Hey, I called Dibs on this Coneflower.
We have had many Painted Lady butterflies visiting the area this summer and with nectar at a premium competition did seem to heat up for the best coneflowers in the field.
Tag: wildlife photography
On the Mullen
A female Downey Head Woodpecker found the Mullen plant to her liking this morning as she spent quite a bit of time hunting and then pecking away for a meal.
She inspected the plant then with target in sight and eyes closed tight she pecked away like only a woodpecker can peck.
Then back again for another round on the beautiful Mullen plant.
Screech
This little guy surprised us by flying down and landing right in front of us while we were walking in a dimly lit forest. We are not sure if it is a Western or Eastern Screech Owl as both are commonly seen in our area and we only got a couple of photos before he flew off further into the woods. A nice little surprise on a summer afternoon.
Beetlemania
Not John, Paul, George and Ringo but a handsome looking group of Beetles nonetheless.
Various encounters with members of the order Coleoptera we photographed over the last couple of months.
Diverse adapted and ready for whatever is thrown their way. Beetle species number over 400,000 and a large number are probable still to be discovered.
Beetlemaina…catch it.
A dragonflies flight
Relentlessly buzzing and zooming while patrolling his small pond a dragonflies flight is something to behold.
This patch of pond must have been a treasure worth holding onto as anyone who dare flew into his view was quickly escorted away with a swift deliberate attack. As he flew head on into the camera we got a quick a cursory glance then he was gone.
Gracing the pond
Given my abysmal skills at dragonfly identification I suspect this beautiful looking creature is some species of Red Meadowhawk Dragonfly.
Even though Fall is almost here there are some Dragonflies still buzzing about when the sun is out.
Under her wing
Upon first glance there was something a bit odd, a bit unusual about this female Ruffed Grouse. She just seemed a bit bigger, a bit puffed out compared to other females we have seen. It didn’t take long to figure out what was going on as you can only keep a clutch of fidgety Ruffed Grouse chicks still and under wraps for so long.
At first these little guys were just peeking out from under Mom’s wing a little cautious but ever so curious.
Yet within a minute or two they began to emerge from under cover.
Then in the blink of an eye they were darting out and into the tall grasses in search of a meal and quickly disappearing from sight.
We counted six little grouse emerge from under mom’s wings that morning. Each darting off into the cover of the grasses and the whole gang disappearing just as quick as they appeared.
Waiting for a moment.
Seems like we are always waiting for that moment. A moment that seems to have no beginning and perhaps no ending. Such is the case with trying to photograph bees just taking to flight or just landing. The results are seldom clear but like life itself what is?
More birds and berries
The Chokecherries were the big hit on the menu this week. Just like the Western Tanager family a group of American Robins found them to their liking as well.
In fact they were head twistingly irresistible.
It’s amazing to watch them slurp them down in a single gulp and man the seeds in chokecherries are large.
Just like the Tanager family we watched earlier in the week the adults took time demonstrating where and how to eat this fall treat.
Parting ways
Late summer is always a bit of a down time for birders living in the more northern reaches. A time when the forest goes eerily silent and a feeling of loss seems to enter your heart. Thus it was a wonderful surprise to see this Warbling Vireo hop into plain sight a few days ago. While they look a bit low keyed they are prolific singers who had graced our forests with their songs most of June and early July. Then silence.
nature has no boss 
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