July 16, 2010

Summer Sightings


My First Bath

There have been numerous fledglings in the backyard this Summer. We have been getting several House Sparrow and House Finch fledglings. This is a female H. Finch bathing in the sun :-)






This fledgling Sparrow is still trying to figure things out.



I believe the Orioles have left the backyard :-( I was hoping to see some fledglings at the Oriole feeder. They probably found someone's backyard that is serving Grape Jelly.




The House Finches have finished nesting and fledging, but, we still continue to get the occasional Male House Finch at the feeder.



We had a pair of Brown Thrashers from early Spring through the end of June. The white stuff you see in the photo is not snow or hail, it is cotton from the mature Cottonwood Trees.




This is a fledgling female Cardinal. I have a story to tell you about this photo opp. She is on the back deck and I am shooting from inside the house. My camera has a red flashing dot while focusing...the Cardinal froze in this position, as if shot by a stun gun or something! Needless to say, I took several shots of this pose...LOL!! I was getting worried about her...she finally "unfroze" and went on with life. Remember the game Freeze Tag :-))





I really don't have the camera for these little guys, but, I couldn't resist. To ID the above butterfly, I studied the Butterfly & Moth website and decided to go with Gorgone Checkerspot. Let me know what you think?




My grand-daughter helped me spot these Dragonflies. She has really good eyes. I know zero about ID-ing dragonflies, but they sure are pretty.






I traveled up to South Dakota to visit my Dad (the place where I grew up). The Killdeers like to nest there.



This is an Upland Sandpiper in South Dakota. All the years growing up there and I'd never noticed it before. They like nesting in this part of the world near Alfalfa fields. And that's just where I saw them all. I was thinking, "Is that a Road Runner, or what?!"



Another view of the Upland Sandpiper standing on cut Alfalfa. The field guide says they are rarely seen near water. They like native prairies and hay fields.




This is an Upland Sandpiper perched on the utility wires. They are fond of perching on posts and utility wires.




Killdeer nest in South Dakota.
I was so thrilled when my brother showed me this Killdeer nest right inside the feedlot. He is interested in wildlife, too, so tries to avoid running over these nests with the tractor while feeding the cows. He was expecting the eggs to hatch soon. I would have loved getting some photos of Killdeer chicks :-)

17 comments:

Kerri Farley said...

Great post Cindy! I've missed you!!
LOVE the Kildeer eggs!!

Dan Huber said...

very nice post and great photos Cindy

Julie G. said...

I so enjoyed this Summer Sightings blog post! Fabulous! You have indeed seen some beautiful feathered friends. Wonderful images! They are all terrific but I especially like the bathing sparrow junior, frozen cardinal and dragonflies. Thanks for sharing!

cindyzlogic said...

Thanks, Kerri! I've missed you, too!

Thanks, Dan! I need to check out your blog, too, and see what you've been up to :-)

Thanks for the kind comments, Julie!! Thanks for stopping by :-)

Anonymous said...

Hi, I have enjoyed this post, especially love
the Upland Sandpiper. I'm with you regarding
dragonflies. About all I can tell you is that
the brown one is a dragonfly and the blue one
is a damselfly. I think if you look up Eastern
Comma or Question Mark butterfly you will find
the orange and black guy is either one of those and not a Gorgone Checkerspot. Have fun!
Hap in New Hope (MN)

troutbirder said...

What a neat post. Loved that Upland Sandpiper. That would be a "lifer" for me. I think our next grandchild visit to Colorado should be through S.D. instead of I80. Maybe I'll spot one. :)

Alan Pulley said...

WOW! Great captures Cindy! A lot going on in your yard this summer. I wish we had orioles in our yard in the summer. They normally just pass through our area for a short time in the spring. The cardinal story was interesting...he must have been hypnotized by the red light...ha ha! Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

Great collection of birds and insects - I love watching the birds splash in the bird bath at any age.

Rick said...

Wow Cindy - I just got back from some vacation and am trying to catch up. You've certainly been busy and you've got some great shots here!! What a variety, and great poses. Especially love the bird bathing shots.

Debbie Miller @HooootOwl said...

Lots of great captures Cindy ... love those bathing birdies and hope you get to see the killdeer babes soon too. Exciting.

cindyzlogic said...

Thanks for stopping by and for the kind comments, Hap, troutbirder, Wren, Alan, Rick, and Debbie!!!

Anonymous said...

great series of pics - I love the bathing ones!

cindyzlogic said...

Thanks for stopping by dreamfalcon! Thanks also for the kind comments!

Glen Webber (Wildlife Photography) said...

Nice collection of photos and great post.

cindyzlogic said...

Thanks for stopping by, Glen! I'll need to check out your photography.

Vickie said...

How special to see a Killdeer's eggs! You certainly have had some fun looks at fledglings. I enjoyed the description of the Cardinal's reaction to the camera light!

cindyzlogic said...

Thanks for stopping by, Vickie! :-))