This is a photo of my thoughts on an average day...
So...more pics from a few weeks ago...or maybe longer...at Tallmadge Meadows. Great birds, a nice long walk, and even good folks to talk with, what could be better? One day we'll be up to the current date, butt I doubt it. What fun would that be?
In other news, due to my gracefulness, inattention and vertigo...I learned that a Canon 7D MkII, 1.4x converter and 500mm lens do not bounce when dropped from a very tall tripod onto cement. The noise was not good...the noise that came out of my mouth that is. I've since apologized to my neighbors. The camera has been serviced, and amazingly quickly, and works fine. The converter is still away being serviced by the slowest warranty company available. I'm still working with the lens as is. It seems to focus well, at a far distance not so much. It too will go away soon and I will be sad until I get to hold it again. Yes, I'm weird. 500 is my only friend. We're very close.
I'm getting too emotional right now...on with the show...(boo-hoo....)
Lots of American Goldfinches greeting me straight away!
Just getting out of the car, and there's plenty to see!
Yep, that's an American Goldfinch playing peek-a-boo while building a nest.
I was hoping to get a few shots of this Baltimore Oriole...butt...
"We'll have no photos today!"
"Annoying paparazzi!"
And poof...gone.
Next year...
The insects were more obliging.
This Bumbly Bee stopped for a second to check things out...
Deciding I was safe, he landed and called his friends for a Bee Balm Banquet.
Peeking through the wildness, I spied a Chipping Sparrow.
Seconds later it disappeared...
Just below this Common Yellowthroat, with a beak full of bugs, is a whining kid screaming for dinner.
I do believe this is the female Common Yellowthroat.
Aren't you glad you don't have to scratch your neck with your beak?
Oops! I got caught laughing at him...
Like so many birds today, this Downy Woodpecker was trying to hide from me.
I used deodorant!
Name that bird!
I think it may have been a Willow Flycatcher...or not...
My day of birding wouldn't be complete without at least one Song Sparrow!
Quite close to the Common Yellowthroat nest was this young Gray Catbird...also screaming for food.
Kids...
I was getting a severe scolding for being too close to the kids.
I respected their space and left.
The fields were full of wildflowers and nectar loving insects like this Hummingbird Clearwing moth.
I saw more of these gorgeous moths this year than ever before.
On the other hand, the butterflies have been sparse.
I saw a few of these Eastern Tiger Swallowtails today.
Some like to eat upside down.
I tried that when I got home.
I'll never try it again...
Even Song Sparrows like to stop and smell the flowers.
What a beautiful voice!
Junior is listening to dad sing with rapt attention.
Next year it will be his turn.
Song Sparrows always get my attention too!
This is one of the few Monarchs I've seen.
People really need to stop using so many chemicals in their gardens.
They kill more than pests!
This was the only Spicebush Swallowtail I saw in the meadows.
I did see a few skippers, too small and distant for photos, and lots of Cabbage Whites which aren't native.
I think I was standing still too long looking for butterflies.
This Turkey Vulture started circling me....with a smile on his face...
We're all behind sometimes!
I'll post a few newer photos this week and we'll see what shape the lens is in...crossed fingers!
