I've been a little preoccupied in the yard the last few days. I've been tidying up the deck, removing the grime of a years worth of pollen, leaves and tree debris, planting Tomatoes and Strawberries and best of all restacking a head height stack of firewood between two trees after a deer failed to hurdle over it. I've been planting a bit of this and that, rearranging perches around the waterfall and then refining the position by a few millimeters here and there. There's been a few migrants I've seen such as Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, Brown Thrasher and best of all a Louisiana Waterthrush and an American Redstart. I usually have Merlin listening while I'm out there and it's hearing a variety of migrants I've not seen such as Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Eastern Towhee, Blue-headed, Warbling, White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireos. According to Birdcast there's nearly a million birds flew over the county last night so maybe more will turn up today.
As it's been in the 80's the couple of days I've not spent much time in the sauna err blind except in the mid to late afternoon. I've only managed to photograph the regulars but on different perches and I'm getting practise in for when the flood gates of migrants open up. I doubt I'll be able to beat the 19 species of Warbler in a day last May, we'll see.
Here's a few from the last couple of days in alphabetical order not chronological so the lights all over the place.
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American Robin |
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Blue Jay |
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Carolina Chickadee bathing on the edge of the precipice. |
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Carolina Chickadee a different one |
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Common Grackle |
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Northern Cardinal |
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Northern Flicker |
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Northern Flicker a.k.a. Yellow-shafted Flicker |
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Song Sparrow |
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White-throated Sparrow |
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White-throated Sparrow |