Day 17.253: Birds in the mist

It was a rather drizzly visit to the cemetery this morning with the nature group. As a result, it was not a great morning for bird sightings and what we saw were rather wet or distant or both. Here's a selection.

A group of gulls flying up-river. Some at least are great black-backed gulls

Gray catbird

Eastern wood-pewee

Belted kingfisher

Bald eagle in "the eagle tree"

Day 17.252: Motel features

The motel we stayed in last weekend had some pretty interesting (historical features). It felt a bit like a step back in time.

Inverse do not disturb sign

Don't accidentally switch that switch

It looks like sometimes this screw in the door frame has been used as an extra security feature

The purpose of this small item of wall furniture seems to have been lost to history (at least for our kids' generation).

How many of these seem odd to you?

Day 17.251: PJ Harvey

An unpleasant drive through particularly heavy early evening traffic was rewarded by a wonderful evening of music with PJ Harvey and her band. And they started early enough that even though they played for two hours we were able to drive home again before midnight. 

Day 17.250: Turkey; dinner

The (presumably) mother and child turkeys I previously reported on have been back several times. On one occasion, the parent sat down in the sun.

Meanwhile, the youngster continued (for a while) to stroll and peck until it too joined its mother for a sit down on the warm grass.

Out of the same window, we observed a spider catch a fly and wrap it up expertly.

It was close enough to allow an identification by the Seek app. Araneus diadematus, the cross orbweaver - also known as the European garden spider.

Day 17.249: Birds in Vermont

We weren't really looking for birds while we were there, but that didn't mean we didn't see any.

We saw several eastern phoebes:

and a few birds of other kinds:

Northern flicker

European starling

This bird caused some brief excitement. It turned out to be a young eastern bluebird

On the drive through the mountains, we saw at least two bald eagles but it wasn't the time for photography.

Day 17.248: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #491

Exile #2 writes...

The college we visited today was quite a different story from the big bustling campus we visited yesterday. It was beautiful - built on rolling hills set in the shadow of the Green Mountains, but it felt like a ghost town. Admittedly, most campuses would early on a Sunday morning, but something about the place said that it knew its days were numbered and it wasn’t going to try too hard to delay the inevitable. We enjoyed exploring but were happy to get back on the road and enjoy the loveliness of Vermont, the trees just beginning to change across the hundreds of square miles of National Forest.

Day 17.247: Mountain drive

E5N1, Exile #2 and I started our day quite early so we could drive through the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont to Burlington for a college tour at the University of Vermont starting at 11 am. After the tour we had lunch, a little walk and a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream before getting back in the car for another 3 hour drive south through the Green Mountains to Bennington where we have another tour arranged for tomorrow. 

The three of us by Lake Champlain

View to the Adirondacks in upstate NY over Lake Champlain

Day 17.246: Feeling hawkish?

My birding photos for today were predominantly of two hawks. A red-tailed hawk who seemed to be playing peek-a-boo with me from the top of a nearby tree:

and a Cooper's hawk that seemed to not care about us at all:

but did decide to exit in the other direction:

I did photograph a distant common grackle again for some non-raptor balance:

Day 17.245: Warren Woods Preserve

On Saturday afternoon, Exile #2 and I went to explore Warren Woods Preserve. We had an interesting experience there that may be related later, but for now, this is what we saw.

Meadows dotted with tawny cotton-grass...

...and woolgrass

Pathways lined with goldenrod...

...and asters

And, as we were nearly back to the car a little patch of ghost pipe under the trees.

Slightly surprisingly, we didn't see a single bird and the only ones we heard were a few chickadees

Day 17.244: Volunteering at church

This is one of the beds outside the front door or our church building. It has been completely taken over by a pumpkin vine. No-one admits to having planted it and I have confirmed it is a single vine, so we all believe it is a volunteer grown from a presumably discarded seed. 

In any case, it is quite impressive, and - now - fruitful. 

Day 17.243: At the end of the day

I had a busy day at work today while watching for family health news from the UK. All indications so far are that things went well. 

At the end of the day, I was in Portland’s Old Port for dinner with a visiting colleague. It was a beautiful late summer evening and as the huge cruise ship prepared to depart, the streets were quiet but far from empty under the cloudless sky. 

 

Day 17.242: Irresistible (going cheep)

I first heard, and then saw this little chap as I was leaving work one day last week. 

I hope he found his way to safety. Video of our interaction, including his very sweet cheeps is here. 

Day 17.241: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #490

Exile #2 writes…

After returning from the UK last weekend, I have predictably been falling asleep on the sofa most evenings (apart from our night out in Boston which, miraculously, I managed to muscle through!). There has been plenty to catch up on, including the usual forms and letters for E5N1’s return to school. There have also been regular calls to the other side of the Atlantic, where my Mum is recovering well.

Although I’ve been dashing around, this piece of paper, on the floor next to my car in the supermarket parking lot, made me pause for a moment to read and wonder about its story. It has something of the Liverpool poet about it. I like the thought that it might be the first in a series to be found scattered about our town.

Day 17.240: Beastly appearances

In addition to the birds I posted yesterday, we saw a couple of mammals at the cemetery too. 

There were several gray squirrels in this hawthorn tree eating under ripe fruit. We mused whether they were good for their hearts as they apparently are for humans. 

Their larger cousin was nearby too. I’m happier seeing them here than when our Chonk was making daily visits to our backyard