The Gray Catbirds have returned

My front yard was a busy spot this morning. 2 Gray Catbirds came to the birdbath and hung out in the Tangelo Tree.

They’ve actually been here for 2 or 3 weeks, but pretty skittish.

Only one was kind enough to pose for a photo…but as soon as he noticed me …it was gone.

They are beautiful birds and spend a lot of time in and around the yard. They seem to like the birdbath more than the other birds.

I had 1 male Painted Bunting and 1 Greenie at the feeder this morning. No pictures yet…but they are back also. The Titmice, Cardinals, Buntings, and half a dozen doves were flitting about with the Catbirds.

Cardinals

I have at least 3 beautifully bright red male Cardinals that have been here this summer. I don’t always see them at the same time, so there could be more but 3 were at the feeders this morning.

They all disappear whenever I go outside to get a picture. I guess that is why the Titmice and the Painted Buntings always come in with them  during the winter. They are good watchdogs.

The Cardinals are here all year long. It would be boring without them, since most of the other small birds leave during the summer.

Weird looking insect. What is it?

Does anyone know what this little bugger is?

It’s about an inch and a half long. Didn’t seem able to navigate very well. The legs actually looked “fleshy”.  I’d sure like to know what it’s going to look like when it grows up.

Looks like a hard shell on it’s neck and small wings…though it never opened them. Maybe it’s something that just hatched. Appreciate any help.

Momma Raccoon and her babies

This is a picture of one of the small Raccoons that sometimes visit. I took this back in May.

It shows up early in the morning to see if the squirrels have dropped any corn or if the bunnies have left any.

We took our camper and Jim’s ‘67 Chevy to a car show in Tampa for 3 days. So it’s been pretty quiet around here.

This morning I looked out and was surprised to see our “little one” outside with 2 babies of her own.

The little ones were very skittish. They heard the door creak and are looking to see what the noise was.

I am sure this is the same one. She has a lot more white on her face than any of the others that used to come in.

Is this a little darling? It sees me on the porch…and I just had time to snap this before he scooted into the woods.

They have to run when I open the door or when they see me. If they don’t…then we encourage them to by banging pans etc. I don’t want them to  lose their fear of people or dogs. As long as they obey the rules…no birdfeeders …no trash cans…no entering the dog’s yard…they are welcome to stop by and see if there is a snack left over and we won’t disturb them.

I live in a very heavily wooded area that was their home before mine…so I try to share, with all the inhabitants.

Black Swallowtail Butterfly

Unless you look closely you might think this is the Palamedes, but it’s not. It is a Black Swallowtail.

The one on the R is a Palamedes. See the striped body. The Black Swallowtail’s is spotted.

I think this is the female. The male (?) followed her all over the yard…waiting for her to decide if she wanted to mate or not. At least, that is the way it looked to me.

They flutter so fast I was surprised when I saw I had them with both of their wings spread.

Honey Bees and a birdbath

I’ve had gardens, lived on a couple of small farms and been pretty outdoorsy….but never realized that Honey Bees would be interested in a birdbath.

My birdbath is concrete so it’s easy for them to sit on the side and drink, as this one is.

From around 10 or 11 am, I have a steady stream of Honey Bees coming in.

I don’t remember seeing them before this year, so perhaps we have a hive nearby. My neighbor has 3 hives, but they also have a pond so I doubt they would be coming this far. I am probably 2 miles from their hives.

So…..if you have a garden and want the Honey Bees to hang around….maybe a nice birdbath in the middle would be a good source of water for them.

You can see this little guy drinking it up.

I’ve never seen more than a dozen at a time, but they are continually coming and going until almost dark.

I don’t know if they would bother the birds…but I have another watering hole available for them, in the shade, where it can stay fairly cool.

Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly ( KY )

We took a quick trip to Kentucky, and on a walk up the creek that runs through my sister’s pasture, I spotted this Damselfly. It was beautiful! My sister and husband were enjoying the creek while I chased after insects. It gets addicting. I end up with 50+ shots of the same thing. Of course, most do not come out clear.

No matter how I tried…I couldn’t get the iridescent color right. It changed with the light. One minute it looked a vibrant blue…then green.

There were dozens of them flying around, but that was the only type I saw.

Even the colors of the plants as the sun and shadows changed them had an effect on the Damsel’s color.

I wish I had them cruising around my back yard.