Daily Bucket: Magnificent Monday...Extending Global Big Day

by Appy for Backyard Science

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(This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday, May. 16, 2022 Monday, May. 16, 2022 at 8:41:08am PDT

Scissor Tails on the lookout. — I was on the lookout for Scissor Tails, but Scissor Tails were on the lookout for me.

The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.

We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.

Flint Hills of Kansas 5/16/22

The weekend was stormy here in the Flint Hills. I had little chance to do much in the way of birding. But when the going is tough, the tough get going, right? That made for a pretty tough call. I wasn’t tough enough to brave the downpours and wind and lightning. BUT, the days surrounding the weekend produced some fun stuff. So I am extending the coverage of Global Big Day by a few in order to be a participant. While it doesn’t involve long lists of sightings, the sightings on days surrounding the weekend were good enough to warrant averting a Bucket dark day by extending the watch period.

Here is my contribution to the extension.

Mama Red Tail from nest #1. She was in company of her mate. So sad to see them pining over the abandoned empty nest. — Mama Red Tail missed out on being a mama, but returned to revisit the nest she spent four long, hazardous week parked on incubating eggs, only to have the hatchlings violated by other birds. But her she sits, beautiful as ever, following a period of refueling her body.

Swallow, bee alert. — This Swallow, still molting, pays no regard to the perky bee inspecting from below.

Sunday we were visited by four Blue Grosbeaks at the same time. We’ve never had more than a singleton previously, excepting the arrival of a male and female together on Friday. I posted pics of them in the comments of another diary.

Stormy or not, hummingbirds have to eat...and fight each other for that privilege!

Hummer on the feeder perch. — Closeup of the male on the left in the pic above.

Closeup of the bird on the right in the perch pic. Arrival or departure?

Male Hummer catching the light while perched on the wire from which the feeder hangs. — During a brief moment of sunny break in the storm clouds this male Hummingbird catches the light just right.

I don’t know why I call then “chores” since feeding and playing with the horses is my favorite time of each morning and evening. During chores this morning my Swallows were, as usual, in the barn watching every move I made between trips outside to catch a bug. I happened to look outside and was rewarded with sight of a fine looking Pileated Woodpecker working on the snag out in the corral. That resulted in some personal bar setting photos of a Pileated.

We discuss what we see in each Bucket.

We value all observations, as we ponder life’s cycles.

Now it’s your turn.

Please comment about your own natural area, and include photos if possible. We love photos!

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