So...where was I?...

 American Goldfinch...booty time!

MWAHAHA! I'm back! You thought you could flood me out and wash me away, well...you're almost right...Lewis' are famous for not being able to float. BUTT...the computer is back online and I'm set to get out birding once again.

These picks are BF(before flood.) I shall have to torment you with some birds from the past for a while... 
AND...More Books for Birding...and bugs...and fish...coming soon!  
I missed the "Summer Reading" list that I planned, so it will be "Fun Fall Folios" or something...

In the meantime...we made a trip on a slightly drizzly day to the Lorain County Metroparks  Bacon Woods reservation...a great place for birds along the Vermilion River, with trails a little longer than The Doodles thought...sheeewww.....

 Loads of Chipping Sparrows in the tree tops singing in the rain...hmmm...that sounds like an idea for a movie...

 One of the first birds we spotted when we arrived was this goofy looking critter.

From a distance it was a mystery in the top of a gnarly old tree...when we got closer we were still a bit confused. Butt when we got really close, it turned out to be a Green Heron up there!

 I guess he was hunting for flying fish...

 (By the way, this is part of the Lake Erie Birding Trail, one more down on our "Longest Twitch!)

 ...almost forgot the money shot!...

 We saw this snake(maybe a Black Snake?) crossing the trail in front of us. I tried to pick it up to say hello...snakes are a lot stronger than you think...he wouldn't let go of the grass.

I left him alone like a good boy.

I guess I'll never find out why the snake crosses the road...

 With all of the rain, things are very lush out there.

 We watched a pair of Louisiana Waterthrush gathering nesting material.

 Hidden somewhere among those fallen logs is a nest...somewhere...

 I think he forgot where it was too...

 Speaking of lost...

 Oooohhh....pretty flower...

 A happy little Green Frog in a puddle in the middle of the trail. He didn't budge as we stepped over him. Must have been a cozy puddle...

 There's always quite a few Indigo Buntings there...and usually in the tree tops.

 This is the Benjamin Bacon home and museum.

They didn't have any bacon.

I was puzzled.

 Right across the road from Bacon Woods is Mill Hollow.

There's a large meadow with plenty of butterflies, the museum, a visitors center and more access to the Vermilion River.

 Why that's a Pearl Crescent butterfly!

 This is the visitors center and meeting area.

There's a large image from a patchwork quilt on the side.

We learned that this is a part of The Ohio Barn Quilt Trail that runs through Ohio with these images on barns and signs throughout the state.

 While we had a picnic lunch in the meadow, had plenty of company from Red Admiral butterflies too!

 

 This glittery beauty is a Six-spotted Tiger Beetle.

I think I counted more than six spots, butt I went to public school...

 You can tell this is a Silver-spotted Skipper because it has a white silver spot on its wing.

 I was trying to take a nice historic marker photo and this show off Eastern Wood-Pewee got in the way, sorry...

Until we meet again...TOODLES!