Rosyfinch Ramblings

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Crops & Clips: Flashback to July, 2019

As I do each month, I enjoyed looking back over my archived photos, taken three years previously, to remember how things were then and how different it will be this month, our first summer of living in Connecticut.

Searching for images which reflect favorite memes: critters of all kinds (especially birds), skies and clouds, reflections and flowers, as well as scenes which speak for themselves. We spent the entire month in Florida.

On July 2 we set out into the local preserve (the "Wounded Wetlands") early and were greeted by a sentinel Loggerhead Shrike with a message which we legally ignored, as we were residents and shared ownership of the entry area with all members of our Homeowners Association:

A Bald Eagle flew overhead carrying a fish, and landed on top of a power pole to eat it:

A Mourning Dove with a full crop collected gravel to help him digest his meal:

At the lake, a Least Tern carried a small fish:

The unique pattern on the shell of this Florida Box Turtle will allow me to identify it the next time we meet:

White Ibis in flight:

A White-tailed Deer doe and her yearling fawn emerged from the roadside grasses:

Nearby stood a young buck:

The full Thunder Moon was lowering behind a gathering storm, about 20 minutes before sunrise:

Thunderheads over the ocean broke up the sunlight, creating anti-solar rays which converged on the western horizon as a mirrored sunrise:

A Snowy Egret splashed through the shallows on bright yellow feet:

White Peacock butterfly on Lantana:

I photographed this Great Blue Heron in the darkness of early dawn:

A Tricolored Heron reflected nicely:

The extended dewlap of a displaying Brown Anole caught my eye:

I miss the Mangos this year in Connecticut, where they are priced at over $1.50 each. We had to give away bushels of them, from our two trees, to friends and neighbors. This relatively small tree bore abundantly:

Chop up mangos, onions, garlic and seasoning...

...sauté with filets of Mahi-Mahi...

...and enjoy:

Storms before sunrise on July 30:

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Linking to:

Garden Affair

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

All Seasons

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World

Timeless Thursday

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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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Thursday, June 30, 2022

Birds, berries and a bear

Our Connecticut back yard bird list has grown to 64 species, of which I have photographed 50 on-site. The latest additions were two flycatchers, which appeared on consecutive days (June 24 & 25).

The first was heard before appearing briefly in the shrubs at the back (west) end of the property. It is named for its plaintive "Pee-oh-wee" whistle:

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Next came the Eastern Kingbird. It never approached closely:

Two other flycatchers are more common here--

Eastern Phoebe...:

...and the larger, more colorful Great Crested Flycatcher:

Our granddaughter Graci snapped this expansive view of the western horizon back of the house, just after sunset (used with her permission):

Our morning walk along Diamond Lake provided nice views:

I was intrigued by the shape and color of the small flowers of this creeping vine:

It attracted Bumblebees...

...and had green berries:

My Internet search provided its identification as Climbing Nightshade (Solanum dulcamara), a member of the family Solenidae which includes the Deadly Nightshade. This was a bit distressing until I realized that this family of plants includes tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers and eggplant. The berries will turn red and are only mildly toxic.

(This reminded me of my Irish grandmother who, before cooking eggplant, stacked the slices overnight with a flat iron on top and cheesecloth layered between them to "absorb the poison." This unnecessary procedure produced a vile-tasting shriveled-up vegetable which I avoided until I found out that the fresh product is indeed delicious and safe).

On a lighter note, the wild blackberries will soon be sweet and edible. I have watched them progress from blooms...

...to "greenberries..."

...but not quite black as of yesterday:

Aside from the birds and berries, we had a visitor to our front door at 1:15 AM on June 26th. Our doorbell camera captured its arrival and departure. In the interim while it was out of sight, the camera recorded scratching noises at our door (which was then and will be forever locked after dark). Watch to about the one minute mark when the bear returns to view and ascends the steps. Our daughter turned on the floodlights, but this seemed not to faze the bear:

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Linking to: