AstroGypsies

I had to, walk that is, explore, watch…I decided to brave the km+long road, long sleeves, heavier pants, hat, bug net over my head, gloves in my pocket in case it got REALLY bad! Ha! Besides, the sticks, branches and twigs in the road were driving me nuts, I’m always afraid one is a snake! So the house/road elf was off to clean up as well! The day started well…I opened the shade umbrella on our small front deck to see a beautiful little chihuahua face staring back at me…they really do look like chihuahuas! A Large Brown bat was squinting at me and a grey tree frog fell out as well! I need to build a bat house! We can’t keep meeting like this! I gently closed it:)

If I kept moving on the road, not too quickly, but not stationary I discovered it wasn’t too bad! Not that I like the bug veils, you miss things with all that in front of your eyes! At the top of the hill I spotted some ghost pipe fungi! I was pretty happy as with it being so dry, we haven’t seen much here at all in the yard. The ground is crispy!

Northern Leopard frogs were jumping out of the grass as I tossed branch after branch, stick after stick into the bush. I finally picked a larger stick and used it to flick stuff off the road! 🙂 In the swamp I just missed a swallowtail on the buttonbush, the Loosestrife, invasive as it is was beautiful with the sun behind it, and a female Hooded Merganser glided out and made her way further into the swamp!

Further along a millipede was helped across the road. I went to pick up a stick only to find I had a small garter snake in my hand, you too, off the road kid! I stopped to look at the white flowers in the larger swamp, another invasive, European Frog-Bit. The battle against so many of these invasives is lost, and when humans try to intervene, they usually mess it up more;) Look at the gypsy moth spraying…:(

As I reached the mailbox swamp, (yes, we have a lot of swamps here!) I thought these were the Wood Ducks for a moment, but no, a Mallard hen and her brood scooted along as I walked up. The guy bringing up the back was having fun! At the far end I could see the Trumpeter swan family.

On the really warm days you can often find them on the small island snoozing away, oblivious to all. Using each other for foot rests! They are growing so quickly! Then the Wood Duck mother gave her rallying cry and called the troupes together as I walked closer!

“Line up! Chop! Chop! No dillydallying! Let’s go!” She is a drill sergeant for sure! This is a busy swamp this year! Such beautiful ducks!

No mail…sigh…all that way, all those bugs, well, not too bad! Ha! I didn’t really go for the mail:)

I caught a few dragonflies on the way back as I meandered along…dawdling;) There is no such thing as straight path! Ha! That red one! Wow!

I found a few ragged butterflies as well. The swallowtails and monarchs seem to be passing through, looking for better feeding areas, or egg laying spots perhaps! A beautiful Clouded Sulphur posed for awhile by the swamp and there were many skippers along the road. The Queen Anne’s Lace is spectacular!

..and I survived the walk with only a few bites! I was sad to see so few mushrooms, here’s hoping more rain might help out! Around the house we have none, yet. Down at the lakeside I stopped to see what was flying about! More dragonflies, of course! I never tire of watching these guys!

Ok, enough dragonflies! Bring on the butterflies, or birds! We have birds! We have two juvenile Red Bellied Woodpecker babies! At first I thought I saw a female, then it looked like it was a male, then yesterday, I saw them both on the suet tree begging from mother! Yeah! Always pleased to have them about! Will try to get a shot of both of them together!

As I sit to photograph the hummingbirds you see so much more! Our regulars, the Goldfinches and Purple finches, Downy and Hairy woodpeckers. The Pileated paid us a brief visit but flew off before I could get the camera! The Eastern Phoebes, Eastern Kingbirds and Scarlet Tanagers are busy reining in the deerflies! Go team flycatcher! Hopefully the robins eat them too! Something, someone, eat the deerflies! PLEASE! Ha!

The Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles are looking a bit rough right now, molting, please ma’am, no close ups;) Pretty sure I have spotted a juvenile as well!

Mike and I heard an odd song outside the front one afternoon…Eastern Towhee I joked, we always say Towhee when we don’t know what it is;) It was;) It was a single note…that dropped at the end…check out their calls here: Eastern Towhee sounds. I think they are gorgeous! Those red eyes and browns and blacks!

So many wonderful bird sounds! The juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are invading the feeders, keeping Pa busy chasing off the hooligans! They will try any flower, rope, feeder…just to see!

So much fun to watch! I’ll catch up with soon before we have a novel here, also what works for me photographing these fast moving little birds, more Loons and a very bossy baby oriole! Ha! And Rocket…he’s had an adventurous week! Saludos amigos!