August Doldrums

Well, it’s August and, as expected, many of the birds have gone into seclusion. They’re still there (in fact this morning, my species count was 20), but they’re not as visible as they are the rest of the year. Because they’re not visible, it’s much harder to take pictures of birds. Thus, this post has more insects and other creatures than my usual posts.

The Green Herons seem to have departed for the season. Last year they hung around until the first week in September. This year, they were gone by the first week in August. Also nowhere in sight are the Tree Swallows and the Kingbirds. (However, there are dozens of Tree Swallows—along with Bank Swallows and Barn Swallows—at Howling Cow Creamery on Lake Wheeler Road).

One bird does make an appearance in August: the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (cover picture, and another in the gallery below). They’re almost worse to photograph than Kinglets. They’re constantly on the move, and often prefer to be under the cover of shrubs or bushes.

As usual, you can click on an image to see a larger version.

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I wonder how much longer the dead pine tree (across Parkfield Drive) will stand. There are just a few stubby branches left at the top, but it seems to be enough for the occasional Turkey Vulture to sun itself. In the lower reaches of the pine are the branches where I saw the Barred Owl for many days running this winter. I’m hoping those branches hold up for a while longer, and I’m hoping the owl returns.

If can tell me what insect laid these eggs, I’d like to know. They’re really quite small, about 2-3mm high.

What can I say? I’m a sucker for taking pictures of butterflies. I probably have as many pictures of Tiger Swallowtails as I do of Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

The Long-jawed Orb Weaver is often seen in the corners of the dock. It took me a while to identify it. Unfortunately, most of the pages on spider identification focus on the poisonous spiders. The more obscure orb weavers need to increase their social media visibility!

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