Summertime

It's been a busy summer and I can't believe we're almost half way through July.

The House Wrens have already fledged two broods by the patio and one in the front yard. No one used the house in my wildflower bed on the hill this year.

The Baltimore Orioles have fledged as well.  I never know where their nests are, but at least 2 pair frequent the jelly feeder, along with at least one pair of Catbirds.

The American Goldfinches have stayed all season at the thistle feeders.

The beds around the house have done well this year with heavy spring rains.  

Things are drying out now, so I have had to start watering.

The Woodchucks and Deer have not been thwarted by my fencing of the native plantings on the hill.

The best laid plans...

Monitoring - Finally!

It's been a long winter and a cold, wet busy spring, but I finally made it out to monitor yesterday.

Our job this summer is to regularly visit some of the corridor sites.  

These are park properties that are not open to the public.  

We will search for rare species, recording the populations with GPS tracking.

I will miss our regular haunts, but look forward to visiting new places.

The Lupine in the photo is not a rare species, but is what is known as an "indicator species".

It's presence lets the park know it is managing the land well.

It  is also a sure sign of spring.

Ice Breakup

We awoke Sunday morning to open water on the river.  

It has since continued warm and rainy and the water is completely open and flowing high.

The last few weeks of winter are always the most difficult for me. 

Even with colder temperatures, it would be unusual for the river to refreeze.

The open water will attract birds migrating north and it will make all the difference.

Buddies

My elderly neighbor and I bond over nature.  

She phoned last evening to make sure I didn't miss the spectacular moon rising over the river.

I pulled the shade just in time to see the two raccoons who use our oak climbing out of their cavity.

They groomed each other for quite a while, then seemingly paused to admire the moon as well.