Assorted Images

I got a bit distracted from taking many photographs yesterday as I was working in the yard so these are from Tuesday.

Baltimore Oriole

The beak is a sure sign that it's a bug eater.

Female Canada Warbler

Female Canada Warbler

Female Canada Warbler

Female Canada Warbler

Fox Cub watching us watching him.

One of the fox cubs away from the den

Away from the den

Magnolia Warbler female I think

Song Sparrow

Dilemma

As the title says, I have a bit of a dilemma. On my covered front porch I have a bird box in which assorted birds roost during the cold winter nights. I also have a Mason Bee house, a little box with loads of tubes that the little Mason Bees lays their eggs in to hatch into even littler Mason Bees. Well we now have new occupants of the bird box. Humungous Hornets, must be 1 1/2 " long. Some websites say they're aggressive, another one says they're not. Both agree that a sting from a hornet is to be avoided as they inject the most venom of any stinging insect apparently. What do I do about the new arrivals? Mmmmmm. The Buddhist in me thinks live and let live. My self preservation instinct and aversion to pain says call the Bug Exterminator. Apparently Hornets can kill a bee colony very quickly and as I'm very fond of bee's and do as much as I can to attract them  I'm leaning towards exterminate, annihilate, eradicate as the Daleks used to say. (I grew up with Dr Who, OK).

Mason Bee House

Yeah I know it needs dusting

Bird Roosting Box

I'm not going near this with a duster.

Hornet

Hornet

Do you think it looks friendly?

Memorial Day Birds

Memorial Day warmed up quite nicely in the early afternoon. It must have been in the 80's and about 280f in the blind in front of the waterfall. A nice selection of birds came down to drink and have a cooling bathe. The Flicker had been hopping around in front of the blind, way too close to focus and after looking down at the iPhone for a few moments he snuck in and was having a good old splash around right in front of me. That'll teach me!

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Baltimore Oriole

Bay-breasted Warbler

Blue Jay

Blue Jay

Northern Flicker

Swainson's Thrush

American Redstart

One of the problems with having a camera that takes 10 frames a second totally silently is that you're left with hundreds of images to go through. This little beauty kept putting on a show and subsequently I've spent an hour going through them to select which ones are better than the rest. Here's a few I like.

American Redstart

American Redstart

American Redstart

American Redstart

American Redstart

Veery

It was a pretty exciting afternoon in the yard. It brightened[ up around 2pm and I popped out onto the deck to see what's going on in the yard. Immediately I found a Black-throated Green at the waterfall. In the space of 5 minutes I'd had a Blackburnian, a Blackpoll and an American Redstart in the tree above my head.Shortly after that I found a Common Yellowthroat, more American Redstarts, a Magnolia, Black and White, Wilson's and a Chestnut-sided Warbler. We also had a nice Veery and while I was inside a Swainson's appeared at the waterfall. here's a few shots of the Veery. I'll do the Warblers shortly.

Veery

Veery

Veery

For a change....

how about some felines? I haven't harassed the cats recently so I thought I'd give it a go as a change from birds. In alphabetical order.....

Bluey

Oliver

Rascal

Willow

Old Root

Old root or strategically placed perch? I've had this old inverted root placed beside the waterfall for years. I've lost count of the number of birds I've photographed perched on it.

American Redstart

American Redstart

Gray Catbird

Indigo Bunting

Song Sparrow

Weekend Birds

After the Fox cubs yesterday morning I wasn't that enthusiastic about going outside as it was pretty humid and the light wasn't that good. Or so it seemed. When I did get in the hide the light was pretty nice. Not overly bright but not the harsh, glary light you can get in mid afternoon. It was a nice diffused light created by the cloud layer. Nice. Sunday was just overcast but not too bad. and I'm glad I did go out for a bit. It was a bit slow at times so I started making a list of all the warblers I've seen in the back yard. It was only when the Parula showed up that I realized I'd forgotten to add it to the list so it was nice reminder. I remember where but not when I saw my first Parula. It was a warm Saturday afternoon on St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly in the early 90's. We hadn't even been to the flat, we just went straight from the dock to see it. It was in an ivy covered tree near the tennis courts. Long while ago.

Baltimore Oriole

Female Common Yellowthroat 

Female House Finch

Myrtle Warbler

Northern Parula

Northern Parula

Baltimore Oriole

Fox Cubs

In the UK a young fox is called a fox cub. Over here it appears they are called kit's. I like the name cubs, kit's to me are something you assemble to make something.