Summer is on...

About a month early...It's HOT! My day has been beginning early and ending pretty early too...by 9 am it's too sticky and uncomfortable to enjoy being out...it's Memorial Day Weekend...which reminds me that the beach in Brooklyn where I lived would be having opening day...and it would be cold most likely...BUT here it is Summer time and the living is easy..

Last weekend we went to Mays Lake it's in the Sandhills Refuge we had it all to ourselves.   But this weekend we can't seem to get motivated to go anywhere...we have the blahs!

The birding has been good but totally dipped on any new species the past 11 days! Honestly I have not tried as hard as I should it's too hot and the birds are laying low except for the usual crowd...

Some new arrivals...to this world

Worried Mom...protecting her clutch

Don't recall ever having so many Yellow Breasted Chats around my area as this year I think it's the many successional (?) growths from all the timber cutting the past couple years. 

The Orchard Orioles have been busy too I haven't spotted a nest but I know they are out there...

And already seeing the weird immature birds that make you go hmmmmm...I'm going with Chipping Sparrow on this one shown below...

Finally got a shot of the Eastern Wood  Peewee...

and a "still" swallow is priceless...

Barn Swallows

There is really only one thing to do when it gets this hot...

As Jimmy demonstrates this for us...

I wonder what lucky bird lives in this house?

                                 Liberty Hill Tree House

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Oak Grove Visit!

A spot I always visit when I'm at sister's home is Oak Grove Lake...The dam broke about 18 months ago so the bird-life has not returned to full occupancy but some have returned...its always a great spot to see babies in various stages of infancy!

Other Birds who love the water are around....like this Red Winged Blackbird.

and the belted kingfisher

 this fishing line scares me.... hope he never gets entangled in it...

Eastern Bluebirds are always around catching flies....

and ah......Got Worms? This Grackle does,,,,he has a mouth full!!

Lovely  wild daisies in full bloom...

and I can never pass a thistle by without getting a photo, such a beautiful plant...

Its only a 1/4 mile around this small lake but there is so much to see...these mallards look so perfect...

I have not looked this fellow up...but he sure is pretty look at those green eyes!!

I heard this call unfamiliar to me...then I saw this Pied Billed Grebe floating around in the reeds I think a nest was nearby...I tried to get his call but he clammed up when I turned the video on...

Such a cool encounter...he had his eye on me the whole time!!

another great day in nature!!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

The Next Generation-

You know how "those" grannies run around showing off the offspring of their offspring...Well until mine arrives I adopted a few-- come take a look--I was so enchanted....

SO yesterday upon arrival to my destination the very first thing I did was check out my favorite pond and sure enough there they were the Next Generation!! It was supposed to be a rain out today but the sun is shining so Im off to do something....WHO knows what I'll find!!

OH and lately Ive been doing some genealogy research and in so doing I signed up to be a contributing  photographer for my area meaning I get requests from individuals for a photo of a grave to add to a persons grave page and I made one for My Father... We are taking a trip to TN end of May to celebrate my aunt Jeans 70th and I will be photographing more of the grave markers in our family cemetery...and meanwhile I got 14 Photo requests for headstones in MY area JUST YESTERDAY--wow its an unpaid endeavor so I will have to combine a few trips when I get back to my area Im in Greenville until Sunday night--SO I'll be doing the "cemetery shuffle"..lol

Tomorrow -weather permitting-a waterfall hike ;o)

PEACE