Egrets

Great Egret (above) and a Cattle Egret (below)

Canada Geese

Happy Birthday Roger Tory Peterson!

Our very own Chautauqua County native and birder extraordinaire, Roger Tory Peterson, was born 105 years ago today in Jamestown, New York.

Northern Harrier

This is a Northern Harrier flying over a meadow along the edge of a corn field.  It landed shortly after I took this photo and was able to get a good look at it with binoculars.  Most likely a female or juvenile, the owl-like facial disc was very apparent.

"Let the rain fall down, everywhere around you!"

This juvenile Ruby-throated Hummingbird seemed to really be enjoying the rain.  It sat on the feeder preening its feathers and splashing in the raindrops as if it were taking a shower.

"You don't need a reason...

                                                                                              ...let the rain go on and on."

American Lady Butterfly

Butterflies have been very scarce this summer but we found this American Lady in the wild peppermint patch on our property.

Red-tailed Hawk

A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk that had just captured a mouse in the field.

Juvenile Bobolinks

What are you looking at?

Full Sturgeon Moon

The Golden Hour

A fabulous golden hour just before sunset this evening.

Green Heron

Morning Light

Swallow Migration

Clouds of migrating swallows could be seen and heard flying overhead at sunrise this morning.  (You can click on the photo for an expanded view.)

House Wren

A little family of House Wrens has been out and about and very vocal in the yard for the last few days.

Sunset & Moonrise

Photos taken within a few minutes of each other this evening.

Least Sandpipers

Least Sandpipers are tiny and shy little peeps but this group let me get quite close to them to take photos.

They are migrating now from their summer breeding grounds in the arctic and heading to areas as far south as Chile.

Safe travels little ones!

Early Signs of Fall

A Common Loon fishing in Lake Flavia late this afternoon.

Heavy clouds, breezy and cool at sunset over Lake Erie.

Juvenile Baltimore Orioles

Three juvenile Baltimore Orioles were in the yard this evening.

What should have been the best shot of them in the lilies was taken through the railing on the deck.

I was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Wild Cardinal Flower

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment.  I want to give that world to someone else.  Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower.  I want them to see it whether they want to or not." ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

Eastern Amberwing Dragonfly

Family of Red Fox

Murmuration of Starlings

I'm always fascinated to see a murmuration of Starlings.  It is believed that they do this to protect themselves from raptors such as eagles and hawks.  I did see a Red-tailed Hawk soaring near this large flock of juveniles.

American Avocets

A trio of vagrant American Avocets showed up near the Dunkirk Harbor again today.  They have been spotted in the area several times since July 9th.  No one knows if they are the same birds, but it is possible.

Female Bobolink

I counted at least 46 Bobolink in a field this evening, many of which I believe were juveniles.

Wild Turkey

Three Wild Turkey hens and their poults have been regular visitors in our yard for the last several days.  They come to feed on sunflower seeds that fall to the ground from the bird feeders.  They also eat a lot of grasshoppers, grubs and other insects.

Encore Performance

           

I've traveled quite a bit in my lifetime and must say that sunsets over the Great Lakes are some of the best I've ever seen.

Sunset Afterglow

We enjoyed another colorful sunset afterglow this evening.

Northern Map Turtle

A young Northern Map Turtle sunning itself on a log floating in Lake Erie.