June 2023
Howdy! From this photo below, seconds before, I see a little something of color at the tip of the Crow’s beak. My guess is a bird embryo freed from its shell and the Crow needing a bit of water to wash it down.
Another clue is what I found outside my garden earlier in the morning...
Not sure why the egg got dropped here which is 60 yards down the hill from where the Mockingbirds populate the open fields, and with nearby trees they might use for nests. Maybe this egg was snatched to feed Crow nestlings wherever they might be. The shell was cracked on one end.
More birdbath photos yesterday:
Interesting how Northern Cardinals explore together, the male always nearby watching.
From Angus Gholson Nature Park on Sunday:
The very last Spigelia marilandica in full flower — we’ve been saying that every week for a month now. Seems like Woodland Pinkroot is becoming the more acceptable common name.
We had a young woman from Old Growth Forest Network stop by Sunday. We’ve been working with her to get the nature preserve added to their list. Not much true “old growth” in Florida anymore but we sure have the biodiversity.
Our goal is to locate and designate at least one protected forest in every county in the United States that can sustain a native forest. We estimate that to be approximately 2,370 out of 3,140 total counties. To achieve this aim we work to identify forests for the Network, ensure their protection, and inform people of the forest locations. We are building not only a network of forests, but also an alliance of people who care about forests.
and to close -- here’s what I did Monday while outside and listening to the Woodpeckers calling and drumming. Also heard the 2 Barred Owls check in with each other shortly after noon, their usual time. They were only 100-200’ up the hill but today the first called from there while the other was down in the bottoms... So, this is the latest batch of Sparkleberry walkingsticks I trimmed and prepped. The lighter color are Beaver sticks that I find downhill in their pond and repurpose. Folks like seeing how beavers cut & strip the branches so easily and often the sticks are just the right length and thickness for human use.
At the moment I’m baking yeast rolls; then it’s outside to find whatever chores might interest me today. Ooo, catching movement at the birdbath — there’s a Northern Parula flitting around. I also see there is a slow drip… drip… from the dish. Oh well, maybe it plugs itself, or at the least I refill more often.
Thanks for stopping by and see you in the comments with news of your nature observations.
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7:00 Tuesday night — another Crow visit. Guess it has deemed the birdbath a handy-dandy stop&go. Looks like a cookie or something. It must be going quite a ways to find this — which leaves me thinking again that it has a nest someplace close.