Varied day

Pretty, quiet day. There's no way to know what's going to be seen.

Funny hopper.

At Azalea Pond (no azaleas), the oriole.

The female redstart. Posing for a change.

It was the sound that attracted me. A cluster of flickers in a berry tree really fighting over the berries. Angry facing-off.

Only really mud flats at the Gill. Waterthrush, mucking about, oblivious to the fact that I was watching.

Back here in garden, surprise, the female Wilson's warbler. Shot through hazy double glass.

Hummers in next posting.

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Assorted pleasure

Before even getting out the door knew the day would be good. In back garden, shot through glass, the female common yellow throat warbler.

There's lots going on in the underbrush, fallen branches. Plodding oven bird.

I don't know what this is, maybe a vireo.

Heard first. Young catbird calling for Mama.

Hermit thrush.

But...... it's the hummers that draw me. Aerial ballet.

I saw a squirrel gathering leaves. Before I could get my camera ready a blue jay flew down and deliberately landed on the squirrel's back and stayed there riding the squirrel for about 4 seconds before squirrel got out of that space. Astonishing.

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Hummers plus others

This always makes me think of Spider's harp.
Two juvenile blue jays finding bugs in the log. Look at size of heads in relation to their bodies. Definitely youngsters.

But at this time of year it's the hummers that capture my heart. Sitting still is rare. Getting them in mid-air is much harder.

I wish I could do this too, stay suspended in space.

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