I'm On A Roll...

But only for a few days....  I'm talking about posting blogs.  I did, indeed, take 2 days off from working.  But... no, not Bill ....  he worked 8 hours yesterday.  Today I work the Visitor Center, but don't open it until 11:00, although  I head up that way around 9:30 to clean it.  The internet is still an "iffy" situation, but if I have the patience to wait, I can sometimes get a blog posted in an hour or so.  

When we lived in Ohio, I often considered the Blue Jays noisy, obnoxious, greedy guys that could take over a feeder and bully other birds into staying away.  Here, way up in Maine, the Blue Jays seldom even come to the feeders.  I hear them squawking way up in the tree tops and sometimes catch a glimpse of blue as they fly around.

Yesterday, as I walked down the road, I saw 3 of them high in the tree tops.  They were squawking their blue-jay talk...  and I had to smile when I realized that I was enjoying their antics.  Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder.....

We were sitting in our motorhome about dinnertime...  Bill looked out and saw...

the Bald Eagle sitting on the platform...

This is quite a distance from where we're parked, but there's no mistaking the white head, even from here.  Kirk put two of these platforms up over 10 years ago and neither eagles nor osprey have taken up residence.  In early June a pair of bald eagles stopped by several times for about 2 weeks...  so maybe next year someone will stay.  Wouldn't that be exciting!

I take a drive around the refuge every morning before starting work.  Sometimes I don't see a 4-legged critter...  sometimes I get lucky....

This doe and her fawn were curious....  

Again, they were quite a distance away.  I turned off on a side road before getting close...  it always seems to me that critters have a hard enough time without humans making them work harder to conserve energy and forage for food.

You've heard the expression "Getting your ducks all in a row"...  Well....

Mama certainly has her ducklings well trained!

The colors didn't come out well..  they are swimming through a pond that is totally covered in algae (duckweed).....  You can even see some it clinging to their backs.

This Viceroy butterfly is taking advantage of the wildflowers in bloom now....

Asters...  purple and white...  are blooming in profusion.  

I haven't seen as many butterflies this year...  nor as many different species.  For that matter, I haven't seen as many large critters (bears and moose) as in the past.  Even the Upland Sandpiper pairs seemed to be down.  I wonder if last year's harsh winter played a part in this....

We won't know until tomorrow when we'll be leaving.  But I hope this rain quits so I can get all the trails mowed this week.   

In any case, it will be a busy week regardless.

That's All For Today!