Here’s a black swallowtail female on swamp milkweed. She does have lovely blue on her hind wings.
Don’t those look like crooked yellow teeth on his wings? He is enjoying zinnias.
Category: #OptOutside
“Starving” osprey chick
Red Eye is screaming at top of her lungs from her nest-fortress. Both of her parents are in southern red oak above her eating channel catfish. Unlike nests where there are more than one chick fighting for food, she will enjoy the remains of both parents’ fishes.
This gives you an idea of what the original photo looked like, shot through telescope. She is perched on top of nest. Nest box alone is about 3 inches deep. Her nest is a true fortress.
Go fish!
Red Eye (osprey chick) begs Pepper Dotty (mom) for fish. Pepper says what all mother osprey say to their chicks, “Go fish!”
Pepper continues to eat, ignoring her starving, miserable chick.
Red Eye continues to complain. Pepper ‘hoods’ her fish. Dart (dad) flies to nest off camera.
Red Eye flies to nest but Dart is already gone and there was no fish left in the nest. Help!!
Suddenly Pepper drops to the nest to deliver fish remains to her chick and Red Eye starts eating immediately.
Happy Red Eye will survive another day! Thanks, Mom!
Learning how to be an osprey!
7-19 Red Eye hung out on a tree branch with Dart (dad), practicing normal osprey behavior. Suddenly an eagle flew past and Dart dove off to notify the eagle he was not welcome in osprey territory. So much for a young osprey to learn!
Red Eye, osprey chick, fledged 7/15!
Here’s Red Eye, back at her nest, the morning after she fledged. Her parents will continue to feed her while she learns how to fish. Check out her wing and breast spots. There is a doe on the far shore, probably about 1/4 mile away.
Pictures taken with an I-phone peeking thru a telescope may not be the best quality but at least you can see what’s happening.
One baby osprey
This out of focus photo shows from left to right, baby Red Eye, dad Dart and mom Pepper Dotty. We believe Red Eye hatched 5/14 and should have fledged a few days ago, inspiring the following:
An only child So always under Parents’ watchful eye
She eats and naps And eats again And barely moves a thigh.
Have you ever heard Of a baby bird Who got too fat to fly?
The following photo, taken 7/10, shows Red Eye finally doing wing exercises. If your wings were that long, imagine how heavy they must be! It would probably take you awhile to start flying exercises too!
“H”opt outside! Bunnies are big this year per us and WashPost!
A “5-bunny” morning is pretty common here in southern MD. Even a “9-bunny” morning isn’t out of the question. Watching these crepuscular critters hop and gambol around the yard is such a treat!
Photos of bunny who was willing to pose, letting me get quite close. I wonder if it has hearing or vision issues because John reported similar visit with rabbit in same location.
Note tick on ear- a reminder to all of us to check carefully!
