Blackpoll Warbler

I went out for a bit this morning but it was very slow.  With a horrible case of the red bugs (chiggers), tick bites and poison ivy, I called it a day early.  Off and on the remainder of the day I would see a bird quickly come to the bath and leave just as quickly.  Late this afternoon it got the courage to come in.  A Blackpoll Warbler!  First time I can ever recall seeing one in the yard.

As I was watching it, I kept noticing another little bird wanting to come in but very skittish.  Finally when the warbler started bathing and a Chickadee also came in, the female Northern Parula came in.

Day Trip To Lake Mattamuskeet

I had planned to go yesterday but the car battery died late in the day and the running around to get a new one put me behind.  It was a spur of the moment decision early this morning to go ahead with the trip.  I guess I should have really checked the weather because the wind was gusting steadily all day.  But oh well.  The first thing I saw when I entered the refuge was a group of white pelicans.  It was pretty cool to see so many together but they sure were spooky.  If you tried to get close they would fly.

The osprey was steady on the hunt and had the ducks and geese fussing over their little ones.














The Indigo Buntings were everywhere.  This particular male was displaying like crazy.  I guess he was trying to find himself a sweet lady bird.












The Great Crested Flycatchers were numerous and steadily keeping a fuss, chasing each other and in general stirring up all the other birds.

I saw several groups of Wood Duck chicks.  In this particular group I counted 12 chicks.  Some had already gone by.  Their mortality rate is so high with falling victim to turtles, large fish and assorted birds of prey you can only hope that at least a third will make it to adulthood.  I watched this female for a while and she sure was a good mom.

I was out walking along the edge of one of the canals when a big splash startled me.  I guess this gator was looking for a meal.

Lonicera sempervirens

Coral Honeysuckle, Trumpet Honeysuckle, Woodbine.  Unlike the invasive Japanese white and yellow honeysuckle, the Coral Honeysuckle is a native species and is not as aggressive as the Japanese invasive.  Good for attracting hummingbirds.

Eastern Wood-Pewee

An easily overlooked bird with the colorful birds that are arriving and moving through this time of year but their song captures your attention.  Their behavior is typical of other flycatchers so it is easy to get some good shots of them.

Prothonotary Warbler

A bright splash of yellow amid a sea of green.  I don't know what was going on between this bird and a Black-throated Blue Warbler but the Prothonotary chased it multiple times.  If the weather holds tomorrow, I am going back to try for some better shots.

Red-eyed Vireo

Another Tanager Couple

What a beautiful day.  Clear blue skies and sunshine for a change.  Short lived as more rain tomorrow.  I went down to check on the Hooded Warblers and yes they were there but I got side tracked with a new pair of tanagers.

The male was a bit elusive but the female was something else.  I kept trying to get some distance between us but when I would move, she would fly to the next closest tree.  It was pretty cool having one not show any fear about being close.  It did however, make for difficult pictures.