After taking a lengthy sebatical, I'm back at the keyboard (and behind the camera) again. Here are a few photos and reflections for you
This sunrise is occuring just as the last few storm clouds are disappearing over the eastern horizon. This means I was up sometime around 4:30 am.
I'm going to venture this is a sharp-shinned hawk. Since they look a lot like a Cooper's Hawk, I can't say with 100% certainty. This bird seemed quite comfortable on the top rail of my fence, and stayed about 10 minutes, turning around several times to survey the situation.
If this oriole's mouth seems a tad askew, it's because its tongue is showing while it dips into some grape jelly. The orioles arrive in our neck of the woods in early May, about the same time as the ruby-throated hummingbirds. They feed voraciously on jelly and hummingbird nectar, and will scold us vigorously if we are within sight after they land. Once mating season arrives, we see them rarely until after their chicks fledge.
This busy group of hummers foretells a cool evening.
This indigo bunting is a rare sight at our feeder, but we usually see one or two each spring.
