Young visitors....

The younger squirrels are still showing up at least every other day. The "Kid" likes our "garden buffet"...........food all spread out and flowers in the background.
If he sees me watching, he waits to see what I'm going to do, but doesn't always run off....as long as the sliding glass door is closed.

I got more entertainment from watching this little downy. All the young birds seem to come fairly late and I don't have really good light. They seem to find that a safer time to visit.

"I think someone greased this tree!"

He spent a lot of time trying to figure out this "odd" tree! I should have been shooting video. He would try to grab it and then start fluttering because he couldn't scoot up like they usually do in trees. It really frustrated him! He managed to grab it and hang there for a few seconds. Downys seldom land directly at the food. They always land higher or lower and then scoot up or down to get to it.

"Now what do I do?"

When he finally got to the suet cage, he still seemed perplexed by what he was to do next. He sat on the right hand stick where he could barely reach the food instead of hanging on the cage or sitting on the left side closer to the suet. He did manage to feed himself eventually!

The Mallards always show up when there is no food out in the drive. I opened the door to throw some out and she retreated to the yard but waited there, and came back to eat after I went in. Maybe she is beginning to realize that I'm the one that brings the food. I don't know why this pair have not produced babies. I did notice today that her left foot seems to be turned inward. I had not noticed that before. The male would not come to the drive after seeing me even though she was eating. Finally they flew over the garage and landed in the pond for a swim.

We bought local strawberries at the farm market....yum! Wish I could share them with you :-) They looked really good this year.

Turkey babes.........

I didn't get a great focus on these, but we saw these two cute little baby turkeys following mom across a yard. I was shooting through the car window and they were moving fast once they knew I saw them and stopped.Mom and her twins
Hurry into the grass!

She can't see us here!

Droopy days.....

I guess that's the best word I can think of for the weather and birds right now...."droopy".It rained off and on today, but I did see the Bluejay stop by to visit.
This Cardinal is not looking his best.

The Downy is mad because I ran out of suet......am heading out to buy some in a few minutes...hang in there!

The rain and the weight of the flowers has beat the Deutzia bush down. Definitely "droopy" and ready to be cut back as soon as it is done flowering.

The flowers are fully open now and starting to rain white petals.

This is a "droopy" rose that I think is the stock that a better rose was once grafted on to. I still like the flowers...better than nothing. Will cut it back too as soon as it is done.

If I had noticed the little spider when I took the photo, I would have taken some macro.

I can't figure out these wrens. I see them hanging around the gourd, but also hanging around a little birdhouse in the crabapple tree.......a home in the country? I'm not sure they are living in either.

Maybe he has two wives and two houses!

They certainly sing alot!
Still glued to tennis. All the big names are advancing onward. Go Federer! Go Nadal! (my two favorites, in case you can't guess by the photo)

Good news: we got the air conditioner fixed!

Bad news: expensive $$$$$$ :-(

Growing up fast.....

The heron chicks are getting active

Another nest of young we spotted this time near the middle bottom of this photo. It was a rainy day so light conditions were poor for that distance.

The geese are getting their "chin straps" already.

...but a few are younger.

Now, here's something REALLY worth watching! French Open is on for the next two weeks, so I'm glued to the set alot right now.

Finding a voice in the world....

Even turning the volume way up on the video, I have trouble hearing these little "honkers".

More of the zoo.....

I haven't been taking many photos. I may not post every day for awhile. Here are a few more photos from the zoo last Friday. I like this pretty goose that was swimming serenely on the pond at the zoo.
Porky and Sloth (is that anything like Porgy and Bess?) They made a rather funny looking twosome. Even weirder, the other porcupine and the other sloth were together on another limb.

I like its funny nose!

Snoozing

The obligatory "peacock on full display" photo.

I like this one in the garden better.....trailing its beauty behind it :-)

2 pretty little deer

...and two pretty little ducks.

That's it!

I'm taking some time off.....not quiting....just slowing down for awhile. I just feel hot and lethargic and uninspired right now (maybe that is because our air-conditioner is on the blink).

Squirrel Sunday...."The Kid"

Looks like "The Kid" has been taking lessons from Star.

How did he get in that feeder? Must have dropped in from the tree above. "I like this Swinging Diner......great atmosphere as well as good food"
"Oooops......Aren't I suppose to be here?"

"I'm really cute.....remember?"

Zoo views vs. Wetlands views......

I went two places yesterday and after looking at my photos, decided they were interesting to compare.

First at the zoo we have the "mangy" camel family..... Papa......
Baby camel being hidden in the corner by mama.....

....but later on view! Isn't she adorable? Although the entire family looks likes someone attacked them with hedge clippers.


At the wetlands we find the "mangy" goose family.....

These molting teenage geese look just as bad as baby camel!

No one ever said the teenage years were "graceful".

Funny looking little things :-)

Then there are the birds.....

......peacocks in the tree at the zoo......

......Prothonotary Warbler in the tree at the wetlands.

I seemed to be "underneath" in both cases.

The plants....

Some interesting green leaves at the zoo.....with a touch of red

New leaves at the wetlands....with a touch of purple.

Animals...

A nice dry tortoise family at the zoo...

...a very wet turtle at the wetlands.

Flowers at both places.....

I love these exotic types at the zoo!

orchid

colorful....

.....strange.

At the wetlands.....

The meadow was full of these tall white flowers today.

....maybe not as exotic as an orchid, but one could get tired of exotic :-)

.....spikes....

...grape vines and flower heads.

Two very different places, but both have interesting things to see!

(p.s.....strangely enough, the zoo had both the fennel and that sweetspire bush that I posted yesterday! The bushes were all over the zoo and the smell of them was driving my allergies nuts. I don't think I would want to own one after smelling a whole lot of them together.)