Handsome Cranefly

False Crocus Geometer Moth

I glimpsed this attractive yellow moth flying in the early evening with sunlight shining through it wings. It was a beautiful sight. I followed it over the grass until it finally settled in one stationary spot on my lawn. Hoping it would stay in that location I ran to get my camera and it was still there when I got back. One of the foods this False Crocus Geometer Moth feeds on is Ground Ivy and we have a plentiful supply of that small wildflower in our yard.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

I hadn't seen one of these little nuthatches for quite a while. They used to visit at our feeders often but I haven't seen them much during the past year or so. I found this one in an old wooded area which includes a stand of old, tall Pines. It didn't seem to mind me being there and allowed me to take quite a few close up pictures.

Mustached Clubtail Dragonfly

Walking through a meadow holds many nature treasures and this Mustached Clubtail Dragonfly was a wonderful find.

Butterflies Seen Today

Silver-bordered Fritillary
Little Wood-Satyr

White Admiral

Painted Turtles

There is a pond alongside the shoulder of a road and it is my favourite spot for finding Painted

Turtles. If the sun is shining I can be quite sure I will find one, or two or even more there. You have to be quick with your camera though for as soon as they are aware of you they are gone! Yesterday as soon as I drove off the road onto the shoulder I could see three sitting on an old, half - submerged, discarded TV cabinet. Two quickly disappear -ed into the water but luckily this one remained. Later on in the summer as the water level lowers even more, a discarded sofa frame becomes a favourite sunning spot for them and Painted Turtles of varying ages and sizes can be seen basking in the sun there.

The yellow and red markings on this Painted Turtle make it very distinctive and easily identi- fiable.This photo (left) was taken in early May, 2006.

Wildlife in my Yard

This handsome creature, Groundhog, popped up from under our garden shed yesterday. He

may have visited last year also but is not a regular, tho we wonder if perhaps we should blame him for our chewed Hosta plants rather than the deer whom we had decided were the culprits.

Another animal visitor Raccoon, stopped by in the early twlight earlier this week to check out the food supply in our bird feeders but they were quite empty having had lots of bird visitors earlier in the day. This masked bandit didn't stay long. Visiting Raccoons do not seem to be as prevelant this year as others and that is a good thing!

I missed the best photo opportunity yesterday when a Doe and two small Fawns walked through out yard. I ran for my camera and they ran for the woods. They reached the shelter of the woods before me and my camera returned.

Butterflies Seen Yesterday

Canadian Tiger Swallowtail
Common Ringlet

Northern Cloudywing

Common Yellowthroat

This little male Common Yellow -throat Warbler is probably the warbler species most

frequently seen by us. Often we will see them fliting among the leaves of the trees in our feeder area. We have a pergola just beside one of our windows and the leaves of an American Bittersweet growing over it is an often visited area. These are armchair photos; taken through our windows.

Osprey

Turkey Vultures

We saw a wake of eight Turkey Vultures soaring in the sunlit early evening sky near Welsford on June 15, 2007. The vulture's flight feathers on the underside of its wings, caught here in the strong sunlight, took on a silvery-grey appearance.

Red-shouldered Hawk

I took a picture of a hawk from a distance and it was only after I had retuned home and downloaded the pictures and did some major cropping and editing that I realized it was a juvenile Red -shouldered Hawk.

Sunbathing in Blissville

Two Painted Turtles on a log in Central Blissville.

Dragonflies

Ever fascinating and sometimes difficult to id , I am intrigued whenever I encounter dragonflies. I was fortunate yesterday when some kept landing on a cement water pipe just in front of where I was standing. There was a small pond on one side of a dirt road with a marshy area on the other and there was lots of dragonfly activity. The first dragonfly that I could identify was a male Chalk-fronted Corporal.
The second species that I was able to get pictures of was a Dot-tailed Whiteface. Marks which easily identifies this dragonfly are the bright yellow spot on the S7 segment of its abdomen and its white face. One of the most beautiful dragonflies that I have photographed was a Calico Pennant last year on June 19th.

Eastern Phoebe

Snapping Turtle Along the River

Watching safely from a vantage point high above the river on the foot path of a railroad bridge, I saw this Snapping Turtle slowly moving along the river bank before it returned to the river. In previous years, often towards the latter end of June, I have encountered Snapping Turtles laying eggs in areas adjacent to the river.

Cedar Waxwings

Cedar Waxwings have been visiting our feeder area for the past week or so now, feeding daily on the remaining crop of last year's High Bush Cranberries . They have also been seen feeding in the blossom laden Apple Trees bordering our back yard. I have counted as many as 16 at one time.

Yellow Warbler

A handsome little male Yellow Warbler has been flitting about among the leaves of Bird Alley, our feeder area, for the past couple of days but it is difficult to get a photo of it without it being in motion. It is darting here and there, occasionally coming into full view but most often I just get a glimpse of it now and then. This is character -istic of warblers for these tiny insect eating birds are often on the move. This male Yellow Warbler is easily identified by the red streaking on its yellow breast.

Chestnut-sided Warbler Singing Its Song

Blackpoll Warbler

Our small narrow strip of deciduous trees, which we refer to as Bird Alley, was very busy this morning with many feeding birds, and so when I spied a black-capped, black and white bird in the tall branches of one of our Highbush Cranberries I automatically thought; Black-capped Chickadee. Then a second thought said; "take a closer look" and I did and I realized it didn't have a black chin like a Black-capped Chickadee does and it had black and white streaking on its sides which a Chickadee doesn't have; and it had yellow feet! It was an adult breeding male Blackpoll Warbler, and from what I have since read, it is a common warbler often seen, though this was only my second sighting of one; previously having seen one in June, 2004. A welcome little feathered visitor to Bird Alley.

Variegated Orange Moth

I saw this moth along the Mud Lake Nature Trail in Quispamsis on May 25 '07. Searching for similar moth images on the internet I found a match with the name, Variegated Orange Moth. This moth was very small, about the same size as a small skipper. The patterning was very bright and reminded me of woven yarn.