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House Wren
This house wren was busy feeding babies — but not too busy to scold, machine-gun fashion.
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Pilot training
My husband’s family is filled with pilots. This wooden airplane is a weathervane, and it’s always fun when we go to my in-laws’ and see various birds sitting on it. This day I saw a sparrow, a bluebird and, as this photo shows, a hummingbird.
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Round the bend…
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Silver lining
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Four-legged feeder visitor
I saw this gray fox one evening out by our bird feeder and it ran away. I figured it was hunting for an unwary ground-feeding bird. But the next morning it reappeared, and it was eating the bird seed on the ground.
I’ve never heard of a fox doing this. Live and learn!
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Flowers
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Mostly about birds…
Cliff swallows It’s good to have a bleacher seat with thugs like this guy around.
This tree full of swallow nestlings was fun to see.
Every time a parent bird flew near, all four would start fluttering in a desperate plea for feeding. It was as if they were trying to lift the tree off the ground.
Only once in awhile did one of them get fed, though.
We have lots of fledglings around out yard these days: chickadees and titmice, downy, hairy and red-bellied woodpeckers, cardinals, rose-breasted grosbeaks, and robins. It’s good to know that so many species have been successful despite the sobering challenges they face every nesting season.
Chestnut-sided warbler with caterpillar 
Curious red-eyed vireo 
Young robin 
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Things with wings
White Admiral? 
This butterfly posed nicely for me. I’m guessing it’s a white admiral.
This next one is a question mark butterfly, named after the small white mark on its underwing. Who’d guess that such a beautiful creature would sip mud?
We’ve seen a few dragonflies lately too. I’m no expert on dragonflies, but I find that the exquisite veining of their wings, their amazing diversity, and their armored bodies, always interest me.
This one’s armored body did it no good against a canny blackbird…
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Hungry
Everyone was feeding their young this week when we took our walk in the woods. This was probably a once in a lifetime sight… I think Mrs. Doe had a fast getaway in mind, but she tolerated her two hungry fawns for a minute before leaping cleanly over them and leading them quickly into the woods.
The redwinged blackbird babies were hungry too…
…as were the orioles.
Other sights…
Indigo bunting 
Daisy 
“Indian paintbrush” 
Red-eyed vireo That’s just a sampling… There were many other sights and sounds, too. This time of year it’s impossible to document them all.
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Chickadee Nest
This active chickadee nest was a delightful discovery on a walk the other day. The parents were feeding young, coming and going nonstop with beaks full of caterpillars.
