Where I've been and what I've learned along the way…
Checked out #SweetwaterWetlandsPark last week and things were pretty quiet. Not many migrants, but great viewing of several residents, including this Purple Gallinule!
Two Semi-Tame Limpkins were there to act as greeters on the boardwalk (as usual). This one was particularly vocal!
Bird yoga…
Here are two of the cutest migrants you’d ever want to see, the little Pied-Billed Grebe…
…and the Eastern Phoebe…
Finally, a perennial favorite, the Anhinga!
I had the opportunity to travel through Southern Illinois on my way back from Iowa in June. I stopped for the night at The Garden of the Gods. [Gallery]
It was late afternoon and I had just enough time to walk and photograph the major trail while the sun was setting. I took several nice photos including this HDR Panorama. [Click to Enlarge]
As the day ended I heard pleasant bird song, followed it, and discovered the source was this beautiful Indigo Bunting.
I slept comfortably in my hammock and the next morning the same bird (?) was singing in a nearby tree! (I saw this species a half dozen times this trip—more than my entire life prior!) I had a chance to observe this bird long enough to notice he was very systematic with his song. He would belt out a few bars, then turn 90° and sing some more, repeat, repeat, new perch, repeat, repeat…
The next morning I got up early and crossed the Ohio River on a little car ferry.
I spent most of June on the river with my brother Mark. We had a great time and a visit from his son Austin. [Gallery]
There were lots of birds! To start we had this fellow right outside our front door for several mornings…
The Gray Catbird is related to Mockingbirds, and it shows!
The Turtles were on the march to lay their eggs…
There were several storms the first week, most with afternoon rainbows. Check out this HDR Panorama… [click to enlarge]
I went up to Pike’s Peak State Park for a walk in the woods. Very pleasant, few people, not many flowers, lots of ferns…
We had a family gathering for my Aunt Katherine’s 90th Birthday…
Mark, Austin and I ventured over to Glen Haven, Wisconsin to partake of Taco Night and a friendly game of billiards…
A pair of Red-Winged Blackbirds had a nest in one of our shrubs. The young birds were up and out about ten days after hatching. I couldn’t get real close because the momma bird was very upset with me (and rightfully so!).
⇐ click to enlarge
I saw Indigo Buntings and Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks three or four times when I was cycling on the backroads. Other birds included…
Austin and I went over to the Motor Mill and it was unexpectedly open for tours! We went from the basement to the attic. It is a very cool building!
I now have a much better idea of how it worked. They think there was a wooden dam and a flume wall that brought the water into the basement (lower right below the grass) where it turned three vertical turbines (two for the grindstones and one for everything else). This Diagram gives some sense of the complexity inside.
After our tour we took a pleasant bike ride on the Pony Hollow Trail and ran into this Eastern Bluebird family…
It was a great day! Even the rain held off until we were off the trail.