

They were practicing bug catching from this perch...

Its a swampy area once you get back there as you can see the Ham creek spreads out and keeps this whole little boggy area moist.

One Prothonotary Warbler swooped past me calling very loudly but then disappeared in the thick stuff, all that racket brought out a couple of Common Yellowthroats, and I got a not so good shot of one of the male...

And a Red Winged Blackbird was hunting from just above the water's surface...

I don't know anything much about Dragonfly except I enjoy seeing them...I tried to get the correct name of this one but could not pin it down conclusively, so Im going with Pond Hawk. 

The wings were all clear. 

I pedaled back to the van,

and moved over to the Lake Bee Recreation Area they are refilling that pond I will be happy when they open it back up cause there is a wetland I enjoy checking on the opposite side of the earthen dam. 

Bee Lake refilling 

I had a cool drink and a snack here and then

Drove up to the Oxpen Lakes area. 

 Parked and headed out on foot for a walk in the fields looking at plants and insects.  And checked the Yellow Pitchers, they are doing well...

AND a lot of Hat Pin is flourishing by the waters edge...with the world's smallest insect sitting on one

Could be a dragonfly nymph?  A Buckeye butterfly along with a Variegated Fritillary 

Along with some other insect on the ground there,..Busy doing what butterflies do....

There was even more Common Yellowthroat around 

Along with Eastern Kingbird

Orchard Oriole 

This Common Crackle found a worm...

And an Immature Red Winged Blackbird was learning the ropes down in the lily pads...

I visited the one and only public restroom on the refuge and in the parking area an Eastern Wood Pewee was flycatching...

Found something new!

And on the wall of the building I found this really weird creature...it may not look it but he was big, at least 4 inches long! And  creepy antennae, his wings seemed  almost be armored...

He definitely had the steampunk look going on..

When I looked this up I found out it's called a Dobsonfly and those long things at the front is a mandible! Like Jaws of life!  Its actually an aquatic insect...and it only lives a couple weeks and during that time it doesn't really eat anything.  There is one species of this insect in China that gets a big as a human hand! 

Later on in the week...

 I took a walk around Goodale park, one of the mornings when it was clear but hot...

And there was one Wood Stork flying around in lazy circles, I don't know if he landed a man came up and started talking to me and I lost track of the stork...

He was photographing the pitcher plants there and then I showed him where I just spotted some

Sundews...another carnivorous Plant that I have found there....this is the first time I've seen them in that area that has tried to be a BOG, the staff keep fighting this, I don't know why they don't let it evolve into what it wants to BE! So here are the tiny little Sundews

These particular ones are only an inch tall and barely 2 inches wide....

And a young Tufted Titmouse was keeping track of his parent while he learns the ropes of life...

So that pretty much unravels my week..

My van has an issue...SO until I can that diagnosed and repaired I won't be going far from home. I don't mind walking but in 89% humidity its really TOUGH...I worked on my property a little this morning.   A wild grape vine had grown it's self thru the wire of my pasture field fencing, and  was creating an issue...so I took the chainsaw, yep that's how thick it was, to cut it off the fence and get the fence attached to the post again, I need some more metal post to replace a few of the old cedar posts that are getting  rotten they have been in the ground 45 yrs.  I am keeping the fence in repair so my dogs can play in there and I don't want to worry that other stray dogs may be in there, the deer jump in but fox or coyote I really don't want in there.  Anyways I was soaked as if I had been out in the rain from the humidity when I finished up.   Now inside in the ac recovering.  

And can we all say "WTH" is up with this picture?  Are the veggie sausage people not paying attention?

Hope your week unravels in a good way. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

October is Hard

...for me, the moon in my house must be falling...

I have been birding a little... my radius continues to draw the regulars nothing new so far this month...I hope it will improve as the migration goes forward. So I've been on warbler watch and I'll share some of what I've found along the way not all were photographed...none of these came out of my 5 mile...because I didn't want to miss all the good stuff that is out beyond the 5 mile. 

                                                           Olive Clouded Skipper

Eastern Phoebe 

American Redstart female

And a male

White eyed Vireo

And the first Ovenbird I've seen a long time!

                                             Palm Warbler

Eastern Wood Peewee

Scarlet Tanager Non breeding male, a county bird for me..

Summer Tanager Immature Male

Young Eastern Bluebird

A Northern Parula 

A Spice Bush Swallowtail Caterpillar

One of the deer went into the old barn...I think they like it in there...

Sadly my Mom fell again and she got some really awful cuts as she hit the door frame on her way down.  With old fragile skin it just ripped it to pieces...She went to the ER and was back home a few hrs later, but she will be house bound for a while till she gets able to use her walker again...

That morning we had taken her with us to the Congaree National Park..she didn't really want to go but we made her go anyway...

She had her 95th Last week...

...this reminds me of meringue on Mom's Banana Pudding.

She actually did not enjoy the outing and demanded we take her home so we did...home is not always a safe place to be...she has forgotten how much she loves a day out and about in nature... I hope I never forget all the great times I've enjoyed sharing nature with my Mom the tree hugger...taken Dec 19, 2010 on the same boardwalk!

I know you all have read many blogs featuring my Mom...I've been sharing our Adventures for many years so I will keep you posted on her recovery.  She has a strong will and spunk and  I know she will try hard to get over this set back...if love alone could mend her she would be healed instantly. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.