Little Wood Turtle
Wood Turtle
Today I found a tiny wood turtle along one of the paths that I was walking here in Allegany State Park. Wasn’t the smallest Wood Turtle that I have ever found but it is unusual to find little ones like this!! Of course I had to take a few pictures of it!
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Purple Coral Fungus
Purple Coral Fungus
You ever see Purple Coral Fungus before? Typically they are white . . . sometimes orange or yellow but seeing a purple one threw me back some!!
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Floating Slug
This is something you would expect to find on the Planet Earth DVD . . . . a floating Slug! While bird banding a few weeks ago . . . . Jennifer found this floating slug and was bummed that she didn’t have her camera with her! Lucky, I had my point and shoot on me but this wasn’t an easy thing to photograph!! Here was this slug dangling on some slime/silk from a tree (which you can kind of see in the photo)!!! Isn’t our world amazing???
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Birdfreak Visit
Birdfreak, Little Kingfisher, Ed’s Father and myself
Today I had a wonderful visit by the Birdfreak Blogging Team as they passed through the area while heading to a birding festival (for Swarovski) in Rhode Island. We only had a few hours to chat but we looked for a few birds . . . Little Kingfisher (Dakota’s All Natural Experience) had the opportunity to band some baby Bluebirds . . . . and then headed up to the Thunder Rocks area to climb on some “big” rocks!! I am sure you will see many of Ed’s and Dakota’s pictures on their own blogs within the next few days (so go visit their blogs). Little Kingfisher told me that if I didn’t go home and blog something . . . . that I would owe him $50 dollars!! I didn’t want to disappoint this great young birder (and owe him $50 bucks) . . . . so here is my blog post for the day!! 🙂
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Mushroom Life [Wordless Wednesday]
Thanks everyone . . . I am fine and just busy doing other computer things! Yes, still banding and taking pictures! I also miss you all!
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Fledgling Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Fledgling Northern Rough-winged Swallow
While walking around Allegany State Park (Red House Lake) yesterday, I found these two fledgling Northern Rough-winged Swallow being fed by mom. I knew the mother bird would return with more bugs and so I waited . . .
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Checking on the Ospreys
Osprey Nest
Thought everyone would like to get an update on some of our nesting Osprey! Babies are growing up fast and theu are already starting to look like mom and dad. Shouldn’t be too long before they start flying!
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Eastern Kingbird
I also had an Eastern Kingbird who allowed me to get close for a few photos on Sunday! Did I mention that Wolf Run is one of my favorite places in the park to visit??
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Wolf Run Butterflies
Today I decided to take a walk for butterflies along the Wolf Run area of Allegany State Park. Was only out for about an hour before the rain arrived but did capture a few decent photos to share with everyone!
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Other SWAT banding post!
American Goldfinch by Sarah (aka WheelieGirl)
Over the past few days we have had two blogger reports about their visit to the SWAT Banding Station last Monday. Many have already seen Jennifer’s post on her SWAT visit and the similarities of the Chestnut-sided Warbler and Yellow Warbler (if not go visit her blog now!!).
But I am 99.9% sure you have not had a chance to visit WheelieGirls blog??? Sarah is a wonderful young lady who I have known since she was a little girl and her family has been visiting my banding station since 1999. She’s becoming a stunning photographer (uses a Nikon, High Five) and I just learned last Monday that she has her own Blog! That Monday she did a post on her SWAT visit and you can see some of her pictures that she captured!! Another stunning post that you should check out is her American Robin post . . . . hmmm future nature photographer??? I think so!
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Family Day at SWAT
SWAT Group Photo
Today was Family Day at the SWAT MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station with families from Michigan to local families who spent the first weekday of summer together! Of course the best part is that everyone here is a regular visitor to this website!!! {{{HIGH FIVE}}} It wasn’t until I was driving Young Naturalist J home that I realized that the whole “Mon@rch Nature Blog team” was together for the first time and I didn’t take a “team” picture together (big upset for the day)! But the whole team was in the group photo that I managed to get of all the families that visited in . . . . well minus one family who left early and a father who was the photographer.
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Rainy Day
Even with the stormy day . . . . we still had a great day with the Catt. Co Bird Club Summer Picnic in the morning and the Kids Fishing Derby in the afternoon! I said that I would take many pictures but didn’t really have many opportunities with the bazillion things I was doing! I am off from work over the next two days and should have some great opportunities for capturing a few photos to post!! It has been a long day and off to bed!
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Busy Weekend
MW in front of the Campfire!
This weekend Young Naturalist J’s family is camping in the Park to help celebrate (a little early) Young Naturalist C’s birthday. We had a great time at her party this evening with her mother and sister (Young Naturalist E) who design an amazing Squirrel Birthday Cake for her. At the party Young Naturalist C mentioned how pleased she was with everyone’s kind comments on the Nature Haikus posted yesterday.
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Killfawns
The most adorable Killfawn ever photographed!!
Yesterday I had to do a double take with some Killdeer that were on the side of the road. . . . I said “Look a bunch of Killfawns”!!! This pair of Killdeer had 4 baby killdeer running beside them! This photo series is pretty much what happened within the following minute!
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Fighting for the Fish
A moment after the Bald Eagle grabbed the trout N. Pike
Today a friend and I were over at Quaker Lake when we found this Bald Eagle being attacked by an Osprey. I quickly ran for my camera (kept in the trunk) . . . darn, I just missed their talons clinging together!!! Of course I was fumbling with the camera and trying to get my lens cap off. Once I finally started taking pictures (click, click, click) . . . . I heard “splash” . . . The eagle had just pulled this huge trout N. Pike from the water. One would have thought this Eagle would have had a hard time carrying this large fish but instead it flew away with grace. Moments later we found the Osprey in a dive towards the Eagle with intentions to try and steal the fish from the Eagle. The Eagle just ignored the Osprey and flew up into the tree to eat his fresh lunch.
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House Wren Pair
Singing House Wren
The local house wren has been singing up a storm recently. I think it has something to do with the female teasing the male with her busyness in filling the multiple neighboring bluebird boxes with sticks!
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SWAT and the Thunderstorm
Blackburnian Warbler
Yesterday (Tuesday) was our second banding session for the SWAT MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station. Yesterday was one of the most beautiful mornings with perfect temperatures, little wind and a sunny sky. About 2 hours into banding and I started to hear some grumbling in the background . . . nope not my stomach. That was thunder rumbling in the distance.
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Chestnut-sided Warbler
One of my banded Chestnut-sided Warblers
Had a SWAT banding session scheduled this morning and after 3 hours of banding (with sunshine). . . . the thunderstorms quickly surround me and forced me to close everything up. The final 3 hours of banding will be done tomorrow and I will then do my banding report. Until then . . . . I will share these Chestnut-sided Warbler pictures that I captured on Monday.
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Mon@rch's Nature Blog 