Tuesday, June 4, 2013,
Well, it’s spring. Almost summer in fact. The greenery is green once again and getting greener. All around me I see new buds, new flowers, and new shoots. And then there’s all those brand spanking new little ones in the world. Baby animals. So much cuteness. It’s very nearly unbearable. It makes it real difficult for me to be a wiseguy when I’m ‘oohing’ and ‘ah-ing’ over Spring’s bounty. Dagnabbit! JK
Sunday, June 2, 2013,
Here’s a shot of a White-throated Sparrow I saw at Avalon Preserve This is the same bird I mentioned in my Bobwhite post. These little guys have always been a favorite of mine. One often expects a sparrow to be rather drably decorated but click on the pic and check out that bright white bib and those canary yellow patches between the eyes and bill. This is one good-looking bird. 
This was this species that first got me involved with Audubon. I had taken a shot of a bird braving a snowstorm back in February of 2008. I loved the shot but I didn’t know what I had so I sent the pic to my friend Sue at Four Harbors Audubon Society. Sue introduced me to several folks, via email at first, who could help me identify the birds I’d been capturing with my camera. Whenever I couldn’t determine a species, which was pretty much darn near all the time, I would send a pic out to these folks and they would ID it for me. Eventually, Four Harbors asked me to become their photographer. Either they were very happy with my pics – it’s a possibility – or they had grown tired of my incessant questioning and were hoping to shut me up. I tend to believe that the latter hypothesis is closer to the mark. Either way, it has never stopped my questions. In similar fashion to the Energizer Bunny, I keep asking and asking and asking. JK
Friday, May 24, 2013,
Bluebirds are nesting at Avalon!
For the first time in Avalon’s eleven-year history a pair of Bluebirds have taken up residence in one of the several bluebird boxes that dot the farm fields. The boxes were donated by Four Harbors Audubon Society about ten years ago and while Tree Swallows, wrens, and numerous other species make good use of them, it’s taken ten long years for a pair of Bluebirds to stake a claim. And stake a claim they have. One of my fellow birders reports seeing Mr. Bluebird pulling a wren out of the nest. You go Mister B!
Bluebirds have been seen at Avalon but this is the first time that a pair has been observed preparing a nest. Our fingers are crossed for the new neighbors. If they’re successful, maybe we’ll see more of them next year.
Saturday, May 18, 2013,
JK
Tuesday May 14, 2013,
Here’s a shot of a young Eastern Cottontail I saw at Avalon Preserve last week. He’s only half-grown but he’s not so new to the world. Most rabbits are only fist-sized when they’re turned out to fend for themselves. While this guy isn’t even an adult yet, he does show signs of what it means to be a rabbit in the wild. Click on the pic and have a look at those ears. Something, possibly a fox or a hawk, has been at this little one. Maybe even a raccoon or a possum. If you look closely enough, you’ll see that at least one tick is still chowing down on our unfortunate hero. There are many, many critters that have rabbit on the menu. This could go a long way to explaining why rabbits procreate like, well, rabbits. They absolutely need to. They’re feeding an entire ecosystem. JK