There must have been a lot of really great bugs in this poor old oak because this woodpecker and its mate spent almost an entire day putting holes in it. They either got tired of beating on it or they got all of the bugs because eventually, they flew off to better bugs.
While this does not do these guys justice, it captures their faces. We have a large old, gnarly pine tree in the front yard, and on every limb, there were a couple of these buzzards. I tried to capture the entire tree filled with them, but just couldn’t get them all in one shot. It was going to be our Christmas cards! Anyway, they hung around for awhile scaring the squirrels before taking off for parts unknown.
We had a lot of rain this summer, and because of that, there is a lot of standing water in our pond, a lot of flooding along the back of the yard and water puddles everywhere. There do not seem to be a lot of mosquitoes because we have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of dragonflies everywhere! This one was hanging off the rail outside my office window, so I shot him with a 300 mm lens. He is not photoshopped in this picture; he was naturally sepia colored. The water is still with us from Hurricane Irma.
This is my helper gecko who decided to stop by my desk and help me work on whatever project it was that day. He refused to be caught and ran all over the desk, all over the laptop and up and down the wall before coming to rest between my coffee cup and my desk scale.
I am not sure where he is now, since he wandered off.
This is not a very clear photo, but it expresses how hot it was one August afternoon. As I was working, this squirrel, who lives in our oak tree, sprawled out on the railing on the front porch and just laid there. He was not the least bit interested in me or anything else. Just grabbing some cool shade for a few moments before sprinting off to try and raid the bird feeder.
I was watering my flowers and heard these tiny voices chattering in the tree beside me. Then they were really still because mom told them to shut up. There are 5 baby wrens piled up here and just as sweet as can be.
I finished watering the flowers, grabbed the camera and made them all sit as still as stones while I walked around them taking their picture.
I was sitting at my desk working, and all of a sudden, my front yard turned into a circus show with four peacocks and a big white egret strolling through the yard.
Here are three of the peacocks, who were very tame. I went out to take photos and got some video of them. They came closer and closer and closer, apparently looking for food!
Have not seen them since, but the egret is a regular visitor.
Since I put in the flat bird feeder, there have been a wide variety of birds visiting every day. The jays have enjoyed the feeder, but not as much as they enjoy the bird bath. They hop into that water and bathe with enthusiasm! They throw water everywhere!
They eat like that too come to think of it. Along with the jays, we have had ravens, blackbirds, doves, cardinals and woodpeckers enjoying a rather simple seed mix. None the less, they are fun to watch and keep the feeder and the bath filled for everyone. The squirrel even enjoy the bath and the doves seem to think that they should just sit in the water.
Hopefully, they will stick around the rest of the summer.
This ibis seems to be posing on the top of my Norfolk pine as if he is practicing to be a Christmas angel. He spent quite a bit of time balanced on the top of the tree as it swayed in the light tropical breeze.
Eventually, he decided that he needed to eat some of the bugs in the yard. He brought along four of his friends, and they spent the afternoon poking their nose into the ground.
He looks pretty against the blue sky.
This overrunning of the bird feeder may not seem like a photo opportunity, but in fact, it was not just the bird feeder that was being overrun. There were hundreds of starlings in the yard, dozens of robins and a garden variety of sparrows, cardinals, doves, woodpeckers and blue jays. ALL AT ONCE. It was like a scene out of The Birds where they just converged screaming and fighting among themselves while grabbing at berries, seeds and each other.
Then it poured down rain and they all headed to the trees where they sat out the storm. They squawked and called and screeched and sang as it poured on them. It immediately stopped raining, and they flew away. My neighbor is convinced these birds were sent by her husband as he was dying to let her know it will all be okay. Who am I to say? This invasion only lasted a few minutes and they have never come back.
Julie L. Cleveland 