"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of the buffalo is a question never again to be answered, and perhaps not even asked." -Aldo Leopold
Earlier this spring I watched with anticipation as a pair of Flickers inspected a potential nest cavity in a wood lot where I work. I watched over several mornings as they came and went and made a ruckus. Here, the male admires the view from the front door.
The female is pictured above, inspecting the potential nest sight.
But alas, for whatever reason, the pair decided this wasn’t the spot for them this year. Ah well.
-OZB
Here are a couple of pics of a Hooded Warbler that visited a favorite birding spot of mine a couple of weeks ago. Quite low light on a cloudy early morning, so I apologize for the grain and poor detail.
Before we get to a few birds from this spring… Why do people like Adobe Lightroom so much? I know it definitely helps in cataloging my images and I am better off than what I was before, but the hassle and bugs I have to deal with… Just yesterday, we lost power during the storms and then next time I was able to load up LR, all my settings went back to default! I guess I should be thankful that all of my images appear to be in the right spot. Computers…
Hermit Thrush
Such a silent bird. Whenever I am lucky enough to cross its path, it is almost always found by eyesight. This guy patiently hung out with me for a bit.
Mallard Drake
Pretty much a staple in the pond at my working location. Sometimes I don’t seem to bother them, while others I cause them to flush.
Brown Creeper
I have seen these guys all over the place this spring. Always one of my favorites, it has been a real treat to seem them so regularly the past two weeks.
Who cooks for you all? My chef of a wife, Sarah, that’s who… 😉
No, not a song bird today. I was lucky enough to come across this Owl during a day hike this spring. Usually, an Owl spotting OZB does whatever it can to escape, but this guy seemed not to be concerned and continued to scan the ground for mice and voles roaming through the leaf litter as I took its picture.
Don’t forget to thank a turkey today.
“Turkey Pride”
An image of a Black and White Warbler taken this past spring. The song-birds have begun moving south now. Things have been so busy, I’ve barely had a chance to go birdwatching to watch them pass through.
“Black and White Warbler”
Historically referred to as the “striped squirrel” the Eastern Chipmunk is found throughout deciduous forests of eastern North America.
Often heard, but difficult to find, the Black-billed Cuckoo specializes in eating caterpillars. I fortunately stumbled onto this guy this spring.
Known for their tendency to hang upside down while foraging for prey, the Golden-winged Warblers are partial to early successional habitats. Pressures from habitat changes and from the closely related Blue-winged Warbler have forced a downward shift in overall numbers of this species.
During migration in the StL area, Swainson’s Thrush are by far the most common Catharus Thrush to come across. They do not, however, nest in Missouri.
These guys are a challenge to photograph as they are rarely seen anywhere except in dimly lit tree cover.
A Thousand Acres of Silphiums 