Non-Resident Parking Just $75!

 I took a ride down to the shore hoping to find a particular species of bird at a particular town beach.I found the non-resident parking fee a bit steep at $75 and decided to turn around and head off in another direction. I'm thinking they wanted to keep out of towners out of town.

 So I looked around the area and found a crow. I didn't hear it but since I was down by the shore it may have been a fish crow.

 There is no shortage of Osprey down at the shoreline.

I headed back to my home town where there was a Great Egret walking the shores of an old factory pond right off the main drag.

There were also Canada Geese which don't thrill most birders unless there is a huge flock from which to look for rarities. I thought they looked nice in the mid-day sun.

Maybe I should have stayed in town. At least the parking was free!

Before The Heat Hits And The Flies Bite

 Summer is not my favorite time of the year to walk in the woods. I try to get out before it gets too hot and those vicious biting flies get too aggressive. There's a certain time of the morning when insect repellent only serves as a liquid refreshment to go with their breakfast.

I went for a relaxing stroll through a tunnel of mountain laurel.

Along the way I found a tree that looked like it had been excavated by a woodpecker. By the size of it, I'm guessing it wasn't a downy.

 I'm not crazy about walking into spider webs in the early morning but I do admire the natural beauty when light reflects off of them.

I could hear dozens of warblers, flycatchers and thrushes but only managed to catch a photo of a scruffy young bluebird who was kind enough to land on a snag.

The key for me in the summer is to head out no later than 6am and finish the morning by 9am.