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yard birds (and others,) 08-31-03



hi y'all,

stayed 'round the confines here today trying to keep the flowers alive
(jeez, it was 91ºF at 0900,) checking out the Aves, Leps (30 spp.!) and
Odes. pretty nifty day in downtown Podunk, SC. i might hang out here again
tomorrow. ;-)

Green Heron - 4 perched in a neighbor's maple
TV - eyeing me suspiciously. i gave him a Hawaiian peace gesture and told
him i ain't quite ready yet...
Cooper's Hawk - 1 imm. that's been hanging out for about a week snagging
Rock Pigeons (guess the alpha code is ROPI now?) and MODOs (that'd be
Mourning Dove for those that are alpha-code challenged. besides, it's fun to
say 'hello, MODO.')
Red-shouldered Hawk - imm. cruising by and telling the world about it
Chimney Swift - a few hundred sleeping in the chimney as i type this. it's
too cool to watch 'em come to roost in the eve; swifts, hummers, bats and
dragonflies dodging one another...the swifts swirl in a counter-clockwise
manner here before they drop in the flue; how 'bout other places?
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - several, including a most beautimous ad. male
that showed up a cpl days ago and took possession of the backyard. he's 'da
man.' the titmouses and chickadees are completely baffled by this little
feathered fury. he's kickin' it and ain't taking no prisoners, y'all...it's
his world.
ROPI - (see above)
MODO - (ditto)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Red-bellied Woodpecker - a cpl pairs feedin' young-uns, and one pair's
young-un got confused about who it belonged to. that's gotta hurt...
Downy Wp
Tree Swallow
Blue Jay
Am. Crow
Fish Crow
Tufted Titmouse
Car. Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brn-headed Nuthatch - these guys have been scarce of late. hmmm...
Car. Wren - a cpl of family groups, cpl of birds tail-less.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - didn't stay long; tried to forage in the backyard.
bad idea.
N. Mockingbird
Brn Thrasher - scooter birds; they scoot up under the shrubs when i get too
close
Yellow-throated Vireo - singing at 1300 in a red maple. cool...
Am. Redstart - must be like, migration or something...
N. Cardinal - a bunch. i like cardinals and do my best to cater to 'em. 22
showed up this eve. ;-)
Common Grackle - a flock flying by late (thankfully)
House Sparrow
House Finch

Leps:
Pipevine Swallowtail - 1
Giant - 2!! visiting asst. Lantana, 'til the Tigers put 'em on the road.
Eastern Tiger - a few
Spicebush - a few late in the day
Palamedes
Orange Sulphur
Cloudless Sulphur - numbers appear to be increasing daily. they go for the
red stuff first.
Sleepy Orange
Gray Hairstreak - nice
Red-banded Hairstreak
azure sp. - very worn, grooving on red Pentas lanceolatas
Pearl Crescent
Am. Lady
Red Admiral - one showing up late the past few days and guarding the sand by
the mailboxes, go figure
Common Buckeye
Red-spotted Purple
Car. Satyr
Monarch - 1
Silver-spotted Skipper - numerous
Long-tailed - ditto
duskywing sp. - ah, one that got away...
Clouded
Fiery
Whirlabout - m & f doing what Whirlabouts do to make more Whirlabouts...
Byssus - 4 femmes, nice pix of a cpl. where are da boyz?
Dun - new for my savage garden
Carolina Roadside - second ever here, both this season
Brazilian - a big ol' beautiful bug that refused to have its pic
taken...come back Shane, please come back...
Ocola

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth- at least 3, 2 of whom had some kinda dispute.
fair pic of one nectaring on Pentas lanceolatas 'Polar White.' one actually
landed on a leaf of a Red Porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis?) and
stayed there 'til i got back with my camera...then jetted away b4 i could
focus. story of my life...oh, well.

Odes:
Great Blue Skimmer
Blue Dasher - several, m & f
E. Pondhawk - ditto
Common Whitetail - 1 femme patrolling the sidewalk
Unknowns - big, cruising at treetop-level and trying not to get sucked into
the chimney, or become bat-food.
Fragile Forktail - 1 male...cool.

...and a first-ever Robber Fly of some ilk.

Ain't it amazing what a few (hundred) flower blooms will attract?

Woohoo!

;-)

gary

gary phillips
conway, sc
sunset zone 31

"...where is the person, I ask, who, on observing this glittering fragment
of the rainbow, would not pause, admire, and turn his mind with
reverence..." (J.J. Audubon)