August continues to delight…

It was another morning in paradise, and I got out to enjoy it nice and early. Things were pretty busy at the pond when I arrived. Sure, there was still no sign of the juvenile night-heron from a couple of days ago, and the juvenile hooded merganser seems to have finally moved on, but we had a new surprise guest instead: this stunning adult black-crowned night-heron. I love those bright red eyes.

There was also a great blue heron, who soon took off, but this fierce-looking green heron stuck around.

Plus, there were a pair of kingfishers dashing about, and this one perched over the near-side of the island for a moment.

As I was on the west lawn taking pictures of the green heron and the kingfisher, the young wood ducks all came up out of the water and brought their mom and maybe and auntie along, too.

I sat down to appear less threatening, and this one brave duckling came crazy close to make sure I didn’t have any treats in my pocket. “Sorry, Honey. We’re really not supposed to interfere with your natural diet, no matter how cute you are or how much we want to.”

Well, in that case, it became nap time, and you can see one sibling nuzzling the head feathers of another as they settled down. I guess they pick up that habbit early.

I was tempted to sit there all morning, but my FOMO on who might be on the river eventually won out, so I excused myself to hike across the softball field, and on my way, I spotted this, probably young, eastern wood pewee looking and acting a bit like a tiny bird in a giant world.

There was nobody new at the river today, that I could see, but I did spot these two green herons who seemed quite excited to see each other.

On my way back south, I stopped at the pollinator garden, and a monarch was enjoying the swamp milkweed as it opens, …

While another snowberry clearwing was enjoying the bee balm while it lasts.

Speaking of bees, the burdock patch beside the soccer fields was loaded with honey bees, and here’s one, a western honey bee or European honey bee (Apis mellifera), who posed perfectly for me.

I also spotted this skipper on the burdock, and this one is an aptly-name fiery skipper.

Finally, the goldfinch just can’t seem to get enough of the musk thistle seeds, and I haven’t grown tired of taking their portraits either.