Long time since my last post!

In spite of the rain, there was a lot going in my backyard today... this Gulf Fritillary seemed more beautiful than usual with the overcast sky!


I had many juvenile cardinals at my feeders too, I think there are 6 youngsters from 2 successful clutches learning to feed themselves... she was waiting for the gang of white winged doves to leave the feeder.
This young cardinal is looking quite handsome! I could see the adult male watching them from further back in my yard. I have been totally impressed with the devotion of the cardinal pair to their young.


The Ruby-throated hummingbirds were enjoying the Turk's cap. The yard was buzzing with hummers, fattening up so they can migrate south soon. :( I will miss them!
This walking stick was in my Mom's freshly painted (by me) garage - does anyone know which end is up? Wonder what he was doing in there anyway, since walking sticks eat leaves!



I rode my bike over to the high school, and noticed they had mowed the whole pond. Still there were a lot of birds at the retention pond - synchronized feeding by the white ibis' - and a little blue heron checking things out.This unfortunate turtle was flattened by the mower - very sad to see.
How many bird species can you find here?
Sure hope the yellow crowned night herons were done nesting before the mowing...
...as well as the Killdeer.

My beagles evacuated to the hallway during the thunderstorm, but didn't seem to mind too much!

Lake Ontario & western New York

Being a birder brings me a lot of joy, but also sadness and even anger... I was enjoying a great day at Lakeside Beach State Park in Waterport, NY on the shores of Lake Ontario with my extended family, when my cousin-in-law (is that the right word?) noticed this baby bird on the ground in a freshly mowed area 20' or so off the road. Someone had mowed over the nest, and the frantic Indigo Bunting parents were feeding this little one. Investigating further we found the nest upside down nearby, yet this very young bird did not seem to be injured. After we moved the nest to a safer place nearby, I noticed another baby bird under the grass (in the area to the right and beneath this bird). It was weaker, and I suspect that the parents were not able to get to it to feed it. We put it in the nest too.


My sister Suzy found a third baby bird under the grass, it had a slight injury and was smaller and weaker than the others. It will be at least 10 days before they are able to fly - I don't know if they will survive but we tried. We watched the parents continuing to feed the largest baby, and hoped they would find the nest to tend to the other 2. YOU WOULD THINK A STATE PARK WOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO MOW A NESTING AREA IN AUGUST. There was also a frantic pair of Common Yellowthroats searching for their young, but we couldn't find the nest. It was probably run over.

It was a wonderful day for a hike, with the temperature about 70 degrees, and the Queen Anne's Lace in full bloom.
Was the Praying Mantis praying that no one would mow HIS field?
This was just what I needed - lovely chicory and queen anne's lace. Ahhhhh.
We also saw American Goldfinch in their summer splendor.
This Lesser Yellowlegs was feeding in the shallow water at the edge.
He really is a handsome bird.
This beauty is the Banded Purple Butterfly.
I think this is a Least Sandpiper.
It has an interesting pattern of feathers!
The upper one is the Semipalmated Sandpiper, with the slightly smaller Least Sandpiper below.
Henrey showed me these Mute Swans out in Lake Ontario!
Is it just me or are these wildflowers terrific!!

Last day of Arizona birding

Well here are a few more shots from our last day . We hiked up Madera canyon to find the beautiful Elegant Trogon.... but first we spotted a beautiful Broad Billed Hummingbird.
These Lesser Goldfinch are a bit different than the American Goldfinch I get in my backyard in Texas.Here is the golden bird - the Elegant Trogon. Sorry the photo does not show the deep green of his head.
I was sad to learn he was calling, calling, calling, but there were no females to be found in this canyon. If he does not nest successfully he might not return to this beautiful canyon.
After spotting the target bird, we were able to enjoy this Hermit Thrush, who sang his beautiful song for us. I wish I had recorded it!



This was my first ever Varied Bunting photo!!Later we saw this young Gray Hawk, you can see he is changing over from the juvenile brown to the adult gray color.
The scenery was spectacular.
This is the elusive Blue Grosbeak. Yea, this year has turned into the year of the blue guys!!!

We ended the day owling up in the canyon - viewing a Whip-por-will and a Whiskered Screech Owl. Driving back to the hotel we saw this toxic toad - the venomous Sonoran Desert Toad.
Well, these were just a few of the highlights of a wonderful trip to SE Arizona. I would definitely enjoy a longer stay next time!! Now I am changing gears again, getting ready for a quick trip to western NY state, so stay tuned!