Summer Birding...

 Oboy! An American Goldfinch sitting kinda still!

 ...and of course, just when I start to focus...zoom!

Jerk Goldfinch...

One of these days...

So, where were we? Oh yeah, out birding! I'm not really caught up. These are from this past weekend at Pond Brook, my new favorite place to escape to. I wanted to post more pics from last month, but my computer crashed and I seemed to "misplace" my photo files...I even have a back up drive and that now appears empty...oh well.At least the latest are still there...

So...at Pond Brook...all to myself! I still don't understand why there aren't more folks out here...I had the place all to myself again! Butt I won't complain. I can be free in nature!

Summer birding...a little slow as everyone likes to say. But, if you look closely, there's always something to see! (Like me if you're not paying attention!) There's birds quietly feeding, preening and going about their days. There's always a few fledglings and juvenile birds skulking about, begging for food or learning to feed themselves. Soon the American Goldfinch's will start fledging.

And then there's all of the insects flying around your head! We won't count the deer flies and ticks and mosquitoes, oh my! But butterflies abound this time of year when the weather is warm and sunny and the wildflowers are in bloom. We're in a drought in northern Ohio, the pickings are a little slim this year. Because of the mosquitoes this weekend, I avoided the drying up wetland area and the hoards of dragonflies...maybe next week.

Anyway, get out and get busy! There's ALWAYS something to see in nature!

 

 Black Rat snakes always seem to come out to say hello when I'm out.

They are harmless...unless you're a rodent...

 The only folks I saw this day where an older couple heading for the lone picnic table for lunch.

They asked what I was looking at...

I said "Just a little nature!"

The snake was heading their way...

I wonder if I should have told them.

Nah.

 The only Black Swallowtail I saw was deep in the undergrowth.

I was determined to get a shot anyway...

 Silly Cabbage White butterflies never sit still long enough for me!

And when they do, they try to turn invisible.

When I turn sideways the same thing happens!

 I believe this to be an Eastern Wood-Pewee fledgling....very shy too!

I told him not to worry, I could hear his parents calling close by.

 He felt better then.

 This Eastern Carpenter Bee is enjoying the pollen on this milkweed.

Eastern Chipmunk.

Not Bobb.

Bobb doesn't go out much anymore.

Poor Bobb.

One day I'll let Bobb out to play again.

 Like so many butterflies this time of year, this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is a little worse for wear.

Their wings are very delicate and get scraped in the scrub, or picked at by hunger birds that are bad shots.

 Of course, when you see a flock of European Starlings, they have to pose on a dead tree.

It's the "Alfred Hitchcock Rule."

 So,"Hey! Mr. Northern Flicker," I said,

why do they call you "yellow shafted" out here?

I thought maybe they were scaredy cats in a detective movie or something...

Nope, he showed off his yellow shafts on his feathers.

Oh, NOW I get it...

 Being sorta color blind, I'll have to take your word for it...

A "Red-spotted Purple" butterfly...okay...I guess so.

 I think I offended him...

 More babies!

This young Song Sparrow was cheeping and begging...and being ignored.

 Only an inch and a quarter or so...these Summer Azures are tiny and fast!

I wandered all over trying to follow these guys as they zig zagged in and out and across the paths.

This was the only one that sat still long enough.

I really need to carry my macro lens for these shots...it's hard to track something so small with 500mm's of Canon!

 It wasn't until I looked at this shot of an obnoxious Tufted Titmouse that I noticed the unkind jesture he flashed me!

You can just barely see his right foot.

Rude little guy!

Today I will leave you with a butterfly butt!

That's where their name REALLY came from you know!

This is a Viceroy, very similar to a Monarch.

The Viceroy has that black line going through their hind wing.

There, you learned something today and I can go now.

See ya next week!!